"Five hundred million Berries!"
The auction had barely begun when someone raised the price by two hundred million in one go.
Although his face was hidden behind a mask, Luo Lan recognized him immediately—just from the sword at his waist alone.
Even if he didn't personally fancy the sword Yōmei, he knew well: forget a regular swordsman—even a Great Swordsman wouldn't be able to resist its allure.
They'd give up all their wealth for a chance to wield it.
"Five hundred and fifty million Berries!"
"Seven hundred million Berries!"
Seeing someone raise the price, the first bidder immediately countered with a hefty increase—adding 150 million as if it were nothing.
He was clearly determined to win.
But while he seemed confident on the surface, in truth…
Seven hundred million was all he had.
Sure enough, just moments later—
"Seven hundred and fifty million Berries!"
Hearing the new offer, the swordsman visibly slumped.
He knew it. From this point on, the competition was no longer something he could afford.
As for trying to steal it?
Don't kid yourself. He was a lone wanderer—trying that would be a death wish.
Soon enough, within just three minutes, the price had soared to 1.02 billion Berries.
Now, only three bidders remained, and their pace slowed, with each increase being a modest ten or twenty million.
Then suddenly, a fourth bidder joined in at the last moment.
"1.1 billion Berries!"
All eyes turned.
And there she was—a Marine, no less.
Not just any Marine—Gion, better known as Vice Admiral Tsuru's protégé and one of the newly named Admiral Candidates, codename: Momousagi (Peach Rabbit).
At once, the remaining bidders fell silent.
It was obvious—if Momousagi was bidding, it wasn't on her own behalf. It had to be an order from Marine Headquarters or even the World Government.
Because let's be honest, not even an admiral could shell out that kind of money personally.
And once the government steps in—what's the point of bidding further?
You want to go toe-to-toe with the Marines and the World Government in a contest of wealth?
Sure, they could still raise the price—drive it higher just for spite.
But was it really worth it?
Absolutely not!
Not only would they gain nothing, but they'd probably earn the wrath of the Marines and World Government for the trouble.
So while the three were clearly unwilling to give up, they did step back.
But of course, not everyone at the auction feared the Navy.
"1.2 billion Berries!"
"Doflamingo—what are you doing?"
"Fufufufu... This is an auction, isn't it? What, Vice Admiral Gion—are you saying others aren't allowed to bid now? Trying to steal it by force?"
Doflamingo, clad in his signature pink feathers, showed not a hint of fear.
He didn't care if it was the Marines—or even the Five Elders themselves—he wasn't the type to back down.
The moment he said that, the whole venue erupted.
Some whistled. Others jeered.
While none of them dared offend the Navy directly, now that Doflamingo had made the first move, they were more than happy to cheer him on from the sidelines.
Gion's face darkened.
"1.3 billion Berries!"
"1.4 billion!"
"1.5 billion!!"
Gritting her teeth, Gion shouted again, suppressing her fury.
This was the maximum budget—Vice Admiral Tsuru had personally authorized it.
Only someone of Gion's rank—an admiral candidate and Great Swordswoman—could even dream of receiving that kind of support.
"Fufufufufu… The Navy really is swimming in money. The sword is yours, then, Admiral Candidate Momousagi!"
Doflamingo gave a mocking grin.
Gion, meanwhile, was livid.
She could've gotten it for 1.1 billion, and now she'd been forced to spend an extra 400 million.
That was enough to build four new battleships!
Still, she composed herself quickly.
Vice Admiral Tsuru had just informed her: Vergo had been exposed.
Furthermore, she hinted that Fleet Admiral Sengoku was already pressuring the Five Elders to strip Doflamingo of his Warlord title and issue a warrant for his arrest.
"Keep laughing while you can."
---
Marineford – Fleet Admiral's Office
"Damn it!!"
Sengoku slammed the Den Den Mushi onto the ground, smashing it to pieces.
Den Den Mushi: What did I ever do to you…?
He was furious.
Doflamingo had not only infiltrated the Marines with a spy—Vergo—but that spy had climbed all the way into the upper ranks.
And the Five Elders?
They had no intention of arresting Doflamingo. Instead, they spent the entire call berating him.
Called him incompetent.
Scolded him for letting a mole operate under his nose for over a decade.
When he suggested capturing Doflamingo again, they outright refused.
Even threatened to replace him as Fleet Admiral if he acted without permission.
Half an hour on the call—29 minutes of pure insults.
Only bright side? Garp wasn't around. Otherwise, he would've mocked Sengoku with his usual line:
"Why don't you just go fight the Five Elders yourself, old man?"
---
Volcanic Island – Auction House Exterior
"How did Vergo get exposed?"
"It was Morgans. He ran a front-page story in today's World Economic News—all about Vergo."
"Damn that Morgans. What the hell is he playing at?"
"That's not the point, Doffy. Vergo's escaped to Dressrosa, but there are reports that Akainu himself has already set off from G-1 Base. He's heading straight there."
Diamante looked panicked.
Even if they were all in Dressrosa—they couldn't stop Akainu.
And worst of all?
Sugar was still there.
If anything happened to her…
That would be catastrophic.
"Let's go. Forget the auction. We're returning to Dressrosa—full speed."
"But Doffy, will we make it in time?"
"We will. I'll contact the Five Elders en route. We need to have a serious conversation."
Doflamingo's expression was dark.
The situation wasn't good, but he still had cards to play.
The Five Elders… for now… still wouldn't dare touch him.
---
"Running away already, Doflamingo?"
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—
Three figures appeared, landing swiftly in front of him, cutting off his escape.
"Vice Admiral Gion—what's the meaning of this?"
"Save your breath. Until the warrant is issued, you're not leaving."
"Warrant? Fufufufu... Are you sure?"
Doflamingo burst into laughter again.
At that moment, Gion's Den Den Mushi rang.
Brrrr... Brrrr...
"This is Gion."
"Gion, it's me."
"Vice Admiral Tsuru! I've stopped Doflamingo. Has the arrest order come through?"
"Let him go, Gion."
"…What?"
"Let him go. That's an order."
"I… understand."
Tsuru's voice had turned grave.
Reluctantly, Gion obeyed.
Doflamingo, having heard every word, burst into even louder laughter.
"Arrest me? Really, Navy? You think you're in charge here?"
---
A/N: Updates will now be only 2x a day. You can read more advance chapters on Ko-Fi if you want.
https:// ko-fi.com/sami27