Three and a half billion!
A big shot with this kind of financial power wouldn't want to spend such a huge price on an unknown Logia-type Devil Fruit. Some New World Pirates who wanted to bid on this Logia-type Devil Fruit simply didn't have the financial power.
The entire venue was somewhat noisy. Those New World pirates looked pale and cursed under their breath. They had specially rushed over from the New World, only to return empty-handed. Naturally, they felt extremely displeased. If it weren't for their fear of Germa's power, they would have genuinely wanted to go straight to their base after leaving.
"Then, the deal is done!"
On the massive auction platform, after being asked thrice, Discol's face flushed red, and he excitedly hammered down the auction block: "This unknown Logia-type Devil Fruit belongs to His Highness Ichiji of Germa!"
"This auction is now successfully concluded. Welcome, everyone, to come again next time..."
Most of the people in the venue gradually began to exit.
In the last row, near the main entrance, Momousagi, not wanting to stay here for another moment, immediately got up and left.
The ownership of the Dark-Dark Fruit was naturally not something she needed to worry about. This time, this capable Vice Admiral was specially sent by Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku, mainly to prevent any trouble from those New World pirates on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Because auction houses always upheld the rule of cash on delivery, the few guests who had bid on items in this auction, including Ichiji, went directly through another passage to the backstage of the auction house to settle their payments and collect their bid items.
"Giant Bear" Jellal, a cadre of the Beast Pirates, left directly and did not come in person. Instead, he sent one of his pirate subordinates with money to take the Devil Fruit away. After all, with the name of the Beast Pirates, there were hardly any foolish enough to harbor ill intentions!
"Boing boing boing..."
"Excuse me, Your Highness Ichiji, please wait a moment!"
After all the other guests had settled their payments and left with their respective "items" they had bid on, auctioneer Discol clapped his hands together, then looked at Ichiji, who was holding a phone. His phone suddenly rang, and he had no choice but to answer it.
"Discol, it's me!"
The Den Den Mushi directly mimicked the outline of a person wearing sunglasses and showing two rows of large white teeth, clearly looking like Doflamingo: "The auction is over, right?" His tone carried affirmation, clearly having already received intelligence!
"Doflamingo!"
Rorqual, following close behind Ichiji, trembled. He immediately recognized Doflamingo's voice. His entire body tightened, gnashing his teeth, unable to conceal his hatred and murderous intent.
"Boss, great harvest! His Highness Ichiji of Germa has successfully bid for that Logia-type Devil Fruit for three and a half billion Berries..."
Doflamingo had personally experienced the Devil Fruit. As the person in charge of the auction house, Discol had no idea that the Devil Fruit was fake. At this moment, he was suppressing his inner excitement and reported with a hint of brilliance.
"Is that so?"
Doflamingo's voice was calm, and he spoke indifferently: "Just collect the 500 million transaction fee. They are this time's sellers!"
How could he not arrange for personnel to monitor such a big event in the venue?
Even to guard against being trapped by Germa, he had already secretly prepared a large amount of emergency funds, ready to deal with unexpected situations at any time.
After all, if that fake Devil Fruit were to be bought by the Big Mom Pirates or the Beast Pirates, his Donquixote Family's reputation would be greatly damaged in the future. Doflamingo naturally wouldn't be so foolish as to trust that bastard, Ichiji, without reservation!
"What!?"
Discol was somewhat stunned.
The Den Den Mushi couldn't help but drop, but it was caught by Ichiji on the other side! This means that Germa themselves put the Devil Fruit up for auction, and then bought it back themselves, effectively subsidizing 500 million Berries?
This is simply... a bit too unbelievable, isn't it?
"Ah, Heavenly Yaksha, thank you this time..."
Holding the Den Den Mushi, which was still in communication, Ichiji smiled broadly and said, "Then those five hundred million are just a thank you gift!"
"Hmph, what thank you gift? That's what the Donquixote Family deserves..." Doflamingo's tone was somewhat unfriendly. When someone took advantage of him, he naturally couldn't be in a good mood. However, after all, neither party was an enemy.
Moreover, this time's incident subtly felt a little suspicious.
With a change of subject, Doflamingo directly chuckled. With some excitement, he sneered: "Heh heh heh~ You bastard, because of this auction, Marco the Phoenix, a crew member on the Whitebeard Pirates' ship, was captured by CP0. Now, we, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, have all received forced summons from the World Government. Should I thank you for this...?"
"What!?"
Isabelle, Niji, and others were all somewhat surprised upon hearing this.
They hadn't expected the World Government to actually forcibly summon the Seven Warlords of the Sea this time in response to the Whitebeard Pirates' retaliation. Was this really a full-scale war against that pirate king on the sea?
"Marine Headquarters plus the Seven Warlords of the Sea, against the Four Emperors of the New World, the Whitebeard Pirates. What will this storm ultimately turn into? Hahahaha..."
Doflamingo had already received some rumors through special channels. This incident was not done by CP0 members at all, but by someone impersonating CP0, seemingly trying to provoke a war between the World Government and the Whitebeard Pirates.
He wasn't stupid. Combining Ichiji's strange actions, although there was no direct evidence, it didn't stop him from having some suspicions.
Auctioning a fake Devil Fruit for no reason, even subsidizing several hundred million Berries, causing a portion of the New World pirates to be turned upside down. It didn't look like a malicious act at all. Yet, what happened was that a crew member of the Whitebeard Pirates was captured by CP0 at this time, and the Whitebeard Pirates' original goal was to come to the Sabaody Archipelago to auction that Logia-type Devil Fruit.
"Then congratulations on your win. The battlefield is full of dangers and unpredictable changes, but be careful not to be slaughtered by that monster 'Whitebeard'..."
Facing Doflamingo's probing and suspicion, Ichiji remained completely unmoved, answering nonchalantly.
"Heh heh heh~ What a sharp-tongued fellow. I didn't plan to go and fight that monster from the World Government with all my strength..."
He had seen the photos from Omil Island. The extent of the destruction was indeed a bit exaggerated, so it was easy to imagine how fierce the battle was at the time.
When Marco the Phoenix was captured, Vinsmoke Ichiji was indeed on the Sabaody Archipelago. And currently, apart from this Devil Fruit user himself, Germa should not possess that level of combat power.
Perhaps the entire incident wasn't orchestrated by Germa, but it stands to reason that Germa, or rather Vinsmoke Ichiji, was involved.
It's just that the entire incident, from start to finish, reeked of strangeness and deceit, as if shrouded in a thick mist. Even Doflamingo was somewhat confused. He couldn't understand why, if this matter truly involved Vinsmoke Ichiji, he would willingly pay for an unknown Logia-type Devil Fruit, just to draw out the Whitebeard Pirates?
Especially the targeted individual, Marco the Phoenix, who was previously quite unknown in the Whitebeard Pirates, not even among the top few captains with renowned names. The power he displayed this time truly surprised many.
...And so...
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