Chapter 83: Skill Decides Everything
However, before Soros could even finish speaking,
Gates' voice had already rang out.
"Two hundred million!!"
His tone was remarkably calm, displaying the bearing of a truly wealthy man. His extravagant spending impressed many of the beautiful women in attendance.
Everyone was completely speechless.
The West Blue's richest merchant was indeed the West Blue's richest merchant. So arrogant—he didn't even seem to care about money.
Soros's eye twitched, and he finally sat down in frustration.
"Rhodes-san, this guy is being completely disrespectful. He's deliberately going against us. Let's..." Soros spoke, murderous intent flickering in his eyes.
"No need," Rhodes said calmly.
The connection between a swordsman and his blade, though mysterious in theory, is actually a unique bond.
Just like Zoro—at any weapon shop in Loguetown, he was able to acquire the cursed blades Sandai Kitetsu and Yubashiri, instantly transforming his arsenal into magnificent weapons.
As the saying goes, a swordsman chooses his blade, and the blade chooses its master. That's exactly what it means.
What belongs to him will eventually come to him.
Seeing no further bids, the auctioneer brought down his hammer, his expression tinged with excitement.
"This wealthy merchant truly is lavish and generous! I do hope he can leave the port safely today."
With such a huge profit, the auctioneer genuinely hoped Gates would leave safely.
Of course, he thought the possibility was rather slim.
From his perspective, he had just seen several men with greedy eyes leaving the auction hall—most likely to gather their crews and relieve this rich fool of his burden!
Naminokiri was the finale of the auction, and with this final hammer blow, the auction concluded successfully.
Rhodes stood up and walked out. He planned to leave Sabaody early tomorrow morning, but of course, he had to make the most of his remaining time to explore the Sabaody Archipelago and at least sample all the famous local delicacies.
Soros glared at Gates before following him out.
Gates remained unmoved. After all, he was leaving today. What could Soros possibly do to him?
He wasn't afraid of official power. As the West Blue's most powerful merchant, he had connections throughout many of its member nations, even within the World Government itself.
As for the underworld, he had recently recruited two experts and was confident he wouldn't need to fear the petty criminals of the Sabaody Archipelago.
...
The sky gradually darkened.
Accompanied by Soros, Rhodes sampled a variety of renowned delicacies before taking a leisurely stroll.
It was fair to say that Soros was a highly qualified subordinate. With him around, Rhodes could spend virtually nothing in Sabaody. Soros was also well-versed in the area, knowing something about everything, big and small.
As they walked, a burst of excited chatter suddenly arose from ahead.
"I heard that fat sheep from the West Blue has been targeted by Tyrone's crew. He's in deep trouble now."
"Serves him right. Acting so arrogant even here in Sabaody. You should've seen how cocky he was at the auction."
"Ha! He was so cool then, but now he's gonna cough it all up!"
Rhodes looked over and saw a crowd gathered nearby. Further ahead, in an open plaza, two groups seemed to be facing off.
"Hahaha, this guy's luck has really run out,"
Soros gloated. "Tyrone's crew is incredibly ruthless—they do this dirty work specifically for the Donquixote Family."
"Even if that bastard Gates can handle Tyrone, he'll probably get dealt with by the Donquixote officers who show up later. Who's been in charge of Sabaody lately? I think it's Executive Officer Diamante."
"That guy's impossible to reason with. Absolutely brutal. Hahaha. Even with Gates's status and connections, I'm afraid he can only hope to save his own life at best."
Soros finally felt relieved, chuckling with satisfaction.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea—especially the Donquixote Family, who wield influence in both the legitimate and criminal underworld—are simply beyond what a mere businessman can handle.
Even if Gates were killed, it would likely amount to nothing more than some harsh words from the West Blue's allied nations.
Thinking of this, Soros felt a surge of schadenfreude.
"Let's go take a look."
Rhodes walked forward and soon spotted Gates, the wealthy merchant who had spent so lavishly at the auction.
Gates had been so high-spirited then, dominating among the wealthy merchants and nobles, but now his face was utterly grim, with only two badly injured bodyguards remaining by his side.
"Damn it!"
Gates cursed inwardly. He had been cautious, yet he was still intercepted at the port.
To have tracked down his ship so quickly—this must be a true underworld boss.
Despair welled up in his heart.
Fortunately, his two newly recruited experts were highly professional. Even with the situation so dire, they showed no signs of abandoning him.
Of course, Gates knew that if things truly became hopeless, they would likely flee faster than anyone else.
"The boss says: voluntarily hand over 70% of your wealth and we'll let you go."
Across the way, a young man with a sinister demeanor declared, "Don't even think about escaping! We've already sent people to torch your ship."
With just those words, he effectively cut off Gates's escape route—a truly ruthless move.
A flash of despair crossed Gates's eyes, but having weathered many storms in business, he remained outwardly calm. His eyes darted around, as if searching for any chance to escape.
"I need to cause chaos!"
A desperate thought flashed through his mind, and he suddenly shouted, "This is a Great Grade blade—the 21st ranked sword, Naminokiri! Worth 200 million berries!"
Without hesitation, he hurled Naminokiri toward the nearby crowd.
Hearing Gates' words and seeing Naminokiri spinning through the air, the crowd's hearts skipped a beat—but only for a moment.
Driven by survival instinct, the entire crowd took a collective step backward.
Then, with a metallic clang, Naminokiri hit the ground, the blade partially sliding from its sheath and reflecting a faint azure gleam.
Gates: "..."
He had clearly underestimated the Donquixote Family's intimidation factor and overestimated these ordinary people's courage.
"Hahahahahaha..."
Tyrone nearly choked with laughter. He said coldly, "How generous of you! In that case, hand over 90% of your wealth!"
Gates nearly choked in frustration.
The onlookers looked at him with pity. Who would dare mess with Tyrone, let alone the Donquixote Family behind him?
The scene became extremely awkward.
It was like a murder of crows flying overhead.
Then a figure suddenly stepped forward and grasped Naminokiri.
With a sharp ring,
he drew Naminokiri completely from its sheath. The azure blade reflected a subtle glow, like flickering lightning.
The moment he gripped it,
the great sword suddenly trembled.
Hmmmmm!
An astonishing sword song echoed throughout the plaza, and everyone seemed to sense a faint feeling of joy emanating from the blade itself.
This person was Rhodes.
He held Naminokiri horizontally before his eyes, and suddenly a smile came from deep within his heart as he gazed at it.
When fate arrives, it truly cannot be stopped.
This sword was surprisingly well-suited to him.
He was still savoring this feeling when a cold voice suddenly interrupted:
"Kid, if you don't want to die, put that sword down right now, and I might spare your life."
Hearing this, Rhodes tilted his head and glanced at the speaker, saying lightly:
"I picked it up with my own skill—why should I put it down?"
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