Before the auctioneer could finish shouting, a wildly arrogant voice rang out:
"ONE BILLION Berries!"
"Who—? Which God is it? Please allow me to kneel and lick your feet afterward."
The auctioneer was ecstatic. Being interrupted never angered an auctioneer—an interruption at the final moment always meant one thing: a higher price.
He could not even imagine five hundred million. A billion was beyond fantasy.
But when he followed the direction of the sound and saw who had spoken… the auctioneer deflated instantly. It was Saint Rosward.
And the auction house had a rule: anything a Celestial Dragon fancied would yield zero commission.
The auctioneer felt helpless. These were World Nobles, the noblest of the noble. He had thought he might become rich from this auction, only for chaos to ruin everything. He did not dare to hold any dissatisfaction toward them. He had to be even more careful serving them.
The last bidder, Dibalu Niluk, looked toward the special front-row area where Rosward had shouted the bid, his heart full of regret.
Compete with a Celestial Dragon?
Do not joke. Even if he somehow bought the item, would he dare walk out with it?
Who dared provoke a Celestial Dragon? He had heard stories in the aristocratic circles—once, a king of an affiliated nation had competed against a Celestial Dragon in an auction and won the item… but within a day, the entire kingdom vanished from the map.
Anyone with a brain knew exactly what had happened.
Therefore, the moment Dibalu Niluk saw Rosward bid, he immediately ordered his bodyguards to make a path and slipped quietly out of the auction house, terrified Rosward might target him.
The auctioneer, dutiful to the last, showed no hesitation after Rosward's bid. He immediately declared:
"One billion Berries, first call! One billion Berries, second call! One billion—"
Before he could lift his hammer for the third call, a sudden change erupted in the hall.
No auctioneer wanted to make a mistake with matters involving Celestial Dragons. But life rarely went so smoothly. Never in his dreams did the auctioneer imagine someone would dare interrupt a Celestial Dragon's bid—and worse, in a way the auctioneer deeply disliked.
So disliked, in fact, that he would never again have the right to dislike anything.
Why?
Because he paid with his life.
Doflamingo, Bullet, and Vergo had arrived at the auction house entrance the moment the auctioneer hadn't finished speaking.
When Doflamingo saw Pica on the stage—wearing a collar, bound, treated as merchandise—his rage spiked instantly. Without a word, he drew the golden revolver at his waist.
A black lightning round pierced the auctioneer in an instant.
The bullet ripped through the auctioneer's skull. The man collapsed on the spot.
For several seconds, the auction house fell silent—then detonated into chaos. Screams and shouting thundered as the audience stampeded toward every exit.
Experience told them: in an auction house, when this happens—if you do not run, you die. Human traffickers did not have good eyesight, but they had quick trigger fingers.
Doflamingo ignored all the chaos. With a flash of electricity, he appeared beside Pica's cage. Both hands gripped two iron bars—he pulled, and the cage tore open.
He stepped lightly to Pica's side, took hold of the slave collar, and with a single twist—snapped it apart.
Seeing that Pica's legs also wore shackles, Doflamingo knew instantly they must be seastone.
But he did not care. He grasped the seastone shackles, focused his entire strength into his hands—Pica's foot restraints shattered into nothing, leaving only the sound of broken chains falling to the floor.
Rosward, seated in the frontmost row with the best view, watched as Doflamingo rescued his soon-to-be "pet," and erupted with fury.
His status was unimaginably noble. And some lesser creature dared steal his "pet"?
Die.
Rosward pointed his gun at Doflamingo and unleashed a hail of bullets.
Doflamingo allowed the bullets to pass straight through his body. Coldly, he stared at Rosward.
"One Hundred Million Volts — Black Dragon!"
A colossal jet-black Chinese dragon surged forth, jaws open wide, tearing straight toward Rosward.
No hesitation, no reservations—Doflamingo's attack came without restraint, catching everyone completely off guard.
Guzman, the trafficking ring leader overseeing the hall, did not even react in time. By the time he processed the scene, Rosward—and the several-li area behind him, including the ground—had turned to ash.
Everyone behind Rosward within the auction house was likewise gone.
Only a deep trench tens of meters down, still smoking black, remained behind to prove something had just happened.
Everything happened too fast—far too fast for ordinary minds to process.
But not everyone was ordinary.
Seeing Rosward slain by Doflamingo, a few sharp minds instantly understood the severity of the situation.
They immediately began shouting, stirring greater chaos to buy themselves time.
"This is bad! The Celestial Dragon is dead! Naval Admirals will come! Run!"
The remaining Supernovas who had not gone far naturally witnessed Doflamingo's actions. Their reactions were all different.
"Heehihihihi! Too interesting! Just as that person said, this world truly is amusing. Setting out early was the right choice. I WILL become Pirate King and stand above all pirates! Heehihihihi!"
Moria felt no fear. Instead, his fighting spirit soared.
He originally had no intention of setting out this early, but due to the changes caused by Doflamingo, he met someone a year ago—and that person's words had strengthened his resolve.
Judging by this situation, that person had indeed been right.
"What terrifying power… and the Donquixote Family also has that demon-like Bullet.
If I meet them in the New World, I should avoid them… No, I need a strong protector. With my strength, I won't reach the end!
In the New World, Whitebeard's power is acknowledged by all. I should join Whitebeard."
Squard knew his own limits. With no strength to match them, he would never dare fight head-on. Seeking protection was the wisest choice.
"So scary… If that attack hit me, I'd turn to ash—bon. Switch to second form. Time to run—kyu!"
Baron Tamago shifted into his Viscount Chick form: yellow chick-like skin, wings for arms, white overalls. He flapped quickly, fleeing the area at full speed.
"What a powerful soul, nya~ I like it. I wonder if I can control him? Hehehe… See you in the New World, nya. Next time, I'll definitely taste such a strong soul."
Echo felt almost nothing regarding Doflamingo's attack itself—her eyes were fixed only on the overwhelming soul that made her tremble.
A soul like that… If she devoured it, she could probably walk sideways across this entire world.
But Echo was no fool. Sailing alone for so long had honed her instincts. If she did not run now, she would never get the chance again.
Like the others, she ran at full speed toward the island's outskirts.
Unlike the Supernovas, however, Guzman the trafficker's boss felt his heart drop into a freezing abyss.
A Celestial Dragon had died in front of him. How could he possibly remain safe afterward?
(End of Chapter)
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