Meanwhile, on the other side of the island—
Doflamingo stared at the screen showing the thugs storming into the venue, his face twisting with rage.
"Fufufu… fufufufufu…"
His laugh sounded dangerously ominous.
"Who… who the hell is it?! Who dares lay a hand on my stuff?!"
All of his earlier schemes had gone up in smoke, replaced by the humiliation of getting his face stomped on in public. This was absolutely not some act he'd staged himself. These idiots who didn't know the meaning of death were really here to snatch Joker's turf!
"Trebol! Diamante! Pica!" he roared into the Den Den Mushi beside him, nearly foaming at the mouth. "Are you crawling there?! Why aren't you at the venue yet?! Get to the auction hall at top speed! Crush those damn insects completely—leave no survivors!!"
From the other end of the line, Trebol's anxious voice came through:
"Doffy! We're already going as fast as we can! But we're still a bit far, we need some time!"
"I don't care how you do it!" Doflamingo almost shrieked. "Five minutes! If I don't see you at the venue in five minutes, you'll live with the consequences yourselves!"
He didn't finish the rest, but the chill in his voice was enough to show just how murderous he was right now.
After he hung up the Den Den Mushi, Doflamingo fixed his gaze on the screen on the wall, as if he wanted to see straight through the smiling masks and remember every face underneath.
First Ronan had forced down the price and snatched away the fruit, and now some unknown nobodies had come out of nowhere to rob the venue… Tonight, his face had been dragged across the ground back and forth.
"No matter who you are… I'll drag you out and tear you to pieces!!"
He stared at the masked thugs on the screen. Right now, his mood had hit rock bottom.
Back in the auction hall, as the leader of the thugs was just about to reach the Gold-Gold Fruit, Ronan's expression grew even uglier. The other side's target was clearly this fruit.
Whether these thugs were arranged by Doflamingo or not, whether this was a double-cross scheme or not, at this moment that fruit was about to fall into someone else's hands.
If the guy ate it on the spot, that would mean mission failure for Ronan. He only had 70 Quest Points left; that was nowhere near enough to cover the penalty for failing a mission.
The moment he imagined the worst-case scenario, Ronan's previous mindset of "just watching the show" vanished completely. Whatever schemes Doflamingo had, whatever hidden plots were unfolding, none of that mattered anymore.
What mattered was that fruit. It was tied to his core interests and absolutely could not be lost.
Ronan immediately signaled Beth to retrieve the fruit.
Beth's figure vanished from his side in an instant! In the very next heartbeat, she was already on the platform, just in time to stand between the thug leader and the Gold-Gold Fruit.
"What?!"
The thug leader's outstretched hand froze in midair, the pupils behind the mask contracting sharply. He hadn't even seen how this woman appeared there!
Beth ignored his shock and simply reached straight for the tray holding the Gold-Gold Fruit.
"Looking for death!"
The thug leader, both shocked and furious, clearly couldn't accept Beth snatching the fruit right in front of him. His other hand, which gripped a dagger, suddenly thrust viciously at her.
However, in Beth's eyes, his attack carried no threat at all.
"Clang!"
Beth caught the blade cleanly between two fingers, then applied a bit of pressure.
"Crack!"
The short blade, forged of refined steel, snapped cleanly in two between her fingertips.
Then, with a casual flick of those same fingers—
"Swish—!"
The broken tip shot out like a bullet, burying itself in the thug leader's blade arm near the shoulder.
"Urgh—!"
He let out a muffled cry of pain. His entire right arm went limp in an instant, blood gushing from the wound. His eyes were filled with raw disbelief. This woman… was absurdly strong!
Beth didn't even spare him a glance. She simply raised one leg and kicked, sending the thug leader flying. He slammed heavily into the wall.
The hall fell utterly silent.
Everyone was stunned by this sudden reversal. No one had expected Ronan's group to be the first to make a move, much less to instantly take down the leader of the thugs.
The thugs themselves were also caught off guard. In a situation they thought they completely controlled, someone had dared to resist—and in the blink of an eye had crippled their boss.
"Bastard!"
"Kill them!"
"Take the fruit back!"
After that brief moment of shock, the thugs came to their senses and rushed at Beth.
Beth glanced at the swarm of thugs closing in. Wanting to return to Ronan as soon as possible, she didn't bother holding back any longer. Facing the attackers coming from all directions, she began casually sending them to meet their maker.
The nobles and rich merchants in the hall, along with the Underworld bosses and the rebel leader, watched as the thugs were slaughtered. Many of them were secretly gloating. It was one thing to rob Doflamingo's property, but now they even dared to lay hands on the person who had taken down the Golden Lion. They were all very curious—were these thugs really that fearless?
After Beth finished clearing out the thugs around her, she returned to Ronan's side. As Ronan took the Gold-Gold Fruit from her hands, the contents of the panel in his mind changed.
"Obtained Paramecia-type Gold-Gold Fruit. Mission complete. Reward: 70 Quest Points.
Holder: Ronan
Quest Points: 140
Special Skill: Lucky Roulette (1000 points per spin)
Abilities: Armament Haki (Proficient, 700 points to upgrade to Mastery), Physical Arts (Proficient, 700 points to upgrade to Mastery)"
Looking at the golden Gold-Gold Fruit in his hand, Ronan finally let out a long breath. Everything he'd done over the past while had been for these 70 Quest Points, and today he'd finally secured them.
As for how to deal with this Devil Fruit, Ronan honestly had no idea for the moment. After all, it was only a Paramecia-type. It wasn't very attractive to him, and Beth and the others had absolutely no desire for Devil Fruits either. They only believed in their own strength.
"Maybe I should just sell it?"
While Ronan was thinking about what to do with the fruit, the thug leader Beth had kicked away slowly staggered back to his feet. The smiling mask on his face had slipped off from the impact, revealing his true face.
He looked to be only in his early twenties, with short purple hair. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, yet there was still a twisted madness on his face.
Everyone present found his face completely unfamiliar. None of them could recall seeing this man on any wanted poster. Clearly, this thug leader was a newcomer.
But when Ronan saw that face clearly, his expression changed.
This face… he recognized it!
Gild Tesoro!
In the future, the man who would build the giant golden ship "Gran Tesoro," be hailed as the "Golden Emperor," use money to control the Underworld, and force even the Celestial Dragons to give him some face!
The tragic villain who would eventually be defeated by Luffy in the movie "Film: Gold"!
(End of Chapter)
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