Stella turned toward the source of the voice.
When she clearly saw Tesoro, surprise and worry flashed across her eyes at the same time.
"Well, well, this guest seems quite emotional," the auction host joked with a smile. "Now then, our item comes from the East Blue. Since childhood, this beautiful young lady followed her merchant father at sea and possesses excellent navigation skills."
"Starting bid, two million Beli!"
"Three million!" someone immediately raised a bid.
In a world dominated by the sea, navigation skill was invaluable. Having an outstanding navigator greatly increased one's chances of survival.
"Five million!"
"Eight million!"
As the price continued to rise, Roy noticed Tesoro about to lift his bidding paddle and firmly pressed down on his arm.
"How much money do you have?" Roy asked quietly.
"I…" Tesoro froze. "Three hundred thousand."
"Then what are you bidding for?"
"But…"
"Calm down." Roy released his arm. "This isn't the worst situation yet. I'll handle it."
"Thirty million."
At that moment, the Celestial Dragon seated in the front row raised his hand. His voice trembled with excitement.
"Thirty million Beli. I want her to become my seventy first wife."
The entire auction hall fell into dead silence.
No one dared to bid against a Celestial Dragon.
Inside the cage, Stella lifted her head, despair written clearly on her face. Tesoro's body trembled violently as he tried to rush forward, but Roy immediately stopped him.
"Not yet."
Roy leaned in and whispered instructions into Tesoro's ear.
Tesoro looked at him in confusion, as if he wanted to argue. But seeing Roy's calm and steady expression, he swallowed his words and quietly slipped out of the auction house.
Bang.
"Congratulations! Saint Rugmak has won this beautiful young lady!"
Roy remained seated, watching coldly.
He needed to know exactly where the Devil Fruit would end up.
At that moment, a hostess stepped forward, carrying a tray covered with a red cloth.
"And now, presented before you, the secret treasure of the sea. Eat it, and you will gain unimaginable power."
The host yanked away the red cloth.
A Devil Fruit lay on the tray.
It was entirely pink, shaped like a human brain. Its surface was covered in complex grooves resembling cerebral folds, etched with vein like patterns that looked like neural pathways. Within those patterns, faint streams of light flowed, like pulsing nerve signals.
"It is a Paramecia type Devil Fruit."
"The Nen Nen Fruit."
"After consuming it, one can freely manipulate surrounding objects, lift oneself off the ground, and even gain the power of flight."
"As a means of increasing combat strength, this is an extremely powerful Devil Fruit."
"Starting bid, one hundred million Beli!"
For a brief moment, the entire auction house went silent.
Then it erupted into noise.
Whispers, arguments, and heated discussions filled the hall as everyone assessed the fruit's value.
Nen Nen Fruit.
Just the name made its ability clear.
Control everything through mental force.
Both oneself and external objects could be manipulated at will.
Was it strong?
Extremely.
For someone whose mental power was already terrifying, the boost would be nothing short of monstrous.
Roy listened quietly to the uproar, his gaze fixed firmly on the Devil Fruit. The desire rising from deep within him grew stronger and stronger, almost overwhelming.
"One hundred and thirty million Beli!" a pirate seated in front of Roy shouted, raising the price by thirty million in one jump, clearly trying to intimidate other bidders.
"Only thirty million more and you think you can take it?" a fat merchant sneered, glancing disdainfully at the pirate. "Two hundred million!"
The bidding continued, the price climbing rapidly.
Devil Fruits were incredibly rare. Even in the underground world, a mediocre one could sell for over one hundred million Beli, often weak Zoan types with limited usefulness.
But powerful Devil Fruits could reach absurd prices.
This one was clearly among the latter.
No further explanation was needed from the host. The price soared past three hundred million, and the number of bidders gradually dwindled.
"Four hundred million Beli!" a pirate shouted loudly, scanning the room in an attempt to scare off competitors.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"That's Iron Arm Jones! The pirate with a bounty of one hundred and thirty million!"
"I heard he's tried entering the New World twice already and failed both times. Looks like he's betting everything on this fruit!"
"Five hundred million Beli!"
A delighted voice rang out from the front row.
"I want that fruit. I'll take it back to the Holy Land and feed it to my slave, hahaha!"
"A flying slave would be magnificent!"
"Then I can show it off to Saint Charlos and make that idiot jealous!"
Saint Rugmak waved his arms excitedly, laughing wildly.
Iron Arm Jones collapsed back into his seat, fists clenched tightly, his eyes filled with rage and unwillingness as he stared at the Celestial Dragon.
That Devil Fruit might have been his only chance to challenge the New World again.
But he did not dare act.
Provoking a Celestial Dragon meant inviting an Admiral's wrath, and Sabaody was far too close to Marine Headquarters.
Roy felt a weight lift from his chest.
The Devil Fruit had fallen into the Celestial Dragon's hands.
That meant it would not be eaten immediately.
And Stella was also in the Celestial Dragon's possession.
As long as Roy dealt with the three Cipher Pol agents guarding him, he could rescue Stella and obtain the Devil Fruit he desired.
With that settled, Roy lost interest in the rest of the auction. He quietly stood and left the hall.
Across from the auction house, in a narrow alley, Tesoro stood anxiously, staring at the entrance. When he saw Roy emerge, he finally relaxed slightly.
Roy stepped outside, quickly scanned the surroundings with Observation Haki, then walked into the alley.
"Don't worry, Tesoro. Things are going even more smoothly than expected. We'll proceed exactly as planned."
He took the oversized cloak from Tesoro and draped it over his shoulders, pulling the hood up so the wide brim shadowed most of his face.
"B Boss… are we really going to attack a Celestial Dragon?" Tesoro asked nervously. "If we do that, an Admiral might…"
"Do you want to save your Stella or not?" Roy cut him off calmly. "She's still in his hands."
Tesoro trembled, hesitation clear on his face.
Roy patted his shoulder.
"Relax. We've already planned everything."
Roy leaned against the wall, closed his eyes, and stopped responding.
Within his Observation Haki, everything inside the auction house unfolded clearly in his mind. With his powerful mental strength, he could easily sense the thoughts and movements of those inside as long as he focused.
Meanwhile, the auction came to its end.
What surprised Roy was that the second Devil Fruit, the only other one in the auction, was also acquired by the same Celestial Dragon.
After the brief surprise came excitement.
Devil Fruits were miracles of the sea.
No one ever complained about having too many of them.