Auctions exist to make money.
Just like a priceless gemstone—if you want to sell it, you sell it to wealthy nobles, not to military officers.
In places like the Four Blues, many items can fetch very high prices. Ordinary Devil Fruits are common on the Grand Line and not particularly valuable there, but in the Four Blues they are rare and therefore extremely expensive.
Although the Grand Line is filled with powerful individuals, strength does not necessarily mean wealth. Some of them might even resort to outright robbery. That was precisely why, after discovering a Supreme Grade Blade, it was brought directly to an underground auction in the West Blue to be sold.
The middle-aged man was very excited.
Although he was not the one who obtained this Supreme Grade Blade, successfully selling it at an underground exchange like this would still count as a great merit for him.
However—
When the middle-aged man announced the start of bidding, no one spoke. Even though many people were clearly tempted, they all seemed hesitant.
A Supreme Grade Blade—such a famous sword—would certainly command an extremely high price. Even so, most of the people present were high-ranking figures from various underground factions, and the price itself was not the real issue.
The real problem was this:
A famous blade must be matched with a master swordsman.
Hawkeye carried the Supreme Grade Blade, the Black Blade: Yoru, and roamed the seas alone. Did anyone dare to rob Black Blade: Yoru?
No.
Even if someone foolish enough had tried, they would have long since died under Hawkeye's sword. His title as the world's greatest swordsman was not self-proclaimed—it was forged atop the corpses of countless swordsmen.
They were not Hawkeye.
Even if they bought this sword, they would only dare to play with it in private, never displaying it openly. Otherwise, they would soon face relentless assassination attempts from swordsmen all over the seas who coveted famed blades.
And even if they themselves kept it hidden, what if the news leaked out?
That would still be an enormous problem.
Thus, although many people present coveted the sword, none of them dared to bid lightly.
"Damn it…"
Seeing that no one was bidding, the middle-aged man gradually frowned. A trace of uncertainty appeared in his eyes as he muttered to himself:
"A Supreme Grade Blade, and no one wants it? What's going on?!"
"If the final item doesn't sell, this is going to be bad… If it really comes to it, we'll have to let our own people buy it."
His expression darkened. An item failing to sell was a serious blow. Although they had prepared the option of staging a self-purchase, it would only save face on the surface and have no real effect.
Just as the middle-aged man was about to give a signal—planning to have their hidden people in the crowd start bidding—a voice suddenly rang out, extremely out of place.
"If no one wants it, then give it to me."
The voice was gentle, yet it carried a faint hint of wickedness.
Along with those words, a figure suddenly dropped down from above, landing directly in front of the table where the Supreme Grade Blade, White Blade: Hiru, was placed.
Under the astonished gazes of countless people, Roya casually picked up the White Blade: Hiru from the table.
Holding this Supreme Grade Blade, a strange light immediately flickered in Roya's eyes. Even he had not expected such a coincidence—to encounter a Supreme Grade Blade inside a Donquixote Family base in the West Blue!
One of only 12 Supreme Grade Blades in the entire world!
This was truly an unexpected delight.
If not for the Donquixote Family's vast underground trade network, spanning the dark underworld, it would have been nearly impossible to locate an ownerless Supreme Grade Blade and put it up for trade.
"Who are you?!"
"What do you think you're doing?!"
Roya's sudden appearance sent a chill through everyone present.
The middle-aged man froze for a moment when he saw Roya take the Supreme Grade Blade from the table. Then killing intent instantly surged across his face as he pulled out a firearm and pointed it at Roya.
Although he did not know who Roya was or how he had appeared here, it was obvious that Roya had come to cause trouble. He immediately spoke in a cold, menacing tone:
"Hey! Brat, the Donquixote Family's things aren't something you can just steal! You'd better put it down obediently."
"Steal?"
Roya held Hiru and calmly turned around. Completely unconcerned about the gun aimed at him, he grinned at the middle-aged man and shook his head.
"No, no, no. This isn't stealing—this is… confiscation."
As he spoke casually—
Roya nonchalantly took a white hat from inside his coat and lightly placed it on his head.
It was a standard-issue Marines cap.
Silence.
The entire hall fell deathly quiet for an instant—then erupted into chaos, like a drop of water splashing into boiling oil.
"You're a Marine?!"
"Damn it!"
"How did the Marines get in here?! Donquixote Family, is this how you conduct your trades?!"
At first, when Roya suddenly appeared and took the Supreme Grade Blade, the representatives of the various factions were merely shocked and then settled into expressions of spectators watching a show.
But when Roya suddenly put on a Marine-issued cap, they nearly popped their eyes out. No one could remain seated anymore—everyone stood up at once.
Some drew their weapons, staring at Roya with vicious expressions.
Others roared angrily at the Donquixote Family's representative.
Still others scanned their surroundings with extreme vigilance, wondering whether the place had already been secretly surrounded by the Marines and thinking about how to escape unscathed.
The Donquixote Family's person in charge at this base—the middle-aged man—also stared wide-eyed, panic flashing across his face.
But very quickly, he forced himself to calm down.
Roya was not wearing a Marine uniform, clearly indicating he had infiltrated alone. Moreover, there had been no alarms from outside, which meant there was no Marines presence beyond him.
Although he did not know how Roya had discovered their base or infiltrated it, if Roya was alone… then it was still manageable.
Of course—
The base's location was most likely compromised.
Kill this Marine man first, then immediately transfer the supplies.
With that thought, killing intent filled the middle-aged man's eyes. Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled the trigger at Roya.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
Several bullets flew toward Roya at speeds impossible for ordinary people to track.
However—
What shocked the middle-aged man was that Roya merely tilted his head and shifted his body slightly, casually dodging every single bullet.
The bullets… were dodged?!
The moment the gunshots rang out, everyone present focused on the center of the room.
When they saw that the bullets fired by the middle-aged man were evaded by Roya with nothing more than a slight tilt of his head, even these West Blue small-timers—who had seen a fair amount of the world—could not help but reveal expressions of utter disbelief.
You've got to be kidding!
The shooter was merely an outer member of the Donquixote Family—also just a minor figure from the West Blue. Seeing this, he too showed shock on his face and continued pulling the trigger, emptying the gun in a frenzy.
"Too slow."
With Observation Haki clearly capturing the trajectory of every bullet, a faint trace of mockery appeared at the corner of Roya's mouth. Holding Hiru by its hilt and scabbard, excitement flashed through his eyes as he drew the Supreme Grade Blade with a sharp, ringing sound.