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Chapter 52: Lucky Fruit Appears! Supreme Grade Sword
Inside the brightly lit auction hall.
Lotte and the others obtained valid tickets through some small tricks.
After all, for Red Count and Lotte—both possessing the ability to read others' hearts—
Getting tickets was effortless.
After putting on sunglasses for disguise,
The three of them quietly sat down inside the venue.
At this moment, the massive hall was, in a sense, packed to the brim. No matter how you looked at it, this was an extremely grand event.
Besides several Celestial Dragons from Mary Geoise,
There were also white-robed CP0 members as escorts, as well as quite a few publicly known merchants and experts and swordsmen from the four seas.
After all, for every swordsman,
The appearance of a Supreme Grade Sword was something that absolutely could not be missed!
As time passed,
The people gathered in the venue grew somewhat impatient waiting for the grand opening.
At that moment, the lights suddenly went out, then quickly focused on a single point on stage.
A masked man in a suit stood at the center of the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen!"
"Welcome, esteemed guests, to today's auction!"
"Today we have prepared top-quality slaves for you all, as well as other rare treasures from various countries—including Devil Fruits!"
"And even legendary famous swords might make an appearance!"
Amid the grand cheers,
The auctioneer began introducing the items one by one.
First came the lower-value slaves—whether beautiful mermaids, pirates from the first half of the New World, or other abducted women.
Almost all were quickly bid on and purchased.
After the auction ended, they would be delivered to the buyers.
Lotte and the others did not participate in the bidding.
After all, for pirates like them, it was enough to simply take what they wanted from others.
Next up in the auction
Were the Devil Fruits.
Many of the powerful figures present rubbed their hands in excitement.
"Finally here… hope the Fruit this time is a good one!"
"Hurry up and start! Let's see what Fruit it is!"
If the earlier slaves had been somewhat restrained due to the presence of Celestial Dragons,
Then with Devil Fruits, they could finally bid freely without holding back!
After all, the Celestial Dragons living in the Holy Land
Disdained eating Devil Fruits altogether.
Even if they occasionally bought one, it was just to feed to their slaves.
So barring any accidents,
This Devil Fruit would inevitably be won by them!
The auctioneer, as if catering to the atmosphere, waved his hand dramatically.
"Ahem! Everyone, please calm down!"
"Next up is one of the highlights of this auction!"
As he spoke,
Two beautiful women carefully carried a long box covered with cloth onto the stage.
The auctioneer loudly moved to the side of the box.
"This is none other than the secret treasure of the seas—the incarnation of the sea's devils, a Devil Fruit!"
"Anyone who eats it can gain various abilities. Though there's the drawback of becoming unable to swim, it remains an extremely rare treasure!"
"And the one we have obtained for this auction… is one of the most valuable Devil Fruits!"
"The Lucky Fruit!"
As the words fell,
The cloth was dramatically pulled away.
A golden apple-shaped fruit covered in spiral patterns appeared before everyone's eyes.
The auctioneer continued introducing it.
"The Lucky Fruit allows the user to absorb an opponent's luck through touch with both hands, making them unlucky while converting that luck into their own."
"Until the luck runs out, everything they wish for will come true!"
As the words fell,
An uproar instantly erupted among the crowd.
Luck might be invisible and intangible, but lucky people truly succeed at everything through sheer coincidence!
The value of this Lucky Fruit was obvious!
Hearing the Fruit's name,
Lotte couldn't help but feel a stir in his heart.
If he remembered correctly, the Lucky Fruit was the one that Usopp later defeated—completely draining the user's luck through a slot machine.
But back then, just with a single coin, it had pushed the Straw Hat Pirates to the brink.
This alone proved the Fruit's potential.
He never expected to encounter it here—perfect timing to take it along.
Seeing the crowd's enthusiasm ignited, the auctioneer smiled under his mask.
"Then… this Lucky Fruit starts at 100 million berries!"
"Please, esteemed guests, place your bids!"
As the words fell,
"200 million berries! This Lucky Fruit is mine!"
"Are you kidding? 300 million berries! You really think I'm scared of you?!"
Numerous pirates from the four seas
Couldn't help but start bidding frantically.
They had long prepared their wealth for this auction,
Naturally unwilling to give up easily!
As the guests competed fiercely, the price of the Lucky Fruit soared.
From the original starting bid of 100 million berries, it quickly climbed to over 1 billion—almost matching Lotte's own bounty.
For a Devil Fruit, this was already an extremely high price!
After all, even the legendary Surgery Fruit—considered the ultimate—was valued at only around 5 billion berries.
And that was a Fruit capable of granting eternal life!
Redfield and Whitebeard watched the Fruit calmly.
"A Lucky Fruit causing this much fuss… the pirates in Paradise really are pathetic."
"This ability looks strong, but it has plenty of limitations."
To Newgate—who already possessed the strongest Paramecia, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—the Lucky Fruit held no appeal.
Though Redfield had not yet eaten a Fruit,
He also looked down on the Lucky Fruit.
What he wanted was at least a Logia, or even a Mythical Zoan!
Lotte quietly observed the scene from the side.
Just as the two of them said.
The Lucky Fruit's luck absorption required skin contact.
Gloves or clothing could block the ability—this already determined it could never make someone a top-tier powerhouse.
But once he had subordinates later,
He could distribute the Fruit to one of them.
As time gradually passed,
The auction slowly approached its final climax.
Two women carefully carried a long box onto the stage. Their faces were filled with fear, as if what they held was a hot potato.
The auctioneer glanced at the audience who had yet to bid, a smile curling under his mask.
"Then! Now comes the ultimate grand prize of this auction!"
"A legendary Supreme Grade Sword!"
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