Correspondingly, Baby 5 and the others were also observing the competitors inside the tavern.
"Cannon fodder."
"This group is also cannon fodder."
"This group isn't cannon fodder, they're trash."
Baby 5 made repeated sharp judgments. She was quite reliable when she wasn't being asked for favors.
Her gaze finally landed on the five people in the corner, among whom the man with the crew cut felt the most dangerous.
The enchanting woman next to the crew-cut man was relatively ordinary. She felt like she could be dealt with in one shot.
There was also a strange man whose hair was shaped like the number 3, and a little girl who was seriously grinding pigments. These two also had a stronger aura than the other pirates.
But what she cared about most was the woman at the back of the four, whose face was hidden by a large, wide-brimmed hat. For some reason, Baby 5 instinctively paid attention to her.
At this moment, Buffalo suddenly asked Violet, who was beside him, "The funds Doflamingo-sama prepared this time... they're with you, right?"
"500 million berries."
Violet frowned slightly, thinking of something unpleasant.
The man in front of her was a genuine gambler. He gambled not for money, but for the joy of winning. Moreover, his luck was quite good, and he won money most of the time.
But Violet remembered that Buffalo had lost a huge amount recently and even borrowed one million berries from Baby 5.
For him to ask this now, it couldn't be...
Sure enough, Buffalo's eyes lit up upon receiving the reply, and he suggested to Baby 5, "How about we just eliminate these competitors? Anyway, Doflamingo-sama only requires us to bring the Devil Fruits back. We could potentially save a few hundred million of the 500 million berries."
As for how many hundreds of millions, that depended on whether he could bluff his way through when they returned.
"Was I asked for a favor again?"
A blush appeared on Baby 5's face, looking shy yet excited.
"What do you think?"
Buffalo didn't ask Violet, but continued to press Baby 5.
Before Baby 5 could answer, they heard the tavern door creak open.
"This is the place."
Chess, the Drum Kingdom strategist carrying a bow and arrow, pushed open the door.
Dalton was not here, as port security was his job.
Guiding them was the one thing he, a loyal subordinate of King Wapol, could do.
As Chess spoke, wind and snow swept into the tavern hall, and the flickering lamplight illuminated several figures in the doorway.
Hiroto, Zoro, and Carina entered, while Nami and Van Augur remained on the ship to prevent any issues.
"Hoh, it's really lively."
Hiroto, standing at the doorway, raised an eyebrow, spotting a few familiar faces as his eyes swept the room.
Zoro and the others followed behind him, their gazes falling upon the tavern interior. They saw that pirates occupied several corners, leaving only the central area vacant, which was clearly a buffer zone between the factions.
"I will notify you when the auction begins. Go inside now." Chess urged them, feigning indifference.
"Oh, right, fighting is prohibited here."
After speaking, he stepped back, giving off the impression that they were on their own.
Honestly, he hoped this group would retreat upon seeing the difficulty. They didn't even have a pirate flag, they were probably just people who heard the news and came to join the fun. Compared to the fierce pirates inside the tavern, these people seemed somewhat like sheep.
Hiroto raised an eyebrow, walked straight into the tavern hall, and took a seat in the central area.
Zoro and Carina followed, positioning themselves on his left and right.
"Prohibited fighting?"
Baby 5 suddenly extinguished her cigarette, her sharp eyes sweeping over everyone in the tavern.
"Then killing people shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"Hah? Try it if you can."
The Captain of the Blood Knife Pirates in the corner sneered in response, drawing a scarlet hunting knife.
At the same time, over twenty pirates stood up, ready for battle.
Chess' expression changed, but he dared not say anything and quietly backed out.
Is a fight about to break out?
Mr. 1 slowly stood up, his tall, powerful body radiating a murderous aura.
Miss Doublefinger also stood up, showing no sign of stage fright.
Beside them, Mr. 3, who had been observing, also couldn't hold back.
In his view, there was no need to go through the auction process at all. Whether it was the few who had just entered or the others in the tavern, they were all trash. Thinking about them was a waste of energy, purely wasting his precious time.
Eliminating all opponents would still achieve the mission objective.
Coincidentally, Buffalo held the exact same view.
No, rather, everyone in the tavern, upon seeing so many competitors, simultaneously had the same thought.
If they eliminated their rivals here until only their own group remained as buyers at the auction, wouldn't they save a huge amount of money?
Obviously, although those organizing the auction had partnered with the Drum Kingdom and received assistance from many guards to ensure the auction went smoothly, they lacked the sufficient prestige and power to prevent conflicts among the buyers.
Thus, under Hiroto's strange gaze, the fighting abruptly erupted.
Baby 5 and Buffalo, under Violet's helpless gaze, simultaneously moved and targeted the Blood Knife Pirates, who had spoken first.
The Blood Knife Pirates fought back fiercely.
Mr. 3 also made his move.
Baroque Works prioritized mission completion above all else. As for how the mission was completed, there were no strict requirements.
Large amounts of viscous white wax surged forth, engulfing the pirates of the War Hammer Pirates, turning them into wax figures in a very short time.
"What a mess."
Miss Doublefinger followed suit, rapidly knocking down pirates one after another.
(End of Chapter)
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