Sea Calendar 1503.
The territory of the Fengtian Empire expanded further in the New World.
This year, Vegapunk's team cloned and mass-produced another thousand Shadow Soldiers.
These pitch-black figures were dispersed throughout the empire, carrying out surveillance and protection duties.
Every vassal state and every important institution of the empire was guarded by Shadow Soldiers.
They were tireless, incorruptible, and absolutely loyal—the best guards and the coldest overseers.
At the same time, the structure of the New World had stabilized.
Four major powers divided this most perilous sea.
The Fengtian Empire, led by Raiver, occupied the largest and most prosperous region in the New World.
The territory of the Fengtian Empire alone was larger than the combined territories of the other three powers.
...
Sabaody Archipelago, Area 33.
The bustling streets were filled with people coming and going.
This was the most prosperous commercial district of Sabaody Archipelago, attracting countless tourists and merchants every day.
Among the crowd, three individuals stood out, though no one seemed to notice them.
A young man walked in the middle, with a stunning woman on each side holding his arms.
The man stood tall and imposing, but passersby only saw him as an ordinary pedestrian.
As for the two women, any man should have been unable to look away, yet passersby glanced at them without any reaction.
This was Raiver's ability.
He altered the space around himself, creating an effect of visual deception.
Not to mention the uproar his identity as the world's strongest man would cause if revealed here.
Just the peerless beauty of Xingmian and Xingwan alone would be enough to plunge the entire Sabaody Archipelago into chaos.
Xingmian and Xingwan were already breathtakingly beautiful from the start.
After consuming the Mythical Zoan Snake-Snake Fruit, they gained eternal youth and an ethereal aura.
Later, enhanced by Raiver's genes, their beauty and presence reached new heights.
If there were a world beauty pageant, they would undoubtedly take first place.
At this moment, they held Raiver's arms on either side, wearing blissful smiles.
"Your Majesty," Xingmian asked softly, "where are we going?"
Raiver glanced around and smiled faintly.
"Just wandering around. The Sky Palace is wonderful, but staying there too long can become dull."
Xingwan nodded with a smile. "Then we'll accompany Your Majesty on a good stroll."
The three of them wandered leisurely around Sabaody Archipelago.
They browsed street stalls, sampled roadside delicacies, and listened to street performers.
Everything was so pleasant.
Until they passed by a luxurious building.
"An auction?" Raiver stopped, a flicker of interest in his eyes.
"Let's take a look."
The three of them pushed the door open and entered.
...
The auction hall was already filled with many people.
Most of the seats were occupied.
Raiver's gaze swept across the room, noticing that the majority were nobles and wealthy merchants, dressed extravagantly and acting arrogantly.
There were also some pirates and bounty hunters, dressed more casually but with a fierce glint in their eyes.
Most striking were the two individuals seated in the central premium seats.
The familiar transparent oxygen helmets, the haughty demeanor—
Celestial Dragons.
One was a middle-aged man with a stern expression.
Beside him sat a figure with a runny nose and drool at the corner of his mouth, looking like the foolish son of a wealthy landlord.
Raiver looked at the father and son pair and smiled playfully.
Seeing this smile, Xingmian and Xingwan also broke into grins.
They knew their Majesty had found some amusement.
Raiver found a relatively secluded corner to sit down, with Xingmian and Xingwan nestling in his arms.
The auction soon began.
On stage, the host passionately introduced each item up for bid.
Below, bidding voices rose and fell in succession.
Gems, weapons, rare items... each lot fetched high prices.
Some slaves were also brought up, and the bidding was just as fierce—the nobles' enthusiasm for slaves was no less than for treasures.
Raiver did not raise his paddle throughout.
These things were not worthy of his attention.
The Sky Palace was piled high with treasures, and every maid was a peerless beauty.
Such ordinary goods were not worth his effort.
Until the auction neared its end.
The host suddenly raised his voice, speaking excitedly:
"Next up is the super-popular item of this auction! I'm sure many of you have been waiting for it for a long time.
Quite a few of you came specifically for this—the heavyweight treasure that was regrettably absent from the last auction finally makes its appearance today!"
As he finished speaking, a box covered with black cloth was placed on the display stand.
"That's right! The item you've all been dreaming of—a Devil Fruit!!"
The host yanked off the black cloth.
A Devil Fruit lay quietly displayed inside a crystal box.
He announced loudly:
"The treasure of the sea! Eating it will make you forever despised by the ocean, but it also grants unimaginable and extraordinary abilities...
As everyone knows, the Emperor of the Fengtian Empire, Raiver, became the world's strongest man precisely by eating a powerful Devil Fruit!
This shows the value a Devil Fruit can bring!"
"Stop hyping it up!" someone shouted from below. "What ability does it have?"
"Yeah! Tell us what ability it is!"
Impatient voices clamored one after another.
The host swept his gaze across the room, building up the suspense before finally announcing loudly:
"This is—the Culinary Fruit!!"
The entire hall fell silent instantly.
"Culinary?"
"Did I hear that right?"
"What fruit was that again?"
"This is the Paramecia Type Culinary Fruit!" the host explained in detail:
"Anyone who eats this fruit will be able to make dishes that become incredibly delicious!
Once, someone who ate it became the world's greatest divine chef!
Countless people were willing to spend money and wait in line for months just to taste a single dish he made!"
The hall erupted into chaos.
"Culinary Fruit? What use is that? Cooking?"
"Hahahaha! Anyone who wants to be a chef, go ahead and bid! I won't fight for this fruit!"
The pirates and bounty hunters burst into laughter.
In their eyes, only fruits that directly enhanced combat power were truly valuable.
A fruit that only allowed one to cook was worthless in their view.
But in the VIP seats, the drooling, foolish Celestial Dragon grew excited:
"Daddy, let's bid for it! Then we can eat the most delicious dishes!"
The middle-aged Celestial Dragon nodded slightly, a flicker of interest in his eyes:
"Hmm, this Devil Fruit isn't bad. It's much better than those fruits that are only useful in the gladiator arena."
Celestial Dragons often fed Devil Fruits to their slaves, pitting them against the slaves of other Celestial Dragons in duels.
Most of those fruits were the type that enhanced combat power, turning those who ate them into monsters who would slaughter each other for the amusement of the Celestial Dragons.
But the Culinary Fruit was different.
This was a fruit for enjoyment.
"So, what should the starting bid be?" The host deliberately paused, building anticipation among the nobles in the audience.
"Very well, let's start from the market's lowest price—" He paused again, then announced loudly, "Starting bid, one hundred million Belly!"
"Four hundred million!!"
As soon as the words were spoken, the Celestial Dragon with a runny nose directly shouted the price.
An astronomical sum right from the start.
"Four hundred million?"
"Forget it, it's a Celestial Dragon. No matter how much money we have, we can't compete."
"Don't even think about it. If the Celestial Dragon hadn't bid, it might have been possible, but now..."
The nobles slumped back in their chairs.
It wasn't that they lacked money—they simply didn't dare to compete with a Celestial Dragon.
It wasn't just a matter of financial disparity, but an insurmountable gap in status.
If they dared to bid, the Celestial Dragon could easily force them to hand over the fruit, and that would already be the best outcome.
If they displeased the other party, being demoted to slavery would be nothing unusual.
In the face of the Celestial Dragons, who held all privileges, these so-called nobles were merely respectable lower-class citizens.
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