Riding his sightseeing bubble bike at a leisurely pace, Riberra Sami slowly entered GR 3.
Along the way, he had casually dealt with four or five groups of slavers already.
Like sharks smelling blood, these idiots would spot him traveling alone and immediately come screaming out of alleyways waving swords and clubs.
Without exception, every single one of them had been casually knocked unconscious and tossed aside by Sami.
They really have no brains at all…
Looking at the groaning figures sprawled across the ground, Riberra Sami shook his head internally for what felt like the hundredth time.
A lone man boldly riding a tourist bubble bike deep into the lawless district—
His clothes spotless.
His bubble bike pristine.
Not even a speck of dust on him.
Wasn't that suspicious enough already?
Yet none of these people ever stopped to think about it.
They absolutely had to charge in and get beaten half to death before realizing something was wrong.
The survival logic in this place was honestly incomprehensible.
Shaking his head, Riberra Sami ignored the small fry and continued toward his destination.
GR 3.
The auction house at the core of Spade's territory.
He parked his bubble bike beside a row of noticeably more luxurious vehicles and looked up at the building before him.
It was even more ostentatious than he had imagined.
A circular structure decorated with exaggerated gold leaf and elaborate relief carvings stood prominently in the center of the district.
Yet strangely, there were no guards checking visitors.
The front doors stood wide open, as though anyone and everyone were welcome to enter.
"So confident in their defenses?"
"Or do they just think nobody dares cause trouble here?"
Riberra Sami raised an eyebrow, adjusted his top hat, and walked straight inside.
The interior lighting was dim.
The air carried a mixture of perfume, cigars, and a restless scent of greed and desire.
Riberra Sami swept his gaze across the elegantly dressed bidders seated in the front rows and was about to find a discreet seat near the back—
When something on the stage suddenly locked onto his attention.
Under the spotlight, resting atop a velvet cushion, sat a strangely shaped fruit covered in swirling patterns.
Holy shit—a Devil Fruit?!
Sami's pupils contracted slightly.
Almost instinctively, he touched the money pouch hidden inside his coat.
There were only a few tens of thousands of Beli inside—just pocket money and emergency funds.
If I'd known they were selling this kind of thing here, I would've brought all the cash on the ship…
He clicked his tongue internally, suppressing the sudden urge rising within him, and took a seat toward the back.
"Distinguished ladies and gentlemen!"
"Please direct your attention here once more—!!"
At the center of the stage, an elderly auctioneer with slicked-back hair was enthusiastically stirring up the crowd with an incredibly penetrating voice and exaggerated gestures.
"Behold!"
"This is no ordinary fruit!"
"This is the treasure of the seas—the ticket for mortals to touch the domain of gods!"
"The legendary Devil Fruit!!"
He spread his arms wide as if embracing the entire audience.
"What is its value?"
"Possibility!"
"Uniqueness!"
"There exists only ONE of each Devil Fruit ability in the entire world!"
"Consume it, and perhaps you will gain the authority to command flames!"
"Perhaps you will possess the power to split the earth itself!"
"Or perhaps you will transform into a monstrous beast!"
"Anything is possible!"
"This is a chance to change your destiny!"
"The cornerstone for creating legends!!"
His voice rose passionately.
"Imagine it!"
"Today, you sit among the crowd—"
"But tomorrow, with this miracle in your hands, you may stand atop the world itself!"
"Wealth! Fame! Power!"
"All within your grasp!"
"And if you miss today's opportunity—"
He deliberately dragged out the pause dramatically.
"You may never again stand face to face with such a miracle in your lifetime!"
"Because opportunities…"
"Only come once!!"
"Some of you may be wondering—"
"There are so many Devil Fruits in the world. What if this one has some weak, useless ability?"
"No need to worry!"
"The fruit before you has been carefully examined by our most authoritative appraisal team through repeated comparisons with ancient records and known characteristics!"
"We have confirmed it to be a Paramecia-type fruit with limitless potential!"
"Think about it!"
"A Paramecia!"
"Paramecia abilities are endlessly diverse!"
"And unlike Zoan fruits, the true strength of a Paramecia depends heavily on imagination!"
"No matter what kind of power it grants, with enough creativity, it can develop into something mysterious and unfathomably powerful!"
"And now—"
"The starting bid is 50 million Beli!"
"Minimum increments of 1 million!"
"Who will begin?!"
"55 million!" shouted a wealthy merchant in the front row wearing gemstone rings.
"57 million," replied an elegantly dressed noblewoman diagonally across from him.
The price quickly began climbing.
At first, the rhythm remained relatively steady.
But once the bidding surpassed 80 million, the atmosphere subtly changed.
That figure was already approaching many people's psychological limit.
"85 million."
A rough-looking man suddenly stood and sneered.
"I'm an officer of the Mad Dog Pirates."
"Our captain's bounty is 80 million Beli."
"So this fruit belongs to us."
"You'd all better show some respect."
Low murmurs immediately spread through the hall.
"Tch. Just a rabid dog. What's there to be afraid of?"
"88 million."
"You—!"
"Fine! You've got guts!"
"90 million!"
At this point, anyone could see this was no longer simply an auction.
It had become a contest of pride and intimidation.
"92 million."
The Mad Dog Pirate officer's face twisted viciously before he finally gritted out:
"…93 million!"
Silence fell across the hall.
The auctioneer waited a full five seconds.
No further bids came from the private boxes.
"93 million Beli—going once!"
"Going twice!"
"Sold!!"
"Congratulations to this gentleman for acquiring this Devil Fruit!!"
Riberra Sami quietly watched as the Mad Dog Pirate officer walked backstage under the complex gazes of the crowd to finalize the transaction.
He let out a soft breath.
The price had definitely gone too high.
Those final rounds of bidding had almost nothing to do with the fruit itself anymore.
It was purely a battle of face and pride.
Riberra Sami patiently continued watching as the auction proceeded in a repetitive mechanical cycle.
Once the excitement surrounding the Devil Fruit faded, the auctioneer's passionate expression instantly shifted into cold professionalism.
The next items up for auction—
Slaves.
Humans.
Members of strange races from remote islands.
There were even figures that vaguely possessed Fish-Man characteristics.
One after another, they were brought onto the stage like merchandise, displayed, appraised, and sold.
Bidding calls rose continuously alongside the buyers' casual comments and evaluations.
Then came a short intermission.
Several blades forged by renowned smiths were presented, triggering a modest round of bidding.
Immediately afterward, the auctioneer expressionlessly brought out the next batch of slaves.
Riberra Sami watched the cycle coldly.
Here, slaves were clearly the main attraction.
Everything else was merely decoration meant to vary the atmosphere.
His gaze carefully swept across the entire auction hall multiple times.
From the front-row VIP seats to the shadowy side corridors—
There was no sign of Gillian anywhere.
It seemed this middleman either rarely appeared personally at the auction house…
Or he simply wasn't here today.
Forget it. Looks like I won't run into him.
Riberra Sami rose from his seat, preparing to leave.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Although he personally had little need for weapons, the same couldn't be said for his officers.
Aside from Marcus's blade, Chaos Sakura, which was fairly decent, Aldo's and Kaheilo's weapons were all ordinary-grade equipment.
Once they entered the New World, that weakness could become a major liability.
Perhaps…
He could bring them here sometime.
Maybe they could even purchase Devil Fruits at this place.
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