"Saint Is, let's go."
Seeing that Is was still seated, Dorac reminded him.
But at that moment, Is revealed a faint smile.
"Leave? Rarely do I come across something I actually want—and get it without paying. Letting that go so easily would be a waste."
Dorac immediately understood.
"Don't tell me, Saint Is, you're planning to…?"
"That won't be necessary, Saint Is," the World Government agent quickly interjected. "For your safety, please come with me to a secure location. I'll notify the Marines to handle this. The item you want won't escape."
"No need."
As he spoke, Is stood up, smiling calmly.
"Saint Dorac, take your guards and the others and leave."
"Then… be careful."
Dorac didn't try to persuade him further. He knew it would be useless. He quickly led his guards and the other Celestial Dragons out of the auction house.
In the blink of an eye, only Is, the auction guards, and the middle-aged man from the Gamma Pirates remained inside.
The man clearly had some skill. In a short time, he had already taken down all of the auction house guards.
His gaze locked onto the Flame-Flame Fruit inside the glass case, and a smile spread across his face.
The next moment, he smashed the glass and was just about to eat the fruit—
"Thanks for saving me 700 million Beli."
At the sound of Is's voice, the man turned his head.
"Who are you?"
"Me?" Is chuckled. "Just one of the many guests at this auction."
As he spoke, he slowly walked toward the man.
"I suggest you stay out of this," the man warned. "Otherwise, my blade will show you the price."
"And I suggest you put down the Devil Fruit and leave," Is replied calmly. "I'm not interested in your life."
"Arrogant brat."
The man stuffed the Devil Fruit into the pouch at his waist and drew his sword, pointing it at Is.
But Is showed no intention of stopping.
"Crack… crack…"
At that moment, parts of Is's body began to peel away.
"A Devil Fruit user…?"
The man froze briefly, instantly becoming cautious.
The falling paper fragments gathered together, forming a blade.
Is grasped it and charged forward.
"Slash! Slash! Slash!"
In an instant—
The man's brows tightened, his body freezing in place.
The next second—
Blood burst forth like a fountain.
"Thud!"
He collapsed to the ground.
Looking at the Flame-Flame Fruit inside the pouch, Is hesitated for a moment before making a decision.
Yes—
He intended to eat it.
Since his Devil Fruit ability had evolved previously, he could now use another Devil Fruit again.
The Flame-Flame Fruit was, in his opinion, a very solid choice, with great potential for development. In the original story, Ace had only scratched the surface of its capabilities.
Taking the fruit out of the pouch, Is bit into it.
…To be honest, it tasted terrible.
So he didn't bother chewing much—he simply swallowed it.
Closing his eyes, he briefly sensed his condition. There was no discomfort at all.
He slowly raised his right hand.
"Whoosh—"
Flames ignited along his arm.
At the same time, however, his arm began to shift into paper form as well—layers of paper peeling away.
Is paused for a moment, then quickly stopped.
"Looks like I'll need some time to get full control," he muttered.
He didn't mind. With enough practice, he would master it completely.
After handling everything, Is glanced around the auction house—
then calmly walked out.
Dorac was waiting not far away.
After regrouping, Dorac didn't even bother with the slave he had "won" without paying. He came empty-handed and left the same way.
"Boom!"
Not long after they left, an explosion echoed in the distance.
Is turned to look.
A flash of blue light flickered far away. It was too distant to see clearly—but it felt strangely familiar.
"That's the lawless zone. Fights breaking out there are completely normal, Saint Aurelius D. Virel Is," a man in a black suit explained.
"The lawless zone, huh…"
Just as he finished speaking—
Another sound rang out.
A towering blue giant suddenly leapt into the air, then slammed back down.
This time, Is saw it clearly.
"That's… Susanoo?"
It was unmistakably Uchiha Madara's Susanoo.
"Saint Dorac, you all head back first."
As he spoke, sheets of paper began peeling off Is's body, forming wings behind him.
Previously, due to his attributes, his wings had different colors.
But after consuming the Flame-Flame Fruit—
they had transformed into blazing wings of fire.
With a single flap—
Is rose into the air.
"Where are you going, Saint Is?"
"I'll go take a look. You all head back."
Before anyone could respond, he had already turned into a streak of golden light, shooting into the distance.
"Guardian God…?" Dorac muttered, staring at the fading golden glow in the sky.
At this point, he couldn't deny it—
he had begun to admire Is.
—
On the other side—
just as Is had guessed—
Uchiha Madara was already fighting someone.
And not just anyone.
His opponent was Marine Vice Admiral Garp.
As for how it started—
Garp had been chasing pirates earlier. Amid the chaos, Madara had been dragged into the situation.
At first, Madara was confused.
But after exchanging blows for a while—
he began to enjoy himself.
Who the opponent was no longer mattered.
What mattered was—
the fight itself.
"You—who are you?"
Garp finally paused, realizing that this man hadn't been there during his initial pursuit.
He hadn't intended to fight him—
but Madara refused to let him go.
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