[Congratulations, you have obtained the template: Shirai Kuroko!]
[Congratulations, you have obtained the skill: Spatial Movement!]
[Spatial Movement: Consumes stamina to perform short-distance teleportation.]
This ability was undoubtedly a huge boost for Ivan, as spatial abilities were rare and powerful skills at any time.
Speaking of Spatial Movement, Ivan was reminded of the Flying Thunder God technique from Naruto.
Although the Spatial Movement he now possessed couldn't achieve long-distance teleportation like the Flying Thunder God, it had its own advantages.
Ivan could teleport directly without needing the Flying Thunder God's markings, making its mobility far superior.
With this skill, assassinating a Celestial Dragon would be incredibly simple!
As he waited quietly, time flew by.
Before long, the auction finally began!
A beam of light descended from the ceiling, illuminating the stage in the center of the hall.
The slender and beautiful Baccarat appeared in the light. She bowed toward the area where the Celestial Dragons were seated and said:
"Our esteemed guests, thank you for your patience. The annual Golden King Grand Auction is about to begin!
I am your old friend and the host of this auction, Baccarat!
Now, let us begin with the first item for sale. She is Roya, from the West Blue, a former young lady from a fallen noble family.
The bidding will now start at a special price of 1 million Berries, with each subsequent bid being no less than 100,000 Berries!
Now, please raise your paddles to bid!"
Roya was a red-haired girl who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen. On Earth, a girl like her would just be starting university, enjoying her youth. But in this world, at the same age, she had been reduced to a commodity, waiting to be auctioned off to those greasy, portly men.
Ivan took a deep breath. This was truly a filthy world!
A world like this needed to be purified!
Amidst a sea of fiery gazes, Roya was sold to a sixty-year-old man, and the next item was brought out.
Afterward, Ivan discovered that this event was less of an auction and more of a slave market.
Most of the "items" were various kinds of slaves, including Fish-Men, Minks, and ordinary humans of all races.
As items were sold one after another, their value increased. Finally, it was time for what Ivan had been most anticipating: the Devil Fruits.
Baccarat lifted a gold-threaded cloth, revealing three Devil Fruits beneath it. She shouted excitedly:
"Esteemed guests, I'm sure I don't need to say much for you to recognize what these are! That's right, this is the great treasure of the seas that countless people dream of—Devil Fruits!
Just by eating one Devil Fruit, you can become a powerful individual. What's even rarer is that all three appearing today are one-in-a-hundred rare types.
Without further ado, let's unveil the first item. Its name is the Cube-Cube Fruit, capable of breaking down any non-living object in the world into countless cubes!
Now, the bidding for this Cube-Cube Fruit starts at 100 million Berries! Each bid must be an increment of no less than 10 million Berries!
Let the auction begin!"
At first, Ivan considered bidding, but the price of the Cube-Cube Fruit quickly soared to 300 million Berries, exceeding his current savings of 200 million. He could only give up.
Next, the second Devil Fruit went up for auction. This one was clearly more precious—it was a Zoan-Type Ancient-Species Saber-Toothed Tiger Fruit!
The price for this fruit was even higher, and it was directly won by the Seven Warlords of the Sea member, Hana-Fuda, for the exorbitant price of one billion Berries.
After the Saber-Toothed Tiger Fruit, it was finally time for the main event of the auction, the target of most of the big shots present—that special Mythical Zoan fruit!
On the auction stage, Baccarat couldn't wipe the smile off her face. Today's profits were even better than expected. As long as she could sell this Mythical Zoan fruit, the Gran Tesoro would make a huge fortune.
She gracefully lifted the last gold-threaded cloth, revealing a white fruit beneath. In a voice full of charm, she cooed:
"Ahem, I'm sure our esteemed guests have been waiting for a long time. This is the grand finale of our auction, and also the rarest treasure of the seas, a Zoan-Type Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit!
And this particular Mythical Zoan is the symbol of sanctity, the Zoan-Type Mythical Zoan Unicorn Fruit!
Now, esteemed guests, please start your bids at 1 billion Berries, with each increment being no less than 100 million Berries.
Let the auction begin!"
The moment Baccarat's voice fell, Hana-Fuda, the Lizard King, was the first to call out a price: "1.1 billion Berries!"
Following him, the Sand Crocodile, Crocodile, also joined the bidding: "1.2 billion Berries."
Besides these two renowned Seven Warlords of the Sea, even Navy Vice Admiral Vergo had a fanatical look on his face as he exclaimed, "1.3 billion Berries!"
The various powers of the sea frantically placed their bids. In just a few short minutes, the price for the Unicorn Fruit had reached 3.5 billion Berries!
Only then did the pace of bidding slow down. For most factions, 3.5 billion Berries was a considerable sum.
Although their fixed assets far exceeded 3.5 billion Berries, they didn't have much in liquid assets.
If they spent so many Berries in such a short time, it could very well cause their capital chain to break, leading to bankruptcy.
At this point, only Vergo and Hana-Fuda were left bidding.
"3.7 billion Berries!"
"4 billion Berries!"
When Hana-Fuda called out the price of 4 billion Berries, Vergo sighed and gave up.
Marine Headquarters wouldn't reimburse him for any more military expenses.
Seeing this, Hana-Fuda laughed triumphantly.
His biggest competitor had withdrawn. If nothing unexpected happened, this Unicorn Fruit would belong to the Beast Pirates!
But the unexpected did happen...
Suddenly, Saint Roswald, who was seated in the central area of the auction house in a seat far more luxurious than anyone else's, spoke up:
"Is this Devil Fruit really that rare? Even a Warlord of the Sea wants it, eh?"
Behind Saint Roswald, a CP0 agent quickly bowed and said:
"That's right, Saint Roswald. Mythical Zoan fruits are the most precious treasures on the sea. If one falls into the right hands, it can even give birth to a warrior on the level of a Marine Admiral!"
Saint Roswald nodded, his eyes lighting up. "Very good. A treasure like this can only be possessed by a god. I bid 5 billion Berries!"
After Saint Roswald placed his bid, the entire hall fell silent!
On these seas, few dared to compete with a Celestial Dragon. However, the people present were no ordinary individuals. Hana-Fuda gritted his teeth and shouted his bottom line:
"6.5 billion Berries!"
However, Saint Roswald didn't hesitate, easily raising the price: "7 billion Berries!"
This time, Hana-Fuda fell completely silent, no longer attempting to compete with the Celestial Dragon.
Even as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, he didn't dare to be careless when facing a Celestial Dragon. After all, if he harmed a Celestial Dragon, a Marine Admiral would immediately arrive to arrest him.
He had now given up on the Unicorn Fruit. Fortunately, he had still obtained an Ancient Zoan, so he hadn't completely failed to live up to Lord Kaido's trust.
After Hana-Fuda went quiet, Saint Roswald's expression didn't change in the slightest.
Winning the auction was a matter of course for him. Berries were just numbers. When he was in a good mood, he didn't mind using those numbers to crush the lower-class!
But just as Saint Roswald was preparing to leave and have his subordinates deliver the auction item to his residence, a calm male voice suddenly echoed through the auction hall:
"I bid 7.1 billion Berries!"
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