Rakuya's gaze burned bright as a blade. He smiled at the man-shaped dent in the wall.
"Universal Pull."
"Shinra Tensei."
He spoke almost in the same breath. Crushing gravity poured from his left hand; a savage blast of repulsion erupted from his right.
In an instant Bukodi rang like struck iron. The opposing forces seized his entire body at once. He floated up as if a giant, unseen hand had him by the throat, locking every joint in place.
Blood threaded his eyes. His features twisted, veins bulging until they looked ready to burst. The sight was grisly.
"Aaah!"
At last the pressure broke him. Bukodi clawed at his scalp and howled.
"I told you. If you cannot kill me, you pay the price."
Rakuya's voice was cool. Repulsion surged from his right palm and slammed down.
Bukodi's flesh tore. He flew like a rag doll, unrecognizable by the time he hit the ground. Dead. Completely.
The captain of the Battle-Axe Pirates, a man worth two hundred million, died as easily as cutting a mangy dog.
Silence swallowed the auction hall.
You could hear men swallowing, hearts hammering out of rhythm. Faces went white.
"J-just like that?"
"That was a two hundred million bounty."
"He butchered him like nothing. How strong is this guy? He might be on the level of Whitebeard or Roger."
"No wonder he is not afraid of the Celestial Dragons. With that kind of power, what is Marineford to him?"
The pirates and moneyed patrons stared, their voices little more than frightened whispers.
On the floor, Saint Charmarco saw how casually Rakuya had erased a big-name pirate. He dared not let out so much as a squeak for fear his head would be next.
For a heartbeat no one even screamed. Then panic hit all at once.
"Murder. Murder!"
The wealthy but timid bolted for the exits as if the floor had caught fire, tripping over chairs in their haste. The hall dissolved into chaos. Shouts piled on shouts, and the crowd funneled out in a stampede.
In moments the place was almost empty.
"Heh. Their escape technique is pretty decent."
Rakuya chuckled and turned toward the backstage corridors.
This was where the lots were stored.
So many treasures. It would be a shame not to relieve them of a few.
A middle-aged man stood there, his shoulder wrapped in blood-soaked bandages. His left arm was gone. It was the auction manager who had hacked it off earlier to appease the Celestial Dragon.
Now he barked orders in a panic, trying to move everything before a thief spirited it away. If someone would rob a Devil Fruit in front of everyone, what would they not rob?
"Move it. Into the vault, now. If that mad brat makes off with our stock, I will have your heads."
"Yes, sir."
"Hurry."
"Hey. Still working so hard with one arm. I admire the dedication. Want me to give you a hand?"
Rakuya dropped the Celestial Dragon to the floor with a thud and spoke in a lazy, teasing drawl.
"Spare me the chatter. Can't you see we are drowning? Get over here and help."
The manager snapped without looking. The voice nagged at him. He turned and found Rakuya watching him with that half-smile, amusement plain in his eyes.
"You… you are the brat who beat a Celestial Dragon. You monster!"
"Heh. Since you already called me a demon, I will stop being polite."
Rakuya nodded, lifted his right hand toward the stacked lots, and curled his fingers. "Universal Pull."
Boom.
Gold, jewels, and artifacts tore free in a glittering tide, streaking into his palm and then winking out as if swallowed by air. Inside Rakuya's system space, the pile grew into a sparkling hill.
"Profit. Beautiful profit."
"No. Those are auction property. You cannot take them. Leave some. Please, leave some!"
The manager's eyes bulged. He could do nothing.
Rakuya's smile tilted. He had not set out to rob the house, but he still remembered the auctioneer's gloating earlier. Blame Mondi for that.
"Manager, Manager, disaster."
Right on cue, Mondi stumbled in from the main hall, ashen and wild-eyed. He froze when he saw Rakuya standing there.
"You. Why are you here?"
"So many questions. You are interrupting me helping your boss move inventory. Face the consequences."
Rakuya's hand cracked out once. Mondi's head snapped to the side and he crumpled, lights out.