Chapter 132 Commotion at the Auction (Part 2)
To prevent accidents, the auction house had stationed guards all along the walls. Using [Mind Net], Eric had already included every presence in the venue within his perception.
'Too bad most of them are just regular people who've undergone some training. They're only armed with firearms dangerous to ordinary folks.'
Eric shifted his gaze to one of the guards closest to the fruit. His presence was significantly stronger than the others.
As the price climbed higher, the number of bidders gradually decreased.
By the time it reached 320 million Beli, only two bidders remained, locked in a back-and-forth battle, spitting furiously as they shouted their bids.
Unlike the earlier rounds where bids increased by tens of millions, the bids now went up by just one million at a time. From the look on their faces, they were approaching their psychological limits.
The captains of the pirate crews present watched with growing hunger in their eyes.
"Three hundred and twenty-two million Beli!" Eric suddenly called out at that moment.
All eyes in the room instantly turned to him. Eric had suddenly become the star of the auction. Numerous pirates fixed their gaze on him.
Another fat sheep had entered the arena!
The two bidders battling over the Devil Fruit glared at him viciously, as if they wanted to tear him apart on the spot.
The auctioneer shouted, "Customer #98 has bid 322 million Beli! Any higher offers? Any higher?"
At that moment, the two other men surprisingly lowered their paddles. They had no intention of bidding again.
'Eh?' Now it was Eric who was stunned. He only wanted to enjoy the thrill of shouting out a bid and basking in the spotlight. Why had they suddenly given up? Wasn't this just throwing the Devil Fruit into his lap?
In reality, the price had already far exceeded both men's limits. Perhaps driven by pride or competitiveness, they'd kept bidding against each other—until Eric's bid snapped them out of it.
"322 million Beli, going twice!"
"Wait!" Eric tried to interrupt.
"322 million Beli, going three times!"
The auctioneer gave him no chance, quickly stepped forward, and struck the gavel.
Thud!
"Congratulations to Customer #98 for winning the Devil Fruit with a bid of 322 million Beli!"
At that moment, Eric's eyes widened in shock. His mouth hung open, and his fake beard nearly fell off due to the strain on his face.
The companions beside him all covered their faces. Their captain was way too embarrassing.
"With that, all auction items have been sold! This auction concludes perfectly!"
"Wait a minute!" Eric shouted.
The host, still grinning, asked, "Hmm? Is there something our esteemed guest would like to ask?" This auction had been a massive success, and Eric alone had added 322 million to the total. The host was quite fond of him.
Scratching his head awkwardly, Eric said, "Uh, sorry… that bid earlier? I was just playing around..."
"...Sir, please don't joke like that!" the host's smile vanished in an instant.
Who wins an item and then says it was just for fun? And in front of a whole crowd no less? This was a direct slap to the auction house's face!
"But I really don't have that much money on me. Maybe… you could give me the fruit on credit? I'll pay you back once I earn enough?"
"Guards! Guards! Search this man! If he doesn't have enough to cover the bid, strip him and toss him into the street!"
Several armored guards approached with grim expressions.
"Tch," Eric clicked his tongue. "Seriously? I'm telling you, those guys were plants! As soon as I bid, they backed out. If they aren't plants, what are they?!"
"Hey, hey, hey!" One of the former bidders, a fat man with a piggish face, snapped, "I stopped bidding because I felt like it. What's it to you?"
"Hehehe, old man," a muscular thug chuckled coldly. "Food can be messed with, words can't. You never placed a single bid while we were going at it, so how were we scamming you?"
Two guards pinned Eric's shoulders while another moved in to search him.
Kurumi and Esdeath's gazes instantly turned deadly, and Akame's hand slowly moved toward her sword's hilt, ready to act.
"OK, OK!" Eric suddenly broke free from their grip and pulled a large box from inside his coat.
Everyone stared in disbelief. 'Where did he even pull that huge box from?!'
"I'll buy it, alright?" Eric opened the case and revealed the cash inside. Everyone Tsuru d their necks to look.
Stacks upon stacks of Beli, neatly arranged to fill the entire box.
The moment they saw it, everyone's eyes turned into Beli signs.
"Our esteemed guest certainly knows how to joke! Please, please come backstage to complete the transaction!" The host demonstrated a masterclass in facial transformation, eagerly inviting Eric backstage. Even Sichuan opera face-changers weren't this fast.
"No need. This box contains exactly 322 million Beli. Just give me the fruit now."
"Uh…" The host hesitated. After all, it was risky to handle this much money in public—what if the pirates in the room tried to grab it?
He glanced subtly at the boss, Eaton, who gave him a nod.
A cash transaction this large? What better advertisement could there be for the auction house?
A dozen staff members immediately began counting the money. The other customers in the hall stared at the mountain of cash, swallowing hard.
The pirates, on the other hand, had full-on greed in their eyes. Most of them had never seen this much money in their lives.
One pirate stretched his neck farther and farther forward, nearly hovering over the head of the person in front of him, until a drop of saliva landed on that person's scalp.
"What the hell?! Saliva?!" The customer in front wiped his head and found it wet.
"Die!" The pirate didn't hesitate—he punched the startled customer straight in the face.
"Boys, move in with me!"
That punch broke the dam. Dozens of pirates, holding back for so long, finally exploded into action as their captain charged forward.
Crack crack crack! The sound of shifting bones rang out. That strong guard began to transform—his head became tiger-like, sharp fangs emerged, his arms turned into massive tiger paws with deadly claws, and a bushy tail sprouted behind him.
"Cat-Cat Fruit: Tiger Form!"
Of course, nobody had even asked, but he announced his fruit type anyway.
Very pirate-like behavior.
Even if he hadn't said it, anyone could've guessed. It was clearly a Zoan-type, given the obvious transformation.
Chaos erupted in the auction hall. Wealthy guests scrambled to flee. The guards lining the walls rushed toward the rioting pirates. They couldn't fire freely—hitting a high-value guest by mistake would cause serious problems.
The tiger guard crouched and lunged at the nearest pirate, kicking up a whirlwind.
And then—hum~—a wave of aura swept across the entire venue.
"It's too noisy."
(END CHAPTER)
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