Chapter 312: Devil Fruit Auction (Part 2)
"Hahaha! The auction is just about over! Only one item left—so let's cut to the chase."
The auctioneer smiled as he looked around the crowd, though his gaze constantly drifted toward Box 4.
"The final Devil Fruit of tonight's auction! We have no information on this fruit—our auction house couldn't identify it. Everything depends on you to discover its secrets. It's a gamble. The final item begins at a starting price of 100 million Beli!"
Despite the same starting bid, the excitement in the room wasn't as high.
First, because the fruit was unknown—its abilities a complete mystery. Powerful Devil Fruits were rare, and few were willing to spend hundreds of millions on a gamble.
Second, everyone was waiting—waiting to see if the man in the box upstairs would make a move.
After his last two surprise bids, it was clear: the person in Box 4 had deep pockets beyond imagination.
The auctioneer began sweating slightly.
Was this final item going to flop?
The auction had already been a great success, hitting its revenue targets—but the auctioneer still wanted to close out on a high note.
He could feel it—this might be the most successful auction of his career.
"Heh… Interesting. Since no one's bidding, I'll go ahead and take it."
From Box 1, a voice laughed lightly.
"110 million Beli!"
The auctioneer exhaled in relief.
He quickly sprang into action, fanning the crowd's enthusiasm again.
"120 million!"
More people began bidding, intrigued by the mystery.
Charlotte, in Box 4, stared at the melon-shaped, green Devil Fruit marked with black patterns.
In his mind, he flipped through the entries of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
He hadn't memorized all of them, but this one felt familiar.
Looking at the fruit closely, Charlotte finally recalled its identity.
A Paramecia-type: Repel-Repel Fruit — it allowed the user to repel everything around them.
It suddenly reminded him of Bartholomew Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit.
This Repel-Repel Fruit had some clear similarities.
Charlotte's interest was piqued—he had to have it.
"200 million Beli!"
The hall went dead quiet as Charlotte's calm voice echoed.
The price jump from 150 million to 200 million silenced everyone.
Even Box 1 fell quiet.
No one else raised a paddle.
The moment Box 4 entered the bidding, most others knew better than to continue.
Gambling on a mystery fruit wasn't worth it for those with only a few hundred million in assets.
Seeing how the room had gone silent, the auctioneer understood—this fruit would sell for 200 million.
Without delay, he called the countdown and brought down the gavel quickly.
And just like that, the auction officially ended.
A total of 100 items had been sold, from 8 AM until nearly 6 PM.
Outside, the sun had begun to set.
"Let's congratulate the honored guest of Box 4 for winning the final item of today's auction. Please, a round of applause!"
The applause was scattered and half-hearted.
Many in the audience now looked toward Box 4 with strange eyes—green with envy.
A rough estimate suggested that this buyer had claimed nearly a quarter of all auction items—worth about 2.5 billion Beli.
Such an astronomical fortune had not gone unnoticed.
Some people quietly slipped away—already plotting to join forces against Charlotte.
But no one dared to make a move on Kardan Island.
This was the domain of the Five Major Mafia Families.
Even pirates didn't dare act recklessly here.
For smugglers, fences, and sellers of looted goods, the mafia's networks were essential.
In the West Blue, pirates and mafias coexisted—pirates needed the mafia's support.
As the crowd dispersed, some people left, while others headed backstage to pay for and collect their purchases.
Barrett led a group of men carrying a large amount of money, following behind Sergei.
Charlotte had no intention of dodging payment. The auction had treated them fairly, and he wasn't some brute like Golden Lion Shiki.
Charlotte prided himself on playing by the rules—unless someone crossed him first.
Barrett, standing five meters tall in a massive military uniform, radiated overwhelming pressure.
People in line instinctively stepped aside.
"How much is it?"
Barrett asked, hoisting the money chest.
"T-t-twenty-three billion and one hundred fifty million... B-but we'll round it to 23 billion, sir!"
The cashier stammered, eyes wide.
Barrett opened the chest.
"No need to pay it all. The potions alone sold for nearly 1.5 billion. We've already deducted that from the total. Just pay 13 billion and we're square!"
Barrett handed over 13 billion Beli, and the crew began retrieving all the auctioned goods.
Sergei watched with a gulp.
"Um… You should be careful when you leave the island. A few attendees may already be targeting you. But don't worry—they won't dare make a move on the island!"
He hurried up beside Barrett and whispered.
Barrett stopped and looked down at him.
Sergei instantly bowed.
"Thank you for the warning. The Rockefeller Pirates will remember your words."
With that, Barrett turned and returned to the VIP box.
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"Oh? We've been marked?"
Charlotte swirled his wine glass with a lazy smile.
"Let's see who's the prey—and who's the hunter."
He didn't take the threat seriously.
"Rest here tonight,"
Charlotte said to his wives and children.
"You've all had a long day. Tomorrow, we resupply and set sail."
"If you go out to explore, take plenty of guards. I'm sure some people can't wait to make their move,"
he added, glancing at the group with a faint smile.
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