"As expected… this guy's just here to mess around, isn't he."
Watching Ozz dive headfirst into mischief, Mihawk and Crocodile could only shake their heads, both raising a hand to their foreheads with weary resignation.
So much for "inspecting the venue" or "keeping an eye out for problems."
Because in reality…
"A century-old premium vintage from the Kingdom of Fine Wine! Starting bid: one million Berries!"
"One million two hundred thousand Berries!"
"One million two hundred thousand and one Berries!"
"One million three hundred thousand Berries!"
"One million three hundred thousand and one Berries!"
"???"
The burly pirate in the front row sunglasses on, hair slicked back, clutching a barrel of rum was clearly furious.
"Hey! You bastard! You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?! Bidding me up by one Berry every single time?!
And you people running this auction aren't you going to say something?! He's not even following the minimum bid increment!"
Yet despite the man's outburst, no one from the auction house, not even the manager, paid him any attention. They all looked around innocently, whistling as if nothing had happened.
Ozz simply flashed a casual smile, his tone full of amusement.
"No, no I just happen to be a fan of rare, non-disgusting liquors."
With that, he raised his hand again.
"Ten million Berries!"
Ozz was flaunting his wealth to the extreme and this wasn't even the peak of it.
Lounging in his seat, one leg crossed over the other, he was clearly enjoying this new game of his: throwing money around like it meant nothing.
What followed was an all-out rampage. No matter the bidder or the item, everything fell under Ozz's crushing gold-fueled assault.
The shill bidders planted by the auction house? Completely useless.
"We're screwed!!! This auction's as good as a total bust!"
"If Lord Doflamingo finds out, we're going to be fed to the fighting fish in pieces!"
One of the auction staff cried out in despair as he watched Ozz steamroll through the event, convinced the man wouldn't actually pay a single Berry or worse, that he was using the auction's own money to "buy" their stock.
The result? Not only would they lose all the merchandise, but they wouldn't collect a dime.
"You idiot!"
At that moment, the auction manager emerged, a cigarette clamped between his lips, glaring at the panicking staffer like he was looking at a hopeless fool.
"If we make Lord Ozz happy, Lord Doflamingo would reward us, not punish us. You think he cares about a couple worthless trinkets?"
"Or haven't you figured it out yet…"
"The Donquixote Family's assets… have belonged to Lord Ozz for a while now."
As the auction continued, Ozz's outrageous antics slowly wore everyone down into a numb silence.
By the end, no one even bothered to bid anymore. They simply watched in silence as Ozz picked up item after item at the starting price.
"Tch. Pathetic lowborn. Only someone like him would find these scraps worth bidding on."
Naturally, the two Celestial Dragons in attendance had noticed Ozz's antics. But the auction items were beneath their standards, so they hadn't bothered to raise their hands until a certain lot took the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, our next item is a stunning female slave. Just look at that golden hair she may even be of noble descent!"
"…Golden hair equals nobility? Now that's good salesmanship."
Ozz chuckled, swirling a drink in his hand as he listened to the emcee's pitch. But the next name that came out of the announcer's mouth caught him completely off guard.
"And her name is… Stella!"
Stella?
The name stirred something in Ozz's memory.
Ohhh…
She was a supporting character from one of the movies, wasn't she?
But wasn't she supposed to show up in a store? Why's she being auctioned off here?
Butterfly effect?
"Such a gorgeous slave! I'll make her my thirty-ninth wife!"
Clearly, Stella's beauty had made an impression. After all, she was one of the stars of this particular auction. It didn't take long for the two Celestial Dragons to fixate on her.
Stella, for her part, seemed to have resigned herself to her fate. She sat slumped against the bars of her cage, her expression one of sorrowful resignation like a tragic heroine out of a painting. Her misery only made her more captivating.
"Starting bid: five million Berries!"
"Ten million Berries! I dare anyone to outbid me!"
The voice came from the purple-haired Celestial Dragon Grimm Saint the same pompous brat who'd been mouthing off earlier. He raised his hand with a smug flourish.
At his words, the entire room tensed.
The Celestial Dragons were bidding now.
Everyone turned to look toward the back row, beads of cold sweat sliding down their faces. Would that man the mysterious one (Lord Ozz) actually…
In the still silence that followed, a voice rang out, full of mirth.
"Ten million… and one Berry."
"YOU BASTARD!!!"
Grimm Saint shot to his feet, his eyes burning with rage. He pulled out a golden pistol and aimed it straight toward the back row.
"You filthy commoner! How DARE you!"
"Hey! Grimm Saint! Didn't Saint Charloss specifically order us not to cause trouble on Sabaody right now?!"
The other Celestial Dragon beside him one of the rare, halfway-intelligent ones tried to talk him down. He clearly understood that aiming a gun at someone like that was suicidal.
But Grimm Saint wasn't listening. He was already blinded by rage.
It wasn't until his companion whispered the words "Holy Knights" that he finally froze.
"…Tch."
Though still fuming, the mention of those two words made Grimm think twice. He slowly lowered his golden pistol.
"Twenty million Berries!"
He growled, resorting to "legal" bidding.
"Twenty million… and one Berry."
"One hundred million Berries!!"
"One hundred million… and one Berry."
"Ten BILLION Berries!!!"
"Ten billion… and one Berry."
By now, Grimm Saint looked ready to explode. Ozz couldn't help it his smirk slipped loose.
With the bids flying back and forth between two men who clearly had more money than sense, the price shot upward like a rocket.
Before long, it hit fifty billion Berries.
Everyone in the room from the bidders to the auction staff was stunned into silence by the astronomical number.
Even Stella was wide-eyed, temporarily forgetting her grief over parting with Tesoro. Her mouth hung open in shock.
Am I really worth that much…?
Then the bidding stopped.
Not because Ozz had given up, but because…
The Celestial Dragon had no more money.
It turned out the most recent Heavenly Tribute allocation had been slightly reduced by the Five Elders something about a restructuring so Grimm Saint only had fifty billion Berries on hand.
Even pooling his funds with the Celestial Dragon beside him wouldn't be enough to match someone like Ozz, who bid like money wasn't even real.
"Ohh? What's wrong, Celestial Dragon? You're not bidding anymore? Don't tell me… you're broke? Want me to lend you some?"
Ozz's perfectly-timed jab was the final straw.
Grimm Saint snapped.
He raised his golden pistol and
Bang!
The Celestial Dragon beside him…
Slumped to the floor.
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