Nouveau Riche
Amidst the undercurrents of tension, the auction finally began.
Roy was quite interested in this, after all, he had never participated in a similar auction in either his past or present life.
"Gentlemen, thank you for waiting. The grand auction is about to begin, and I will be serving as the master of ceremonies for this auction!"
"You are all well-informed individuals, and you must already know that this grand auction is unlike any other. In addition to purchasing your desired high-quality slaves, Devil Fruit, Famous Swords, and even rare treasures that only exist in legends will all shine brightly at this auction!"
The atmosphere in the venue was stirred up, and it instantly became lively and restless. People in the audience were whispering among themselves, their eyes filled with fervor as they looked at the stage.
"If I keep going, you might all think I'm being long-winded, so let's get straight to today's topic!"
As the emcee finished speaking, a group of ragged pirates were escorted onto the stage. Their eyes were lifeless, and they looked like walking corpses, their eyes filled with a deathly, numb despair for the future.
"This is Gourmet Pirate Crew from the South Blue. Although their bounties aren't high, every single one of them is a top-notch gourmet. They can perfectly switch between being a laborer and a gourmet. You can get double the happiness for just one price. Buying them is a steal! Everyone, hurry up and act! The starting bid is 500,000 Beli per person, but if you buy 12 together, it will only cost 5 million Beli!"
The emcee's hoarse shouts made one wonder if he might faint from exhaustion.
"5 million Beli!" Robin was the first to bid after receiving Roy's signal.
Roy wasn't acting out of kindness; he always kept a cold eye on these insignificant people. His intervention this time was simply because he was interested in their status as gourmets.
After Robin finished speaking, an eerie silence fell over the room.
Five million Beli is not a small amount; in the Four Seas, it's the price of half a Great Grade Sword. But the people present were all wealthy and powerful, and could easily spend millions of Beli on a single meal, so naturally they wouldn't take a mere five million Beli seriously.
However, the first bidder was Roy, a notorious Shichibukai. Competing with such a ruthless person was a classic case of having the chance to win the auction but not the chance to win the prize. Who knew if he might step out the door and never be able to leave again?
If the item being auctioned were a treasure like Logia Devil Fruit, they might still grit their teeth and bid, but the people on stage are just a bunch of unknown small-time pirates. It would be unwise to offend the Shichibukai for such "goods".
Many people turned their attention to the Celestial Dragons and the other Supernovas, hoping that someone could step forward and put a slight wrench on Roy's arrogance, otherwise the auction would not be able to proceed.
But they were destined to be disappointed. The Celestial Dragons were a given, and the other Supernovas, having learned from the mistakes of Beheader Meredith and Harvey the Storm Sword Master, were naturally unwilling to provoke Roy, this fierce man.
Seeing that no one dared to raise the price, the emcee, who had been beaming with excitement, could only manage an awkward but polite smile, "5 million once, 5 million twice, 5 million three times, sold! Congratulations to Lord Roy for winning the first item, giving this auction a great start!"
Although he successfully won the bid, Roy felt somewhat depressed. This was an auction, an essential adventure event for time travelers.
I could accept that the emcee wasn't a beauty, but what's disappointing is that there wasn't even a chance to snag a bargain, or for someone to be so shrewd as to repeatedly bid against him, leading to a feud or assassination attempt.
If the people in the arena knew what Roy was thinking, they would definitely spit in his face. If you weren't so strong, they would definitely make you experience everything you've ever imagined.
Roy lost even more interest in the subsequent auctions. Whenever he participated, the room fell silent, as if he were being secretly "forced" into it. Good heavens, he already had so much money he didn't know what to do with it, and now they wouldn't even let him squander it.
"Get away from me, you damn money! Get away from me and stop bothering me!"
Just as Roy was getting so bored he was about to doze off, his former slave owner lurked up to him furtively, looking shifty. "Lord Roy, if you have some time now, would you mind coming with me to see the 'boss'?"
"Very well, I'm also very interested in the person behind you."
Seeing Roy walk out with the slave owner, many people were secretly puzzled but also breathed a sigh of relief. Without this mountain weighing on them, they could finally act freely.
The slave owner led Roy through a maze-like maze, until finally at the end of the road they saw a half-open door, from which a dazzling light shone.
Seeing Roy push the door open and go in without hesitation, the slave owner breathed a sigh of relief, then muttered to himself with a strange expression, "Thanks to you, this is the first time I've learned that the boss behind me is actually a legendary figure, the Gild Tesoro — Gild Tesoro!"
Upon entering the room, even Roy, who possessed Ark Maxim, was almost blinded by the dazzling golden house.
The man standing inside the house had the air of a nouveau riche, covered in gold necklaces, rings, and earrings, making Roy almost blurt out "Nouveau Riche."
Behind him stood a tall, hot, and sexy woman in a revealing cheongsam with a slit up to her thighs, her long legs captivating the eye, and her ample bosom. This was none other than Baccarat, who had just eaten the Lucky-Lucky Fruit.
Roy naturally had no other choice but to agree on this combination. "Gild Tesoro, I never expected that the underground forces of the Sabaody Archipelago were actually being manipulated by you behind the scenes."
"Wherever there is wealth and Beli, there I will naturally be."
Gild Tesoro had no doubt that Roy could call him by name so easily. Having control of 20% of the world's Beli, he naturally hadn't neglected intelligence work. He knew that Roy had a vast intelligence network behind him, which couldn't even hide many of the World Government's secrets.
Although Gild Tesoro downplayed his own involvement, Roy knew that the Gild Tesoro had a deep-seated hatred for the Celestial Dragons. Under such circumstances, he had quietly taken control of the underground forces in the Sabaody Archipelago. Roy absolutely did not believe that he had no designs on the Celestial Dragons.
However, Roy was too lazy to investigate other people's thoughts. Even if Gild Tesoro wanted to blow up Mary Geoise, it had Beli to do with him.
"Tell me, what is your purpose in organizing such a large auction and specifically inviting me here?"
"Actually, this auction was a gift I prepared for you. Unfortunately, the Sabaody Archipelago is too close to Marine Headquarters, so it's not easy to get some good stuff. With your level, it's no wonder you look down on the items at this auction." Gild Tesoro said with some regret. "As for my purpose? I'm here for the Poneglyph you have."