Auction House: Flaunting Wealth

"What?! Keimi's been stolen!?"

As Luffy's voice came from the 'Paper Phone' on their wrists, the Straw Hat crew, who were still wandering around various places, were instantly shocked.

"Waaaaah, they're all mine—"

The mouths that appeared on the paper on each person's wrist paused, changing from crying and shouting to calm sounds.

"It's me, Roman."

"It's possible the slave-catching team was behind it, but that's not clear yet. Don't panic, I'm conducting a full island search, and we'll have results soon..."

"Extremely serious~~"

"In crucial moments, Roman is still the most reliable!"

"Luffy, how could you all let Keimi get...?"

"All of you, please keep quiet. What should we do now?"

Zoro's voice drowned out the other noises, and the person he was asking was, of course:

"Yes, I will send pigeons to guide you. Follow them to meet up first."

Click,

After hanging up the 'phone', Roman looked up at Nami and Robin, who both looked worried.

"Don't panic,"

"Since the other party is a slave-catching team, they must hope to sell Keimi for a good price. In other words, Keimi's safety is not a concern in the short term."

With a casual flick of the wrist, the fluttering white paper formed a six-legged 'car'. As for their previous mode of transportation: the famous Bubble Car from Sabaody, of course, they were simply discarded!

"Get in the car,"

After Nami and Robin were seated in the back, Roman immediately drove the strange-looking 'car' towards Island Number 1!

Meanwhile, the rest of the Straw Hat crew, guided by Roman's 'white dove,' headed towards Island Number 1.

In fact, Roman's pigeons had already flown into the 'population auction'... ah, no, the 'labor dispatch market' on Sabaody Archipelago 1.

It was filled with dignitaries, royalty, and their bodyguards; of course, there were also lawless pirates, bloodthirsty bounty hunters, and:

Celestial Dragons!

"Look over there... that guy is Captain Kid from the South Blue!"

Amidst the hushed whispers of the surrounding celebrities, at the back of the auction, Kidd, with his red spiky hair and wearing a Kid, leaned against the wall with a disdainful expression.

"Celestial Dragons... slaves plus a human market,"

"Compared to these greedy guys, our little 'bad things' are nothing."

"It is precisely because scumbags dominate the world that more 'scumbags' emerge—"

Even so, he changed the subject.

"If we see something we like, we'll buy a few to take home! Hahaha!"

"Kid Kidd, look."

In the adjacent circular auction hall, Trafalgar Law, surrounded by several executives of the Heart Pirates, Guotou with his hands resting on the back of his chair in a "boss-like" posture.

"A wanted criminal with a net worth of 200 million from Beihai. Notorious, and—"

Kid, who had been given the middle finger by Law, frowned his eyebrowless forehead.

"Lack of manners!"

As the auction began, one 'item' after another was brought to the display stand. The host gave a scathing introduction: a down-on-his-luck musician, groups of strong laborers, a pirate captain, and a beautiful dancer all made their appearance.

Meanwhile, the elegant gentlemen and ladies tore off their masks of 'civilization' and began to critique and bid on each other as if selecting goods, showing the pirates, who were used to killing with knives, a different kind of fangs.

"Oh My God,"

A member of the Heart Pirates looked at the pirate captain on the stage who had bitten his tongue and committed suicide, but the surrounding dissatisfaction and angry shouts made him shift his buttocks with lingering fear.

Compared to them, I suddenly feel like a saint...

"This is it,"

As Roman stopped the 'car,' Franky, Usopp, and Sanji, who were nearby, rushed over. Ignoring the several slaves wearing collars nearby, the impatient Sanji tried to rush inside, which was perfectly understandable:

"Halt! Who goes there—"

"Hand over our mermaid friend, Keimi!!"

Faced with the group that seemed ready to fight at the slightest provocation, the gatekeeper on the other side simply sneered.

"What mermaid? We have no idea!"

"Don't be so arrogant, pirates! We are a 'labor dispatch market' under the protection of the Navy. If you attack us, a large number of Navy personnel will arrive immediately. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I'll take care of it—"

"Etc!"

Roman stopped Franky from making a move.

"If Keimi really falls into the hands of these people, she will usually be put on a 'slave collar'."

"A slave collar?!"

The Straw Hat crew encountered this thing before while shopping. A runaway slave captain had his neck blown to smithereens and passed out. —That was a master with a 60 million bounty! If an ordinary mermaid like Keimi were to be blown up by that thing, I'm afraid...

Their brains are so splattered on the floor.

"Then what should we do?"

Seeing the others caught in a dilemma, Roman waved his hand and stepped forward. The armed guard, brandishing his gun, sneered:

"You want to—?!"

"Answer me,"

With a flick of his wrist, Roman unleashed a gold bar that immediately caught the guard's eye.

"Is there a green, short-haired kissing Fish-Man up for auction today?"

"Ah... it seems... it's there or it isn't..."

As Roman's eyes followed the gold bar in his hand, the words he uttered made Roman shake his head in disappointment.

"Since there isn't one, let's go to the next one—"

Yes! Yes, there are!

He casually tossed the gold bar aside, and the guard immediately leaped up and caught it like a dog. After landing, he prostrated himself before Roman with a fawning smile.

"Thank you for the reward, sir!"

"Let's go,"

Roman, rarely dealing with such a skilled gatekeeper, waved to the rest of the Straw Hat crew.

"Us·····"

"Of course, we'll follow the auction rules and buy Keimi back!"

????

Wait, does our Straw Hat crew have that much money...?

Click,

Pushing open the auction hall doors, Roman and his group's arrival didn't attract much attention, except for the Kid Pirates were also standing at the back of the auction hall.

"Boss, those are the Straw Hat Pirates."

"The one leading isn't the Straw Hat... Could that person be the 'White Knight'?"

Because of the bounty on all members, the Straw Hat crew are definitely the most recognizable pirate crew. Since everyone else matches the Bounty Poster, the only remaining possibility is the handsome, unfamiliar young man leading them:

"Looks like that armor is his battle stance. It's a pity I didn't see their captain, otherwise I'd love to see him—"

What kind of man could surpass the Kid Pirates in total bounty?

"... Alright everyone, the final act is about to begin!"

As the host, who was also the owner, used exaggerated gestures to create an atmosphere, a huge 'fish tank' hidden behind a curtain was pushed out, revealing a swimming silhouette that immediately drew cheers from the audience. The product's identity was self-evident.

"The mermaid from Fish-Man Island: Keimi!"

"A genuine young fish, its rarity speaks for itself, doesn't it? So, everyone, let's dig in—"

"Five... five hundred million!"

In the VIP seat right in the front row, a fat figure stood up, snot hanging from his face, and with a foolish expression, he stretched out a hand.

An awkward silence fell instantly!

"The opponent is too strong, there's no chance..."

"Today... never mind, let's see if we'll run into each other again in the future."

Many nobles and wealthy merchants were heartbroken. Although Fish-Man were expensive, the starting bid was usually only 70 million Beli. Who knew they'd encounter a Celestial Dragons who started with 500 million! How could they possibly compete?

"Five hundred million! Has no one offered a higher price?"

The auctioneer was very satisfied!

If it weren't for the Celestial Dragons' foolish greed, even a young Fish-Man would only fetch a maximum of 100 million Beli. After all, 100 million Beli is theoretically enough to buy a Devil Fruit! Even the weakest ordinary Zoan would instantly create a 'minor expert' worth tens of millions...

"Then, five hundred million—"

"Six hundred million Beli."

?!

A calm voice broke the silence, causing everyone to instinctively turn their heads to look behind them.

My first thought was: Who is so rich?

My second thought was: Who's so eager to die!

How dare they compete with the Celestial Dragons? They must have a death wish!

"Roman, do we have that much money?"

In response to Sanji's whispered question, Roman nodded calmly.

"Yes, I have."

?

Although Sanji really wanted to say, "How come I didn't know?", he wisely kept quiet, considering that Roman and Nami had always managed the Straw Hat crew's finances. —Thinking about it, they were probably the only two in the entire crew who knew how much money the Straw Hat crew had.

"How?"

Facing the gaze of everyone present, Roman glanced around. Despite being a 'casual person' standing at the back of the auction hall, he gave the auction participants the illusion that he was the 'noble' or 'king'.

"Am I not allowed to participate in the bidding?"

·······

However, auction houses don't have the right to refuse bids. But:

"Seven... seven hundred million!"

Charloss, the snotty Celestial Dragons, stretched out a hand with two fingers, making Roman's gaze drift upwards.

Even kindergartens aren't this difficult, are they? Is the person in question mentally challenged...?

"One billion."

!!!!!!!

As Roman's calm voice rang out, the entire auction hall fell silent. The nobles and merchants present clutched their chests, the only sound the pounding of their own hearts! Between the Celestial Dragons and this strange young man, Beli seemed to be tossed about like scraps of paper...

Strangely, none of them doubted whether Roman could come up with the money.

"Snort,"

Sitting next to the snotty-nosed man, watching his son struggle to count on his fingers to make a number bigger than 'ten', the elderly Celestial Dragons, with a row of medals pinned to his chest and a cane in his hand, stood up, turned to look at Roman at the back of the auction, and pursed his lips slightly.

"Two billion!!"

A number brimming with anger and domineering uttered from the old Celestial Dragons. Amidst everyone's 'crazy' expressions, he finally saw the astonishment on the face of the young man who dared to bid.

"You just said... two billion?"

"That's right!"

The old Celestial Dragons nodded proudly, bowing down before the Celestial Dragons' immense wealth—

Hahaha~~~

A hearty laugh echoed through the auction hall, leaving even Sanji and Franky looking completely bewildered. Had Roman lost his mind from arguing with the other party...?

Robin, on the other hand, looked thoughtful, while Nami, covering her face, had already guessed what would happen next:

"This little bit of change,"

???

Under the gaze of everyone, including the Kid Pirates who were so shocked their jaws dropped to their chests, Roman snapped his fingers.

Snap,

Splash splash splash splash—

Golden liquid cascaded down from his downward-facing palm like a waterfall!

Amidst the clinking and tinkling sounds, the dazzling gold revealed a wealth of riches. Gold, gushing forth like a fountain, instantly covered Roman's surroundings, piling up to form a 'golden mountain' as tall as himself.

This is?????

Everyone's eyes were captivated by the gold, its sheer volume holding their attention! Remember, back in Water 7, a single table full of gold ornaments was worth over 300 million Beli! Even though these were just simple gold nuggets, the sheer quantity...

It's at least several billion Beli—

"Oh, it's my fault."

Roman shook his head.

"How can you buy something without first taking out your money?"

After saying that, he looked at the old Celestial Dragons whose face was turning pale and then flushed by the golden light.

"Alright, it's your turn to bid."

P. S.: Ahem, don't call it cliché, this is a famous scene from *The Count of Earl...