"1 billion!"
Ross made the bid casually, ignoring the stunned bystanders.
Today's auction had been forced open by him.
No matter how high he bid today, he would not pay a single Belly.
What was wrong with being a Celestial Dragon and playing dirty?
"1.1 billion!!! Saint Ross, don't be so arrogant!"
Saint Rosward yelled in fury, but his bidding slowed.
When he bought things, he paid with real money. If he had money yet still went around taking things by force, wouldn't that damage the image of the Celestial Dragons?
More importantly, if word got out, his own kind would call him a poor bastard with no money.
"1.5 billion!"
Ross did not even spare Saint Rosward a glance. Talk to idiots too much, and it was easy to become one yourself.
"Fine, fine, fine. Saint Ross, I'll let you have this trashy toy."
Saint Rosward sat down gloomily and stopped bidding.
His total assets were only 5 billion Beli. If he fought Saint Ross to the death from the very beginning, he would only be able to watch for the rest of the auction.
"1.5 billion... sold!"
The auction host shouted joyfully, driving the atmosphere in the venue to its peak.
B-rank Defeat complete! Strength +100,000 Special reward: Conqueror's Haki (B-rank)
That counted as a defeat?
Host: Ross Strength: 110163/300000 (C-, Navy Rear Admiral of Headquarters) Overall Rating: A (When out and about, it's all about status) Skills: Gun Technique (E), Physical Technique (C), Conqueror's Haki (B)
Ross clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within them, and was utterly thrilled.
This was way too easy.
He did not even need to defeat them physically. That gave him a lot more room to work with.
And besides...
Especially after sensing that small but incomparably domineering force within his body, Ross felt his heart swell.
If the timing had not been inappropriate, he would have wanted to unleash it and experience the power of Conqueror's Haki.
Composing himself, Ross smiled at Admiral Zephyr.
"Admiral Zephyr, consider this my first gift. In exchange, you'll make one move for me that goes against your principles. How about it?"
"You know him?" Zephyr frowned slightly.
"Admiral Zephyr, strong people like you never bother concealing your emotions. Your killing intent is practically written all over your face," Ross said with a smile.
"Fine! I accept!"
Zephyr's expression eased somewhat as he readily agreed.
Ross already had the authority to order him around. This would also be part of his future work.
Making one move when it went against his principles gave him an excuse.
All Celestial Dragons had an evil side. Zephyr was also curious what kind of evil lay in Ross's heart.
Zephyr no longer cared about such evil. As long as all pirates could be killed, he was willing to do it even if the cost was an equal number of civilians.
Ever since his wife and child had died, ever since the Great Pirate Era had begun sending him daily death lists bearing the names of his former students, he had ceased to be a hero.
In this fucked-up world, he could not be anyone's hero.
After Ross made his first move, he stuck his hand into nearly every subsequent pirate auction.
Of course, it was not to earn Zephyr's favor. It was only to make Saint Rosward spend more money.
He could not rob Saint Rosward directly, but he could rob the auction house.
"200 million!"
"400 million!!! Saint Ross, are you out of money? Keep going, then! Hahahaha!"
Rozward's mocking laughter rang through the venue, but Ross did not respond at all. Instead, his smile grew wider.
This was the tenth bid Ross had joined, and Rozward had followed him all ten times.
Every time, Rozward doubled Ross's bid and bought the slaves for at least 400 or 500 million.
Originally, these slaves were probably worth only around 100 million.
The auction host and the person in charge were already grinning from ear to ear.
"Sure enough, having idiots for relatives is wonderful..."
Ross chuckled softly, looking at Rozward as though he were a child delivering money.
He had not expected that coming out to attend this auction would not only solve Zephyr's problem, but also earn him a sizable windfall.
There were still plenty of good people in this world.
"Next, please welcome our grand finale!"
At the host's shout, a row of women of varying ages was escorted out.
Most of them were quite beautiful, and it was obvious they had never done dirty or exhausting work. Their living conditions before this had probably been fairly good.
"Allow me to introduce this auction lot. Every one of these women is the wife or daughter of a Navy Field Officer or one of two Navy Rear Admirals!"
The entire venue erupted.
Zephyr stood up with a savage expression, ready to attack the host.
"Of course, we would never dare sell the families of legitimate Navy Field Officers, and those noblewomen could never become slaves. Those field officers and flag officers deserted the Navy. Their families were implicated and reduced to slave status, which is why this auction is possible."
The host hurriedly explained. Though this was not the first time they had sold slaves of similar status, if he did not make things clear, their auction house would be in serious trouble.
"Navy Traitors?"
Zephyr frowned deeply, thinking about where so many Rear Admiral-level traitors had come from recently.
During the Great Pirate Era, quite a few Marines had deserted because they were dissatisfied with the Navy's treatment. But Navy Traitors at the Rear Admiral level were extremely rare, let alone two of them.
"Explain the desertion in detail!"
A smile hung on Ross's lips, but his voice drowned out the murmuring crowd.
When he had learned that there was a batch of enslaved Navy family members here, he had been delighted.
With Rozward backing Ross's Celestial Dragon status, even though most of them did not want to listen, no one dared say another word. The entire venue fell silent.
The host dared not refuse, but he did not know much of the inside story. He could only look toward the person in charge at the side of the stage with pleading eyes.
"I'll explain this matter," the person in charge said as he stepped onto the stage. "Not long ago, Vice Admiral Jaguar D. Saul deserted the Navy. During his escape, many Marines helped him out of old friendship, slowing the Navy's efforts to capture the traitor."
"The CP Organization uncovered the actions of those Marines. They were all sentenced to death, while their families lost the Navy's protection and were fortunately acquired by us."
After hearing the explanation, Zephyr's expression shifted unpredictably.
He wanted to save these people, but he did not know what reason he could use.
The fact that their husbands or fathers had deserted the Navy was true. The fact that they had helped a Navy Traitor was also true. As for what consequences they had caused in the process, he did not yet know.
However, Zephyr simply could not stand by and watch the families of his former comrades be auctioned off as slaves.
His own wife and child had died at pirates' hands, so he understood even more deeply the pain of a family suffering tragedy.
"Saint Ross..."
Zephyr's voice was hoarse as he looked at Ross with bloodshot eyes.
He rarely asked anyone for anything, but for the sake of this group of strangers, he was willing to plead with the Celestial Dragon before him today.
"Perfect. I need some servants to clean my palace."
Ross said with a soft laugh. Meeting Zephyr's grateful, relieved gaze, he shouted loudly.
"1.5 billion!"
The moment those words came out, the entire venue fell silent.
A Celestial Dragon had made a bid. Even if anyone had some more creative thoughts, they could only give up now.
Besides, paying 1.5 billion for around twenty slaves who were not peerless beauties was simply not worth it.
"Hmph!"
Rozward snorted, crossed his arms, and turned his head away.
He only had 900 million Belly left. He could not afford to compete.
But as long as he looked disdainful, no one would know he was broke. At most, they would think he was not interested.
Rozward, you really are a genius!
Before you continue