The Swarm

In just half a month, the news that a Devil Fruit was about to be auctioned in Mad Hatter Town had already spread across most of West Blue.

For a time, pirates thirsting for power flocked there.

This was especially true of the captains who had already prepared to enter the Grand Line. They were determined to obtain it.

What did a Devil Fruit represent?

Only seasoned pirates like them, who were about to charge into a new world, could truly understand.

The Marine branches throughout West Blue naturally caught wind of the news as well.

However, troop deployment was an unavoidable weakness of the Marine branches, so even knowing about it, they had little they could do.

After all, this was West Blue, not the Grand Line.

Setting aside the difference in priority, as one of the Four Seas, West Blue's actual sea area was far beyond comparison with the Grand Line.

Accordingly, the Marine branches of West Blue had to scatter most of their forces across various locations to protect the civilians within their jurisdictions.

If they wanted to gather those scattered forces in one place, there would be no problem with instant communications or relaying orders, but they could not keep up in terms of timing.

The most troublesome problem still came from the ever-present threat of pirates.

Unlike the Marines, who needed to be stationed in one place to maintain order, the pirates did not need to stick together. Yet, sharing the same nature, they could roam freely from place to place.

The moment they spotted profit to be made, they clung to it like starving locusts drawn to blood.

Once the Marines arrived, they would flee without looking back, then head toward another place where profit awaited.

Under such circumstances, hastily deploying troops would only give those locust-like pirates a chance to run rampant.

Thus, compared with the threat posed by individual pirate crews, their sheer numbers were what made the pirates of the Four Seas different from those of the Grand Line—and what gave the Marine branches such a headache.

Of course, because of differences in local customs, culture, and other factors, the number of Marines in each jurisdiction of West Blue varied.

Setting aside certain useless Marine parasites, in jurisdictions with ample forces, the Marines would consolidate their surplus troops into a highly mobile unit. Their primary mission was to hunt down and eliminate pirates fleeing from place to place.

These Marine units, unrestricted by jurisdiction, often struck terror into the hearts of pirates.

But although effective, they only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.

In a lawless place like Mad Hatter Town, where roots ran deep, what fundamental difference could these units possibly make?

It was like an armed sheriff breaking into a hideout occupied by ten thugs.

Under the deterrence of the firearm, the ten thugs inside would voluntarily abandon their numerical advantage and submit.

But if an armed sheriff broke into a hideout occupied by over a hundred thugs, the outcome went without saying.

To break the current deadlock, the Marines would have to send a force from Marine Headquarters capable of upsetting the balance.

However, the turmoil caused by a single Devil Fruit was not enough to give Marine Headquarters reason to mobilize in force.

Although the Marine branches of West Blue could not deal a powerful blow to Mad Hatter Town, their various informants were still keeping a close watch on the place.

Being unable to act did not mean they would do nothing.

Mad Hatter Island, Mad Hatter Town, Mad Hatter Auction House.

As its name suggested, the auction house was built in the shape of a tall top hat lying sideways on the ground.

For example:

The first and second floors of the auction house formed the brim. They occupied the most space and were also the primary venue for the auctions.

To increase its capacity, the auction hall had been designed in much the same style as a conventional opera house.

Thus, the second floor could technically be considered part of the first.

The higher the floors went, the smaller their area became.

As for the room on the top floor of the auction house, it naturally belonged to the owner who controlled the place.

As the pinnacle of the auction house, the room was extravagantly decorated, exuding the air of a nouveau riche at every turn.

The wall facing the center of the street was an entire stretch of floor-to-ceiling windows made of coated glass. In front of them stood a European-style parlor table set dominated by deep red.

The Devil Fruit to be auctioned ten days later rested on the tabletop, cushioned underneath by soft cloth to emphasize its preciousness.

A burly, middle-aged man sat in the main armchair. He wore a red suit, slicked-back hair, and a cigar between his teeth.

This man was the auction house's owner—Ralph.

"Just a wave of the hand can drive those wolves and tigers into a frenzy. That is the allure of a Devil Fruit."

Ralph reclined in the armchair. His eyes were cold and dark, as though his humanity had been stripped away, leaving no room for ordinary emotions to surface.

Across from him, a man sneered. "It was worth all the trouble I took to bring the Devil Fruit back from the Grand Line. Just one transfer to a different region has multiplied its value several times. How many businesses in this world can be as profitable as this?"

Ralph lowered his eyelids and looked through the smoke he exhaled at the man's smug expression. He did not speak to correct the man's mistaken understanding.

There were countless profitable businesses in this world.

Doubling the value of a Devil Fruit was mostly the result of marketing, not the transaction itself.

Ralph pinched out the glowing end of his cigar and said flatly, "The starting price is one hundred million. The final price should exceed one billion."

"That much?"

The man was startled, clearly placing great faith in Ralph's judgment.

Ralph glanced at the Devil Fruit on the table. "The major powers of West Blue's underworld have no interest in this Devil Fruit, but the Five Great Gangs are determined to obtain it. So the only ones capable of winning the fruit will be one of them. Do you know what that means?"

Without waiting for the man to answer, Ralph continued:

"It means that as long as the bidding proceeds normally, the price will keep rising until it reaches the limit they can bear. Of course, that is assuming no one secretly resorts to underhanded methods. As for the pirates swarming in, they are nothing more than extras who have come to pad the numbers and hand over their money."

Hearing Ralph's words, the man immediately became interested.

"Then who do you think is most likely to obtain the fruit among the Five Great Gangs?"

"The Gangsters. Begg."

Saul's Weapon Shop.

After half a month, Maud's injuries had basically healed. On top of that, after eating large quantities of meat every day, there was no trace of gauntness left on his face.

Compared with the pallor and haggardness he had shown upon waking, his complexion was now rosy and radiant.

Having recovered well, Maud removed his bandages and deliberately went to look in the mirror.

His former sickly appearance was gone, replaced by a face full of healthy color. Without the negative effect of having his eyebrows hidden by bandages, Maud unexpectedly discovered that he was actually quite handsome.

At the same time, he had finally found his second target—his neighbor.

I didn't finish writing until three in the morning. Covering my face... Is it still too late to ask for recommendation votes?