The Mermaid: Mostima Makes His Move

He didn't bring that many Beli with him this time. If he bought this Devil Fruit, he might not be able to buy what he wanted anymore. He would have to give up. But he had already made a mental note of this person and was determined to make him his slave and teach him a lesson.

"Interesting." Looking at this pirate named Mondo, Teach couldn't help but feel a little interested. He wasn't just a reckless man; he was shrewd despite his rough exterior, otherwise he wouldn't have said such a thing.

He has good potential. If he eats the Exploding Bear Fruit, he should become even stronger. However, he still needs time to grow before he can Teach's eye and survive in the New World.

He bought the Exploding Bear Fruit like that.

Mondo stood up abruptly and led his men backstage to make the transaction. They were already planning to leave; they had spent all their Beli on this Devil Fruit, so they didn't need to watch the auction anymore. They would just make the transaction, eat the Devil Fruit, and leave to avoid any unforeseen complications.

Mondo is also a very decisive person, which disappointed some people who wanted to snatch the Devil Fruit after the auction.

The auction continued. "The second and final item is the Paramecia Scythe Fruit. This is the power of 'Blood Scythe' Barton, a Great Pirate from the New World who died two years ago with a bounty of 700 million Beli. Eating it could potentially make you the next Barton," Kyle exclaimed excitedly.

Seven hundred million Beli —this was an unimaginable number for some of those present; the bounty was a staggering seven hundred million.

"So it was it." Teach couldn't help but smile upon hearing this familiar ability.

"What's wrong?" Mostima asked, puzzled. "Have you seen Barton?"

"Heh, you could say he died at my hands, by the combined efforts of me and Anthony," Teach said, looking at the Devil Fruit.

Mostima's eyes flickered; he hadn't expected such a connection.

"Then take a picture of it?" Mostima asked.

"Yes, you can never have too many Devil Fruits. It's good to keep them as collectibles; you'll definitely need them in the future." Teach nodded slightly.

The Scythe Fruit, in the hands of the weak, can only transform into a scythe, but in the hands of the strong, especially those skilled in physical combat, it can truly shine.

Saint Rosward, who had some knowledge of Devil Fruit, immediately recognized the common name "Scythe Fruit" as a worthless ability. Looking at the others' fanatical devotion to it, he couldn't help but think, "Fools! Commoners are just commoners, utterly ignorant." He slightly raised his head, suddenly feeling a sense of profound clarity amidst the general debauchery.

There are many competitors for this Devil Fruit, but few are wealthy enough to own it. The value of the Scythe Fruit is similar to that of the Exploding Bear Fruit, even with the added prestige of the deceased Great Pirate Barton. Many people know that Paramecia Devil Fruit need to be developed.

If the Celestial Dragons didn't intervene, how could the others compete with Teach, who held two billion Beli?

Ultimately, Mostima auctioned off the Devil Fruit for 530 million.

Many eyes were on Mostima. Originally, they just wanted to become famous. If they defeated Mostima, their fame and bounty would increase significantly.

Others had their eyes on Mostima's head, after all, it was worth 200 million Beli, and now that he had two Devil Fruits in his hands, they had another reason to attack Mostima.

The final auction has begun.

"This is the final auction item, an extremely rare mermaid. Starting bid: fifty million Beli." Kyle stood to the side, showing everyone a square glass tank filled with water. Inside the tank was a mermaid with long blue hair, a beautiful face, and a long, pale blue fish tail with scales that shimmered with a bright fluorescence.

Her head emerged from the water, and a slave collar was around her neck, connected to an iron chain that secured her to the water tank to prevent her escape.

You could see tears glistening in her eyes, making people want to cherish her. Many people were moved by her beauty and wanted to auction her off.

However, this was impossible. They all knew in their hearts that the Celestial Dragons had already set their sights on her. How could they possibly compete with the Celestial Dragons? Some people had already decided to leave, getting up and leaving the auction hall. There was no point in staying any longer; this mermaid's fate was already sealed.

"What? Want to bid on it? Maybe you can even win the heart of a beauty! I heard that mermaids' fishtails transform into legs when they turn thirty!" Teach teased from the side. Mostima wasn't an evil pirate; all he pursued was the future and strength. Looking at this mermaid, Mostima did indeed consider bidding her off.

Mostima couldn't help but smile at Teach's teasing, without denying it.

"There's no need to resort to methods that would put us at odds with the Celestial Dragons. There are many ways to save her." Mostima smiled and shook her head.

"Just follow your heart, you're just a Celestial Dragons." Teach said calmly. Teach had always trusted Mostima. Mostima's initial role was that of a strategist and advisor, but now he possessed both wisdom and strength. Mostima was still young, only twenty-two or twenty-three years old, and had great potential. He was destined to be a high-ranking officer on the ship in the future.

As a captain, if your crew wants to do something, let them do it; all you need to do is offer support. Although Teach is a selfish person, strength alone is not enough on the path to becoming a captain.

Roger Pirates was willing to destroy a country for their comrades, so he would certainly be no less capable.

"Hehe, then that'll be the power you'll need, Captain." Mostima chuckled softly, deeply moved. Looking at the beautiful mermaid on the stage, who seemed somewhat desperate, Keri felt utterly hopeless. She hadn't expected that by ignoring warnings and running off, she would be captured by human traffickers.

What would happen to people after they were abducted? Although she had never experienced it herself, she knew very well that despite the heavy guard on Fish-Man Island against human traffickers, some would still slip through the net.

After all, the mermaids are so valuable that they attract countless human traffickers who risk coming here. You fight off one group, but another one comes along. You kill one group, and the number of human traffickers only increases.

She was filled with regret and hoped that someone would come to save her. Her eyes kept flashing among those people, but all she saw was indifference and greed.

Suddenly, Keri noticed a figure—it was Mostima, a faint smile on his face. Their eyes met in the air.

Mostima nodded at her, which gave her a great sense of security.

Mostima, having made up his mind, would not change it. He was a man who liked to plan and did not want to cause trouble for Teach had just arrived at the Paradise and was only just beginning.

At that moment, Mostima made his move. In a place unnoticed by anyone, above the auction hall, sharp feathers appeared, slicing through the top of the hall.

Cracks appeared on it.

The auction had already begun. "Five hundred million, I want it." Saint Rosward was already impatient, staring intently at the mermaid. Female mermaids were known throughout the world for their beauty, and this blue-haired sapphire Fish-Man was among the best in the Merfolk, undoubtedly a top-tier beauty.

He could already imagine the scene of being envied by all the Celestial Dragons, a scene that made him feel even more comfortable than he had imagined before.

Saint Rosward's gaze instilled a sense of fear in Keri, who couldn't help but turn her gaze to Mostima, Mostima smile reassured her.

At this point, some people noticed the fine dust particles constantly drifting down from the sky and sensed that something was amiss.

Looking up, the ceiling was covered with countless cracks, which would be terrifying for anyone with trypophobia. The auction hall was huge, with the ceiling nearly fifty meters high.

Because the cracks are very fine, ordinary people might not be able to see them, but some strong individuals, whose strength is not bad, can immediately see the danger in this location.

He left quietly, without alerting anyone else, but it was too late; Mostima's operation was already complete.

With a loud "crack," everyone present was startled and instinctively looked up to see a huge section of the ceiling had collapsed, bending downwards as if it were about to fall at any moment.

Upon seeing this, most people panicked and stood up abruptly. "Run! We're going to die!" a nobleman shouted in alarm.

The auction hall doors opened, and everyone rushed out as fast as they could.

No one expected that such a turn of events would occur at the very end of the auction.

At this moment, most people's attention had already left the mermaid.

The Celestial Dragons was also somewhat flustered. His central position in the hall had become his death knell; if the ceiling were to fall, it would land directly on his head.

"Quick, quick, take me out of here!" the Celestial Dragons shouted to his guards, then pointed at the mermaid, "And protect this mermaid. I don't want anything to happen to her."

Even when the Celestial Dragons were worried about their own safety, they didn't forget to bring this mermaid along.

"Yes, Saint Rosward," a man in black beside him replied. But then, suddenly, their expressions changed, and with a loud "boom!" the massive ceiling collapsed from the sky.

Their code prioritizes the safety of the Celestial Dragons, so they couldn't worry about the mermaid at this moment and all rushed to protect the Celestial Dragons.

These men in black have undergone specialized training. While their strength may not be considered exceptional, they are sufficient to protect the Celestial Dragons, and all possess combat capabilities equivalent to captains within the Navy.

Huge pieces of ceiling debris fell from the ceiling. Kyle, the host, had vanished without a trace. The mermaid on stage, watching the massive pieces fall, closed her eyes in despair.

Suddenly a silver figure appeared, a flash of sword light pierced through the air, severing the chain connecting the collar. In the next instant, the silver light vanished.

The venue was covered in blood. Although some managed to escape, quite a few people died. Of course, there were also some lucky survivors.

Keri was still in shock when she realized that she had been rescued. Opening her eyes, she saw that familiar figure in Mostima's arms and blushed slightly.

"We can't go too far, or this collar will explode," Mostima muttered to himself, glancing at Teach beside him.

"Although the Haki hasn't reached the level I'm looking for yet, taking this off shouldn't be difficult." Seeing Mostima's gaze, Teach smiled.

He took off his cloak and draped it over Kelly to cover her body, otherwise she would attract too much attention.

Teach reached out and grabbed Keri's slave collar with both hands. Keri knew Teach was going to untie her collar, but her body still trembled involuntarily—it was an instinctive fear that it could explode.

"Don't worry, trust him," Mostima said softly, looking at Keri in his arms.

Mostima's voice calmed Keri down, and she seemed less afraid. In the shadows, Teach looked at Mostima with a hint of approval. Good tactic; Mostima's got a knack for picking up girls!

Mostima's brow twitched slightly, but he maintained his gentlemanly demeanor.

An invisible Haki flowed through Teach's hands. Teach Ryou, but destroying the collar was enough.

With a "crack!", a crack appeared on the collar. Then, Teach ripped it open and threw it towards the auction hall. With a loud "boom!", the collar exploded in mid-air.

"Let's go first, someone will notice us soon," Mostima said. Her Observation Haki had already detected someone approaching. With such a major incident occurring in the auction hall, how could the auction organizers remain silent?

People were already sent over when the incident occurred. This was definitely not an accident, but a deliberate and premeditated act. It was a large-scale auction that was expected to greatly enhance the reputation of the auction house, and it was given great hope. Unexpectedly, such a big thing happened at the last moment.

How could this not enrage the auction house? If the matter isn't resolved and the culprit isn't found, it will be a huge blow to the auction house's reputation. Moreover, there are Celestial Dragons among them, and if anyone is injured, they will bear enormous responsibility.

As the commotion spread, the Navy had surrounded the entire venue. As for the pirates who were leaving, they had no power to stop them and immediately notified the Marine Headquarters.

"Damn it, which bastard is it?" Lincoln, a naval lieutenant commander, was waiting outside when this happened. Luckily, the Celestial Dragons was unharmed; otherwise, he would not only have lost his position but also his head.

In Zone 3, Mostima walked alone on the road. The streets had become deserted, and he was blocked by pirates and bounty hunters both in front of and behind him.

"I hope he'll be alright." Keri asked anxiously from the shadows.

"Don't worry, just watch closely. This is his fight. Have faith in his strength." From a house in the distance, one could see the battle about to begin.