A Fierce Bidding War with the Celestial Dragons
While the auction was in full swing, Tianqi's detached attitude drew disdainful glances from the nearby nobles. Normally, those who could sit in the first row were either rich or noble, but Tianqi didn't look like a noble at all, and his lack of participation might indicate financial difficulties.
However, Tianqi remained indifferent to the strange looks he received from others. "I have Sharingan, I can sit wherever I want, and nobody can tell me what to do."
"Now we'll move on to the next round of auction items, everyone please take a look!" Disco said, lifting the red cloth behind him to reveal three pale-faced girls. They were disheveled and their eyes were filled with deep fear.
Clearly, they were filled with despair and terror about what was to come; whoever bought them would only bring them torment.
"Look everyone, these are slaves no less beautiful than mermaids. Even though they are young, they are very exquisite. Whether you buy them as servants or for other purposes, they are excellent choices. And most importantly, they are three sisters!" Disco said with a lewd smile. He thought any man would understand what he was saying.
He then dropped his lewd smile and shouted, "These three slaves will not be auctioned individually but as a set. The starting bid is 30 million Berries, and each bid must be at least one million Berries higher. Those interested can start bidding now!"
"Hehehe, that black-haired girl is really good-looking. If I buy her and raise her for a few years, she will definitely become a rare beauty. Plus, she has sisters to keep her company. The price isn't expensive. I'll offer 30 million Berries!" A fat, middle-aged man with a big belly shouted with a lewd expression.
When the three girls heard the host Disco's words and saw an obese man start bidding, they were immediately disheartened. If they were really bought, their lives would probably be ruined, and their future days would probably only be filled with torment.
While Tianqi was bored, he turned his attention to the three girls on the stage. He didn't realize until he looked at them that they were familiar to him, especially the girl in the middle with the delicate black hair.
Huh? Why does she look so familiar? There aren't many familiar characters in One Piece, but this girl gives me a very strong sense of familiarity. It seems she must be an important person, and definitely has a significant connection to Luffy, otherwise I wouldn't feel this way.
Although he didn't recognize who this person was, Tianqi didn't care too much. Since they were important figures, it was a good choice to save them and leave a debt of gratitude.
"Just three weak, lowly women. I want them for 50 million Berries. Don't try to take them from me!" The middle-aged Celestial Dragons sitting next to Tianqi shouted arrogantly. He was going to raise the price by 20 million Berries to take the three girls.
Seeing that it was Celestial Dragons who had spoken, the nobles present all shook their heads. The fat middle-aged man who had made the initial bid did not raise the price. It was clear that although he was a noble, he did not dare to compete with Celestial Dragons for something, unless he was tired of living.
"Hmph! I didn't expect to take it so easily, how boring!" The middle-aged Celestial Dragons smiled smugly upon seeing this; no one dared to steal what the Celestial Dragons wanted.
Although the three girls on stage were all of lower class, it was undeniable that the black-haired girl in the middle was quite beautiful; keeping her for a few years would definitely make her a very good plaything.
However, just when the Celestial Dragons thought he had acquired three exquisite playthings, a sudden voice shattered his illusions.
"I'll offer 100 million Berries!"
"What?!" When the Celestial Dragons heard Tianqi's offer at noon, he was immediately incredulous. Not only did he raise the price by 50 million Berries, but he also dared to compete with him for something. He wanted to see who dared to be so bold.
However, when he saw who his competitor was, he immediately looked disdainful. What could this person, dressed in such ordinary clothes, possibly have to compete with him? He arrogantly declared, "You lowly, inferior person, you dare to try and steal from me?"
"Tch, idiot!" Tianqi glanced at the Celestial Dragons and immediately looked disdainful.
The people in the pirate world are just a bunch of weaklings. If it weren't for the protection of the World Government, how could they be so arrogant? As for Tianqi, an outsider with no family or weakness and great strength, he is not afraid of the so-called World Government at all. When it comes to physical strength, Uchiha Tianqi has never been afraid of anyone. The threat of the Celestial Dragons is meaningless to him.
The moment the word "idiot" was uttered, the nobles present were utterly astonished. From the moment Tianqi offered 100 million, everyone had been silent, ready to watch the show. But now that the word "idiot" had been uttered, everyone's eyes widened. Daring to compete with the Celestial Dragons for something and then insulting Celestial Dragons was undeniably courageous. However, the price of such courage was far from simple.
"What! How dare you insult me, you damned lowlife! Are you looking for death?!" The middle-aged Celestial Dragons's face turned red, and as he spoke, he immediately pulled out a golden pistol and pointed it at Tianqi's head.
However, just as the Celestial Dragons was about to pull the trigger, the auctioneer ran over and grabbed the Celestial Dragons's hand.
"Lord Hiroz, please calm down. We're still in the middle of an auction, so please don't act impulsively. Besides, we can deal with this lowly person later. Compared to you, his pitiful wealth is nothing. Also, no matter how much you bid, I will sell it to you for the starting price of 30 million Berries!" Disco said in a low voice.
He was actually quite helpless. The main course, the mermaid, hadn't even been served yet. If something went wrong now, they wouldn't be able to continue. You know, mermaids are very profitable. If they were to be ruined because of something so trivial, he would be devastated.
Hearing Disco's words, Hiroz put away his golden gun, snorted coldly, and said, "Dare to oppose me? Just wait for the Admiral to hunt you down!"
In fact, large-scale auctions like this are all backed by the Celestial Dragons. Every year, the auction houses allocate a considerable sum of money to them. Hiroz didn't want such an ignorant person to disrupt the auction. After all, he couldn't afford to mess with money.
"I'll offer 500 million Berries!" With Disco's promise, Hiroz was full of confidence when he called out the price, offering 500 million right off the bat.
The unsuspecting nobles shook their heads upon hearing the price of 500 million Berries. The Celestial Dragons were truly wealthy and powerful, spending so many Berries for just three slaves. They were indeed worthy of being called Celestial Dragons.
"Five hundred million Berries is nothing, I'll offer one billion Berries!" Tianqi said casually, leaning back in his chair. He didn't have a single penny to his name, and he wasn't planning on getting these three girls through normal means today, so he just wanted to name his price.
Upon hearing the figure of one billion Berries, Hiroz's expression immediately changed. It wasn't the price that bothered him, but rather his extreme displeasure at Tianqi's actions in opposing him.
"I'll offer two billion Berries!" Suppressing his anger, Hiroz shouted again.
"Four billion Berries!" Tianqi calmly announced the astronomical price.
Upon hearing this exorbitant price, Shanks, sitting in the back row, also wore a strange smile. No one except the great pirates of the Grand Line could afford such a sum of money—4 billion Berries. And this person bidding against the Celestial Dragons didn't even blink when he quoted 4 billion Berries, as if it weren't his own money. Wasn't this blatantly a form of short-selling support?
"Dare to play these tricks on the Celestial Dragons? This is going to be interesting!" Shanks looked at Tianqi with a smile, wanting to see how this guy would handle things.
"Going against the Celestial Dragons, this guy is really interesting!" In a dark corner of the auction house, a middle-aged man with a gaunt face and gray hair watched the scene with great interest.
"Ah!!! Fifty billion Berries!!" Hiroz completely erupted, roaring out the astronomical price.
"One hundred... billion Berries!" Despite the Celestial Dragons's roar, Tianqi calmly and unhurriedly announced an unprecedented price.
"Damn it! This is outrageous! How could you, a damned lowly person, possibly have so many Berries? If you can produce 10 billion Berries today, I'll gladly give you these three slaves. But if you can't, I'll have the Admiral kill you right now!" Hiroz stood up and roared at Tianqi.
However, he secretly added in his mind, "Even if I have to offer 10 billion Berries, I'll take your life today. I want both your money and your life."