A Boisterous Auction

On Naples Island.

Luo Ya finally reached his destination after three days of sailing. He stretched his body right where he stood and walked toward the auction house in the center of the island.

"How bustling. It's managed quite well, isn't it?" Luo Ya strolled all the way to the entrance of the auction house.

"Sir, if you do not have an invitation, you must verify your assets," the attendant at the door said.

"Heh, quite formal, aren't you? How do I verify them?" Luo Ya scratched his head.

"You must present at least five million Berries or equivalent valuables. Our auction house has specialized appraisers on-site."

Luo Ya took out the briefcase he carried with him and opened it. "Want to check the count?"

"That won't be necessary, sir. The auction doesn't start until five o'clock this evening. You may enter then with this invitation." The attendant handed over a gold-stamped invitation.

"It doesn't start until five? I'll go grab something to eat, then." Taking the invitation, Luo Ya turned and left.

After wandering around the island for a while, he learned that the tallest castle in the very center of the island was the lair of the Camorra Family. Principle basically stayed in the castle year-round and rarely showed his face.

As the sky began to darken, Luo Ya took his invitation and arrived at the entrance of the auction house, entering the venue along with the flow of the crowd. Soon, every seat was filled.

A red-haired beauty with a curvaceous figure appeared on the tall stage, holding a microphone.

"Welcome everyone to this auction. I am your host for the evening, Emilisha. Without further ado, let us move on to the first item."

Clap, clap. Following Emilisha's applause, an usher brought a sky-blue nodachi onto the stage.

"One of the Fifty Skillful Grade swords, Azure. Starting bid: five hundred thousand Berries."

As expected, Oda is just a manga artist; he doesn't know a damn thing about pirates. With only fifty Skillful Grade swords in the entire world, they're practically useless. Still, the first item is already at the Skillful Grade level? I feel like if I just charge in blindly, I'll end up dead.

Luo Ya stroked his chin, planning how to sneak into the castle later.

Bang! "One point five million Berries, sold!" Following Emilisha's gavel, the Azure was purchased by a man with a small mustache who carried a sword on his back. Many people around him looked at him with restless eyes, likely harboring thoughts of a "zero-dollar purchase" later on.

Luo Ya's eyes lit up, and he tapped the burly man next to him. "Are you looking to die, kid?!" The burly man, already annoyed after failing to win the bid, roared directly at Luo Ya upon feeling the tap on his shoulder.

Once he finished roaring and saw Luo Ya's face, his complexion turned deathly pale, and he looked as if he were about to cry.

"You recognize me?" Luo Ya raised an eyebrow.

"I do, I do! The one with a bounty of 120 million, the Fire Ghost, Luo Ya. Of course I recognize you," the burly man stammered.

"Don't be afraid. Tell me, does the Camorra Family protect people after they buy something and leave the auction house?" Luo Ya rubbed the hilt of his sword.

The burly man hurriedly replied, "They do! The Camorra Family forbids fighting on the island. Otherwise, if people got robbed the moment they stepped out after a purchase, no one would ever come here again."

Luo Ya patted the burly man on the shoulder and stood up, leaving the auction house and leaving the terrified man behind.

Luo Ya walked out of the auction house, calculated the time, and pulled out a map to study it.

The target was inside the castle at the center of the island. To the east was the night's biggest auction, expected to end at eleven.

To the west was the harbor for departing ships, and the north and south sides were residential and commercial streets.

If fighting was forbidden on the island, it meant they didn't care once you were out at sea. In other words, if a battle broke out near the docks while heading from the auction house to the harbor, it would definitely attract the bulk of the Camorra Family's forces—at least that was more reliable than charging the castle head-on.

Luo Ya burned the map to ashes and headed west to scout the location. After all, he needed to cause enough of a commotion near the docks to attract enough people.

He also needed enough time to reach the castle and take out Principle, nicknamed the Blood Lion, along with a guy called Honey Badger—a Zoan-type fruit user—and a bunch of small-fry.

And he had to escape Naples Island without any backup.

"This is quite the challenge, Dezi. Earning your money is really a pain in the ass," Luo Ya muttered to himself.

Fortunately, there were no storage rings in the world of One Piece. Luo Ya only needed to wait at a high vantage point along the only path the buyer of the Treasure Tree Adam would take and strike.

After all, most people at this auction were here for the Treasure Tree Adam. Even if they were afraid of the Camorra Family and didn't dare fight on the island, they would definitely make their move the moment they hit the sea.

And if a troublemaker like him suddenly appeared to launch a sneak attack, the others would surely worry about the Treasure Tree Adam falling into the hands of their rivals and would be forced to join the fray. Once the chaos started, Luo Ya could launch an indiscriminate attack, and the ensuing battle would be impossible to stop.

As the headquarters of the Camorra Family, Naples Island would surely send people to suppress a large-scale battle immediately. At that point, I could... what was I going to do again? Luo Ya scratched his head. I could do whatever I wanted! Hahahaha!

Passersby saw Luo Ya giggling to himself on the side of the road and sighed with pity, "Poor kid, he's not even that old and his brain is already fried."

"Ahem." Waking up from his fantasy, Luo Ya coughed awkwardly and hurried away.