Barn's hand had already closed around the First-Generation Onikiri at his waist, his expression icy. He was not so forgetful. Not long ago, he had declared that he would kill any Celestial Dragon he encountered, and he certainly had not forgotten so soon. But things were different this time: Rayleigh, sitting beside him, kept his hand on the hilt of Barn's sword.
"Rayleigh..."
Barn turned toward Rayleigh beside him and spoke quietly, his voice low.
"I know, Barn. But now isn't the time. Why don't we wait until the end?"
Rayleigh naturally heard the anger in Barn's voice, so rather than trying to stop him, he urged him to act later.
Barn sighed and took his hand off the sword at his waist. He folded his arms and lowered his head.
The chaos onstage had subsided. The unconscious pirate had been dragged away by the men in black beside Marshuk, and the front of the stage, left in disarray by the explosion, had been tidied up. Everything in the Auction House proceeded as normal, as though nothing had happened.
The next lot had already been brought out.
The auctioneer wearing the strange star-shaped glasses stepped forward again, his expression as composed as ever, entirely unaffected by the earlier commotion.
Surprisingly, this lot was not another slave like the previous ones, but a Devil Fruit. It was shaped like a banana and covered with strange, circular patterns. What should have been a yellow banana was pink instead.
The auctioneer continued his sales pitch without sparing his breath.
"Our next lot is something we haven't seen at an auction for quite some time: a legendary Devil Fruit! These fruits of the devil are born only upon this wondrous sea. Eat one, and you can gain abilities beyond those of ordinary people, even