After a Devil Fruit had been auctioned off, everyone seemed to enter a state of "post-nut clarity," leaving the subsequent lots to sell for very low prices, with quite a few even going unsold.
The organizers had clearly anticipated this too. The items they brought out were more ordinary than before, and the auctioneer called the sales much faster.
So the auction soon approached its end.
"Next up! The highlight of this auction-the second Devil Fruit!"
Lilia's voice rose noticeably. She pulled the cloth off the stand beside her, revealing the Devil Fruit resting on it: a bunch of red bananas covered in spiral patterns...
For some reason, Xie Wen found it familiar.
"We still don't know what this Devil Fruit does, because it has never appeared in the fruit encyclopedia!" While Xie Wen struggled to remember, Lilia continued whipping up excitement onstage. "Just like before, this fruit is another huge gamble! So, everyone... care to try your luck again?"
At that moment, Xie Wen finally remembered why it looked familiar...
Wasn't this the damn Zoan Ox-Ox Fruit, Model: Orihara Lulu... pfft, no... Model: Giraffe, that the Pinocchio-looking CP Agent ate?!
So... was Stussy originally the one who bought this fruit? But that doesn't add up... isn't this auction house one of Stussy's businesses? Even if she doesn't have the final say in everything, taking a Devil Fruit shouldn't be all that difficult...
Xie Wen's mouth twitched. It looked like this Devil Fruit auction was either bait deliberately put out by the Queen of the Pleasure District, or she didn't want to pay for it and planned to steal it from whoever bought it after the auction.
That actually lined up with Xie Wen's own thinking. He had also planned to rob the crooks if he failed to win the