I'll bid one hundred million Beli!

Countless eager gazes instantly converged on the Devil Fruit in Moss's hand.

Most of those present had come for the Devil Fruit. Now that it was finally up for auction, they did not want to wait another moment.

The auctioneer, Moss, continued, "As everyone knows, Devil Fruits are treasures of the sea. Anyone who eats one can gain unparalleled power. Take Whitebeard, for example, one of the Four Emperors of the New World, known as the World's Strongest Man. He is a Quake Human who ate the Paramecia Tremor-Tremor Fruit!"

"Our auction house acquired this Paramecia Devil Fruit by chance. We do not know its exact ability, but that does not diminish its value. Its starting price is-one hundred and fifty million Beli! Each bid must increase by at least ten million Beli. Now, let the auction begin!"

"Two hundred and ten million!"

"Two hundred and fifty million!"

"Two hundred and sixty million!"

In mere moments, the Devil Fruit's price had doubled. Every bidder was red-faced with competition, doing everything they could to win this Devil Fruit!

Ye Yang sat quietly in his seat, in no hurry to join the bidding.

He was waiting until the others had nearly finished competing before raising the price in one leap. That would give him a better chance of securing this Devil Fruit.

Just then, the Supernova sitting in a private box on the second floor, Cowardly Scoundrel Jeraf, suddenly stood and shouted, "I'll bid three hundred and twenty million Beli! This Devil Fruit is mine. I ask you all to do me this favor!"

At his words, the bidding abruptly fell silent.

Cowardly Scoundrel Jeraf was an extremely treacherous and cruel pirate who enjoyed slaughtering civilians for fun. Even the Navy had suffered at his hands.

Now that he had declared he wanted the Devil Fruit, any further bid would offend him. Was it worth offending a venomous snake over a Devil Fruit?

Besides, the bid for this Devil Fruit had already reached three hundred and twenty million Beli. Even for a Paramecia fruit, that exceeded the usual price range, let alone one whose ability was still unknown.

Continuing to bid would mean overpaying, and if they won it only to discover a useless ability, they would truly suffer a crushing loss.

After weighing it up, many guests abandoned the idea of bidding.

In his private box, Jeraff looked down at the crowd, where no one was bidding anymore, and a smug expression spread across his face.

Sure enough, his reputation carried weight. One word from him, and no one dared cross him. Heh!

The next instant, the smug look on his face froze.

A voice rang out clearly through the auction hall.

"I'll bid four hundred million!"

Jeraff looked toward the voice and saw a handsome young man below, holding his right hand high as he calmly placed his bid.

Bang!

Jeraff's face twisted viciously. He slammed his right fist onto the table before him and spoke through gritted teeth.

"Damn it! He's just some brat on the first floor, and he dares compete with me!"

"Boss, don't do anything rash yet." A pirate seated to Jeraff's right looked down at Ye Yang, his eyes full of wariness. "That kid isn't someone to mess with. He's the Black Hunter who's been making a name for himself lately. Fierce Tiger Reika and the others all fell to him."

Jeraff shot him a glare. "What, are you scared?"

The pirate shook his head and said quietly, "No, boss. We're about to enter the New World. Let's not do anything pointless for now. If you want a Devil Fruit, there are some in the New World too. There's no need to get into a dispute with that guy."

"Then where the fuck does that leave my reputation?" Jeraff angrily pointed at Ye Yang below. "Besides, a guy like that must have used some trick to beat Lei Jia and the others. Do you really think some brat who hasn't even grown any hair yet could be as strong as a Supernova?"

"But..."

The pirate wanted to say more, but Jeraff cut him off with a wave. "Enough. Not another word. I'm going after him today, or the other pirates will all look down on us over this!"

Seeing how determined his captain was, the pirate could only nod helplessly. "...Understood."

"Holy shit, someone actually dared to bid again! Isn't he afraid the Cowardly Scoundrel will set his sights on him?"

"Look closely. That's the Black Hunter bidding. Would he be afraid of a mere Supernova?"

"Tsk, tsk. We're in for a good show now. The Cowardly Scoundrel is famous for avenging the slightest offense. He'll probably fight the Black Hunter, right?"

"That depends on whether he has the guts. After all, that's the Black Hunter who captured three Supernovas!"

"But the Black Hunter really is rich. He called out four hundred million Beli just like that. If it were me, spending that much would hurt like hell!"

When everyone in the auction hall saw that the bidder was Ye Yang, they immediately looked ready to enjoy a good show.

Hearing another bid, the auctioneer, Moss, immediately raised his gavel and said with a smile, "This guest has bid four hundred million Beli. Does anyone have a higher bid? This is a Devil Fruit, a treasure of the sea! Eat it, and you can gain superhuman power!"

He did not forget to add another enticing remark, hoping to encourage the guests to keep bidding.

Unfortunately, no one spoke.

"Since there are no higher bids, I'll begin the count! Four hundred million Beli, going once!"

Jeraff glared venomously down at Ye Yang. His entire fortune amounted to only three hundred and twenty million Beli, so he could no longer afford a higher bid.

"Four hundred million Beli, going twice!"

"Four hundred million Beli, going thr-"

Just as everyone thought the auction's outcome was settled, a discordant voice suddenly came from the lit private box on the third floor.

"Wait! I'll bid one hundred million Beli. This Devil Fruit belongs to me!"