Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece

The appearance of Xue Ji in the display case at the center of the auction stage caused everyone in the room to hold their breath for a moment.

Although most of the people present did not need such a weapon.

"The Swift Blade of Snow Clears, starting price one million Berries! Bidding begins now!"

"One million one hundred thousand!" A burly man in a black cloak in the front row was the first to raise his sign, clearly not wanting others to know his true identity.

"One million three hundred thousand!" Someone in the right-hand box immediately placed a bid, increasing the price by two hundred thousand. Clearly, they were after the rarity of the knife, or perhaps the people in the box genuinely needed such a weapon.

As for Uchiha Hakuba, he was moved to a private room on the second floor not long after the auction started.

After all, you can't eat freely in the lobby downstairs.

Matsumoto Rangiku, like Lanina, had a lollipop in her mouth and propped her elbows on the table: "The bidding started at one million and it keeps going up. It seems that quick bidders are really popular."

Connor held a bowl of strawberry pudding, scooping it out in small bites, and mumbled, "It's a pity it's not with Connor. Connor has a lot of knives he collects."

Bai Yu chuckled softly. As expected of a dragon, it likes to collect all sorts of things. Just as he was about to speak, the bidding downstairs had already soared to three million.

"Three and a half million!"

"Four million!" The bidding from the left-hand box sounded somewhat nonchalant, yet it instantly drowned out the clamor of the entire room.

As a result, many smaller factions that were originally eager to try their luck have backed down.

Four million Berries is enough to buy a decent ship or the mining rights to a small mine for a few months. To spend so much money on a knife, even a good one, is really not worth it.

The burly man in the black cloak gritted his teeth, about to raise the price again, when a clear, cold voice suddenly rang out from a private room on the second floor: "Five million."

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire auction hall.

The entire room fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes turned to the second floor—where sat Uchiha Shiraha, who had been silent until now.

"Five million?!" The auctioneer's eyes lit up like light bulbs, and his voice rose an octave. "This distinguished guest has bid five million Berries! Is there a higher offer?"

The burly man in the black cloak turned pale and then red, his hand gripping the bidding paddle trembling slightly, before he finally reluctantly put it down.

His follower whispered, "Boss, five million is too much of a loss. Our ship doesn't need such expensive weapons. Why not give the brothers more money?"

The burly man spat fiercely and said nothing more.

Just when everyone thought the bidding was about to end, a voice came from the private room on the right: "Five million five hundred thousand."

Even Robin put down the nautical chart in his hand and looked with great interest in the direction of the private room: "Looks like we've met our match."

Rangiku raised an eyebrow: "Shiraha, want to follow suit? This price is probably overvalued."

Uchiha Hakuba raised his eyes, a faint smile flashing in them: "Six million."

When the waiter loudly announced the price, gasps of astonishment filled the auction hall.

"Six million! My God! Is this insane?"

"Whose young master is that? He's incredibly generous!"

"Judging from the location of the private room... they must be new here!"

A buzz of discussion spread, and the people in the right-hand VIP box seemed surprised that Bai Yu would raise the price so drastically. They remained silent for a full half-minute before finally speaking again: "Six million five hundred thousand!"

"It's not something that's too hard to earn. After all, any few big pirates in the West Blue can make us a fortune."

Bai Yu picked up his teacup, took a sip of the warm tea, and said in a calm tone, as if he were talking about the weather: "Seven million."

"Seven—million—billions—!" The auctioneer's voice trembled, his hand gripping the gavel shaking with excitement. "This distinguished guest has bid seven million Berries! Any higher bids?!"

Seven million!

This number exploded like a thunderbolt in the auction house.

The previously buzzing crowd fell completely silent. Everyone's gaze, filled with shock, envy, or disbelief, was fixed intently on the private room where Bai Yu was. No further sound came from the room to the right; they had clearly given up completely.

The burly man in the black cloak sat in a chair, muttering to himself, "Insane... truly insane... seven million for a knife, and my bounty is only..."

After finishing the last bite of pudding, Kanna clapped her hands and said, "Brother Baiyu... is rich."

Uchiha Hakuba chuckled softly without saying a word, his gaze returning to the auction stage downstairs.

The auctioneer took a deep breath and slammed the gavel down with all his might: "Sold! Xueji, for a hard-won price of seven million, belongs to this distinguished guest on the second floor!"

The moment the gavel fell, thunderous applause erupted throughout the arena, mixed with waves of gasps of amazement.

Those gazes held awe, curiosity, and a hint of inexplicable apprehension. Someone who could casually unleash seven million units of energy was definitely not someone they could afford to provoke.

But these surprised people were not the buyers the auction house really wanted to cater to.

After all, the grand finale at the end of the day is the Devil Fruit.

The waiter hurried into the private room and bowed respectfully: "Distinguished guest, your auction item will be delivered to your room shortly. Would you like to pay now, or...?"

"Pay now."

Bai Yu said calmly, flicking his finger, and a crystal card landed in the waiter's hand.

The afterglow of the auction of the fine and fast sword Xueji had not yet dissipated when the auctioneer strode onto the stage carrying a box inlaid with gold and jade. The box was wrapped tightly in a layer of black velvet, but it still could not stop the eyes of true connoisseurs.

"Distinguished guests! The next item is our auction house's most prized possession: a Zoan-type Devil Fruit of unknown species!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the room.

"A Devil Fruit?! A Zoan-type?"

"My God! This is a legendary item! Eating it grants you Devil Fruit powers! I knew it was mentioned at the auction, but wasn't it just a publicity stunt all along?"

"Don't get excited, let's hear the bottom price first—"

The auctioneer paused deliberately, looking at the burning gazes of the crowd below, and announced loudly, "Starting bid: one hundred million Berries!"

"Hiss—" Gasps of astonishment filled the air. One hundred million Berries—that was enough to bankrupt a small kingdom's king. Compared to that, the seven million Berries Bloodstained Blade had struggled with was utterly insignificant. Many people instantly deflated, their fervor replaced by helplessness—this price was simply beyond their reach.

Of course, that's what Devil Fruits are all about. No matter what kind of Devil Fruit it is, its price is at least 100 million Berries.

A sharp sword might be useless in the hands of an ordinary person, but a Devil Fruit is different; it can quickly make an ordinary person stronger.