Nine out of ten gambles are losses, and the one time you win is just a trick to give you a taste of victory.
But there are always people who don't believe in bad luck, thinking they can get out in time, only to end up deeper and deeper until they lose everything.
The people thrown out at the entrance are gamblers with bloodshot eyes, and when they see Tesoro, a "bring wealth boy," a group immediately surrounds him. In this situation, they'd dare to sell their lives, let alone their luck.
Many of them, after getting the money, rush back to the casino, thinking they can make a comeback. Occasionally, there is a sober person who runs off somewhere, but that has nothing to do with Tesoro.
In a way, Devil Fruits are fair. The money they're getting now appears to be provided by Tesoro, but in reality, it's their own.
Luck comes in many forms, and wealth is one of them. After gaining a million Belly, they will also encounter the misfortune of losing a million Belly later.
But this is an Underworld convention, not everyone is willing to follow the rules. Tesoro's actions have already attracted some lawbreakers.
Soon, a pirate sets his sights on this place, and with one big machete, he cleaves the table in front of them in two, then fiercely glares at Tesoro.
"Kid, are you the one buying luck?"
The surrounding people quickly step aside; there is a difference between gamblers and desperados.
At least these gamblers are not wanted by the World Government.
"Of course, good sir, are you selling luck too?"
"Yes, but I think your price is unreasonable."
As he speaks, his eyes flicker to the box at Tesoro's feet, and from the look of things, those briefcases are full of Belly.
"In that case, I'll take all of these!"
Grabbing two briefcases, he then places his knife against Tesoro's neck.
The consequence of this action is that he finds himself surrounded by Tesoro's underlings, gun barrels pointed at his head.
"Sir, that is two hundred million Belly, are you sure?"
"Nonsense, if you don't want to die, have them lower their guns. I am..."
"No, no, no, I'm not interested in who you are. What I mean is, of course, you can take the money if you want, but we still have to go through the process, so I need to confirm, have you really thought it through?"
Tesoro's mouth curled into a strange smile, like a devil about to make a deal.
This was the first time the pirate had seen such a weirdo as Tesoro, and a sense of fear crept into his heart, but under the lure of money, he decided to go through with the robbery.
"In that case, how can two hundred million be enough? Baccarat, give this gentleman another hundred million."
Seeing that he had no intention of stopping, Tesoro signaled Baccarat to bring him another box of Belly. Looking at the box handed over by the young girl, he couldn't resist the temptation but also didn't release the weapon at Tesoro's throat.
Instead, he reached out his hand holding the money boxes. His hands were big enough to hold three boxes, and he sensed no threat from Baccarat.
But during this process, his hand made contact with Baccarat, and one of her other fingers kept shaking.
In the not-so-distant area, a vine suddenly rose from the ground, and a carriage happened to pass by.
The horse's leg was tripped by the vine, and the cargo on the cart scattered to the side, just hitting a burly man.
Because of this, the cup in his hand slipped, and in his haste to tidy up his clothes, the gun at his waist accidentally fired, just hitting another person.
"Damn it, who did that!"
The person hit let out a sharp curse, and the pirate looked at the source of the voice and unexpectedly burst out laughing when he saw such a massive man making such a sharp sound.
Other people, either out of fear or chaos, ignored the source of the laughter, making him the only one who laughed out loud, attracting the man's wrath.
Instead of chasing the gun wielder, he followed the laughter, and the ground suddenly contorted, with a giant rocky hand grabbing the man and killing him without a word.
This was Pika of the Donquixote family, as the auction host was the Donquixote family as well. Doflamingo had been expanding his business in the Grand Line during this period with his abilities.
He was a Stone-Stone Fruit user, able to assimilate with any rock substance in contact, and could control anything that could be classified as "rock," even altering terrain and architecture.
His voice was his biggest taboo. Anyone who mocked him in this regard would evoke his fury.
After finishing all this, Pika left the place nonchalantly, even forgetting about the misfiring gun.
Tesoro quietly picked up the scattered Belly on the ground and said to the people nearby, "Anyone else want to try? If you wish, even ten billion Belly is possible, as long as you can pay the price."
Those who sold their luck earlier had already re-entered the casino. The rest of the people abandoned the idea of selling luck after seeing the pirate mysteriously killed.
But ordinary transactions pose no danger. When it was just one million Belly, Baccarat only took a tiny bit of luck, and the bad luck was over in a day.
However, to deal with such unruly people, she completely drained their luck and then activated Metronome. Under the influence of mysticism, she ultimately killed the person with Pika's help.
The luck acquired was almost sufficient, so Tesoro packed up his stall and left. The money he spent would be recouped in the casino using part of the luck collected. This was also the second phase of his operation.
...
When the auction began, Tesoro had already completed his preparations, and then came the ultimate goal of today—the Gol-Gol Fruit.
In the original timeline, Tesoro barged into the auction with a group of thugs to snatch the Gol-Gol Fruit, but this time he followed the proper auction process.
Gold is still hard currency on the Sea. Although last year Tesoro received abilities from Arceus, that didn't stop him from acquiring this fruit. He saw its description in Queen's catalog and really liked its abilities.
Even with the changes, he still loved money. In his view, this fruit's ability seemed tailor-made for him, and with this fruit, plans could proceed smoothly. That's why he came here.
Doflamingo, who also had a Devil Fruit catalog, naturally knew the power of this fruit. He had no intention of selling it, only to use it as a drawcard to attract more customers.