A/N: Don't forget to check out my original novel: Can I Magic Please. It's like really good. š
ANYWHOOO. ENJOY THE CHAPTER
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The underground auction hall of Dressrosa was in full swing.
The opening lots had already sold for staggering amounts.
Ancient weapons.
Rare jewels.
Exotic animals.
Even several standard Devil Fruits had exchanged hands for sums that would bankrupt small kingdoms.
Each successful sale only fed the frenzy.
The crowd grew louder.
More desperate.
More reckless.
Every new item sharpened the hunger in the room.
And at the center of it all, Disco basked in the madness like a conductor leading an orchestra of greed.
"ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY MILLION BERRIES!"
"GOING ONCE!"
"GOING TWICE!"
"SOOOOOOLD!"
The gavel slammed.
The audience erupted in applause.
Several items later, attendants wheeled out a long velvet-lined case.
The moment it opened, Yassop shot upright in his seat.
"ā¦There she is."
Nestled inside lay a magnificent rifle.
Dark walnut stock.
Silver engravings.
A barrel polished to mirror brilliance.
Disco practically sang into the microphone.
"A custom marksman rifle from the West Blue!"
"Handcrafted by the legendary gunsmith Alvaro Cestino!"
"Starting bid. Twenty million berries!"
Yassop's paddle shot up so fast it blurred.
"Twenty!"
Across the hall, a rotund merchant in expensive silks raised his own paddle.
"Twenty-five million."
Yassop narrowed his eyes.
"Thirty."
"Thirty-five."
"Forty."
"Fifty."
The surrounding crowd turned to watch.
Shanks leaned over to Giovanni and whisperedā
"This is the most serious he's looked all year."
Giovanni nodded solemnly.
"He's in love."
Yassop ignored them completely.
"Seventy million!"
The merchant smirked.
"Eighty."
A vein bulged on Yassop's forehead.
"Ninety!"
"One hundred."
The entire row went silent.
Yassop froze.
His hands trembled.
Shanks slowly took a bite of meat.
"ā¦That's all his money."
Yassop stood up dramatically.
"One hundred and twenty million!"
The merchant hesitated.
Sweat rolled down his temple.
After a long moment, he clicked his tongue and lowered his paddle.
Disco nearly screamed.
"ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY MILLION!"
"GOING ONCE!"
"GOING TWICE!"
"SOOOOOOLD!"
The crowd applauded.
Yassop collapsed into his seat.
Pale.
Shaking.
Completely bankrupt.
But smiling like a man who had found religion.
"She's mineā¦"
Shanks clapped him on the back.
"You're broke."
Yassop hugged the bidding receipt.
"ā¦Worth it."
More lots followed.
A giant sea serpent egg.
A cursed spear.
A pair of rare navigation compasses.
The bids climbed higher and higher.
Money changed hands so quickly it became meaningless.
Even the most seasoned pirates began to sweat.
Because everyone knew the true battle had yet to begin.
Eventually, the lights dimmed.
Disco's voice dropped to a reverent whisper.
"Ladies and gentlemenā¦"
The entire hall quieted.
"Tonight's first grand centerpiece."
Massive steel doors opened.
Heavily armed guards escorted a reinforced glass case onto the stage.
Inside rested a dark silver Devil Fruit covered in claw-like spiral patterns.
The air itself seemed to grow heavier.
Even those who knew little about Devil Fruits felt its oppressive aura.
Disco spread his arms.
"The Dog Dog Fruit, Model: Fenrir!"
The audience erupted.
Pirates shouted.
Nobles leaned forward.
Merchants adjusted their glasses.
Disco raised one finger.
"The opening bidā¦"
He paused for dramatic effect.
"One billion berries!"
Silence.
Absolute silence.
For several heartbeats, no one moved.
Even pirates known for madness stared in disbelief.
Giovanni's jaw dropped.
"ā¦One billion?"
Yassop, still emotionally attached to his rifle, looked hollow.
"I have twelve berries left."
Shanks burst out laughing.
"Looks like you won't be getting that fruit."
Giovanni folded his arms and pouted.
"ā¦This is discrimination against the financially challenged."
At last, a voice echoed from one of the private VIP balconies.
"One billion."
The crowd turned toward the shadowed booth.
The bidder remained unseen.
Another voice answered from across the hall.
"One billion two hundred million."
A third.
"One billion five hundred million."
The room exploded into whispers.
The true monsters had begun bidding.
Hidden nobles.
Kings.
Merchant princes.
Underworld emperors.
The number climbed relentlessly.
"One point seven billion!"
"Two billion!"
"Two point three!"
The air grew heavier with every raise.
Giovanni stared upward in awe.
"ā¦These people are insane."
Shanks rested his chin on his hand.
"Welcome to the New World."
The bidding reached two and a half billion berries.
Sweat rolled down Disco's face.
Even he struggled to keep his voice steady.
"Two billion five hundred million!"
"Do I hear more?!"
Before another VIP could answerā
A chair scraped violently across the floor.
Everyone turned.
A scarred pirate captain rose from his seat near the center of the hall.
His eyes burned with frustration.
He slammed a fist onto the armrest.
"SCREW THIS!"
The hall fell silent.
He pointed furiously toward the hidden VIP boxes.
"We're pirates!"
Murmurs spread.
The man drew his sword.
"We don't need to compete with pampered nobles!"
He raised his blade high.
"If we want somethingā¦"
A savage grin spread across his face.
"ā¦we take it!"
For a single heartbeatā
The entire auction hall held its breath.
---
High above the seas.
High above the New World.
At the summit of the world itselfā
Mary Geoise stood in solemn silence.
The sacred city of the World Nobles glittered beneath the moonlight, untouchable and remote, as if the rest of the world existed only to serve it.
Deep within the highest chamber of authorityā
Five men sat around a vast circular table.
The rulers of the visible world.
The Five Elders.
Tonight, none of them looked pleased.
Their usual composure had been replaced by something far more troubling.
Concern.
Irritation.
And, hidden beneath it allā
Fear.
At the center of the table lay a dossier.
Within it rested a single image.
The Dog Dog Fruit, Model: Fenrir.
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter broke the silence first.
"So it has resurfaced."
His voice was low and grave.
Saint Marcus Mars folded his hands before him.
"After all the lengths we took to bury it."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, his hand resting near the hilt of his blade, narrowed his eyes.
"We should have ensured its destruction centuries ago."
Saint Topman Warcury exhaled deeply.
"It seems fate has a habit of mocking us."
At the far end of the table, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn remained silent, his gaze fixed on the image of the fruit.
Ju Peter spoke again.
"Fenrir."
The name itself seemed to chill the room.
Mars leaned forward slightly.
"In the oldest surviving records, Fenrir is described as the beast destined to end gods."
Warcury nodded solemnly.
"A creature born to shatter divine order."
Nusjuro's eyes sharpened.
"He warred repeatedly with the Sun God Nika."
Mars continued.
"He clashed with the War God Nidhogg."
Ju Peter added quietly.
"And with the Rain God Zaza."
A heavy silence followed.
Then Warcury finished the list.
"And even with Imu-sama."
The room became utterly still.
Even among the Five Elders, speaking that name carried immense weight.
Saturn finally spoke.
"If the legends contain any truthā¦"
His voice was calm, but his expression had darkened.
"ā¦then this is not merely another Mythical Zoan."
Mars nodded.
"No."
"This fruit represents a threat to the order of the world itself."
Ju Peter clasped his hands tightly.
"We cannot allow it to fall into the hands of pirates."
Warcury addedā
"Nor emperors."
Nusjuro's fingers tightened against his sword.
"Nor any ambitious fool who would seek to challenge the gods."
The tension in the room thickened.
Far below them, in Dressrosa, the bidding war was already underway.
Kaido's agents.
Big Mom's children.
Whitebeard's representatives.
Shanks and his crew.
Underworld kings.
All of them circling like sharks.
Mars broke the silence.
"Time is running out."
Warcury nodded.
"The fruit must be secured before someone consumes it."
Ju Peter turned his gaze toward Saturn.
"Saint Jaygarcia Saturn."
Saturn lifted his eyes.
"You will go personally."
Saturn remained motionless for several moments.
Then he rose slowly from his chair.
The sound of his footsteps echoed softly through the chamber.
"ā¦Understood."
His voice was as steady as ever.
"I will retrieve the fruit."
Nusjuro's expression hardened.
"And if resistance presents itself?"
Saturn adjusted his coat.
"Then resistance will be erased."
No one questioned him.
No one objected.
Because among the highest authorities in the world, such words required no elaboration.
Saturn turned toward the chamber doors.
As they opened, Mars spoke one final time.
"Do not underestimate those gathered there."
Saturn paused briefly.
"I do not."
The doors closed behind him.
The remaining Elders sat in silence.
Their eyes remained fixed on the image of the fruit.
The wolf.
The beast fated to devour gods.
Warcury spoke quietly.
"It must never awaken."
Ju Peter nodded.
"Not in this era."
Far below the heavens, in the underground halls of Dressrosa, greed was about to ignite into chaos.
Pirates would draw blades.
Kings would reveal their ambitions.
Monsters would clash for power.
And descending from the summit of the worldā
A god was coming
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