The auction continued.
During the proceedings, several more Devil Fruits appeared, including even an ancient Zoan — the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Model: Stegosaurus — sending the entire venue into an uproar.
However, Riberra Sami and the others no longer had the means to compete.
Every Devil Fruit that appeared afterward was swept up by the late-arriving Saint Filartas through utterly overwhelming bids.
The final prices generally hovered around two hundred million Beli, while the ancient Zoan Stegosaurus model reached an astronomical three hundred million.
Witnessing this, Riberra Sami felt a trace of relief.
Fortunately, that Paramecia fruit had been auctioned off before the Celestial Dragon arrived.
Otherwise, with his finances, there would have been no way to compete against such an unreasonable existence.
In the end, they likely would have walked away empty-handed.
At this point, the Jellyfish Pirates' gains from this auction had been finalized:
Three Grade Skillful Blades, and one Paramecia Devil Fruit.
Although the auction itself had not yet ended, Riberra Sami had already lost interest in watching further.
The final centerpiece was a mermaid with bright silver scales.
Riberra Sami had absolutely no interest in that.
Since their objectives had already been achieved, Riberra Sami gave subtle signals to the scattered officers throughout the venue before standing up first and heading toward the backstage transaction area.
Almost simultaneously, several figures within the auction hall who had secretly been observing him also rose from their seats.
Aside from Blast Bear Barborosa, whose killing intent was completely undisguised, several other factions had likewise marked Riberra Sami as prey.
In everyone's eyes, this mysterious buyer had not only thrown out one hundred forty million Beli for the Devil Fruit, but before the Celestial Dragons arrived, he had also bid eighty million for another fruit—though it had ultimately been snatched away by the Celestial Dragons for two hundred million.
That alone proved one thing:
Not only had this man just obtained the "Treasure of the Sea," he was also carrying enormous wealth.
A perfect fat sheep.
The scene shifted toward Barborosa's group.
"Listen up, all of you!" Barborosa growled toward his officers.
"Spread our men out and lock down every exit of this auction house! Especially keep your eyes on that guy who left alone!"
He commanded more than five hundred subordinates.
Deploying some of them to surround the exits was no difficult task at all.
"The moment he leaves the boundaries of GR 3, move immediately! I want both the item and the money!"
In Barborosa's eyes, Riberra Sami had left alone.
Though several others had departed afterward, he regarded them merely as unrelated bidders.
He never realized those "irrelevant people" were actually Sami's officers—as well as other criminal groups who had also targeted Sami.
The prey appeared to be alone.
That made the entire matter seem much simpler.
Backstage at the auction house.
The moment Riberra Sami entered the exchange area, he witnessed the tail end of another transaction.
A merchant-looking man was directing several guards as they roughly dragged away a crying, struggling slave.
The harsh scraping of chains against the floor echoed painfully before disappearing down a nearby corridor.
Sami's gaze swept across the scene calmly.
He had no interest in any of it.
At this moment, his focus was solely on his own transaction.
After paying the full amount, he received the specially designed security case containing the Devil Fruit.
The receptionist wore a professional smile.
"Honored guest, our auction house provides an additional considerate service for important clients."
He pointed toward the same corridor the merchant and slave had disappeared into.
"This passage contains several different exits. At each exit, complimentary cloaks and clothing are provided. You may choose whichever you like before selecting a route to depart."
"Oh?" Riberra Sami raised an eyebrow. "You even have a service like this?"
"Haha, it's for the safety of our guests," the attendant explained with a smile.
"The multiple exits are meant to prevent esteemed customers from being robbed the moment they step outside. Incidents like that would damage the auction house's reputation. Of course…"
His smile remained polite.
"Once you leave the boundaries of GR 3, your safety becomes your own responsibility."
Riberra Sami nodded.
The auction house's approach was nothing more than a final gesture of hospitality before shoving the trouble beyond their own territory.
As for whether customers lived or died afterward—that had nothing to do with them.
Though Riberra Sami wasn't afraid of any attacks that might come, the Flaming Fang still hadn't begun its coating process.
His crew would need to remain in Sabaody Archipelago for a while longer.
During that period, staying low-profile and avoiding unnecessary attention from the Marines or other major forces was unquestionably the wisest course.
After all, Marine Headquarters, Marineford, was right nearby.
Better to avoid trouble whenever possible.
Not long afterward, Marcus, Kaihlo, and the others also arrived backstage to complete their payments and regroup with Sami.
Once the five of them reunited, Riberra Sami wasted no time and casually chose one of the corridors leading deeper inside.
At the end of the passage was a small room containing several ordinary dark-colored cloaks.
The five quickly donned them, lowered their hoods to conceal most of their appearances and physiques, then quietly departed through the door marked Exit Four.
The moment they stepped beyond the shadow of the building, Riberra Sami immediately sensed several gazes sweeping over them from different directions.
Those eyes lingered briefly.
However, perhaps because the five were traveling together, the hidden observers quickly reached the conclusion:
Not the target.
Within only a breath or two, those gazes withdrew and shifted toward the other exits of the auction house, continuing their wait for the appearance of the "fat sheep."
Though Riberra Sami did not know exactly what those hidden watchers were waiting for, he still quickened his pace just in case.
Without needing words, the other four accelerated as well.
Meanwhile, inside a shadowed alley near the auction house's main entrance—
Blast Bear Barborosa stood with his arms crossed, thick fingers tapping impatiently against his forearm.
As time passed second by second, the impatience on his face gradually transformed into irritation.
"What the hell is going on?!" he growled in a low voice toward the officer who had returned to report.
"You still haven't found him? Are your eyes useless?! How does a man that obvious just disappear?!"
Cold sweat formed on the subordinate's forehead as he answered cautiously.
"C-Captain, all the exits are completely covered. Especially the main entrance and the side doors—we checked everyone going in and out carefully…"
He swallowed nervously.
"We really didn't see any lone individual come out."
"Impossible!"
Barborosa snorted a blast of heated breath through his nose as he glared at the brightly illuminated auction hall entrance.
"He's definitely still inside!"
He lowered his voice into a savage growl.
"Tell all the men to keep watching every exit! The auction will eventually end and the place will close! I refuse to believe he can hide in there forever!"
His lips curled into a vicious grin.
"The moment he comes out… hmph!"
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