When the auction price reached 7 billion Berries, the entire venue erupted. Stimulated by such a staggering figure, the crowd was in a frenzy.

Seven billion Berries.

Even the world's strongest man, Whitebeard, and his son Marco did not have that amount of cash on hand.

The kings of the underworld were going insane.

However, this was still not the limit.

"The price has reached 7 billion Berries. As expected of the Golden Emperor. But Caesar Clown is priceless. He deserves even more!"

"Mr. Feld, one more bid!"

Morgans turned to Lu Feld and shouted.

Now, only Feld had the ability to compete with Tesoro.

"7.5 billion Berries!"

Feld slowly raised his number plate, increasing the bid by another 500 million Berries.

He exhaled a puff of smoke, no longer as composed as before.

Seven and a half billion was close to his limit. Even if he obtained the artificial Devil Fruit technology, going higher would be meaningless.

Compared to Tesoro, who possessed the Gold-Gold Fruit, Feld was still lacking in financial resources.

"7.7 billion Berries."

Tesoro's expression changed. He was no longer increasing the price in 500-million increments as before.

To pay for this, he would have to sell off another batch of gold. Over the years, due to his sales, the price of gold had been steadily declining. Those who didn't understand the cause of the depreciation had suffered heavy losses.

If he kept selling, the market might collapse, which would hurt his long-term prospects.

"You win."

Feld spread his hands toward Tesoro, smiling.

Things had become simple now.

Next, all he needed to do was join forces with the others to make Tesoro's life miserable.

Tesoro let out a cold snort, his expression far from pleased.

He had only planned to spend around 5 billion, but these vultures had forced the price up again and again, costing him an extra 2 billion for nothing.

And this wasn't even the end. He might have won the bid for now, but whether he could hold onto it was another question.

"After fierce competition, the auction has finally come to an end."

"Although the price reached a staggering 7.7 billion Berries, this purchase is still worth the cost!"

Morgans took a deep breath and announced Tesoro's name.

"Haha, great value for money."

Tesoro's lips twitched. He didn't look happy at all.

For Caelan, earning more than 2 billion Berries in profit was cause for celebration. But for Tesoro, who wanted to replace Caelan, spending an extra 2 billion was a bitter pill to swallow.

Tesoro had no intention of sharing his humiliation with Morgans.

He tossed a box toward the stage. It contained 6 billion Berries he had prepared beforehand for the auction.

But it still wasn't enough.

He then took another box from Umit and threw it to Morgans. That made up the rest.

After counting the money and confirming it was correct, Morgans glanced at Caelan.

"Deliver the goods."

On the stands, Caelan spoke calmly.

"Yes."

Morgans responded respectfully.

With Caelan's approval, he carried Caesar, bound tightly like a dumpling, over to Tesoro.

Morgans spoke with meaning in his tone.

"Let us congratulate Mr. Tesoro for winning Caesar Clown at the high price of 7.7 billion Berries and becoming the biggest winner of this auction!"

On the words "biggest winner," Morgans put deliberate emphasis.

Clearly, while Caelan's auction had concluded, Tesoro's troubles were only just beginning.

"I'll take your kind words to heart."

Tesoro took Caesar without much care.

The higher the stakes, the greater the rewards. He believed he would succeed.

When the other attendees saw Caesar handed over to Tesoro, their eyes flashed with intent. They were ready to make a move.

"Feld, this is rare. You actually took a loss."

Peclo hovered around Feld, deliberately provoking him.

"What you buy isn't necessarily yours. You have to be able to keep it."

Feld remained calm and unmoved.

It was a bit painful to lose in terms of financial might, but he could still make Tesoro suffer more.

As underworld kings, they might lack in other areas, but when it came to schemes, plots, and underhanded tactics, they were experts.

"That's true. His real ordeal is just starting."

Peclo nodded in agreement.

They weren't the only ones targeting Tesoro. Who knew what kind of predators were lying in wait?

On the other side…

"Tsk, so in the end, Tesoro got the artificial Devil Fruit technology?" Aokiji shook his head, then said, "Unexpected, but reasonable."

"If it's him, it should be easy to take it."

Borsalino rested his chin on his hand, speaking casually.

Although Tesoro was strong, he was still lacking compared to two Marine Admirals.

"Don't take it lightly. He's not our only enemy."

Aokiji's voice grew serious as he glanced around.

Nearby were Katakuri, the great pirate of Hachinosu, Ochoku, and several others, all with their eyes on Caesar Clown.

And in the shadows, no one knew how many more powerful figures were watching.

Even with two Admirals, they could not afford to be careless.

"That's true, but it'd be nice if the Supernovas were here too."

Borsalino nodded slightly, thinking of those troublesome "little cuties" he enjoyed kicking around.

If they were here, he could happily toy with them again.

"Haha, forget it. Drake has already complained about you several times."

Aokiji rolled his eyes, exasperated.

Drake, one of the Supernovas, was a Marine undercover agent.

Yet Borsalino had attacked him over and over, making Drake increasingly unwilling to continue his mission.

"Why not? I'm helping him build a reputation. Escaping from an Admiral multiple times makes his cover even stronger!"

Borsalino waved his hand carelessly.

Aokiji was about to retort when he suddenly noticed something, his expression changing.

"That guy… is he planning to make a move here?"

Hearing this, Borsalino followed his gaze and saw a huge bearded man preparing to strike at Tesoro and the Caesar beside him.

From time to time, the man glanced at Caelan on the platform, as if weighing his options.

"Ochoku, former member of the Rocks Pirates and user of the Teleportation Teleportation Fruit."

Borsalino's voice was solemn.

Ochoku, like Kaido, Whitebeard, and Big Mom, had once been a cadre of the Rocks Pirates.

After the crew's fall, he took over Rocks' former base, Hachinosu.

While his influence wasn't on par with the current Yonko, he was still just a step below them.

In today's auction, he was a far greater threat than the underworld kings or even Katakuri.

"Does he want to test Caelan's strength?"

Aokiji stroked his chin, intrigued.

It was hard to imagine that after witnessing Caelan's battle with Monkey D. Dragon, someone would dare to provoke him so recklessly.

If you wanted to rob someone, you should at least wait until they'd left the venue. Doing it under Caelan's nose was blatant disrespect.

Why?

Relying on his Teleportation Teleportation Fruit?

If so, it might actually be possible.

If he vanished without a trace, he could succeed if others weren't careful.

And so, Ochoku stared at Caelan, while Aokiji and Borsalino stared at Ochoku.

Three men with different goals, all waiting for the same opportunity.

(To be continued.)

***

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