In just half a month, the news that Mad Hatter Town was about to auction a Devil Fruit had spread across most of the Western Seas.

All of a sudden, power-hungry pirates flocked to it.

Especially the captains of the Pirates who are ready to enter the Great Passage, this is even more imperative.

What does a Devil Fruit mean?

It is also their group of veteran pirates who are about to break into a new world that can have a deep understanding.

On the other hand, the naval branch of the West Sea was naturally able to capture this news.

However, troop scheduling is an inevitable flaw for the naval branch, so even if you know it, it is difficult to do anything.

Because this is the Western Sea, not the Great Shipping Lane.

Regardless of priorities, as one of the four seas, the intuitive sea area of the West Sea is by no means comparable to that of the great shipping lanes.

Correspondingly, this also means that the naval branch of the West Sea needs to spread the vast majority of its forces in various places to protect the safety of the people in its jurisdiction.

If you want to dispatch scattered troops together, although there is no problem in instant communication and other aspects, the timeliness cannot keep up.

The most intractable problem is the ever-present threat of pirates.

Unlike the navy, they need to be stationed in one place to maintain law and order, although they do not form groups, but they have the same commonality as they can move freely around the world.

Seeing that this side was profitable, they stuck to it like grasshoppers seeing blood.

When the navy is in place, they flee without looking back, and then go to the other side where it is profitable.

In such a situation, rash deployment of troops will only give those locust-like pirates the opportunity to do whatever they want.

Therefore, compared to the threat posed by individual pirates, the number of pirates is what distinguishes the Four Seas Pirates from the Great Passage Pirates, which can make the naval branch a headache.

Of course, due to various factors such as different folk customs and cultures, the number of naval forces in each jurisdiction of the West China Sea varies from one level to another.

Excluding some of the inaction naval moths, in some jurisdictions with abundant forces, the navy will combine the overflow force into a mobile-oriented force, and their main task is to hunt down the fleeing pirates.

This kind of naval force, which is not restricted by jurisdiction, can often make pirates fearful.

However, although it has been effective, it has not cured the symptoms.

And in a lawless area like Mad Hatter, where the roots are deep, what can these troops do in essence alone?

It's like a gun-wielding sheriff breaking into a den of ten thugs.

Due to the deterrent power of firearms, the ten thugs in the den will voluntarily give up their numerical advantage and bow down.

But if a gun-armed sheriff breaks into hundreds of gangster dens, the results speak for themselves.

Unless the Navy Headquarters sends a force that can upset the balance, it will be necessary to break this situation.

However, the turmoil caused by just one Devil Fruit was not enough to form the conditions for the Navy Headquarters to make a big move.

Although the Xihai Navy Branch was unable to form a powerful blow to Mad Hat Town, all kinds of eyeliner still really focused on Mad Hat Town.

Not being able to do nothing does not mean that you will not do anything.

........

Mad Hat Island, Mad Hat Town, Mad Hat Auction House.

As the name suggests, the building of the auction house resembles a top hat that sits horizontally on the ground.

Like this: ♎

The first to second floors of the auction house are like the brim of a hat, which occupies the largest area and is also the main venue for holding auctions.

In order to increase capacity, the design of the auction house is more or less the same as that of a regular opera house.

Therefore, the second layer can actually be summarized in the first layer.

The higher levels, the area decreases as the height increases.

And the room on the top floor of the auction house naturally belongs to the owner who controls the auction house.

As the apex of the auction house, the room decoration can be described as splendid, revealing the atmosphere of the nouveau riche everywhere.

The wall facing the center of the street is a full wall of coated floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows is a set of European table in dark red tones.

Ten days later, the Devil Fruit will be auctioned off on the table, with a soft cloth underneath to show off its preciousness.

On the main armchair sat a middle-aged man with a oil-backed hair, a cigar in his mouth, and a red suit.

This person is the owner of the auction house - Luches. Ralph.

"With a wave of your hand, you can make those jackals, tigers and leopards go crazy, and that's the charm of the Devil Fruit."

Ralph was lying on his back in the sofa chair, his eyes cold and dark, as if he had been stripped of his humanity, and it was difficult for ordinary emotions to manifest in them.

Opposite him, a man sneered: "It's not in vain that I took great pains to bring the Devil Fruit back from the Great Passage, just a one-way transfer can make its value skyrocket several times, this kind of good deal, how rare in the world." ”

Ralph lowered his eyelids and looked at the man's smug face through the smoke he spitted, and did not say anything to correct the man's misconceptions.

In this world, there are so many good deals.

Just doubling the value of a Devil Fruit is more about the effect of marketing than the sale itself.

Ralph wiped out the red-hot cigarette butt of the cigar with his fingers, and said lightly: "The reserve price is 100 million, and the transaction price should be above 1 billion." ”

"So much?"

The man was taken aback, apparently trusting Ralph's judgment.

Ralph glanced at the Devil Fruit on the table and said, "Several giants in the underground world of the West Sea don't look down on this Devil Fruit, but the five major gangsters are bound to get it, so the one who has the ability to take the fruit will only be one of them, do you know what this means?" ”

Without waiting for the man to reply, Ralph continued:

"It means that as long as it is a normal bidding, this number will only be raised until they can bear the limit, of course, provided that no one secretly exercises the means, as for those swarming pirates, they are just here to make up the number and send money."

Listening to Ralph's words, the man suddenly became interested.

"Then who do you think is most likely to win this fruit among the five major gangs?"

"Gangsters. Becky. ”

.............

Thor Weapons Shop.

After half a month, Maude's injuries have basically healed, and with the big fish and meat every day, there is no trace of emaciation on his face.

Compared with the pale and haggard face when he first woke up, it can also be described as ruddy and shiny.

Maude, who had recovered well, removed the bandage and went out of her way to look in the mirror.

Gone are the old pathologies, replaced by a blood-soaked face and the negative effects of a lack of bandages to cover the eyebrows.

Maude, who looked in the mirror, unexpectedly found himself - so handsome?

At the same time, he finally found his second prey - his neighbor.