103 A Cliché Turn of Events

Chapter 103: A Cliché Turn of Events

"This Devil Fruit is from the Animal type. We can only confirm it's a regular Carnivorous species. We can't determine the exact type of Devil Fruit. The starting bid is 80 million Bellies!" The auctioneer passionately announced, "Each increase should be at least 5 million Bellies, and there's no ceiling!"

"80 million!"

As soon as the bidding began, someone raised their paddle with the minimum bid.

"85 million!"

"95 million!"

"One billion!"

Rodney softly bid, adhering to a reasonable approach to Devil Fruit auctions. If the price exceeded his budget, he wouldn't buy it. He watched to see who would win it. If it went to one of those nobles, well, he'd deal with that!

"One billion! The esteemed guest in seat sixty-five has bid one billion. Does anyone wish to bid over one billion? Going once at one billion!"

"One billion and fifty million!"

"One billion, one hundred and fifty million!" Rodney calmly increased his bid. Auctions often unfolded this way – if you wanted something, you had to keep raising the price.

"One billion, two hundred million!"

Obviously, the other party didn't intend to give up the valuable Devil Fruit easily. Rodney glanced at them. It was the plump noble who started bidding. He put his hand down, not intending to continue. You're a dead man tonight!

Finally, the Animal Devil Fruit was sold to that noble for a whopping 1.65 billion Bellies. The noble was ecstatic, grinning from ear to ear.

"Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes today's auction. We look forward to seeing you next time!"

The attendees orderly left the venue, accompanied by their newly acquired slaves. Rodney, on the other hand, sneaked into the shadows, splitting into multiple clones disguised as various people, each tailing a specific target.

Rodney followed the noble who had acquired the Devil Fruit. He watched the man closely since having a Devil Fruit, even an Animal type, was worth a lot of money. His subordinates wouldn't pose much of a challenge. To avoid surprises, he decided to act immediately. Even rabbits bite when pushed too hard. What if this guy ate the fruit?

With a single swift step, he infiltrated the noble's carriage without any hindrance. Before the plump man could even shout, Rodney activated his Sharingan, hypnotizing the man effortlessly. Then, he smoothly took the Devil Fruit and left unnoticed.

He also discreetly dealt with the group of people who intended to harm the noble. After the plump man boarded his ship, he ordered his crew to release the slaves he'd bought, sending them to the nearest and safest location. Then, he silently disappeared from the scene.

Rodney had dealt with various similar situations recently, drawing the attention of the Cipher Pol. While the Marines didn't have the time to deal with such matters, the CP was tasked with investigating them. Aside from their intelligence work, they had their eyes on these issues as well. What if there was a threat to the World Government among them?

The slaves were set free, and Rodney had no intention of returning to the slave auction. What he didn't see wouldn't trouble him. He knew that even if he destroyed one slave auction, another would spring up. 

The real issue was the underground organizations backing them. He had no choice but to uproot these connections; otherwise, such events would continue daily. Relying on people like Rayleigh who chose to ignore these issues due to their prevalence wouldn't solve the problem.

This old man was undoubtedly a good person, but seeing too much had led him to turn a blind eye. Even though he was Rayleigh, he couldn't sever the terrifying chain of interests lurking behind these problems.

Too many people were involved in that web. People of various backgrounds were connected to these auctions, especially in the Sabaody Archipelago, where you could easily spot Celestial Dragons. This made the archipelago the perfect place for the wealthy to indulge in their desires.

"Back at Shakky's Rip-off Bar," Rodney mumbled, placing the Devil Fruit in front of Shakky.

"Joestar successfully acquired it."

"No, I didn't buy it. I used another method," Rodney shook his head. "This thing was too expensive, and I didn't want to pay for it, so..." He chuckled.

"So, this is how you did it, huh? Joestar, you're quite the rogue."

"I never claimed to be a good person. Besides, I have my beliefs."

"Oh? What faith is that?"

"The Almighty and Wicked Church of Money. Our Lord commands me, and I can only say 'yes,' not 'no.' So, if I can avoid spending money, I will. I'm a very thrifty person," Rodney said proudly. If only Robin and the others could learn to buy fewer things.

"Oh, that church, huh? I'm a believer too."

Suddenly, Rodney's expression changed. He picked up a knife and said, "Shakky, something's happened to Robin and the others. I need to go."

He had a clone following Robin and the rest. When the clone couldn't handle a situation, it would notify him. The issue at hand was also quite troublesome.

"What's wrong?"

"The Celestial Dragons have captured Perona and want her as a wife," Rodney grumbled. "Can you believe that someone actually likes a girl with pink hair, twin tails, and a dark, gothic style?"

Without further ado, Rodney dashed out, quickly arriving at the shopping district.

A group of people was gathered there. On one side, Robin and the others shielded Perona and Leicester, while on the other side was a youth in an outfit resembling a spacesuit, with a peculiar bubble helmet. He had an ugly appearance and stared with infatuation at Perona behind Robin.

"Move aside! This is the distinguished George Martin Saint, who has taken an interest in your friend. It's her great fortune to become George Martin Saint's 25th wife. It's an unparalleled honor!"

George Martin Saint's lackeys fawned over him.

The Celestial Dragons, descendants of the 20 kings who established the World Government 800 years ago, aside from the Nefertari family who declined to reside in the Holy Land Mary Geoise, had been stripped of their titles of Celestial Dragons. The remaining 19 families were all Celestial Dragons.

They were the nobility among the nobility, possessing immense privileges. They even stood above the world's laws and could kill people indiscriminately. They had long abused their supreme authority, committing all sorts of atrocities, especially here on the Sabaody Archipelago.

Here, Celestial Dragons were the most common sight, and the primary patrons of the human auctions were not the nobles and merchants, but these Celestial Dragons. Their lives of endless luxury had turned them into parasites on the world, ruthless and irrational.

They held strong to the concept of bloodline purity and had a deep-seated sense of racial superiority. Some families harbored perverted desires, marrying close relatives to preserve their bloodlines' purity.

These people were nothing but trouble. If push came to shove, Rodney would eliminate them and escape with his people into the New World.

Why did trouble always seem to find him in the Sabaody Archipelago?

Wasn't this plot a bit too cliché?

Rodney felt somewhat annoyed. He suddenly appeared before Robin and the others.

"Who are you?"

George Martin Saint's bodyguards immediately surrounded him, protecting their master.

"Shichibukai, Joestar J. Rodney. These are my people. Who dares to move them?" Rodney's Sharingan scanned the area, making people involuntarily shiver. In the presence of a Celestial Dragon, everyone had to kneel to showcase their supreme status.

Among those standing, only Rodney and his group, along with George Martin Saint and his entourage, remained.

"Even if you're a Shichibukai, so what? Shichibukai are just our lapdogs," George Martin Saint sneered. "And your eyes are so beautiful. I want to add them to my collection. Name your price. I want your subordinates and your eyes!"

The situation fell silent. Robin and Reiju watched Rodney with concern. They knew Rodney wouldn't hand over Perona, nor would he sell his own eyes. That meant he would most likely take some drastic action.

After all, he wasn't one to easily compromise. If he did, they wouldn't have followed him to the Sabaody Archipelago.

However, Rodney's choice touched them. They chose to follow this man because of his decisions.