There Are Few Of Us, So We Can Share A Private Room With Kuzan Vice Admiral

The Dawn and Marine warships docked at the port together, and other ships conscientiously gave way, maintaining a respectful distance.

In the back room of the auction, Doflamingo sat, sipping tea, and perusing the guest list in his hand, calculating potential profits.

"Huh? Kuzan?"

Brother Ming noticed the name and gently touched his chin: "How did this monster get involved?"

Kuzan had an excellent reputation. Although only a Vice Admiral, both Marines and pirates believed he possessed the strength of an Admiral and was likely to be promoted soon.

Next to Kuzan on the list was Arias. This individual seemed to appear out of nowhere, immediately marrying Snake Lady Hancock. Later, he brought back a girl named Yamato, who not only possessed the Devil Fruit of the Phantom Beast type but also wielded the same move as Kaido [Thunder Eight Trigrams]!

Despite Yamato joining the Kuja Pirates in the park and South Blue, news of her had spread even to the New World. Speculations about her connection with Kaido were rampant.

"There are only a few of us, so we can share a private room with Vice Admiral Kuzan."

When the auction house waiter attempted to assign them to separate private rooms, Arias suggested they share a room with the Marine.

"Kuzan, Vice Admiral, may I?"

Arias looked at Kuzan with a smile. After a moment of consideration, Kuzan recalled Admiral Sengoku's advice to pay more attention to Arias. Seeing an opportunity, he readily agreed.

Guests continued to arrive one after another, and Arias recognized many familiar faces among them.

For example, Thatch and Teach of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Daifuku and Oven of the Big Mom Pirates.

Morgans, the president of the World Economic News.

These individuals were entitled to the luxury of private rooms. Many other pirates with sizable bounties, however, were relegated to the main hall.

Arias quietly spoke to the women around him: "I'm going out for a while; don't talk to me for the time being."

Then, he used his Observation Haki to locate the underground puppet, lying on the sofa, pretending to take a nap. Soon, he started snoring.

The transparent cover of the Op-Op Fruit appeared silently, avoiding the presence of Marines and others in the opposite half of the room. It lowered and extended the cover.

The black puppet, currently in the Earthly Immortal state, assumed the same posture as Arias underground. In the next moment, he and the black puppet completed an instant position exchange!

No one detected any unusual activity in the room.

Originally, Yamato and the others were perplexed by Arias's directive, but it didn't take long for them to notice something unusual about his posture.

While Arias had impressive carving skills, wood carvings remained wood carvings. Even with a surface covered in self-made bionic skin, the deception was apparent at close range.

Hancock subtly shook her head, signaling for everyone to stay quiet. She instructed Samero to delicately shield Arias with his body, feigning concern about him catching a cold.

In reality, the aim was to obstruct the view of Kuzan and the others.

Kuzan glanced at the seemingly sleeping Arias, lowered his blindfold, and settled into a light nap.

"Let me know when the auction begins."

Underground, Arias ascended slowly, as if swimming through water.

After emerging, he maintained his Phantom Body Barrier and Ghost Walk status, stealthily making his way toward the rear of the venue.

Outside the auction site, a man in a gray-green suit with distinctive hair stared at the poster on the auction wall.

The Devil Fruit's image was unmistakable!

"I must obtain that Devil Fruit. Strength and wealth are everything in this world!"

"Those individuals, trying to manipulate me? Humph! Little do they know, they are just tools for me to achieve my goals!"

The stern eyes transformed into humility and courtesy the moment he turned around.

He swiftly made his way to a bar, and the entire establishment was currently occupied by a group of pirates.

Approaching a tall and ugly man, he spoke quietly, "Captain, I've inquired thoroughly. Doflamingo isn't here. The person in charge is just an ordinary businessman, and those pirate guards won't pose a challenge for you. If you create a distraction, I can sneak in quietly and steal the Devil Fruit!"

"Are you certain?" The formidable man scrutinized him closely.

"Absolutely! I have a good friend who used to work here as a waiter. He overheard a conversation between the manager and Doflamingo a few days ago. The Donquixote family won't be coming. Moreover, I've also discovered the location of the Devil Fruit."

"Alright!" The strong man beamed with joy. "As long as you secure the Devil Fruit, you'll be the senior leader of my Bakushima Pirates!"

"Thank you, Captain!"

While the man appeared pleased on the surface, inwardly, he harbored extreme disdain. What will happen to you if I get the Devil Fruit? A mere cadre? I fear the day I hand it over to you will be the day of my demise!

Meanwhile, at the auction, as the doors closed, a young and beautiful host walked onto the auction stage, officially commencing the event.

In Arias's private room, Aokiji woke up at the adjutant's reminder and removed his blindfold. He cast a sidelong glance at Arias.

Simultaneously, Arias stood up. Salome, who had been covering him, subtly shifted her position, allowing Arias to lean on her left side while still obstructing most of the Marines' view.

Hancock and others weren't surprised that the White Idol could move; after all, the island was teeming with hardworking Ruhua!