Auction House ii

The crowd gasped in disbelief as Lami increased the bid for the Cold Cold Fruit to half a billion Berries.

' What to do now?' thought the Vice-Admiral as he realized that Lami was outbidding the Marines. The Vice-Admiral looked over to three figures, standing at the back of the auction wearing black suits and sunglasses.

The men simply nodded at the Vice-Admiral, signaling that he had to increase the bid to obtain the Cold Cold fruit. The Vice-Admiral took a deep breath and raised his paddle once more determined to obtain the fruit.

" One Billion berries," he declared confidently, causing the crowd to gasp in disbelief yet again. As the bidding war continued, the tension in the auction house kept escalating.

' I wonder why the World government is so fixated on acquiring the Cold Cold fruit, I mean they have the Ice Ice fruit, I wonder what they are up to,' thought Lami with a hint of suspicion.

Lami's instincts told her that there was something special about the Cold Cold fruit which made her all more determined to get it. However, she wasn't going to spend a billion on a Devil Fruit so she decided that she will steal it after the auction.

The Vice-Admiral won the bid but he had no idea of the danger that was waiting for him, as Lami planned to steal the Cold Cold Fruit and maybe also steal the Mythical Zoan for Alexia if she comes across it.

The Vice-Admiral made eye contact with Lami and he felt a shiver run down his spine, he shrugged it off as just the cold air in the auction house.

The three figures who were standing at the back of the auction house suddenly made a gesture and they exited the auction house while the Vice-Admiral followed.

However, these actions did not go unnoticed by Lami, she recognized the men as Cipher Pol agents and knew they were up to no good.

' I see so that's what they are planning,' thought Lami as she made a conclusion that the World government was planning to take the Devil Fruit before the auction was over.

Lami knew that she had to act fast and steal the fruit as soon as the agents got their hands on it. As she was about to stand up and follow them, she felt a hand grab her shoulder and she turned around to see Alexia, who whispered, "Let me tag along."

Lami simply shrugged her shoulders and replied, "The more, the merrier," as they both dashed towards the exit with a plan to intercept and steal the Devil Fruit before the CP agents obtain it.

As they made their way out of the auction house, Lami and Alexia could see the Vice-Admiral being escorted by three Cipher Pol agents. The agents were walking toward a room that was heavily guarded.

The room was where the items that would be sold at the auction were kept safe and secure until the end of the event.

The agents walked toward the door but the guards that were stationed outside the room refused to allow them to pass as the auction was still underway.

" We are from Cipher Pol, and it would do you good to let us through," said one of the agents aggressively.

However, the guards shared a laugh, " We don't care who you are, you should be aware of the man who owns this place," spoke one of the guards firmly.

" It would do you good to stay out of his business," added one of the other guards, crossing his hands in the process.

One of the agents stabbed the guard with his finger near the heart and he dropped to the ground clearly injured. The Vice-Admiral was taken aback as he knew that the person who owned the auction house was not to be taken lightly of.

" What do you think you are doing, this could cause chaos in the auction house!" shouted the Vice-Admiral in frustration.

The agent took out another guard that was heading for the alarm and replied, " The orders from above instructed that we obtain the Devil Fruit at all costs," " If chaos erupts so be it, our mission must be carried out".

Lami and Alexia continued to stay hidden as they watched the altercation between the agents and guards. They realized that this was the perfect opportunity to strike and steal the Devil Fruit without being suspected.

Without hesitation, the two masked their presence and made their way toward the door to slip past both the agents and guards. The two made it past the agents and the guards and they reached the room where the items were being held.

The room was filled with rare items ranging from jewelry to dangerous weapons, but their main focus was the Devil Fruits that were being kept in secure small boxes at the far end of the room.

" I sense a lot of Devil Fruits in this room, how do we know which one is which?" asked Alexia looking at Lami with concern.

" Can't you sense that they're giving off different energies," replied Lami as she walked toward one of the boxes and took out a small blue fruit that had swirls all over it. " This is it, the Cold Cold fruit," spoke Lami excitedly as she put the fruit in her bag.

Alexia closed her eyes and focused, sensing the energy coming from the other boxes. " I see you were right, they all have a different energy signature," exclaimed Alexia as she quickly grabbed one of the boxes containing a green fruit with scales like a fish.

" Mhm I see you were able to spot that one, it feels like a dragon but also like a snake," said Lami as she grinned at Alexia.

Back at the auction house, an item was being presented on stage and it caught the attention of the members of Kaido's Tobi Roppo as well as a few notorious pirates who were among the bidders.

The item was the Devil fruit that the members of the Tobi Roppo were sent to acquire by Kaido himself. The two were not the only ones that were interested in it as a rookie pirate crew that has recently entered the Grand Line was bidding for it.

" Presenting one of the two main attractions of today's auction, the armored lizard the Ryu Ryu no Mi model: Ankylosaurus!' announced the auctioneer.

The crowd cheered in excitement as the Devil Fruit was displayed on the stage. Ulti, Page One and Who's Who exchanged glances, knowing that they had to win the fruit at all costs in order to prove their worth to Kaido.

" The bidding starts at 100 million Berries!" announced the auctioneer as the bidding war started. Ulti quickly raised her paddle hoping to secure the fruit before anyone could outbid her.

She knew that no one will bid against her as she is a representative of a Yonko and that the crew who were also interested in the fruit were just rookies. However, to her surprise, the captain of the rookie crew raised his paddle.

" Two hundred million!" shouted the captain with confidence. " Nani? Someone dares to bid against the Beast pirates?" exclaimed Ulti in shock, clenching her fists.

" Hoi, Ace what do you think you are doing?" questioned one of the other members of the rookie crew. " We're not leaving without your Dragon fruit Deuce," responded Ace determined to obtain the fruit for his crew member.

Deuce turned to Ace and spoke, " Do you think this is a good idea, we already angered that Squid guy and rumors say he is under Whitebeard's protection?"

" Whitebeard is already my target, we can't afford to back out now," stated Ace with a conviction in his voice.

" Please try to knock some sense into him, Azula-san," said Deuce as he turned toward one of the crewmates hoping for some support.

Azula shrugged her shoulders and replied, "It's his call, Deuce." Ulti gritted her teeth, "Three hundred million!" she exclaimed, raising the stakes. The bidding war continued against the two bidders.

" Four hundred million!" shouted Ace, looking determined to win the fruit. Ulti's eyes widen in disbelief at the rookie captain's boldness.

' This brat who does he think he is?" thought Who's Who, feeling annoyed at the rookie's audacity.

Ulti raised her paddle once again, "Five hundred million!" she declared with a fierce glare. ' 500 million Berries is all we could spend on this fruit if we want to obtain the Mythical Zoan for the young master,' Ulti thought to herself, determined to win at all costs.

The auctioneer looked Between Ace and Ulti, waiting for a response from the rookie captain.

Ace took a deep breath and raised his paddle once again, " 550 million Berries," he declared with a confident smile. The room fell silent as all eyes turned to Ulti, waiting for her next move.

Ulti's eyes narrowed as she glared at the rookie captain, " 6-" she was interrupted by a pull on her shoulder. " We won't go above 500 million, we'll just take it back by force," spoke Who's Who, giving Ulti a stern look.

" Going Once, Going Twice, sol-" *boom* the auctioneer was cut off by the sound of a powerful shockwave. The auction house started to shake violently leaving everyone confused and in a panic.

" I think someone just attacked the auction house," said one of the guards in a panic.

[ Moments ago]

Lami and Alexia were about to exit the room when the CP agents arrived after they had defeated the guards who were stationed outside.

Alexia not wanting to lose the Mythical Zoan, quickly gulped down the fruit which led to her transforming into a giant like dragon/serpent.