Chapter 76
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Chapter 76: The Auction Is Full of Bigwigs?
On Sabaody Island, the Straw Hat group covertly avoided the Marines. As they moved along their way, they stealthily crept forward. Each of them wore a face scarf like a bell to cover their ears, but they had no other disguises and assumed that nobody would recognize them as they gathered in front of the auction house.
"Hey, little brother, a few of us want to enter the auction as well. Could you please make way?" Sanji whispered to the gatekeeper, his eyes scanning the surroundings cautiously for any sign of the Marines.
The other eight Straw Hat members did the same. The gatekeeper looked at these nine sneaky individuals, his mouth twitching and his face showing clear disbelief, as if he were thinking, "Do you take me for a fool? You're so obvious! With these straw hats, your distinctive sizes and heights, who are you trying to fool with just a face towel? And the mechanical man, the tall skeleton - you're obviously the Straw Hat Crew! If the young master hadn't specifically ordered 'two, four, three' to let you pass, even these lazy disguises wouldn't have been enough."
"Let us through—we are also wealthy individuals," said Nami, observing his odd expression and thinking he doubted their financial standing. She pressed her curvaceous body close to him and teasingly fanned out a stack of Berries with two fingers, flaunting their wealth in front of the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper's eyes darted between the cash and Nami, unsure of which to focus on. However, his hand decisively reached for the Berries in Nami's grasp, but she swiftly pulled her hand away, smiling slyly and pressed against him, she asked, "Can you let us in?"
The gatekeeper gave a snort of disappointment, taking one last look at the puzzling scene and the alluring Nami before reluctantly stepping aside to allow them entry. He didn't receive the money, but he was supposed to let them in anyway.
The Straw Hat members who had observed this exchange from behind were astounded at how easily Nami had persuaded the gatekeeper. They exclaimed in admiration:
"That was impressive!"
"Is it really that simple? Super practical!"
"I thought we'd need to show a bank card—yo ho!"
"Nami is unmatched!"
"Nami really knows how to handle these situations!"
Upon hearing her name spoken aloud by her thoughtless companions, Nami was startled and quickly turned around, shouting at the blundering group, "Shut up!"
Her companions fell silent, covering their mouths to show they would keep quiet. Sanji and Luffy, whose names had been made known, blinked in confusion, not understanding why Nami was upset, but they kept quiet as well.
After her outburst, Nami glanced at the gatekeeper and, seeing his indifferent expression, laughed nervously to herself, relieved he hadn't recognized them. She hurried into the auction house like a darting squirrel, signaling to her companions to follow her with a wave of her hand. The others, picking up on Nami's hint and reassured by the gatekeeper's nonchalance, each proceeded inside in a single file, still on their tiptoes and concealing their identities.
Unbeknownst to them, the gatekeeper's eyes revealed a vast speechlessness as they passed through the long, dimly lit corridor and finally entered the main venue of the auction.
The trapezoidal staircase and spacious venue looked as though they could accommodate thousands of people, and there were even mysterious high-end private rooms. Most of the attendees had already found their seats and were chatting with others, eagerly waiting for the auction to begin.
"This place is so big!" exclaimed Nami, her hand covering her mouth in surprise as she stood at the entrance.
"It's a lot bigger than before," Zoro commented with his hands crossed over his chest, recalling the smaller venue where Luffy had confronted the Celestial Dragons two years ago.
"Because this is the venue owned by the Donquixote Family," Robin interjected, her voice as calm and gentle as water.
"Huh? Donquixote?" Nami turned back to Robin in astonishment. "You mean the Shichibukai?"
"Shichibukai?!" a chorus of surprised voices echoed through the venue, drawing curious looks from many in the crowd.
Nami quickly smiled apologetically, hoping their group hadn't drawn too much attention. They breathed a sigh of relief when people turned away, and they hurried to find empty seats. However, arriving late meant they could only find seats in the last row.
"Guys like Crocodile and Moria?" Luffy muttered, his youthful face growing serious. He knew that even though he had defeated two Shichibukai two years ago, it had been difficult. Despite being stronger now, he didn't think that this Shichibukai named Donquixote would be easy to deal with. But he was determined to get the Mera-mera Fruit – it was Ace's last relic.
"That's not the worst news," Robin said, her eyes also reflecting the gravity of the situation. "I've noticed a lot of dangerous people in the stadium."
"Dangerous people? Who?" Sanji asked, stepping forward as if ready to protect the ladies in the group.
"There are two Shichibukai here, Buggy, and Edward Weevil," Robin explained with a frown.
"Shichibukai again!" gasped the group.
"Then, counting Donquixote's venue, are there effectively three Shichibukai here?"
"Why would Shichibukai even participate in the auction? Do they lack Devil Fruit as well?" Some of the Straw Hat crew members felt a surge of fear.
Usopp and Chopper clung to each other, shivering.
"No, can that guy Buggy really be a Shichibukai?" Luffy scratched his head, recalling Buggy as rather weak.
Zoro and Nami on the side nodded in agreement, seeing Buggy as nothing to fear.
"We've also spotted Marines here, including the Admiral's candidate, Momousagi, and the other one called Tokikake," Robin continued gravely.
"An Admiral's candidate?! That's almost as powerful as an Admiral?!"
"And there are two of them..."
"Oh my God! This place is terrifying!!"
Usopp and Chopper huddled together, joined by Brook, all three shivering and hugging each other, tears in their eyes. Sanji, Zoro, and Franky all seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation. The atmosphere grew tense, and even Luffy couldn't help but clench his fists, his mind reflecting on the strength of the Admirals he had witnessed at the Summit War.
"There are also many from the business and underworld sectors," Robin added. "The world's richest man, Golden Emperor Tesoro; BIGNEWS Morgans; Queen of the Pleasure District, Stussy..."
"We would stand no chance if this were a battle of funds at the auction." Fortunately, it was only a few merchants, so they relaxed a bit.
"However, the Mera-mera Fruit has attracted so many powerful and high-ranking bigwigs," Sanji said as he buried his head and lit a cigarette. He took a hard drag, turning it to ash almost instantly.