Clever trick

"Sir, here's the payment from the auction of your devil fruit."

Backstage at the auction house, a middle-aged man placed nine boxes of cash in front of John. Per the auction house rules, they kept 10% as commission—still leaving a hefty profit for John.

"Sir, your devil fruit was the most expensive item we've sold this year," the man remarked.

John gave a slight smile, and with a simple gesture, the nine boxes vanished. Seeing this, the middle-aged man couldn't help but feel a mix of awe and relief, grateful he hadn't tried any tricks. In this kind of business, it's not uncommon for things to get heated between sellers and buyers—provided someone isn't powerful enough to stop it.

"By the way," John said casually, "you're working for Doflamingo, aren't you?"

The middle-aged man's eyes widened in surprise. "You know our young master?"

"Know him?" John chuckled. "I don't need to know him." He waved dismissively.

Not daring to press the conversation, the middle-aged man nodded silently. Without warning, John disappeared, leaving him startled and a bit spooked by the sudden vanishing act.

As the middle-aged man puzzled over John's exit, a gunshot rang out nearby.

Meanwhile, across the hall, two figures moved quickly, carrying a suitcase as they slipped out of the auction room. Both were heavily covered, keeping a lookout for prying eyes. One leaned in to whisper, "Who do you think we can pass the blame onto?"

"Let's head to Room 5," the other replied. "I noticed some familiar faces there who would make perfect scapegoats."

The two reached Room 5, knocked, and waited. A cautious voice from within asked, "Who's there?"

The pair didn't answer but continued knocking. After a pause, the door cracked open, revealing a suspicious eye peering out.

"It's you? What do you want here?"

Without a word, they pushed inside, carrying the suitcase. The second figure glanced around one last time, as if trying to look inconspicuous. Inside, seven or eight other individuals were waiting, with guns and knives on the table—clearly not the friendly type.

"Is that… a devil fruit?" one of them asked, spotting the box.

"Yes. I'm offering it to you. Interested?"

"For free? Yeah, right. No way you'd give us something that sold for 10 million without a catch."

The two strangers just shrugged. "What good is 10 million when we can't take it out without someone robbing us? Isn't that what's happening now?"

"Robbing you? When did we—"

"Right now."

With that, both strangers dropped, slumping to the floor unconscious. The others exchanged confused looks until one realized, "No! This is a setup!"

The man rushed to open the suitcase. Inside, he found only apples instead of a devil fruit. Anger flared. "Those two set us up as scapegoats!"

Fuming, he raised a gun and fired in frustration.

"We've been tricked! They must have taken the real devil fruit. After them!"

Just as he shouted, the door burst open, and a team of security guards entered, led by the same middle-aged man from earlier. Taking in the scene, his face darkened.

"You know the rules: no fights in the auction house."

"It wasn't us!" one of the men protested, nervously eyeing the smoking gun in his hand.

"Oh? Then what's that in your hand?" The middle-aged man's expression hardened, remembering how much was at stake with John's devil fruit.

The leader of the group swore, "This isn't over! We'll tear this place down!"

Ignoring their threats, the middle-aged man ordered his security team to arrest them all. The men tried to resist, but in seconds, the guards had them restrained.

"Just wait," one of the restrained men snarled. "This isn't the last you'll see of us!"

Unfazed, the middle-aged man took them all to the dungeons, silently hoping this trouble wouldn't lead to John's wrath. Just as he was sealing them in, John's voice echoed in his mind: "Don't kill them—just keep them detained."

Relieved, the middle-aged man did as instructed, locking the rowdy group securely. With that settled, he stepped outside and, in a quiet corner, took out his phone to make a call. This was just one of several auctions where John had secretly arranged for devil fruits to be smuggled to the Dragon Kingdom, using similar clever tricks.

Later, as word of the devil fruit auction spread, videos of the bidding frenzy went viral. With several livestreamers capturing the scene, the clips quickly circulated online.

"This is insane! They paid 10 million for a devil fruit?"

"I can't believe I sold mine for only 2 million! What a rip-off!"

"It's not that John doesn't know how to make money. He's just making sure no other game companies stand a chance!"

"And to think—there are thousands of devil fruits left. If each one sells, imagine the fortune to be made!"

One user even shared a secret, "Did you know? Devil fruits can regenerate, so they can be sold over and over!"

A/N: Thanks for reading, donate some power stones for extra chapters.

Also check out my Patreon if you want extra chapters up to chapter 76: Patreon.com/AncestorX

Enjoy ✌️.