Chapter 186

The auctioneer stepped onto the stage, his voice booming through the grand auction theater. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached the final item of tonight's extraordinary auction. Feast your eyes on the mythical Zoan Devil Fruit!"

A velvet-draped pedestal was wheeled onto the stage, and with a dramatic flourish, the auctioneer unveiled the fruit. Its surface shimmered with an ethereal light, and its intricate patterns seemed almost alive, radiating an aura of immense power. The crowd gasped collectively, and a tense silence followed.

"The starting bid is five billion berries, with increments of one hundred million berries," the auctioneer announced. The starting price left many in the audience stunned. Five billion berries was a fortune few could afford, even among the powerful and wealthy gathered here.

Charlotte Smoothie wasted no time. "Five billion berries!" she called out, her voice ringing with authority. The audience gasped again, stunned by her immediate bid.

Before anyone could digest the enormity of Smoothie's bid, another voice rang out, "5.1 billion!" The bidding war had begun.

"5.2 billion!" another contender shouted, determined to get a piece of the action.

The bids came in rapid succession, escalating quickly. The intensity of the bidding reflected the value placed on the mythical Zoan fruit. Everyone knew that those who consumed such fruits had become legendary figures: Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Hundred Beasts Kaido, Marco the Phoenix—each a powerhouse in their own right.

"5.5 billion!" called out a king from a North Blue kingdom, his voice tinged with desperation.

"5.7 billion!" came a bid from a wealthy underworld figure, his eyes gleaming with greed.

"6 billion!" shouted another, raising the stakes even higher.

The auction hall was electric with tension. Each bid seemed to set the air crackling with anticipation. Shanks watched the proceedings with a keen eye, his crew around him feeling the weight of the moment. Buggy was jittery, nervously glancing at the other participants.

"6.2 billion!" Smoothie's voice rang out again, her face impassive, but her eyes sharp. She was not one to be easily outbid, especially when the stakes were this high.

Just when it seemed the bidding might end with Smoothie's victory, a new voice broke through the tension. "6.3 billion!" Shanks called out, his tone casual but firm.

All eyes turned to the lower area, where Shanks and his crew were seated. Buggy nearly choked in shock, his face turning pale. "Shanks! Are you crazy?!" he hissed, but Shanks only chuckled, his gaze never wavering from the stage.

Smoothie's expression soured, her calm demeanor slipping for a moment. She glared at Shanks, clearly annoyed.

"6.5 billion!" The voice that followed tore through the commotion like a blade. It was Doflamingo; his smirk was evident even from across the room. All eyes shifted back to the VIP box, where the Donquixote pirates sat.

Smoothie gritted her teeth; her irritation was palpable. She raised her paddle, her voice ringing out again, "6.7 billion!" But before she could even finish her bid, Doflamingo's voice cut through again.

"7 billion!" he declared, leaning back in his chair with an air of supreme confidence.

Smoothie's eyes narrowed. She understood immediately that Doflamingo was toying with her, pushing her buttons. She glanced at the balcony where Doflamingo sat, her anger evident. The longstanding grudges between the Big Mom Pirates and the Donquixote Pirates were well known throughout the New World, and her brother Katakuri had warned her not to clash with either of the Donquixote brothers without ample preparation.

"Doflamingo, are you dead set on opposing the Big Mom Pirates?" Smoothie's grip tightened on the balcony railing, her immense strength warping the metal. The display of her devil fruit's power astonished those unfamiliar with its true horror.

Doflamingo merely laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the hall. "Fufufufu, if your Big Mom Pirates cannot afford to buy the fruit, then you should just leave. This is a place reserved for civilized people." He turned his attention back to the stage, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.

Smoothie's fury was evident, but she knew better than to engage him here. The CP0 presence complicated matters, and she could not afford a direct confrontation; if not for their presence, she wouldn't even have bothered attending the auction and would have simply demanded everything from the Germa Kingdom.

Instead, she turned her gaze back to the stage, the bidding war far from over. The room buzzed with a mix of excitement and trepidation, with the outcome of this auction likely to send ripples through the world of pirates and beyond.

The bidding war was relentless, an intense back-and-forth between the Big Mom Pirates and the Donquixote Pirates. The tension in the auction hall was palpable as the stakes climbed higher with each bid.

"Going once... Going twice... Going thrice... and sold!" the auctioneer proclaimed, slamming the gavel down three times. "The Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, the treasure of tonight's auction, goes to the Donquixote Pirates for 8.2 billion berries!"

The crowd erupted in a mixture of applause and gasps. Many began to clear the auction venue, sensing something ominous in the air. The Vinsmoke family abandoned any pretense of subtlety; they had received the go-ahead to move. Their objective was clear: to prevent any of Doflamingo's men from interfering while the CP0 agents took down the Heavenly Demon himself.

As the auction hall emptied, only the successful bidders remained. Doflamingo stood, a chuckle escaping his lips as blue flames danced around him. His bodyguards, the cloaked figures behind him, also rose to their feet.

"Fufufu, so you couldn't hold back any longer, could you?" Doflamingo's voice dripped with mocking amusement as he turned his attention toward Vinsmoke Judge, who appeared uneasy. Judge had already mobilized his ten-thousand-strong force to blockade the venue, but they were conspicuously absent.

"Still waiting on your forces, Vinsmoke? Don't worry about them; they won't make it here," Doflamingo said with a sinister grin. Judge, wanting to know what was happening, chose to stand his ground, ready to confront Doflamingo alongside the CP0 agents.

Doflamingo then fixed his gaze on the CP0 leader, his eyes narrowing as the blue flames turned a menacing purple. "Finally, we meet, Marcus! Or is that your real name?" he sneered.

The CP0 leader, Marcus, removed his mask with a chuckle. "Nice to meet you again, Master Doffy," he taunted. Behind Doflamingo, Senor and Diamante tensed with anger beneath their cloaks. Marcus was the man who had betrayed the Donquixote family, bringing them to their knees and causing countless deaths.

"You knew this was a trap and still came. You're as reckless as ever, Master Doffy!" Marcus chuckled, his eyes vigilant, as he gestured for the other CP0 agents to move.

Suddenly, Charlotte Smoothie leapt from her position, aiming straight for Doflamingo. "You guys don't mind if I take his head, right?" She moved with blinding speed, but a Haki-coated fist punched her squarely in the face.

"Bara Bara Blaster!" Buggy bellowed, his punch sending Smoothie reeling. Before the Big Mom Pirates could react to the detached fist that had sent their commander flying, Shanks and his crew descended upon them, snatching the three items they had won from the auction. Chaos erupted as the entire venue descended into a frenzy.

"Soru!" Marcus moved with blinding speed, appearing before Doflamingo and throwing a punch. Doflamingo easily blocked it, his arms coated with Haki.

"Crash!" The roof collapsed as Hector tore through the ceiling, his massive axe aimed directly at Doflamingo. Senor and Diamante moved swiftly, Diamante unsheathing his blade and Senor coating his entire body with Armament haki. They clashed with Hector, pushing him back.

"Fufufu! Let's not have others disturb our fight now, shall we?" Doflamingo chuckled, his eyes filled with wrath.

"Fire Fist!" A blazing beam of purple flames tore through the venue. Marcus dodged easily but was surprised at how quickly Doflamingo had grown in strength. He was sure from the initial exchange that Doflamingo was now an Admiral-level powerhouse.

"You should have brought more people with you, Master Doffy. Now!" Marcus bellowed, and the six other CP0 agents moved in. Although they weren't Admiral-level fighters, their combined effort would surely bring any Admiral level powerhouse down. Marcus wasn't worried about the Germa army not showing up; he had already signaled the Marines to blockade the island, ensuring Doflamingo's downfall.

"Fufufu, Marcus, oh Marcus! Did you think I wouldn't learn from my past failures? Do you think I'm unaware of the Germa army and the Marines?" The CP0 agents closed in on Doflamingo, but he seemed unfazed, clashing relentlessly with Marcus, blue flames tearing through the once-pristine venue.

"You may have the quantity, Marcus, but I have brought in the big guns!" As the other six CP0 agents closed in, another cloaked figure moved. An intense storm blew through, tearing the entire venue down and throwing the CP0 agents out.

"I will leave them to you! Just make sure you don't let them interfere with the fight," Doflamingo chuckled as he turned to the man whose sheer presence kept the remaining CP0 agents in check. Hundreds of revolutionaries rushed into the Germa Kingdom, clashing with the underworld members and the Germa guards, who had formed a perimeter around the now-destroyed venue.

Doflamingo had reached out to his little brother for help, and Ross had pulled in the big guns, including some extra precautions just in case.

"Monkey D. Dragon!" one of the CP0 agents exclaimed in shock as the man finally revealed himself. "Why are you interfering with the matters of the World Government? And aren't you aware that Doflamingo is a notorious pirate?"

Dragon normally wouldn't have moved to help Doflamingo, but the offer Rosinante made was too good to overlook. The Revolutionaries needed massive resources to gain a steady footing, and Rosinante had promised them access to high-end weapons exclusive to the Donquixote Family.

Ross's offer was simple: the more men Dragon deployed, the more resources he would get. This deal also included access to Vinsmoke's research, including cloned bio-engineered soldiers. Even Dragon was tempted by such an offer.

Marcus was completely taken aback, his meticulously laid plans crumbling. "Majestic Flame Destroyer!" Doflamingo wasn't going to let Marcus collect himself, pushing him back with a massive torrent of flames that threatened to consume everything in its path.

The clash soon segregated into various zones: Doflamingo versus Marcus, Senor and Diamante versus Hector, Judge and the underworld members versus the Revolutionaries. The entire Germa Kingdom was now in chaos. Even the Big Mom Pirates were clashing with the Red-Hair Pirates, realizing too late how wrong they were to underestimate them.

"Vinsmoke, you bastard! Where are your forces? Did you not promise us ten thousand soldiers? I barely see a hundred!" An underworld boss bellowed as he shot at yet another Revolutionary while hiding behind a crate.

Vinsmoke Judge was in a dilemma, trying to reach his troops with no response. Amid the chaos, he couldn't send people to check the warehouse where his troops were stationed.

Unbeknownst to most, a figure danced through the ten-thousand bio-engineered soldiers. Dracule Mihawk was cutting down scores of enemies as Yoru tore through the bio-soldiers. Wave tactics were a joke to him. After challenging multiple swordsmen throughout the world, his Yoru started showing signs of blackening, but something seemed missing.

He needed a clash to break through his limits, and Ross's call came at the right time. In exchange for helping his brother, Ross had promised to fight him until Mihawk was satisfied. Luckily for Mihawk, he was in the Calm Belt connecting North Blue and the New World, so he arrived just in time.

Doflamingo had asked him to stop all the Germa forces without damaging the research facilities too much, as they were promised to the Revolutionaries. Although Mihawk held no allegiance to Doflamingo, as Ross's brother, he didn't mind lending some assistance. An all-out clash with Ross was something he needed to cross his current threshold.

The auction had devolved into a battlefield, with allegiances and rivalries clashing in a symphony of chaos. The world would remember this night, a night when power, ambition, and betrayal collided in a spectacle of destruction and fury.

"Shanks! You bastard, if I die here, I will haunt you as a ghost forever!" Buggy yelled, deflecting yet another furious attack from Charlotte Smoothie. Her rage was palpable; her observation Haki had failed to detect the fist that had struck her earlier, leaving her feeling insulted.

Though Shanks was the strongest among the Red-Hair crew, she targeted Buggy relentlessly. Despite his disadvantage, Buggy held his own, and whenever Smoothie was about to deliver a fatal blow, a member of the Red-Hair crew would intervene.

Yassop, in particular, was a menace, his sharpshooting skills countering every advantage the Big Mom Pirates attempted to seize.

Shanks, meanwhile, focused on securing the treasures from the auction. He knew that Charlotte Smoothie alone couldn't pose a significant threat to his crew, especially with Buggy's uncanny luck. Moments after the clash began, the auction venue lay in ruins, completely demolished by the ongoing battle.

The most intense confrontation was between Doflamingo and Marcus. The entire floating kingdom of Germa was engulfed in war, and chaos spread rapidly.

Doflamingo's laughter echoed through the air, his purple flames flickering menacingly. "Marcus! Did you ever think you'd have a day where you'd be haunted by the people you condemned? Mark my words, I will walk out of here with your head as my prize."

"Hell's Wrath!" he bellowed, and a majestic tide of blue flames crashed down, threatening to engulf everything within hundreds of meters of where Marcus stood.

Marcus smirked, his eyes gleaming with a cold, calculating light. "Master Doffy, don't become too complacent. You're not the only one with a Logia Devil Fruit."

"Eternal Swamp!" he roared, and suddenly, a flowing swamp rose from the ground, matching the size of the incoming sea of purplish flames. The two forces of nature clashed ferociously, the swamp trying to smother the flames while the intensity of the flames fought to keep burning strong.

"Tch!" Marcus clicked his tongue in annoyance as he dodged a massive spear of flames launched by Doflamingo. He realized the enemy's mastery of flames was phenomenal, managing to even overpower the damp soil from which the swamp was made.

The surrounding area crackled with heat and steam as the swamp's moisture evaporated in the face of the intense flames. The sky above the battlefield glowed with an eerie light, a testament to the power of the clashing elements.

Doflamingo's grin widened as he saw the strain on Marcus's face and channeled more flames into the attack. "What's wrong, Marcus? Is this the best you can do? Fufufu!"

Marcus's eyes narrowed, his mind racing. He had underestimated Doflamingo's control over his flames.

With a swift motion, Marcus thrust his hands forward, and the swamp surged with renewed vigor, tendrils of thick, mucky liquid snaking through the air towards Doflamingo.

"You're not the only one who can create chaos!" Marcus shouted, his voice echoing through the battlefield.

Doflamingo met the challenge head-on, his body a blur of motion as he danced through the swamp's tendrils, slicing through them with flaming whips conjured from his hands. Each of them was using their observation haki to their very limits to gain an advantage over each other. Their fists coated with haki clashed, sending ripples after ripples of devastation every time they clashed.

The ground beneath them shuddered as the two forces collided, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. The remnants of the auction house crumbled under the strain; the already devastated venue now a battleground of elemental fury.

In the midst of this, Dragon observed, his expression unreadable, he was easily able to keep the remaining CP0 agents in check. "So, this is the extent of Doflamingo's power," he mused, his eyes flickering with a hint of intrigue.

As the battle raged on, Doflamingo's laughter continued to resonate. "Come, Marcus! Let's see if you can handle the true power of the Heavenly Demon!"

Suddenly, a burst of Conqueror's Haki rippled throughout the floating kingdom. Doflamingo channeled all his raw fury into his haki, red lightning crackling around him. The sheer pressure pushed Marcus back a dozen meters, his footing faltering under the oppressive force.

"Inferno: Ninth Hell!" Doflamingo roared. The ground beneath Marcus caved in, causing him to stumble. From the massive crater, a purplish pillar of flame erupted, as if the fire had ascended from the very depths of hell itself.

"Tekkai!" Marcus bellowed, wrapping himself in a layer of Armament haki and creating a protective swamp core. The flames engulfed everything, turning the battlefield into an inferno.

The intense heat scorched the air, and the roar of the flames drowned out all other sounds. Marcus gritted his teeth, feeling the pressure of the flames against his defenses. The purple fire licked at his Haki-coated skin; the heat was almost unbearable. But he held firm, his swamp core absorbing and dampening the impact.

*****

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Currently updated until Chapter 242.

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