The Terror of the Pirates

In just half a month, the news that a Devil Fruit was about to be auctioned in Mad Hatter Town had spread across most of the West Blue.

In an instant, pirates eager for power flocked to the place.

Especially the captains of pirate crews who were already preparing to enter the Grand Line were determined to obtain it.

What does a Devil Fruit mean?

Only these seasoned pirates, who are about to break into new territory, can truly understand its value.

On the other hand, the Navy branch in the West Blue naturally also caught wind of this news.

However, troop deployment is an unavoidable weakness of the Navy branch, so even if they knew, there was little they could do.

After all, this is the West Blue, not the Grand Line.

Regardless of priorities, as one of the Four Seas, the West Blue's vast sea area is in no way comparable to the Grand Line.

Accordingly, this also means that the Navy branch of the West Blue needs to disperse the vast majority of its forces throughout the region to protect the safety of the people within its jurisdiction.

If the scattered forces were to be mobilized, there would be no problem with instant messaging and ordering, but the timeliness simply couldn't keep up.

The most difficult problem still comes from the constant threat of pirates.

Unlike the Navy, which needs to be stationed in one place to maintain law and order, pirates do not stick together. Instead, they can move freely around the world.

As soon as they see an opportunity for profit, they swarm like locusts.

Once the Navy arrives, they flee without looking back and then head to the next profitable location.

Under such circumstances, rashly dispatching troops would only give those locust-like pirates the opportunity to do as they please.

Therefore, compared to the threat posed by individual pirate crews, the sheer number of pirates is what sets the pirates of the Four Seas apart from those of the Grand Line, and it is a problem that deeply worries the Navy branch.

Of course, due to various factors such as local customs and cultural differences, the number of Navy troops in each jurisdiction of the West Blue varies.

Excluding some ineffective Navy vermin, in some jurisdictions with sufficient manpower, the Navy coordinates surplus personnel into a mobile force whose main task is to pursue and arrest fleeing pirates.

This kind of Navy force, unrestricted by jurisdiction, often strikes fear into the hearts of pirates.

But while effective, it treats the symptoms rather than the root cause.

And for a place like Mad Hatter Town, with its deep-rooted connections, what can these forces really do?

It's like a gun-toting sheriff barging into the lair of ten thugs.

Due to the deterrent effect of the gun, the ten thugs in the lair might voluntarily surrender.

But if a gun-toting sheriff barges into the lair of hundreds of thugs, the result is self-evident.

To break this situation, the Navy Headquarters would need to send a force capable of tipping the balance.

However, the turmoil caused by a single Devil Fruit is not enough to justify such a mobilization.

Although the West Blue Navy branch is unable to deal a strong blow to Mad Hatter Town, various eyes and ears remain firmly focused on the town.

Inability to act does not mean doing nothing.

Mad Hatter Auction House

Mad Hatter Island, Mad Hatter Town, Mad Hatter Auction House.

As the name suggests, the building of the auction house resembles a top hat lying on the ground.

For example:

The first and second floors of the auction house are like the brim of the hat, covering the largest area and serving as the main venue for auctions.

To increase capacity, the design style of the auction house is similar to that of a regular opera house.

Therefore, the second floor can actually be classified as part of the first floor.

The levels above grow smaller as they ascend.

The room at the top of the auction house naturally belongs to the owner, who controls the auction house.

As the pinnacle of the auction house, the room is decorated in a flamboyant manner, exuding the air of a nouveau riche.

The wall facing the center of the street is covered in coated floor-to-ceiling glass windows, in front of which is a European-style table set in a deep red color scheme.

The Devil Fruit, which would be auctioned off in ten days, rested quietly on the table, cushioned with a layer of soft cloth to highlight its preciousness.

A middle-aged, burly man with an oiled-back haircut, a cigar in his mouth, and a red suit sat in the armchair.

This man was the owner of the auction house, Lucius Ralph.

"A mere wave of the hand can make the pack of wolves go wild. This is the charm of the Devil Fruit," Ralph said, reclining on the sofa. His eyes were cold and dark, stripped of humanity, with few ordinary emotions showing.

Opposite him, a man sneered, "This is why I went to all the trouble of bringing the Devil Fruit back from the Grand Line. Just a single transfer to a different location can cause its value to skyrocket several times over. There are so few good deals like this in the world."

Ralph's eyelids concealed his gaze as he looked at the smug face of the man through the smoke he exhaled. He didn't bother to correct the man's misconception.

In this world, there are plenty of good deals.

Doubling the value of a single Devil Fruit is more of a marketing effect than a result of the deal itself.

Ralph stubbed out the glowing end of his cigar with his finger and said lightly, "The starting price is 100 million, and the final price should be 1 billion or more."

"That much?" the man asked, clearly taken aback and trusting Ralph's judgment.

Ralph glanced at the Devil Fruit on the table and said, "The few giants in the underworld of the West Blue don't care about this Devil Fruit, but the five major gangs are determined to get it. So, the one who can afford to bid for it will only be one of them. Do you know what that means?"

Without waiting for the man to answer, Ralph continued, "It means that as long as the bidding is normal, the price will only continue to rise until it reaches the limit they can bear. Of course, that's assuming no one is secretly pulling strings. As for those pirates swarming around, they're just there to make up the numbers and give away money."

Hearing Ralph's words, the man became interested.

"So, who do you think is most likely to take the fruit among the five major gangs?"

"Gang Becky," Ralph replied without hesitation.

Thor's Weapons Shop

After half a month, Alex's injuries had mostly healed. With the big meals every day, there was no sign of thinness on his face.

His complexion was rosy and healthy, a stark contrast to the pale and haggard look he had when he first woke up.

Alex, now fully recovered, removed the bandages and deliberately looked in the mirror.

The original sickly appearance was gone, replaced by a face full of vitality. The negative effect of the bandages concealing his eyebrows was also gone.

After looking in the mirror, Alex unexpectedly discovered that he was actually quite handsome.

At the same time, he also finally found a second prey—his neighbor.