44 Devil fruit!

".. With that the twin blades shall begin at the low low price of 75000 belle!!" The auctioneer roared as he brought the gravel down, indicating the beginning of the money slinging fest that began with a flurry.

"Oi cap, you think we need this?" Fawkes asked motioning at the blades on display. "Nah, not really, let's just mess with all the guys in the auction though!" I replied with a deep chuckle resounding through the room as the other inhabitants shivered.

"There the guest in the bottom row has called out the price of 76000 belli! Now there with the price of 80000 Belli the VIP corner begin moving, obviously anxious to join the bidding war, and already they are trumped with the price of 85000 Belli called out by VIP room 6!

Oh the man in the bottom rows has not given up yet! With a call of 87000 Belli the man rejoins the battle!! Oh ho with the call of 95000 the honest guest from room four also joins the ship!!

The guest from the room 8 too calls in their bid of 98000 belli!! Again with the price of 100000 belli the guest in room number 6 returns!..." the auctioneer roared, riding the wave that was the vibe of hype that had taken the hall by storm.

The roars of people both calling out and cheering grew louder egged on by the overly excited auctioneer who had by now chosen to raise his hand into the sky and begun acting like a famous music artist at his own concert.

However, after a period of money induced madness, the room once again cooled over into a semblance of what it used to be, save for the excitement that this round had brought to the fore. The price had finally been decided on the mark of an overly high 190000 belli, much to Fawkes' chagrin and Terrick's utter awe.

"Now then ladies and gentlemen, to one of the three attractions of this event, let us go on to one of the world famous and mysterious Devil Fruits.

This particular fruit was found on the crags of one of the islands in North Blue. The island called No man's Jetty!!

The old place was once owned by a fallen noble, who decided to gift it to the now Mayor of the peaceful town. This fruit was thus traded with us by the kindly man, when we convinced him that it would do no good with him~

Thus Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first gamble of the evening!" He roared with a lot of gusto as he waved his hands through the air.

"Let's identify that fruit… well let's see here.." I said as I scrutinized the fruit with the aid of my devil fruit. "That is a paramecia… the Vacuum fruit!!" I chuckled out, my eyes glimmering with barely concealed surprise.

"Hoh.. So I take it you want it?" Terrick asked, taking his eyes off Sorren with whom he had been having what looked like an enjoyable conversation.

"Without further ado, let us begin the auction with the low price of 80000 belli!" the auctioneer said, firing a look of anxious waiting at the VIP boxes, who to his happiness did not disappoint, after all what was being sold was a genuine Devil fruit.

"90000 belli!" the person from room 8 called out, a barely concealed wanting present in their voice. "Hoh, how could we let a brat like you take such an item, 100000 belli!!" an old voice called out from room 6.

"Hoh… Mister is being really cruel! 120000 belli!" the voice from room number 8 called out, a degree of sharpness in their tone.

"How could you let out yours truly from this chance to squander! 150000 belli~" I called out lazily, letting my voice carry to the corners of the hall, dripping with a level of bitchiness I did not know I possessed.

"The guest is joking. how could this be an opportunity to squander, here we have a once in a lifetime opportunity! 160000 belli!" a disembodied voice from room 1 called out pleasantly.

but I could hear an undertone of warning fired to both me and all the other guests as a collective. The guest in room number 6 (who had just decided to cast their own call) and 7, wisely, or unwisely shut up. I on the other hand, only grinned lightly as I looked at my fellow co patriots, "Mister is right, you have opened my eyes. so of course how could I drop this item now? 180000 belli!" I replied in the same pleasant voice that had just been aimed at me.

"Oi Terrick your boss is in room number 1 isn't he? Want to mess with him??" I asked, this time in a softer voice, wagging my eyebrows at the man that sat at the room's corner. "HEhe, with pleasure~!" Terrick said in a weird sing song voice that dripped with a level of venom I had only ever heard from my father as he talked about people who wasted food.

"I am glad that the fellow guest is so perceptive. Nonetheless I ask that the guest relinquish this item to maintain a good relationship with me, the head of the San jam family! 200000" he barked, this time in a clipped and spoiled tone.

"Oh mister jam, I must introduce you to my dear friend bread! 201000!" I said before chuckling to myself darkly.

"Oi Sorren go deliver this letter to Armand" I said as I hastily scribbled a note and sent it along on its way.

A sweat whistle could be heard through the walls from the next room as Armand read the letter and put two and two together. Sorren returned two minutes later to the sound of the gravel falling. the annoying jam would now personally gift to me the devil fruit that he had bought at the exorbitant price of 240000 belli!

"Now then, ladies and gentlemen, let us move onto the first file of slaves of the evening-" and here Terrick tensed- " the ones put on sale by the Gambino family, the fisherman and the wolf kin cub!"