Uchiha Puppet Master, Starting from One Piece.

Uchiha Hakuba didn't move his feet any further. His crimson Sharingan was fully open, and the three tomoe in his pupils spun rapidly.

He didn't speak, but simply raised his hand and pressed down on the short knife at his waist. The subtle metallic scraping sound and the intense killing intent of the man made the men in suits who were beating the old man freeze instantly.

The bald man at the head of the group suddenly turned around and saw Bai Yu's intimidating eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily, but he still roared, his voice trembling with fear, "Kid, you want to meddle in other people's business? Do you know who we are?"

"Whose person it is has nothing to do with me."

Uchiha Hakuba's voice was calm, but he had already taken a step forward, and an invisible killing intent spread out, making the surrounding air several degrees colder.

"Get out of my way, I won't kill you."

The bald man was about to utter some more threats when he saw Nicole Robin release Connor's hand, cross her arms, and several slender arms suddenly emerged from the ground, precisely gripping the ankles of the men in suits.

"Ah—!" Screams rose and fell as several men lost their balance and tumbled to the ground.

Connor ran to the old man's side, carefully helped him up, and took out a candy from his pocket and handed it to him: "Grandpa, this is for you, it's sweet."

The old man looked at the little girl in front of him, tears welling up in his cloudy eyes, and he trembled as he accepted the candy.

The bald man struggled to get up, but Robin's ability held him firmly in place, preventing him from moving.

He cursed angrily, just then a series of orderly footsteps approached from afar.

Thus, Nico Robin also unlocked the power of her Devil Fruit.

This sudden turn of events caught the bald man and his group completely off guard.

The auctioneers arrived quickly, their footsteps shattering the silence at the end of the alley.

The leader was a tall, thin man in a black suit, his forehead beaded with cold sweat. When he saw the people lying on the ground groaning beside Uchiha Shiraha, his expression turned very grim.

He rushed over in three strides, bowed deeply to Bai Yu, his waist almost touching his knees: "Sir, I'm so sorry! It's because our management wasn't strict enough that these ignorant things offended you!"

Before he could finish speaking, he turned around abruptly and shouted at his men, "Drag all these people blocking the way away! Lock them in the dungeon to reflect on their actions. No one is to be released without my order."

The men dared not delay. They hurriedly lifted the men off the ground and dragged them out of the alley, leaving behind only a series of muffled pleas for mercy before they quickly disappeared into the night.

The man in the black suit straightened up, a fawning smile plastered on his face, his tone becoming increasingly respectful: "Sir, the auction venue is ready. I will take you and your friend there now."

The old man beside him also stepped forward with his cane, bowing repeatedly to Bai Yu and his group, his cloudy eyes full of gratitude: "Thank you so much for your help. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have died here today."

Bai Yu nodded slightly, saying nothing, but gave Nico Robin and Matsumoto Rangiku a look.

The two understood and followed him, passing through a long corridor with a red carpet along the side entrance of the auction house. At the end of the corridor was a gilded door with intricate carvings. Faintly, melodious music and whispers could be heard from behind the door. That was the main hall of this underground auction.

As it stands, it is clear that the auction has not yet begun.

The gilded doors were slowly pushed open by a waiter, and a cacophony of noise and warm fragrance wafted out. The auction hall was a soaring circular hall with crystal chandeliers hanging down like a waterfall of stars. A scarlet carpet stretched from the entrance to the central auction stage, and the surrounding soft seats were already filled with elegantly dressed guests. The hushed whispers and the clinking of wine glasses created a languid background ambiance.

Uchiha Hakuba, accompanied by Robin and Rangiku, walked straight to the front row with the best view, led by the man in the black suit.

After the three were seated, the waiter immediately served chilled champagne and delicate desserts.

Rangiku Matsumoto observed the attire of the surrounding guests with great interest.

As for Nico Robin, she was flipping through the auction catalog in her hand.

To her disappointment, the people in this country didn't seem very interested in knowledge.

Before long, the lights suddenly focused on the auction stage, and the auctioneer, dressed in a tuxedo, walked onto the stage with a smile, tapping the table lightly with his gavel. The entire room fell silent instantly.

"Welcome to this auction."

The auctioneer's voice was loud and penetrating.

"First up are a collection of priceless paintings, calligraphy and antiques."

The first item up for auction was an ancient ink landscape painting. When the scroll was unfurled, towering peaks and ridges leaped off the page. After it sold for a high price, a series of luxury items followed, including a lustrous blue and white porcelain vase, an exquisitely carved jade ruyi, a watch inlaid with gemstones, and limited-edition jewelry.

Bidding sounds rose and fell from the audience, with paddles being raised one after another. Only Bai Yu and his two companions remained seated and motionless. Rangiku listlessly swirled her wine glass, while Robin closed the catalog and looked up at the auction stage.

This continued for nearly an hour. After all the paintings, calligraphy, and luxury goods had been auctioned off, the auctioneer suddenly lowered his voice, a hint of excitement flashing in his eyes: "The next item will be our third grand finale weapon, the Fine Blade - Snow Clearing!"

Two waiters carried a long wooden box up to the stage and carefully opened it.

Chapter 33 A Swift and Fine Blade After the Snow

The appearance of Xue Ji in the display case at the center of the auction stage caused everyone in the room to hold their breath for a moment.

Although most of the people present did not need such a weapon.

"The Swift Blade Snow Clears, starting price one million Berries! Bidding begins now!"

"One million one hundred thousand!" A burly man in a black cloak in the front row was the first to raise his sign, clearly not wanting others to know his true identity.

"One million three hundred thousand!" Someone in the right-hand box immediately placed a bid, increasing the price by two hundred thousand. Clearly, they were after the rarity of the knife, or perhaps the people in the box genuinely needed such a weapon.

As for Uchiha Hakuba, he was moved to a private room on the second floor not long after the auction started.

After all, you can't eat freely in the lobby downstairs.

Matsumoto Rangiku, like Lanina, had a lollipop in her mouth and propped her elbows on the table: "The bidding started at one million and it keeps going up. It seems that quick bidders are really popular."

Connor held a bowl of strawberry pudding, scooping it out in small bites, and mumbled, "It's a pity it's not with Connor. Connor has a lot of knives he collects."

Bai Yu chuckled softly. As expected of a dragon, it likes to collect all sorts of things. Just as he was about to speak, the bidding downstairs had already soared to three million.

"Three and a half million!"

"Four million!" The bidding from the left-hand box sounded somewhat nonchalant, yet it instantly drowned out the clamor of the entire room.

As a result, many smaller factions that were originally eager to try their luck have backed down.

Four million Berries is enough to buy a decent ship or the mining rights to a small mine for a few months. To spend so much money on a knife, even a good one, is really not worth it.

The burly man in the black cloak gritted his teeth, about to raise the price again, when a clear, cold voice suddenly rang out from a private room on the second floor: "Five million."

The sound wasn't loud, but it carried clearly throughout the entire auction hall.

The entire room fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes turned to the second floor—where sat Uchiha Shiraha, who had been silent until now.

"Five million?!" The auctioneer's eyes lit up like light bulbs, and his voice rose an octave. "This distinguished guest has bid five million Berries! Is there a higher offer?"

The burly man in the black cloak turned pale and then red, his hand gripping the bidding paddle trembling slightly, before he finally reluctantly put it down.

His follower whispered, "Boss, five million is too much of a loss. Our ship doesn't need such expensive weapons. Why not give the brothers more money?"

The burly man spat fiercely and said nothing more.

Just when everyone thought the bidding was about to end, a voice came from the private room on the right: "Five million five hundred thousand."

Even Robin put down the nautical chart in his hand and looked with great interest in the direction of the private room: "Looks like we've met our match."

Rangiku raised an eyebrow: "Shiraha, should we follow suit? This price is probably overvalued."

Uchiha Hakuba raised his eyes, a faint smile flashing in them: "Six million."

When the waiter loudly announced the price, gasps of astonishment filled the auction hall.

Six million! My God! Is this insane?

"Whose young master is that? He's incredibly generous!"

"Judging from the location of the private room... they must be new here!"

A buzz of discussion spread, and the people in the right-hand VIP box seemed surprised that Bai Yu would raise the price so drastically. They remained silent for a full half minute before their voices rang out again: "Six million five hundred thousand!"

"It's not something that's too hard to earn. After all, any few big pirates in the West Blue can make us a fortune."

Bai Yu picked up his teacup, took a sip of the warm tea, and said in a calm tone, as if he were talking about the weather: "Seven million."

"Seven—million—billions—!" The auctioneer's voice trembled, his hand gripping the gavel shaking with excitement. "This distinguished guest has bid seven million Berries! Is there any higher bid?!"

Seven million!

This number exploded like a thunderbolt in the auction house.

The previously buzzing crowd fell completely silent. Everyone's gaze, filled with shock, envy, or disbelief, was fixed intently on the private room where Bai Yu was. No further sound came from the room to the right; they had clearly given up completely.

The burly man in the black cloak sat in a chair, muttering to himself, "Crazy... utterly crazy... Seven million for a knife, and my bounty is only..."

After finishing the last bite of pudding, Kanna clapped her hands and said, "Brother Baiyu... is rich."

Uchiha Hakuba chuckled softly without saying a word, his gaze returning to the auction stage downstairs.

The auctioneer took a deep breath and slammed the gavel down with all his might: "Sold! Xueji, for a hard-won price of seven million, belongs to this distinguished guest on the second floor!"

The moment the gavel fell, thunderous applause erupted throughout the arena, mixed with waves of gasps of amazement.

Those gazes held awe, curiosity, and a hint of inexplicable apprehension. Someone who could casually unleash seven million units of energy was definitely not someone they could afford to provoke.

But these surprised people were not the buyers the auction house really wanted to cater to.

After all, the grand finale at the end of the day is the Devil Fruit.

The waiter hurried into the private room and bowed respectfully: "Distinguished guest, your auctioned item will be delivered to your room shortly. Would you like to pay now, or..."

"Pay now."

Bai Yu said calmly, flicking his finger, and a crystal card landed in the waiter's hand.

The afterglow of the auction of the fine and fast sword Xueji had not yet dissipated when the auctioneer strode onto the stage carrying a box inlaid with gold and jade. The box was wrapped tightly in a layer of black velvet, but it still could not stop the eyes of true connoisseurs.

"Distinguished guests! The next item is our auction house's most prized possession: a Zoan-type Devil Fruit of unknown species!"

These words immediately caused an uproar in the room.

"A Devil Fruit?! A Zoan-type?"

"My God! This is a legendary item! Eating it will grant you Devil Fruit powers! Although I knew it was mentioned at the auction, wasn't it just a publicity stunt all along?"

"Don't get excited, let's hear the bottom price first—"

The auctioneer paused deliberately, looking at the burning gazes of the crowd below, and announced loudly, "Starting price: one hundred million Berries!"

A collective gasp filled the air. One hundred million Berries—a sum enough to bankrupt even a small kingdom's king. Compared to that, the seven million Berries Bloodstained Blade had struggled with seemed insignificant. Many people instantly deflated, their fervor replaced by resignation—this price was simply beyond their reach.

Of course, that's what Devil Fruits are all about. No matter what kind of Devil Fruit it is, its price is at least 100 million Berries.

A sharp sword might be useless in the hands of an ordinary person, but a Devil Fruit is different; it can quickly make an ordinary person stronger.

Chapter 34 Devil Fruits

Just then, on the back of the first floor, a man in a sharp suit with a fierce face slowly raised his bidding paddle.