"Cough, cough, next up is the last item up for auction!"
Vice Admiral Momonga cleared his throat and took a sip of water.
As the red cloth sandwiched between glass was pushed forward, murmurs erupted on both sides of the conference table.
"What's going on? How can this thing be auctioned?!"
"Vice Admiral Momonga, is this the decision from above?"
"Humph! A bunch of money-grubbing officials, what were those bureaucrats thinking?"
The crowd discussed fervently, even Aokiji lowered his eyepatch, showing a hint of puzzlement.
"This is interesting..."
Chaton quietly took a puff of his cigarette and nudged Rowen with his elbow, saying, "This is the treasure map I mentioned earlier. I never thought it would not only be not confiscated but also brought out for auction!"
"Is that so?"
Rowen concentrated, and sure enough, on the cloth that seemed to be dyed red with blood, there were patterns of mountains, plains, and deserts, each with different styles of writing along the edges. Some of them bore a striking resemblance to ancient scripts he had encountered before!
"Everyone, please quiet down. This is the decision of the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars)!"
At this moment, a female agent who had been acting as an observer behind Vice Admiral Momonga stepped forward and spoke in a clear and pleasant voice.
Rowen raised an eyebrow, "Kalifa?"
Creak...
The figure visibly stiffened for a second, but quickly regained composure, as if nothing had happened, and continued, "After research by our scientists, the writing on this is not ancient script but a form of ancient script transformation!"
Others didn't notice Rowen's peculiar reaction and breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the explanation.
"What a fuss over nothing! It's just a black sheep!"
"Whose fault is it? We only have a little information on ancient scripts from the missions. Who could recognize it?"
"That's true. We're suffering from a lack of education..."
Blaming us for not recognizing ancient scripts and their transformed forms?
But... since it's not taboo ancient knowledge, then what does this treasure map represent?
"Cough, cough, since the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) have given their approval, everyone can bid with confidence. But according to the procedure, let me formally introduce this item up for auction."
Vice Admiral Momonga tapped the hammer and began his introduction, "This is a puzzle treasure map with a history of three hundred years, and the puzzle lies in the patterns on it."
"But the locations depicted on the map are completely different from the known islands. It was discovered by Vice Admiral Comil during a pirate cleanup operation ten years ago, and he eventually decided to give it up for auction."
Vice Admiral Comil was an old man in the Marines with qualifications similar to Vice Admiral Momonga's, and mentioning this origin eased everyone's minds, confirming that it wasn't a forgery.
Don't think it's impossible!
Kizaru once auctioned off a "Logia Fruit" when he was young, but it was later found to be fake. After returning the money, the disgruntled Vice Admirals still gnashed their teeth, with some even staking out the restroom.
If it weren't for his speed, he would have been beaten to death!
"The specific burial location of the treasure is currently unknown, and the contents of the treasure are also unknown. However, the treasure map itself is woven with precious silver threads and a special kind of silk, fireproof, waterproof, and offering some defense against piercing weapons. Its value is extraordinary!"
"If the person who left behind this treasure map wasn't intentionally teasing us three hundred years later, or if they were so wealthy that they used this precious silk for drawing practice, then the value of the treasure can be inferred from this alone!"
Vice Admiral Momonga joked calmly.
There were precedents for previous generations leaving behind fake treasure maps to mislead others, but more often than not, the treasure maps were genuine.
From the degree of material preciousness alone, the probability of this item being authentic was quite high!
"Starting bid is 100 million Belly, with increments of no less than 50 million. Bidding starts now!"
"200 million Belly!"
"250 million!"
"300 million!"
"..."
Since even a treasure map was worth a fortune, how could the value of the treasure be any less? Rowen realized that he indeed had money, but these old Vice Admirals collectively had quite a sum as well!
"Vice Admiral Soryu, interested in partnering up?" Chaton asked, approaching.
"Partnering up?"
"Yes!"
"Given the current trend, the price of this thing is obviously going to exceed everyone's limit. Joining forces to bid and then searching together is becoming inevitable," Chaton explained, then awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Naturally, I don't have that much money... but I can contribute!"
"You know, I used to be the commander of the Marine Assassination Force, Shadow Dragon. Finding things is my specialty!" Chaton tapped his chest confidently.
Rowen: "..."
Apologize to the former members of the Assassination Force, you asshole! So, your training content can only be used to run a Detective Agency now?
But Chaton's proposal was indeed tempting.
As the former commander of the Assassination Force, finding things, people, decryption, investigation, assassination, espionage, poisoning, causing chaos—these were all his instincts!
With him in action, unless the treasure didn't exist at all, there was no way they wouldn't find it, saving Rowen a lot of effort in the search.
However!
"No need..."
"Huh?"
Chaton looked bewildered.
To this, Rowen turned with a faint smile, "I've already solved the puzzle. Why should I cooperate with you?"
In this world, because of the skewed technology tree, treasure maps like this one were still in a primitive stage.
How long did it take Rowen to solve this treasure map?
Not even half an hour?
He had already unlocked the puzzle. Why would he need to collaborate with someone else?
At the same time, he became more certain that this treasure map was genuine!
Because if it was fake, there was no need for such meticulous work!
Chaton: Σ(д;)!
"What?!!"
To find the treasure's location, one must first solve the puzzle on the treasure map.
How long did Rowen take to solve this puzzle?
Not even half an hour?
He had already solved the puzzle?
Setting aside Chaton's astonishment, Rowen raised his hand, "One Billion Belly!"
Even if he knew the location of the treasure, he couldn't go there directly. What this treasure map represented now was the right to develop it, and he still needed to secure it.
The exchange between the two was not deliberately lowered in volume, and the others, upon hearing that Rowen had solved the puzzle, began to consider the gains and losses.
Naturally, more people believed that Rowen was deliberately playing games to lower the price and eliminate competitors.
"1.5 Billion!"
The melodious voice of Momousagi sounded, holding Komainu in her arms, and she raised an eyebrow at Rowen.
Rowen: "..."
Damn it!
This is intentional, isn't it? It must be intentional!
Ain and she were as close as sisters. After returning to Headquarters, she must have said a lot of bad things, making Momousagi feel the need to help Ain vent her anger!
But compared to me, she has more money?
Rowen sneered immediately.
"1.4 Billion Belly!"
Bang!
Rowen was burning with anger, slamming the table and standing up. "1.9 billion!"
Momousagi smiled and continued, "1.9 billion, with an additional 50 million..."
Vice Admiral Momonga, sweating profusely on the sidelines, whispered, "Vice Admiral Momousagi, are you sure you still have that much money?"
Just now, she had invested 1.3 billion with Shiryu, and even with Vice Admiral Tsuru backing her, that was still only billions in funds.
"Don't worry, I'll know when to stop...," Momousagi said, smiling. But then she noticed Rowen sitting back down with a gesture of "please."
Momousagi's expression froze, looking incredulously at Rowen.
Damn it!
(End of the chapter)
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