"150 million... "
"150 million, twice... "
His gaze slowly swept over the group of Vice Admirals, seeing none of them making a move to bid, Vice Admiral Momonga struck the gavel to finalize the deal.
"... Three times! Sold!"
"Hehehehe, many thanks, Vice Admiral Rowen!"
At this moment, Chaton smiled at Rowen with a pleased expression.
Rowen blinked, suddenly enlightened.
So, this Giraffe-Giraffe Fruit was Chaton's auction item!
To sell a Giraffe-Giraffe Fruit, which belonged to the weakest category of Zoan, for the staggering price of 150 million Belly, Chaton was right to thank him.
Soon, a special agent in a white suit packed the Devil Fruit in public and brought it to Rowen's side.
"Vice Admiral Rowen, Vice Admiral Chaton, would you prefer to settle the payment face-to-face or through private communication?"
Chaton thought for a moment. "Let's do it privately. Just leave the item here."
"Understood."
Without further ado, the agent put down the box and left.
On the other side, seeing Rowen's curiosity, Chaton explained with a smile, "This isn't some shady Black Market auction. The government doesn't allow taboo items to fall into private hands, so every transaction is open and transparent. There's no need for secrecy, face-to-face payment is quite normal."
Answering Rowen's most curious question, Chaton continued, "But I assume Vice Admiral Rowen wasn't prepared with much cash, since you were brought in suddenly. So, just transfer the money to me later."
It's not possible for everyone participating in the auction to be as wealthy as Rowen. Most transactions are conducted privately between the seller and the buyer after the auction, exchanging benefits or other items. The government also doesn't intervene much in the intricacies of these transactions.
Rowen seemed to understand and then took out a golden sand card from his pocket.
"I see, I indeed didn't bring much cash."
Who would have thought that there would be such a high-end auction in the Marine Headquarters, more terrifying than the top-level auctions in the usual Black Market? Rowen indeed didn't have much cash on him.
But...
I really am not short of money!
Chaton stared dumbfounded at the gold card, his mouth twitching.
Damn it!
Isn't this the VIP gold card from that Gold Emperor private bank? The one that doesn't entertain clients with less than 10 billion in savings? His well-prepared script was completely disrupted by this gold card. Chaton stared blankly at Rowen and called over a government agent serving as a steward to handle the transfer procedure with the gold card.
"Vice Admiral Rowen... You're truly wealthy!"
Chaton's expression stiffened as he forced a smile, starting to doubt life.
As top contenders for the position of Admiral, why is there such a huge gap in wealth between individuals?
Why would you carry 10 billion with you when you go out?!!
Chaton was a bit shaken and started to question whether he would be as wealthy if he gave up his gambling habit.
On the other side, the auction didn't pause because Chaton was contemplating life. The subsequent transactions after the auction were handled by government agents, and soon the second auction item was brought out.
"A 21 Ō Wazamono, Puffer Poison. The blade carries neurotoxins that flow into the body through the wound, causing incredible damage!"
"Starting bid is 200 million Belly, with increments of no less than 10 million!"
It was a standard-sized samurai sword, about one meter in length, with a mirror-like blade that shimmered with a faint purple hue and had water-like patterns, adding a sinister touch to it.
After Vice Admiral Momonga finished speaking, Vice Admiral Storno Belly, who was sitting beside Momousagi, suddenly spoke up, "This sword can be exchanged for another Ō Wazamono... um... as long as it can match my Kamami."
Storno Belly took out a long blade from his waist, and with just one glance, Rowen knew why he brought out the Puffer Poison.
Because the weapon named Kamami was over one meter three in length, while the Puffer Poison, at just one meter, was almost child-sized in comparison.
There was no rule stating that the swords of a dual-wielding swordsman had to be the same length, but Storno Belly obviously fell into this category.
The Puffer Poison was too weak for him and couldn't be paired with Kamami. It was better to bring it out for exchange or sale and find another sword.
"230 million!"
"250 million!"
"... "
"310 million!"
Soon, the bidding prices soared. While the Ō Wazamono might not be as prestigious as the Saijō Ō Wazamono, it was still a rare and formidable weapon. Every swordsman couldn't afford to miss it. If Vice Admiral Momonga didn't already have an Ō Wazamono, he would have also couldn't resist bidding.
Similarly, Rowen didn't participate in the bidding. He already had his Thunder Dragon crescent-sided halberd, and carrying any other weapons would be burdensome.
Besides, being wealthy doesn't mean you should act recklessly.
This auction was more about the Vice Admirals exchanging goods under the government's supervision, rather than a mere sale of stolen goods.
If everything were to fall into Rowen's hands alone...
Do you believe that the next day, the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) would invite him for tea?!
"300 million Belly!"
At this moment, a bid lower than the current price caught everyone's attention. Vice Admiral Yamakaji grinned at the crowd and continued, "And I'll add a good Blade, guaranteed to be similar to your Kamami!"
"Hmm... Is that your Flying Swallow?" Storno Belly inquired, to which Yamakaji nodded.
"Alright, I understand."
Satisfied with the answer he received, Storno Belly nodded at Vice Admiral Momonga.
"Good Blade, Fifty Works, Flying Swallow, estimated at 170 million Belly. The total value is 470 million!"
Although a good quick knife was rarely regarded highly, rarity made it valuable. Compared to Devil Fruits, of which even the government couldn't keep track, there were only fifty and countless more lost good quick knives. Therefore, the price was higher than that of a Devil Fruit, which was normal.
After Vice Admiral Momonga announced the final price, he raised the hammer.
"470 million, once..."
"470 million, twice..."
"470 million, three times!"
Bang!
"Sold!"
Afterward, the auction continued. Rowen considered himself well-traveled, but he was still broadening his horizons with each passing moment.
In addition to tangible auction items, there were also information and various goods available for trade. Besides the Vice Admirals, government agents representing certain items would also bid.
However, since these items were not mandatory to surrender, the Vice Admirals wouldn't give them any special treatment. Whoever had the means could acquire them, regardless of rank.
For example, the G-series base where Vice Admiral Smoker was stationed recently discovered a vein underwater, initially valued at over five billion. However, its development posed extreme difficulties.
He put up a stake of three parts for auction to seek collaborators and was eventually acquired by Momousagi for a staggering price of 1.3 billion.
It wasn't surprising to the government agents that Momousagi could put up 1.3 billion, but their final bid was 1.2 billion, touching their limits of available funds, which made them feel quite uncomfortable.
"Is Vice Admiral Momousagi backed by Rear Admiral Tsuru in this?"
Rowen observed this scene thoughtfully.
It was uncertain how much profit a vein could bring. If it were only the initial five billion from the exploration, considering the costs of development and transportation, at best they would break even, earning just a little thanks-for-the-trouble fee.
But if it exceeded five billion, even up to ten billion, it would be a huge windfall!
With such profits at stake, it was worth Vice Admiral Tsuru's intervention to secure it.
Speaking of which, the organization of the Marines was quite peculiar. Although it was clearly a military force, military expenses should be fully funded by the government to control it and prevent it from becoming too powerful.
However, the World Government didn't prohibit members of the military from being self-sufficient. As long as you found a way to make money without causing trouble, they turned a blind eye.
Ignoring the "self-sufficient" Marines from the original story, even now, with Rowen, who could rival a wealthy nation, existing.
He owned shares in both Golden City and Century City; profited from the arms business in the West Blue managed by the Warlord of Kano Country; collected taxes from trade between residents of Skypiea and those of the Blue Sea; and his own G-10 branch occasionally raided... Oh no, cleared out pirates...
With all these income sources combined, he was rolling in wealth!
This kind of threat to governance was simply unrealistic on Earth unless the military couldn't sustain itself due to poverty. Otherwise, it would never be allowed to engage in business.
But the World Government didn't seem to fear that the military, once self-sufficient, would become too powerful and uncontrollable.
Certainly, the main source of funding for the Marines currently still came from the government. Even with all of Rowen's wealth combined, it could only sustain three G-10-sized branches.
And when you considered all the Marines worldwide, three G-10 branches were incomparable.
But the threat was evident, so why wasn't it being stopped?
Unless...
The government held a trump card that could easily suppress any rebellion from the military!
For example...
Ancient Weapons!
Rowen furrowed his brow silently, pondering some speculation.
"I hope I'm just overthinking it!"
Because if that were true, even if he were to stand on the same level as Whitebeard in the future, it wouldn't be realistic to think he could take over the world's governance and replace the World Government.
(End of Chapter)
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