Chapter 14 The Flock
In just half a month, the news that Mad Hatter Town is about to auction a Devil Fruit has spread all over the West Sea.
All of a sudden, pirates eager for power swarmed.
Especially those captains of the pirate group who are ready to enter the great channel are bound to get this.
What does a devil fruit mean?
That's why they, the veteran pirates who are about to break into the new world, can have a deep understanding.
On the other hand, the naval branch of the West Sea can naturally catch this news.
However, the deployment of troops is an unavoidable flaw in the naval branch, so even if you know it, it is difficult to do anything.
Because this is the West Sea after all, not the great waterway.
Not to mention the priorities, as one of the four seas, the intuitive sea area of the West Sea is by no means comparable to the great waterways.
Correspondingly, this also means that the naval branch of the West Sea needs to distribute the vast majority of its troops in various places, so as to protect the safety of the people within its jurisdiction.
If the scattered troops are to be dispatched together, there is no problem with instant messaging, but the timeliness cannot keep up.
And the most thorny problem still stems from the ubiquitous threat of pirates.
Unlike the navy, they need to be stationed in one place to maintain law and order. Although they will not form a group, they have the same commonality as they can move freely around.
Seeing that there is a profit here, they stick to it like bloody grasshoppers.
When the navy is in place, he flees without looking back, and then goes to another profitable place.
In this situation, rashly dispatching troops will only give those locust-like pirates a chance to do whatever they want.
Therefore, compared to the threat posed by individual pirates, it is the number of four pirates that is different from the great channel pirates, which can make the naval branch a headache.
Of course, due to various factors such as different folk customs and cultures, the number of naval forces in each jurisdiction of the West China Sea varies.
Eliminate some inactive naval worms. In some jurisdictions with abundant troops, the navy will organize the overflowing troops into a mobility-based force, and their main task is to chase down the fleeing pirates. .
This kind of naval force that is not restricted by jurisdiction often makes pirates feel scared.
But although it is effective, it does not cure the symptoms.
And in a lawless area with deep roots like Mad Hatter, what can these troops do in essence?
It's like a sheriff with a gun breaking into a den of ten thugs.
Due to the deterrent power of firearms, the ten gangsters in the nest would voluntarily give up their numerical advantage and bow their heads.
But if a gun-toting sheriff broke into a den of hundreds of gangsters, the results would be self-evident.
To break this status quo, unless the naval headquarters sends a force that can break the balance.
However, the storm caused by just a Devil Fruit was not enough to form the conditions for the Navy Headquarters to fight.
Although the West Sea Naval Branch was unable to strike a strong blow against Mad Hatter Town, all kinds of eyeliners still kept their eyes on Mad Hatter Town.
Not being able to act doesn't mean doing nothing.
........
Mad Hatter Island, Mad Hatter Town, Mad Hatter Auction.
It's not that the purple pig is incompetent, but that the auction can have such a title, which shows that it is extraordinary, and at the same time it is not in vain as the biggest auction house in Mad Hat Town.
The Mad Hatter Auction House, as the name suggests, looks like a top hat lying on the ground.
For example: ?
The first to second floors of the auction house, like the brim of a hat, occupy the largest area and are also the main venue for holding auctions.
In order to increase the passenger capacity, the design style of the auction house is roughly the same as that of a conventional opera house.
Therefore, the second layer can actually be summed up in the first layer.
Further up the level, the area decreases with the height.
The room on the top floor of the auction house, of course, belongs to the owner who controls the auction house.
As the apex of the auction house, the decoration of the room can be described as splendid, revealing the atmosphere of the nouveau riche everywhere.
The wall in the center of the room facing the street is a full-face coated floor-to-ceiling glass window, and in front of the floor-to-ceiling window is a set of European-style hall tables with dark red as the keynote.
The devil fruit that will be auctioned in ten days is placed on the table, and the bottom is cushioned with a layer of soft cloth to show its preciousness.
Sitting on the main sofa chair was a middle-aged and sturdy man in a red suit with an oil-backed head and a cigar in his mouth.
This person is the owner of the auction house - Lucches Ralph.
"With a wave of your hand, you can make those wolves, tigers and leopards go crazy. This is the charm of Devil Fruits."
Ralph was lying on his back on the sofa chair, his eyes were cold and dark, as if he had been dehumanized, and it was difficult for ordinary emotions to appear.
Opposite him, a man sneered: "It's not worth my trouble to bring back the Devil Fruit from the great waterway. Just one transfer from another place can make its worth skyrocket several times. This kind of good business, the world How little."
Ralph covered his eyelids and looked at the man's rather proud face through the smoke he exhaled, without making a sound to correct the man's misunderstanding.
There are so many good deals in this world.
Just doubling the value of a Devil Fruit is more the effect of marketing than the sale itself.
Ralph rubbed off the cigar's burning butt with his fingers, and said lightly, "The reserve price is 100 million, and the transaction price should be over a billion."
"so much?"
The man was taken aback, apparently trusting Ralph's judgment.
Ralph glanced at the Devil Fruit on the table and said, "Several giants in the underground world of Xihai don't look down on this Devil Fruit, but the five gangsters are bound to get it, so those who can take pictures of the fruit will only 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, this number will continue to be raised until the limit they can bear. Of course, the premise is that no one secretly uses the means. As for those pirates who flock here, it is just to make up the number. It's just money."
Hearing Ralph's words, the man suddenly became interested.
"Then, in your opinion, among the five gangsters, who is most likely to win this fruit?"
"Gangster. Becky."
.............
Thor Arms Shop.
After half a month, Maud's injury has basically recovered. In addition, every day is full of fish and meat, and there is no sign of weight loss on his face.
Compared with the pale and haggard face when he just woke up, it can be said to be ruddy and lustrous.
In order to increase the sense of substitution of the handsome readers, Maud, who had recovered well, took off the bandage and deliberately looked in the mirror.
The original morbid state no longer exists, replaced by a blood-filled face, plus the negative effect of the bandage covering the eyebrows.
After looking in the mirror, Maud found himself unexpectedly - so handsome!
At the same time, he finally found the second prey - the neighbor.