Volume 1 - CH 83

However, Soros’s voice had barely left his lips when Gates spoke up again.

“Two hundred million!!”

Gates’ tone was calm and collected, oozing the confidence of a wealthy tycoon. His lavish display has even caught the attention of many admiring women.

Everyone was left speechless by this exorbitant bid.

It’s no wonder West Sea is considered the top; Gates is so commanding and doesn’t seem to care about money at all.

Soros’s eyelids twitched as he was forced to sit down, defeated.

“Mr. Rhodes, this guy is so disrespectful, it’s like he’s purposely trying to go against us. What should we do…” Soros said through gritted teeth, his eyes filled with killing intent.

“No need,” Rhodes replied coolly.

There is a unique connection between masters and swords.

Just like Zoro, at the weapon shop in Logue Town, he was able to obtain two good swords out of nowhere.

That saying is true, swords indeed choose their masters.

What is meant to be in one’s possession will eventually find its way to thy hands.

Seeing that no one else was increasing the bid, the host confidently struck the gavel.

“This tycoon merchant from the West Sea is truly generous. Let’s hope he can leave the port safely with his newly acquired sword,” the host said excitedly, his earnings from the auction considerable.

Although the host hoped for Gates’ safe departure, he secretly wondered if Gates would be able to leave unscathed, given that many envious individuals had left during the auction.

Gates, who had been seated quietly on stage, stood and nodded toward the host.

“Thank you. I will take good care of this sword,” he said before gracefully.

The audience below erupted into chatter.

“Two hundred million bellies, that’s insane!”

“I heard this guy is a tycoon from the West Sea, no wonder he’s so wealthy.”

Aranakiri was the final item of this auction, and with the fall of the gavel, the auction successfully ended.

Rhodes stood up and walked out, preparing to leave Saboady early the next day. Of course, he planned to take advantage of his time and tour the Saboady archipelago, at least trying all the famous local snacks.

Soros glared at Gates before walking out as well.

Gates, however, was indifferent. He was leaving today anyway, so what could Soros do to him?

Gates was not afraid of official power, as a tycoon from the West Sea, he had connections with many allied countries in the West Sea and even the World Government.

As for underground matters, he had recently recruited two great mercenaries, claiming that he was not afraid of the small thieves on the Saboady archipelago.

…

The sky gradually darkened.

With Soros as his companion, Rhodes leisurely walked around, eating various famous foods.

It could be said that Soros was a very qualified subordinate. With him, Rhodes didn’t have to spend money on various consumption in Saboady, and he was familiar with the place, knowing one or two things about all kinds of things.

As they walked, they suddenly heard a burst of discussion in front of them.

“I heard that the guy from the West Sea was targeted by the guys from Talon. They’re in for it.”

“Serves them right for being arrogant in Saboady. Don’t you know, this guy was being showy at the auction earlier.”

Hearing this, Soros burst out laughing, “Huh! how bold he acted back then, now he has to spit it all out!”

Rhodes looked in the direction of the commotion and saw a crowd gathered nearby. In the open space ahead, it seemed that two groups were facing off.

“Haha, this guy is really unlucky.”

Soros took pleasure in others’ misfortune: “These guys are very strong, they specialize in doing dirty work for the Donquixote Family.”

“Even if Gates, that scumbag, can handle Talon, he’ll probably be taken care of by the Donquixote Family executives who will arrive later. Who’s been stationed in Saboady recently? I think it’s the top executive Diamante.”

“That guy is tough to deal with, very cruel. Haha, even with Gates’ status and position, he’ll probably only be able to save his own life at most.”

Soros finally spoke out and laughed with a bit of a triumphant look.

The Shichibukai, especially the Donquixote Family is not something a small merchant can fight against.

Even if they really killed Gates, it would probably be just that, at most condemned by the allied countries of the West Sea.

Thinking this way, Soros felt a bit sympathetic towards his peer, feeling that Gates was quite pitiful.

“Let’s go and take a look,” Rhodes said.

As soon as they came closer, they saw the Big Fat Sheep, Gates, who had waved around his money like dirt at the auction earlier, now in despair.

Gates, who had been so full of energy and had crushed all the wealthy nobles at the auction, had a very unpleasant expression on his face and was only accompanied now by two severely injured bodyguards.

“Damn it.” Gates cursed inwardly. He had been cautious enough, but in the end, he had still been intercepted at the port. It was probably a real underworld boss who had managed to find out where his ship was so quickly.

Despair washed over him. Fortunately, the two new hires he had made were both professional and didn’t consider betrayal even in such a dire situation. Of course, Gates was no fool, he knew that if things truly became hopeless, they would probably run faster than anyone else.

“The captain said that if you willingly hand over 70% of your wealth, we will let you leave safely,” a young man with a very gloomy aura spoke up. “Don’t think about running. Your ship has already been burned by our people.”

With just one statement, he almost completely cut off any possible escape route for Gates. The young man could be called ruthless.

A hint of darkness flickered in Gates’ eyes, but he was no stranger to turbulence, and he wasn’t panicked at the moment. His eyes were flickering as if he were looking for a way out.

“Chaos, I must cause chaos!”

In a flash of thought, he yelled out: “This is a Great Grade sword, one of only 21 in the world, it’s called Aranakiri, and it’s worth 200 million bellies!”

At the same time, he unhesitatingly threw the Aranakiri sword in his hand toward the crowd of onlookers nearby.

Hearing Gates’ words and then seeing the Aranakiri sword in mid-air, the crowd’s hearts skipped a beat, but only for a moment.

Driven by their desire to survive, the onlookers retreated in unison.

Then, the Aranakiri sword fell to the ground with a thud, revealing a small section of its blade, and reflecting a faint blue glow.

Gates: “…”

He had obviously underestimated the deterrent power of the Donquixote Family and overestimated the courage of this ordinary crowd.

“Hahaha…”

The young man almost burst out laughing at the sight. He coldly said: “As expected, you are bold. If that’s the case, then hand over 90% of your wealth or you will die!”

Gates almost vomited blood.

The onlookers, on the other hand, looked at him innocently. Who would dare to mess with the Talon, let alone the Donquixote Family behind him?

The scene was extremely awkward.

It was as if a group of black crows flew past from the sky.

Until a figure suddenly reached out and grasped the Aranakiri in its hand.

Only a clanging sound was heard.

The person easily pulled out the Aranakiri, its azure blade reflected a faint glow, almost as if the sparks of electricity were dancing.

It was clear that he was simply holding it, yet Aranakiri trembled intensely.

Whistling!

The sword’s fierce hum echoed throughout the area, and all present seemed to feel a faint sense of joy.

This person was none other than Rhodes.

He held the Aranakiri aloft, examining it closely, and suddenly, a sincere smile appeared on his face.

Fate had come knocking and, as expected, no one could stop it!

The sword fits him perfectly.

As he was basking in this joy, a cold voice interrupted him:

“Kid, if you cherish your life, put down the sword now. And, I can spare your life.”

Rhodes heard this and tilted his head, and replied lightly:

“I picked this up on my own merit, why should I put it down?”