Ultimately, these Marine family members were successfully purchased by Ross Saint for 1.5 billion.
"Ross Saint, I owe you a favor!"
Admiral Zephyr let out a soft sigh of relief, his gaze towards Ross Saint now different.
"Remember this, while you didn't interfere in other matters before, as my CP0, you'll be responsible for the protection and management of my palace until I find a suitable butler."
Ross Saint glanced at Zephyr. "I helped you buy the people, but I don't keep idle hands under my command."
"I won't make things difficult for Your Highness."
Zephyr bowed slightly, expressing his respect.
He could manage thousands of unruly Marines, so a mere group of Marine family members would be no trouble at all.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached the final auction item. This last item is extraordinary; it's no longer a slave, but a secret treasure of the sea."
Even knowing such a treasure was beyond their reach, the people in the auction house still looked at the host with fervent eyes.
Even Ross Saint raised an eyebrow slightly.
The Marine family members were the last items he had arranged for auction; after this, it had nothing to do with him.
Presumably, the person in charge added this treasure specifically after learning of his and Saint Rosward's visit.
A secret treasure of the sea, just by its name, one could tell it was a Devil Fruit.
It was just unknown which Devil Fruit it was.
Even Zephyr and Saint Rosward showed expressions of interest at this moment.
After all, it was a Devil Fruit, with diverse abilities, and some even possessed invincible powers.
"That's right, the final item is a Devil Fruit! And, it's a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit."
"Paramecia - Healing Fruit! Starting bid 100 million, everyone is welcome to bid! ! ! !"
"Healing Fruit! ?"
Ross Saint's face showed pleasant surprise as he looked at the green spiral-patterned Devil Fruit in the host's hand, his eyes gleaming with a fervent light.
The Healing Fruit was definitely an extremely powerful support Devil Fruit.
Even if it wasn't as direct as the Paw-Paw Fruit, which could instantly remove injuries, or even as potent as the self-healing abilities of some Zoan Devil Fruits, its ability to heal illnesses and external injuries made it incredibly versatile in the world of pirates.
Since he didn't have any other healing-type Devil Fruits on hand, getting the Healing Fruit now would at least provide a future medical safeguard.
"Ross Saint, the effect of this Devil Fruit is very strong."
Zephyr saw that Ross Saint was tempted and whispered next to him:
"According to Marine records, the healing ability of this Devil Fruit is second only to the Op-Op Fruit. It can easily treat the injuries of Admiral-level powerhouses and can also treat some diseases and incurable illnesses."
In short, this was a Devil Fruit with extremely strong support effects, and its healing capabilities were quite effective even for Admirals.
"I know."
Already aware of the value of this Devil Fruit, Ross Saint would not let it slip away.
"2 billion!"
Ross Saint directly announced a price that overwhelmed everyone, also extinguishing any desire for competition from Saint Rosward, who was already uninterested.
Although Saint Rosward was also quite annoyed, wondering where Ross Saint got so much money.
But deep down, he still felt that Ross Saint wouldn't resort to outright seizure.
This auction also came to its final close due to Ross Saint's decisive bid.
"Admiral Zephyr, use your Observation Haki to keep an eye on the backroom. Don't let my people and the Devil Fruit be swapped."
Ross Saint was not in a hurry, merely giving a preventive reminder.
"I understand, Ross Saint. You can just call me Zephyr."
Zephyr nodded slightly; just one auction's interaction had earned Ross Saint his approval, and he also accepted this new position.
He didn't know if Ross Saint could eliminate all pirates, but since he himself couldn't do it, he wouldn't demand it of others.
However, judging from Ross Saint's impression of pirates, it seemed to be mostly disgust, which greatly pleased Zephyr.
He would be content if he could eliminate more pirates while by Ross Saint's side.
The Marine training camp could function without him; there were others who could be instructors, and he also wanted to try a different path.
If he could reach a high position in the World Government through Ross Saint and utilize the entire World Government's power, perhaps there would still be a chance to eliminate all pirates.
As soon as the auction ended, the nobles and rich merchants in the venue quickly rushed out.
There were two Celestial Dragons here; watching the excitement during the auction was one thing, but staying here now, if the two Celestial Dragons started fighting, they feared they would be caught in the crossfire in an instant.
"Zephyr, it seems there are a few rats mixed in the venue, and I don't think I've seen your strength yet."
Ross Saint watched as a few burly, fierce-looking figures in the fleeing crowd caught his eye, a slight smile playing on his lips.
He knew at a glance that these were not good people.
However, pirates visiting slave auction houses was quite common.
"I'll go take care of them right now!"
Zephyr grinned, a hint of cruelty in his eyes.
He had recognized these pirates during the auction and had already locked onto them with his Observation Haki.
Originally, he had planned to deal with them later when he had free time.
Now that he had this opportunity in advance, it was certainly not to be missed.
Whoosh! ! !
Zephyr's bulky figure instantly vanished from his spot, appearing at the auction hall entrance in the blink of an eye.
"Who are you? Get out of the way quickly, I am a noble from the Ina Meg Country."
A noble, not recognizing Zephyr, angrily snapped at him in his haste to escape.
"No, no, no, this is the person who was sitting next to Your Highness just now."
Someone next to him quickly pulled the noble, preventing him from causing trouble.
Zephyr frowned, but still, following his Marine habits, he prepared to let the noble leave.
But before he could speak.
"Bang!"
After a gunshot, a bloody hole appeared in the back of the noble's head, and he tumbled to the ground.
【E-rank kill completed!】
【Strength + 100】
【Special Reward: Noble Etiquette (E-rank)】
"Zephyr, next time you encounter someone obstructing, kill them all. This is the authority I grant you. Oh, and don't kill those pirates; let me execute them personally."
Ross Saint blew on the white smoke from the gun barrel, twirled the gun, and holstered it at his waist.
If it weren't for the noble's status, this noble would probably only be a G-rank, and him personally shooting him was already giving him a lot of face.
Not to mention, killing people with a gun was quite cool!
Those who hadn't yet managed to leave watched as Ross Saint casually killed a noble, and they all fell silent with fear.
"Ross Saint, I understand."
Zephyr looked deeply at Ross Saint, committing his words to memory.
The methods used when accompanying a Celestial Dragon were indeed different from those of the Marine.
To be able to kill anyone he wanted without regard for the consequences... this must be the root cause of the Celestial Dragons' evil.
"Except for a few of you, everyone else can leave."
Zephyr said indifferently, yielding half of the path.
Seeing the open passage, the rich merchants and nobles dared not hesitate and rushed out.
A few pirates also realized something was wrong at this point and tried to blend into the crowd to rush out.
But with Zephyr present, there was no way he would give them a chance.
"Pirates, all of you shall stay!"
Boom! ! ! !
Zephyr's figure swiftly moved through the crowd; his tall stature did not affect his speed in the slightest.
With just one punch each time, he could knock down a pirate.
Ross Saint followed behind Zephyr, unhurriedly finishing off the fallen pirates.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Every gunshot meant the demise of a life.
【D-rank kill completed!】
【Strength + 1000】
【Special Reward: Martial Arts (D-rank)】
【D-rank kill completed!】
【Strength + 1000】
【Special Reward: Marksmanship (D-rank)】
【......】
In just a moment, all the rich merchants and nobles had fled, leaving only the noble's corpse from before and 8 fresh pirate corpses on the ground.
The 8 pirates were all at least D-rank, with one C-rank among them.
They collectively provided Ross Saint with 17,000 experience, as well as special rewards: C-rank Swordsmanship, 3 D-rank Martial Arts, 2 D-rank Marksmanship, and 1 D-rank Swordsmanship.
It's a pity that 10 of the same rank are needed to synthesize 1 higher rank; he still needs to carry out more righteous judgments.