It was truly a bit of a headache.
But the situation was clear; in the Marines, strength ultimately spoke loudest.
Tsuru and Fleet Admiral Kong had absolute confidence.
Garp and Sengoku had no competitors among the current Admiral Candidates.
Thinking of the Rocks Pirates, Garp might be a bit fearless like a newborn calf, but Tsuru and Sengoku were very cautious.
The more they understood, the clearer they were about the terrifying strength of the Rocks Pirates.
However, they still needed time to grow, to grow up as quickly as possible.
After Fleet Admiral Kong, there weren't many people who could shoulder the burden.
It wasn't until the appearance of Garp, Sengoku, and others that Fleet Admiral Kong and Fleet Admiral Black breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, while Puyol and Davis weren't exactly incapable of bearing heavy responsibilities, they weren't qualified to be called competent top-tier combatants.
As for the "Purple Lion" Messi from the West Blue and the "White Rat" Ronaldo from the North Blue, they were also very outstanding and had already reached the Vice Admiral rank.
But Fleet Admiral Kong and Fleet Admiral Black didn't want the Four Seas Faction to have too much influence in Marine Headquarters.
Talent like Garp, with a clean background and no influence or bias from vested interests, was what they wanted to see.
Moreover, Garp and Sengoku had greater potential and were stronger than them.
Although their military rank was still a bit lower, this was only temporary.
Unless Garp and Sengoku died, they were destined to make way for those chosen by Fleet Admiral Black and Fleet Admiral Kong.
Four Seas Admirals could only be promoted up to Marine Vice Admiral; as for higher positions, they required the recognition of the Fleet Admiral.
But no one wanted to be marginalized.
Once the Marines overcame the shortage of talent and the young Marines at Headquarters grew up, the expansion momentum of the Four Seas Faction would naturally be curbed.
On Hades' side, he didn't know what kind of changes had secretly occurred, but the developments on the Great Sea hadn't affected him for the time being.
And at this moment, the auction had already begun.
The flamboyantly dressed Auctioneer pulled back the red cloth covering the display stand.
"The first auction item, the Golden Revolver! This is a golden revolver specially customized by the Hephaestus Company for nobles! The starting bid is one hundred thousand beli!"
The Auctioneer shouted excitedly, and the entire venue instantly became lively.
The golden revolver was a symbol of status.
Nowadays, it had completely replaced the flintlock gun's position in people's minds.
Furthermore, revolvers were sold in limited quantities, and the value of each customized revolver was even more precious.
Owning a revolver was very eye-catching when shown off, and besides, it was a very high-quality firearm itself, possessing extremely high accuracy and range.
It was a treasure for Gunmen.
Hades was a bit surprised, not expecting the first auction item to be a product manufactured by his own company.
He couldn't help but activate his Observation Haki, sweeping across the entire venue with his God's Eye View.
As expected, there were quite a few firearms, ammunition, artillery, and so on, sold by the Hephaestus Company or the Aeolus Company.
These were actually so popular in the Underworld that they had become hard currency.
In reality, that was the case.
With fixed trade partners, even if the Kronos Kingdom's production expanded, only a small portion ultimately flowed into the Underworld.
Most of the portion that flowed into the Underworld was taken by stronger factions.
Although the King of Arms Victor had the Kronos Pirates standing behind him.
While the quality of his munitions was decent, there was still some gap compared to the munitions from the Aeolus Company and the Hephaestus Company.
Even the styles and so on had considerable differences, which was also to avoid people linking Victor with the Kronos Kingdom.
Ultimately, this golden revolver pistol was bought by a Leader of an Underworld Force for the high price of four hundred and fifty thousand beli.
He paid on the spot and traded for the item.
Upon receiving the golden revolver, he excitedly stroked it and tried out the feel under the envious gazes of others.
At this moment, a note appeared out of thin air in Hades' palm.
This made him understand that it was the person in the dark transmitting intelligence about the Great Sea to him.
However, during such a special period, it must be something very important.
As for the person protecting him in the dark, Hades had already guessed his ability.
He controlled Hades and knew all its important personnel like the back of his hand.
And there was only one such person who possessed a Space-Type Devil Fruit ability.
Opening it, he saw the Marines' arrangements targeting him, the Rocks Pirates' big moves, and that they had sent someone to help him block a Marine Admiral.
As for the rest, it had nothing to do with him.
He hadn't expected it; he had first intersected with Shiki.
He just didn't know if the two of them would meet.
However, three Marine Vice Admirals?
Whether it was one Vice Admiral or three, it was still a fight.
Then come! Let's finish them all!
Let this Island become the battlefield!
There was no absolute right or wrong in this World.
The Marines had absolute reason to make a move on his mother, Nyx.
But so what? People were all double-standard.
In Hades' view, the Marines were simply wrong.
He wouldn't feel satisfied unless he killed that Marine Vice Admiral named Vega.
He lightly clenched his fist.
Terrifying force directly tore the note to shreds.
As Hades opened his palm, it slowly drifted down like dust.
He suppressed the Killing Intent that was about to erupt from within him and continued to watch the auction proceed.
Despite just a "brief look," Hades had some understanding of the approximate auction items for the entire auction.
Just as he had come for, the Mantis-Mantis Fruit and a "special" Famous Sword.
The auction gradually proceeded.
One auction item after another appeared, causing a burst of lively cheers and fierce bidding.
The slaves Hades had anticipated did not appear.
After all, this was an Island of Sin.
The people present were either Pirates or members of Underworld Forces.
What they desired more were things that could increase their strength, such as Devil Fruits and munitions.
Rare treasures, collectibles, and slaves usually appeared in markets with many nobles, similar to the Sabaody Archipelago; only there could they be sold for a high price.
"Up next for auction is!"
The Auctioneer smiled mysteriously and suddenly unveiled the covering, revealing the auction item hidden beneath.
This was a scythe.
A two-meter long Dark Purple Blood-Patterned Death Scythe.
Its blade shimmered with an eerie light, exuding an aura of bloody slaughter.
Many people present were shocked by it.
This was definitely a Cursed Blade, even though it was a scythe.
(end of chapter)