One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 98 The Blue Earrings of Unidentifiable Value

“Wonderful! This is a royal item from the Kingdom of Rosales, belonging to the Sim royal family hundreds of years ago. Her image is likely that of a royal princess. It is a finished white porcelain piece, so its value is certain. Although there are some damaged parts, it can be repaired in time.”

"These lithographs, these stone carvings, have archaeological value. Based on the age of the stones, they are estimated to be around 1000 years old, making them extremely valuable antiques."

“Perfect. Although this is just an ordinary piece of wood, it must have been specially treated with preservatives a long time ago, but that was to prevent anyone from discovering what was inside because the wood was rotting.” After saying that, the manager wearing Kings’ glasses immediately and deftly split it open, and five gold necklaces fell out.

No wonder he's an archaeologist.

Roman marveled inwardly. What seemed like an ordinary thing to the average person was actually a hard-won treasure, highlighting the importance of having a discerning eye.

In reality, finding truly good items is not easy. While buyers are carefully observing, sellers are also doing their best to fake them. This game between the two sides is a test of vision and knowledge.

Bucky tried his best to hide his surprise. He wondered if they had ever expected that two girls who were only a little over ten years old would have such insight and knowledge.

"I'm sorry, but I really can't tell the value of these blue earrings. The materials seem to be very ordinary, and there are some random words scribbled on them, but they don't seem to have any value." As he spoke, the manager carefully observed the expressions on the three people's faces.

The heights of the three people form a strange arithmetic sequence.

One appears to be 1.9 meters (1.92 meters), one 1.6 meters (1.62 meters), and one 1.3 meters (1.32 meters), while the shortest person is very thin and always wears a cat mask, making him look like a child.

The other two, on the other hand, seemed quite skilled and didn't look like people to mess with.

Seeing that Bucky, the only one not wearing a mask, seemed to have a more relaxed expression, the manager secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he wouldn't have to be ripped off and buy the earrings at a high price.

“I’m willing to offer 500 million Berries for the porcelain doll, 40 Berries for each of the four lithographs, and five gold and gemstone necklaces, each worth about 400 million Berries. I’m willing to pay you 2640 million Berries. What do you think?”

They made a killing!!

These items cost only around 80 Berries, but because he made dozens of times that amount, he now had enough money for the books he and Robin had.

As for the blue earrings, Roman took them back. Although they weren't worth much, he hadn't spent much money on them either, so it wasn't a loss.

However, whether Robin's choice was due to some hidden secret, or whether the manager lacked discernment, or whether Robin misjudged the situation, remains to be seen.

"Okay." Roman nodded after sorting out his thoughts.

Although envious of Roman and Robin's spoils, Bucky didn't forget his own, and traded his white porcelain bottle for Bailey.

"I have enough money, but Robin, why did you choose these earrings?" Roman asked, expressing his curiosity as he walked out of the luxurious pawnshop carrying two handbags.

"It's not convenient to talk about it now," Robin whispered.

It seems there's more to these earrings than meets the eye.

……

"Let's count them. This brown leather bag has 1000 million Berries, and that black leather bag has 1500 million Berries." It was Roman's first time shopping with money in bags just to buy two books, especially at a street stall.

This display of wealth and extravagance attracted a large crowd of onlookers.

"No way, would anyone really be stupid enough to spend tens of millions of Berries on a book?"

"They don't look very old, are they from such well-off families?"

"If I had known, I would have promoted my products to these two."

"I'll negotiate a high price later, and if they buy it, I'll make a fortune."

Whispers began to circulate around them, clearly indicating that they saw the two as easy targets.

Although he was annoyed by the way others looked at him like he was an idiot, Roman was also very understanding. To be honest, if Robin hadn't really liked it, even if she wanted the book, she wouldn't have spent tens of millions of Berries to buy it, because the price was just too outrageous, making more money than reselling antiques.

"I didn't expect two young girls to be able to come up with so much money. Are you some kind of nobles?" The old man roughly counted the amount, then looked at the two girls and asked with interest.

Both of them shook their heads.

"I think so too. It's unlikely that a young lady like that would travel without bodyguards." Seemingly lamenting the absurdity of his own words, the old man smiled.

"If there are no problems, we'll take them, okay?" Roman had already picked up the books with both hands.

"Hey, you two little girls, do you really like history and navigation? Haha, would you mind chatting with this old man? Don't worry, you won't lose out."

Out of respect for the elderly and care for the young, even though he thought the old man was a shrewd businessman, Roman quickly responded: "That's right, but more accurately, I hope to explore this wonderful world. Whatever it is can be used as a means to understand the world."

Robin: "I also want to explore the unknown. The hard work of our predecessors has gathered into countless fragments of history. As long as we study them carefully, we can definitely piece together a complete picture." The blank 100 years must also be a key part of the puzzle.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, you two are quite interesting girls. However, for young girls, your overly grand ideals will surely bring you great harm. After all, this world is not simple. Without the ability, you might very well die on the path of exploration. I was once curious about this world and wanted to explore, but everywhere was filled with terrible dangers, piles of white bones, and the corpses of my companions. In the end, I lost my fighting spirit. For little girls like you, it might be something even more terrifying." The old man seemed to be intimidating the two.

This won't scare Roman, and it won't hurt Robin much either, since she's already at odds with the world anyway.

"So what?"

"Aren't you scared?"

"You can't say that, but whether we're afraid or not doesn't really matter to us. We're practical people," Roman replied rationally.

"Youth is wonderful. It seems I'm getting old; I can't even scare a child anymore." The old man took another puff of his cigarette, then prepared to pack up his stall.

"Are you leaving so early?" Roman asked in surprise.

"I've already sold what I needed to sell, so there's no need to wait any longer. By the way, I believe you two little girls will shine sooner or later." Leaving behind a dashing figure, the old man departed.