The Terror of the Pirates

Raglan had been killed by a bullet from an unknown source.

After that incident, Wolf Rat, while being on edge, racked his brains trying to figure out why that weapons shop had targeted the navigator of the Spiked Bull Pirates, which had led to a series of subsequent problems.

From what he knew, the two parties had no prior connection.

If anything, one of the deceased had lived not far from the weapons shop.

Of course, none of that mattered now.

Because the main culprit had come knocking.

Wolf Rat calmly looked at Kazit, who claimed to dislike beating around the bush.

His demeanor, steady as an old dog, and the subtle movements of his fingers as he fiddled with his glass, which hinted at a hidden killing intent, all exuded the aura of a master.

It was as if, in his presence, Kazit and his thirty men were nothing more than clay chickens and pottery dogs.

Hearing Wolf Rat's casual response and sensing the undercurrent of tension beneath his calm exterior, Kazit's eyes narrowed. His wariness grew, and a hint of battle intent began to surface.

The atmosphere grew tense and murderous.

"Captain Kazit of the Spiked Bull Pirates, right?"

Seeing Kazit remain silent, Wolf Rat felt a mix of calm and helplessness. He thought to himself, If you don't respond, how am I supposed to reveal the identity of the perpetrator?

"It seems..."

Kazit's gaze turned icy as he slowly activated his Devil Fruit ability.

The black beard on his face began to grow wildly, spreading across his cheeks and forehead like branches.

In an instant, his entire face was covered in thick, black fur. His yellow beast-like eyes, glowing like lanterns in the dark, radiated a clear killing intent.

Wolf Rat, however, suddenly spoke rapidly, "Whatever Captain Kazit wants to know, I will tell you everything I know, without holding back, and I won't even charge you."

"...?"

The tone shifted abruptly, and Kazit's brewing killing intent faltered.

Ten minutes later, Kazit and his crew left the bar with the "complete" information.

After Kazit and his men were gone, Wolf Rat slowly wiped the smile off his face, replacing it with a cold, sinister expression. He stared at the door and muttered, "I only provide free services to the dead."

Tatamu glanced at Wolf Rat and said calmly, "That was dangerous earlier."

"It was fine. I'm not some easy-to-deal-with small fry, and besides, I had you with me."

"..."

Tatamu wanted to say that if a fight had broken out, he would have tried to escape first.

Wolf Rat, unaware of this, continued, "With our combined strength, escaping would have been impossible, but we could have taken them down, even if it would have been a struggle. Kazit may look like a bull, but he knows how to gauge the situation. He's not as reckless as a bull."

"So as long as I cooperated, especially with the auction about to start, I was sure he wouldn't cause trouble."

Wolf Rat flipped the glass upside down, watching the remaining liquor slowly drip down the sides. A cold smile crept onto his lips.

"As for what happens next, I just hope they don't die too miserably."

Tatamu remained silent, making it seem like Wolf Rat was talking to himself.

Wolf Rat was used to this dynamic with Tatamu, knowing that the man rarely spoke due to his voice.

"Tatamu, tonight's going to be lively. Don't you have any interest in it?"

Wolf Rat flipped the glass back over, signaling Tatamu to pour him another drink.

Tatamu shook his head, indicating he had no interest, and then refilled Wolf Rat's glass.

"I'd love to go."

Wolf Rat tilted his head back.

"But I'm too damn scared!!"

The Spiked Bull Pirates walked out of the alley and headed toward the Mad Hatter Auction House on Lookout Street.

Wells, one of the crew's officers, walked beside Kazit and said in a low voice, "Information extracted under torture carries more weight. That rat was too cooperative. Should we trust the information he gave us?"

Wells was a fellow officer, but unlike Raglan, who specialized in swordsmanship, he focused on firearms.

Kazit kept his eyes forward and said coldly, "The auction is about to start. I don't want any trouble. We'll deal with this mess after the auction."

"Understood."

Wells said no more.

The crew had rushed back to Mad Hatter Town just in time.

Upon their return, they learned that Raglan had been sniped in a bar, which made them realize that a formidable enemy had set their sights on them.

Otherwise, why would they first kill their navigator and then Raglan, who had stayed behind to handle the matter?

Although Kazit preferred steady growth and avoiding trouble, that didn't mean he was afraid of it.

However, he had his eyes on several items at the auction, one of which was a mermaid slave—a key to successfully navigating the Reverse Mountain currents.

To compete for the items he wanted, he had sold information as a bridge for cooperation, joining forces with two other pirate crews of similar strength to take down Polkin's fleet and secure enough funds for the auction.

After putting in so much effort, how could he let other matters disrupt his plans?

Moreover, after gathering information and finding Wolf Rat, they were already racing against time. Any further delays might cause them to miss the auction.

The Spiked Bull Pirates moved quickly and soon arrived at the entrance of the Mad Hatter Auction House.

There was still about half an hour before the auction started, but most of the potential buyers had already entered.

Despite this, the entrance was still bustling with activity.

Due to the auction house's rules, Kazit only brought two officers with him.

He chose not to entrust the funds he had brought to the auction house's partnered Concealer, opting instead to carry the money into the venue himself.

The so-called Concealers were professionals who provided safekeeping services, primarily catering to pirates.

In this world, there were tens of millions of islands, many of which were uninhabited.

These uninhabited islands were often used by pirates to hide treasures, strong liquor, and other valuables.

The problem, however, was that there was no guarantee of security. A pirate might hide their hard-earned treasure one day, only for another pirate to stumble upon it the next.

In response to this common issue, Concealers emerged, offering paid safekeeping services for pirates, much like a bank, in exchange for a reasonable fee.

The Concealers partnered with the auction house were primarily responsible for safekeeping the buyers' funds during the event.

If a buyer chose to entrust their bidding funds to a Concealer, they could skip some of the more cumbersome procedures and directly take their purchased items after a successful bid.

If the item being auctioned was something like a Devil Fruit...

It was, of course, safer to eat it on the spot.

In short, depending on their own considerations, some buyers chose to entrust their funds to Concealers, while others, like Kazit, chose to carry their funds into the auction house.

In a bar near the Mad Hatter Auction House.

"Concealers, huh? The professions here are really diverse."

Alex, wearing his mask, sat alone at a table, silently listening to the "helpful citizens" around him as they chatted, providing him with a wealth of information about Mad Hatter Town.

The reason he could sit alone wasn't because he had fought for it like Kid.

It was because of his undertaker disguise.

To the pirates of Mad Hatter Town, undertakers were, at best, corpse collectors; at worst, they were seen as cleaners or janitors.

Such an unlucky profession naturally made pirates unwilling to share a table with Alex.

This suited Alex just fine, as it allowed him to enjoy some peace and quiet.

He had ordered food and drink but didn't touch them. Whenever he heard a name mentioned in the conversations around him, he would quickly glance over and then subtly look away.

Every pirate he "scanned" in this way would inexplicably shiver.

Confused and puzzled, they remained unaware of what had just happened.

Time passed minute by minute.

Pirates occasionally left, and new ones occasionally entered.

Every time the bar door opened, Alex would subtly glance over.

Creak—

The door opened again.

A blond boy wearing a black top hat walked into the bar.

He scanned the seating situation and immediately locked onto Alex's relatively empty table.