The auction hall was decorated like an opera house, with seats on the first floor arranged in a semicircle facing the auction stage, which was visible to all. The second floor featured individual booths embedded in the walls, each with a sloping staircase leading directly to the auction stage.
The venue was packed to capacity. Even the exclusive booths on the second floor were fully occupied.
On the lavishly decorated auction stage, a composed middle-aged auctioneer enthusiastically congratulated the buyer of a recently sold female slave.
In the front rows, Thor’s eyes hungrily followed the just-sold female slave, his wolfish gaze lingering on her most sensitive areas.
“Gulp.”
Thor swallowed involuntarily.
As the female slave was taken backstage, he licked his lips in disappointment.
Next to him, Arthur quietly shifted his seat away.
“So white, so big.”
Thor marveled, wiping the drool that had escaped onto Arthur’s clothes.
“You…!”
Arthur glared at Thor in shock and anger, resisting the urge to hit him over the head with his chair.
Thor, unfazed, relaxed with his legs crossed.
Arthur held back, cursing himself for sitting next to Thor.
“It’s going to get lively soon.”
Suddenly, Arthur heard Thor mutter under his breath.
“What do you mean?”
He looked at Thor, confused.
Thor grinned and whispered, “Anything that can easily move people…”
“Hmm?”
Arthur’s face grew serious as he sensed something.
Then, he heard Thor’s next words.
“Is often like shit, easily blinding certain people’s eyes.”
“……”
On stage, the middle-aged auctioneer raised his arms, his voice remaining powerful and enthusiastic.
“The next item is the last slave to be auctioned tonight. As the highlight of the slave category, it will surely not disappoint. Now, please take a look.”
As the final syllable fell, he dramatically gestured to the left side of the stage.
With the rumble of wheels, two strong staff members pushed a cart with an iron cage to the center of the stage.
Inside the cage sat a tawny fish-man, his massive body bound with unbreakable chains.
The fish-man hung his head, motionless like the dead.
His physical condition was good, but he exuded a desolate aura.
The auctioneer approached the cage with a smile, saying:
“This is tonight’s headline slave, a sawtooth shark fish-man. I know those who like this item are well-prepared, while those who dislike it have no interest.”
“Therefore, allow me to skip the introduction and proceed directly to the display.”
As soon as he finished speaking, a staff member on the other side of the cage pressed a button on the cart.
Bzzzzz—!
Suddenly, bright electric currents surged through the fish-man’s body.
“Aaahhh!”
Writhing in agony, the previously lifeless fishman convulsed violently, screaming with his mouth wide open.
This display revealed his characteristic sawtooth shark teeth—rows of dense, sharp fangs.
Among the buyers in the seats, those interested in the fish-man were already itching to bid as soon as the auction began.
Kazat was among them.
This fish-man slave was an item he was determined to obtain.
Behind the auction stage, in the disorderly backstage area, cages holding various slaves were scattered about.
Most of these slaves were beautiful women, though there were a few strong men as well.
Regardless of gender, they all listened to the screams from the stage with bowed heads and despair in their eyes.
A slender, white skunk was in one of the cages, more like a pet carrier.
Strangely, this skunk didn’t stink but instead emitted a pleasant aroma.
Curled up in the cage, the skunk’s human-like black eyes watched the human slaves.
Those eyes showed no awareness of being a fellow prisoner.
He looked at the slaves as if they were pitiful creatures.
The night deepened, and the cool breeze flowed through the streets.
Maude quietly followed his three targets.
Not long after they left, a few more drunken men exited the tavern, heading in a specific direction.
Once they had gone some distance, Sabo pushed open the tavern door and stepped out.
He glanced discreetly at the departing men, then, like Maude, silently followed them.
Unaware of Sabo’s actions, Maude continued to trail his three targets, waiting for the right moment to strike.
But he wasn’t in a hurry.
As long as the outcome was guaranteed, he didn’t mind waiting until dawn.
That was one of his hunting principles.
He kept a distance, trailing the targets.
Time passed quickly, and after half an hour, Maude finally saw an opportunity.
The three men, no longer wandering aimlessly, turned into an alley. Maude’s eyes lit up as he quickly followed.
The three men strolled through the alley, oblivious to the danger behind them.
They came to a narrow alley’s end and saw a bar with a lit sign.
“Huh, a bar in a place like this?”
One of the men rubbed his eyes in surprise.
“How about a few more drinks?”
“Sure.”
Their interest piqued, and the men headed towards the bar.
Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, two gunshots echoed in the alley.
Hot lead cut through the air, hitting two of the men in the back, spraying blood as they fell forward.
“Hmm?”
The last uninjured man reacted quickly, pulling one of his wounded comrades in front of him as a shield, looking towards the source of the shots.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out.
The comrade-turned-shield sprouted another blood flower on his back.
Maude, having fired a third shot at the other end of the alley, was surprised.
He had brought three guns, allowing him to fire three shots in quick succession.
The first two shots, from flintlock pistols, hit the two armed targets.
He had deliberately avoided lethal areas to maximize his gains.
Then, he switched to Usopp, aiming at the last target wielding a blade.
He hadn’t expected the last target to react so quickly and ruthlessly, using a comrade as a shield without hesitation.
Fearing the two wounded targets might die from blood loss, Maude dropped Usopp and charged at the knife-wielding man.
Seeing Maude rush towards him, the man hesitated briefly before discarding the flintlock pistol on his comrade’s belt and drawing his long knife.
At that moment, Maude closed in, attacking with a dagger.
The man stepped forward and thrust his long knife at Maude, hoping to capitalize on the weapon’s length advantage.
However, Maude ducked low, narrowly avoiding the thrust. Two swift flashes of the dagger followed.
Maude moved past the man, quickly spinning around and digging his heel into the ground to slow down while looking at the man’s back.
Moments later, blood spurted from the man’s wrist and throat.
The entire encounter lasted mere seconds.
Seeing the man bleed, Maude charged forward, stabbing him in the lower back and pinning him to the ground.
Quickly, he searched the now-helpless target for a bounty poster, scanning it.
After confirming the names, he immediately summoned his notebook and used a quill to quickly jot down their information before they drew their last breath.
“Just in time.”
Breathing a sigh of relief after writing the last word, Maude was suddenly startled by a voice from the alley’s end.
“Tsk.”
Startled, Maude reflexively put away the notebook.
The bloodstains on the notebook turned into tiny beads of blood, falling to the ground.
He swiftly drew a flintlock pistol from the target’s belt, turning to aim at the source of the voice.
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