A bullet from an unknown source killed Raglan.
After that incident, while on edge, Mouse couldn’t figure out why the weapon shop had killed the Ox-Horn Pirates’ navigator, leading to subsequent issues.
As far as he knew, there was no connection between the two sides.
If there was anything, it was that one of the victims lived near the weapon shop.
But none of that mattered now.
Because the biggest player had come knocking.
Mouse watched Kazt, who prided himself on not beating around the bush, with a calm demeanor.
Though subtly revealing a hint of killing intent, his unflappable expression and casual movements displayed a masterful composure.
To him, the thirty men led by Kazt were nothing but clay pigeons.
Feeling the hidden turmoil beneath Mouse’s calm exterior, Kazt’s eyes narrowed, and his wariness gave way to emerging battle intent.
The atmosphere grew tense.
“Captain of the Ox-Horn Pirates, Kazt, right?” Mouse broke the silence, thinking about how to reveal the identity of the killer smoothly.
Kazt’s gaze turned cold as he slowly activated his Devil Fruit power.
The black mustache on his face grew wildly, spreading to his cheeks and forehead.
Dense black hair covered his entire face in moments, and his yellow beast-like eyes shone with clear killing intent from within the fur.
Mouse suddenly accelerated his speech. “Anything Captain Kazt wants to know, I’ll tell you without reservation and for free.”
“…?”
Kazt’s brewing killing intent was abruptly halted.
Ten minutes later, after receiving the “complete” information, Kazt and his crew left the bar.
Once they were gone, Mouse’s smile faded, replaced by a sinister expression as he looked at the door, coldly muttering, “I only offer free service to dead men.”
Tattam, the bartender, glanced at Mouse, calmly stating, “That was dangerous.”
“Not really. I’m not an easy fish to fry, and besides, you were here, weren’t you?”
“…”
Tattam wanted to say that if a fight broke out, he would first try to escape.
Unaware of Tattam’s thoughts, Mouse continued, “With our combined strength, escape might be impossible, but we could still take down many of them. And Kazt, despite looking like a bull, knows how to measure his actions and won’t act recklessly.”
“So, as long as I cooperated, I was sure he wouldn’t cause trouble right before the auction.”
Turning the glass upside down, Mouse watched the remaining wine slowly drip down the sides, forming a cold smile.
“As for what happens next, let’s hope they don’t die too horribly.”
Tattam remained silent, making it seem as if Mouse was talking to himself.
Mouse was used to Tattam’s reticent nature, knowing he preferred not to speak unless necessary due to his voice.
“Tattam, tonight will be lively. Aren’t you the least bit interested?”
Mouse signaled for another drink.
Tattam shook his head, indicating no interest, and poured more wine for Mouse.
“I really want to go,” Mouse said, tilting his head back.
“But I’m too damned scared!!”
The Ox-Horn Pirates left the alley, heading towards Mad Hatter Auction House on Watchpoint Street.
One of the officers, Wells, walked beside Kazt, his voice low, “Tortured information is reliable, but that rat was too cooperative. Can we trust his intel?”
Unlike Raglan, who specialized in swordsmanship, Wells was an expert in firearms.
Kazt, looking straight ahead, replied coldly, “The auction is imminent. I don’t want any trouble. We’ll deal with these matters after.”
“Understood.”
Wells said no more.
Their group had barely made it back to Mad Hatter Town on time.
Upon returning, they learned Raglan had been shot dead in a tavern, realizing a formidable foe had targeted them.
Otherwise, their navigator wouldn’t have been killed first, followed by Raglan, who stayed behind to handle the situation.
Kazt preferred stability and avoided trouble, but that didn’t mean he feared it.
However, he coveted several items at the auction, including a fish-man slave crucial for successfully navigating Reverse Mountain.
To compete for these items, he formed an alliance with two other pirate crews of similar strength to take down the Platin fleet and gather sufficient auction funds.
Having gone to such lengths, he couldn’t let other matters disrupt his plans.
Finding Mouse in time was already a race against the clock. Any further delays could cause them to miss the auction.
The Ox-Horn Pirates moved quickly, soon arriving at the auction house.
Most potential buyers had already entered within half an hour to the start.
Despite this, the entrance was still crowded.
Due to auction rules, Kazt only brought two officers with him.
He chose not to entrust his money to the auction’s stasher but carried it inside himself.
Stashers provided storage services, mainly for pirates, safeguarding valuables for a fee, akin to a bank.
Pirates hid their treasures, liquor, and other precious items on countless uninhabited islands.
But this method lacked security, as another pirate might stumble upon and take the hidden treasure.
Thus, stashers emerged, offering paid storage services for pirates.
At the auction, stashers primarily safeguarded funds for buyers.
Entrusting funds to a stasher allowed buyers to avoid cumbersome handover procedures and directly collect auctioned items.
For items like Devil Fruits, consuming them on the spot was safest.
Depending on individual considerations, some chose stashers, others carried funds themselves.
Kazt was the latter.
In a nearby tavern.
“A stasher, huh? This place really has all sorts of professions.”
Maude, in his undertaker disguise, sat alone at a table, silently eavesdropping on conversations and learning much about Mad Hatter Town.
He wasn’t alone at the table due to violence like Kid, but because of his undertaker attire.
To pirates, undertakers were seen as corpse collectors, street sweepers, or janitors—an unpleasant job no pirate wanted to share a table with.
Maude enjoyed the solitude, ordered drinks and food but didn’t touch them, and quickly scanned anyone discussing names, subtly noting them down.
Every pirate he glanced at would shiver, feeling uneasy without knowing why.
Time passed slowly.
Pirates occasionally left and entered the tavern.
Each time the door opened, Maude would discreetly glance over.
Creak—
The door opened again.
A blond boy in a black hat entered.
He scanned the seating, quickly locking onto Maude’s relatively empty table.
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