One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

Lagren was killed by a bullet from an unknown source.

Following the incident, Wolfrat, despite his heightened vigilance, racked his brain trying to figure out why that weapons shop would target the navigator of the Redhorn Pirates, setting off a chain of subsequent events.

As far as he knew, the two sides had no prior connection.

If he had to find a link, it would only be that one of the deceased lived not far from the weapons shop.

Of course, none of that mattered now.

Because the real heavyweight had come knocking.

Wolfrat calmly regarded Kazte, a man who prided himself on being direct.

Kazte's demeanor—steady as a seasoned predator—betrayed his mastery. His subtle gesture of idly toying with his glass, tinged with an undercurrent of menace, made it clear he was no ordinary pirate.

In contrast, Kazte's thirty-odd subordinates seemed like mere fodder in Wolfrat's presence.

As Wolfrat responded in an unhurried tone, his aura—a calm surface hinting at hidden turmoil—left Kazte wary.

Sensing a fierce tension rising, Kazte's pupils contracted as his combat instincts kicked in.

The atmosphere grew oppressive.

"Captain Kazte of the Redhorn Pirates, is it?"

When Kazte stayed silent, Wolfrat, though composed, felt mildly exasperated. Without a response, how was he supposed to segue into revealing the identity of the attacker?

"Seems like…"

Kazte's eyes grew cold as he began to activate his Devil Fruit powers.

The black mustache on his face spread like rapidly growing vines, creeping over his cheeks and forehead.

In an instant, thick black fur covered his entire face, and a pair of yellow, beast-like eyes shone through the dark fur like lanterns in the night, radiating murderous intent.

Suddenly, Wolfrat spoke rapidly, "Whatever Captain Kazte wants to know, I'll tell you everything—freely, without holding back! I won't even charge you!"

"...?"

The shift in tone took Kazte by surprise, abruptly halting his murderous momentum.

Ten minutes later, after obtaining the "complete" information, Kazte and his crew left the tavern.

Once they were gone, Wolfrat's smile faded, replaced by a grim expression. He glared coldly at the door.

"I only provide free services to the dead."

Tatam glanced at Wolfrat and said calmly, "That was risky."

"Not too bad. I'm no pushover, and you're here too, aren't you?"

"..."

Tatam thought to himself that if a fight broke out, his first priority would be to escape.

Unaware of Tatam's thoughts, Wolfrat continued, "With just the two of us, we couldn't escape, but we could at least take down a few of them. Kazte may look like a bull, but he's not as reckless. He knows how to measure his actions."

"So long as I cooperate, especially now with the auction about to begin, I'm sure he won't cause trouble."

Wolfrat flipped his glass over, watching the last drops of wine trickle down the inside. A cold smile tugged at his lips.

"Afterward, though… I just hope their deaths won't be too gruesome."

Tatam remained silent, as if Wolfrat were speaking to himself.

Wolfrat, accustomed to Tatam's reticence, knew it stemmed from his companion's vocal issues. The man spoke as little as possible.

"Tatam, tonight's going to be lively. Aren't you even a little interested?"

Wolfrat flipped his glass upright, motioning for a refill.

Tatam shook his head, showing no interest, and refilled the glass.

"I'd love to go," Wolfrat muttered.

"But hell, I don't have the guts!"

Meanwhile, the Redhorn Pirates were moving quickly through the alleys toward the Mad Hat Auction House on Watchpoint Street.

One of the crew's officers, Wells, walked beside Kazte. "Information obtained through torture carries more weight. That rat was too cooperative—can we trust what he gave us?"

Unlike Lagren, who was skilled with blades, Wells specialized in firearms.

Kazte gazed forward and replied indifferently, "With the auction so close, I don't want to stir up trouble. We'll deal with this mess after it's over."

"Understood."

Wells fell silent.

The crew moved swiftly, making it back to Mad Hat Town just in time.

On their return, they learned that Lagren had been sniped in the tavern, confirming their suspicion that a formidable foe had targeted them.

Someone had killed their navigator first and then eliminated Lagren, who stayed behind to handle the aftermath.

While Kazte preferred to grow his crew steadily and avoid unnecessary conflicts, he wasn't afraid of trouble.

His focus now was on securing several key items at the auction, including a Fish-Man slave—a crucial asset for safely crossing the Reverse Mountain currents.

To fund these acquisitions, Kazte had forged an alliance with two other pirate crews of similar strength, selling valuable information to facilitate a joint attack on the Platinum Guild fleet.

Having gone to such lengths, he couldn't afford any disruption to his plans.

Even taking the time to seek out Wolfrat had been a calculated risk. Delays might have caused them to miss the auction altogether.

The Redhorn Pirates moved quickly, soon arriving at the auction house.

With half an hour left before the event began, most buyers had already entered, but the entrance was still bustling.

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

Rather than entrusting their funds to a vault keeper—a profession that primarily served pirates by safeguarding valuables—Kazte opted to carry the money himself.

Vault keepers operated like private bankers, catering to pirates by securely storing their treasures or funds. This service was especially valued on islands with limited trust between crews.

In this world of countless islands, many pirates used remote uninhabited ones to stash their loot. However, such methods offered no guarantees, as treasures could be discovered by chance or stolen.

Vault keepers arose to solve this problem, offering secure storage for a reasonable fee.

For auction buyers, vault keepers provided added convenience, allowing them to bypass tedious handoffs and immediately claim their items post-purchase.

For items like Devil Fruits, consuming them on the spot was often the safest choice.

Each buyer weighed the risks and chose accordingly. Kazte, however, decided to carry his funds personally.

Back at a nearby tavern near the Mad Hat Auction House...

"Vault keepers, huh? The professions here sure are diverse."

Seated alone at a table, Maude—dressed as an undertaker—listened silently to the chatter around him, gleaning tidbits about the town.

His solitary table wasn't won through intimidation, like Kid's approach. Instead, his undertaker attire deterred others from approaching.

In the eyes of the local pirates, undertakers were at best corpse handlers and at worst cleanup crews—bad omens no one wanted to sit near.

For Maude, the isolation was welcome.

Though he'd ordered food and drink, he hadn't touched them, listening intently for any mention of names.

Every time he heard something potentially relevant, he would glance over swiftly before withdrawing his gaze.

Each pirate he briefly observed would shudder involuntarily, though none could pinpoint why.

As time passed, pirates occasionally left or entered the tavern.

Each time the door creaked open, Maude would subtly glance at the newcomer.

Creak—

The door opened again.

A blond boy wearing a black hat stepped inside.

After surveying the room, his eyes quickly locked onto Maude's relatively empty table.

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