I collect everything in the One Piece world.

A small, private "auction" is taking place here.

It was called an auction, but it was more like an internal exhibition and sale of an underground black market.

The shop owner, a lean middle-aged man, was standing on the stage, enthusiastically introducing the "goods" held in cages to dozens of "customers" below.

The customers included local tycoons with bloated bellies and gold chains; middlemen with sinister eyes who specialized in certain types of business; and provocative, heavily made-up women who ran brothels.

"Gentlemen, please take a look! This batch of goods is absolutely top-quality! Especially number three!"

The shop owner tapped the cage with a thin stick. Inside was a young woman with delicate features and eyes full of panic. She was hugging her knees and trembling.

"Look at that skin! That figure! With a little training, she'd be absolutely worth it, whether as a maid or a prostitute!"

The owner of the brothel's eyes lit up when she heard this. She swayed her hips and walked to the cage to examine it carefully. Her fingers, painted with bright red nail polish, almost poked the girl's face.

"Hmm~ This figure and face are quite nice... Boss, what's the price?"

A bald, wealthy man nearby also came over, smugly stroking his chin and saying, "Hmm, she looks quite pretty. Buying her to serve tea and water would be nice. With a little training, she could be used for many different kinds of things."

Upon seeing this, the proprietress immediately leaned softly against the wealthy man, tracing circles with her fingers, and exhaling sweetly, "Oh dear~ just give this to your sister~ you have so many servants at home, one more won't make a difference."

"Don't worry, once I've trained you properly, I'll definitely let you be the first one there, okay? I guarantee you'll be living the high life!"

The wealthy man's eyes lit up upon hearing this, seemingly swayed by the proprietress's suggestion.

Anyway, I can win the competition myself, and the training provided by professionals is definitely different.

Thinking of this, the tycoon put his arm around the boss's wife's waist and gave her a hard pinch on her pert and rounded backside, laughing heartily.

"Alright, alright, since that's the case, you can have it. Beautiful flowers should be enjoyed by everyone. I'm not that domineering. Just remember to let me know first when the time comes, hahaha!"

"Of course, of course!" the proprietress replied with a smile.

Just as the two reached a verbal agreement in a "happy" manner, and the shop owner was all smiles and ready to finalize the price.

Snapped!

The lights on the warehouse roof suddenly went out without warning, plunging the entire room into complete darkness!

"What's going on?!"

Who turned off the lights?

"Spare light! Quick!"

Exclamations and curses followed, and the sudden flash of light left everyone somewhat bewildered.

Swish!

In the darkness, a flash of light suddenly swept past, accompanied by a whistling sound as it cut through the air.

"Ugh!"

The charming voice of the brothel owner abruptly stopped, replaced by a short, shrill scream.

The warm liquid splattered all over the wealthy man who was still holding her waist. He subconsciously wiped his face, and the strong smell of blood hit his nostrils, making him shudder.

"Blood! It's blood! Murder!!" The tycoon was terrified, felt a heat in his crotch, and instantly collapsed to the ground.

"Damn it! Guards! Guards!" The shopkeeper's shout, filled with shock and anger, rang out in the darkness. He frantically pulled out a flashlight and snapped it on.

The pale beam of light swept haphazardly, illuminating the proprietress's figure as she slowly collapsed, clutching her neck, and also the terrified faces of the surrounding customers.

"There he is! Grab him!" Several guards who reacted quickly drew their swords and spears and rushed toward a fleeting black shadow at the edge of the pillar of light.

However, just as they took a step, several inconspicuous stickers that had been thrown on the ground at some point began to shimmer faintly.

[Dense, pungent smoke - state: modified version of chili powder + quicklime mixture]

[Slippery and sticky grease - Condition: A kitchen treasure aged at least six years]

[Sharp, piercing noise - Status: An audio clip that sends chills down your spine]

*Pfft! Sizzle! Buzz!*

Thick, grayish-white smoke suddenly exploded from the ground, instantly filling the entire space. It not only obscured vision but also choked people, causing tears, snot, and incessant coughing.

Almost simultaneously, the ground suddenly became as slippery and sticky as if it had been splashed with oil, and several guards and guests screamed and fell down, crashing into each other.

The sudden, sharp, high-frequency noise that seemed to pierce straight into the brain caused everyone to experience splitting headaches and confusion.

The combination of three negative status effects and hard crowd control made the whole scene look incredibly chaotic.

Amidst the hazy smoke and unsettling noise, Morsen, wearing a Black Cat Sheriff mask, activated instantly like a ghost.

shave!

Although he is far from mastering this skill, it is more than enough to deal with these not-so-powerful guys in this small and chaotic environment.

His figure left blurry afterimages in the smoke, and with each pause, the long sword in his hand would transform into the simplest arc.

Horizontal slash, vertical chop, upward sweep, forward thrust.

The swordsmanship that Lyle taught him was all simple and direct, without any fancy tricks, aiming to finish off the enemy in the shortest distance, at the fastest speed, and with the greatest efficiency.

At this moment, combined with the instantaneous burst of speed brought by "shaving," this simplicity is brought to a terrifying level.

In the smoke, the sounds of blades slicing through flesh and throats, the dying groans of guards, and the desperate screams of guests intertwined.

Occasionally, bullets would come flying in from all directions, but they would only hit the air or the unfortunate comrades who hadn't yet fallen.

"Come out! You bastard! Come out here!"

The shop owner hid behind an overturned table, frantically firing his flashlight and repeatedly shooting his pistol in the direction he suspected was making a sound. The deafening gunshots echoed in the enclosed space.

But he only hit the corpses of his own men and the smoke floating in the air.

Fear gradually spread, enveloping his heart and causing his heartbeat to involuntarily quicken and become heavier.

He'd been in fights and killed people before, but someone as elusive and unpredictable as tonight had truly crossed his line.

"Damn it! Where did this guy come from? Could he be an assassin hired by someone?!" The shop owner's eyes darted around as he frantically calculated in his mind.

Just then, the smoke at the edge of the flashlight beam seemed to stir slightly, and a dark shadow flashed by.

"Here it comes!!!" The shop owner's hair stood on end. He abruptly turned the gun around and kept pulling the trigger.

But the bullets didn't hit anyone; the shots fired near the shadowy figure didn't even land, as if they were absorbed by the air.

Chapter 13, The Righteous Black Cat Sheriff

"What the hell is going on?! Is this guy a Devil Fruit user?!"

"Damn it! Hire a hitman like this to kill me? Am I that valuable?" The shopkeeper glared, cursing inwardly as he continued to turn his gun around.

Just then, the mask of the Black Cat Sheriff suddenly flashed out from the darkness beside him and came to his front.

Are you looking for me?

A calm, emotionless voice came from beneath the mask, startling the shop owner so much that he instinctively pulled the trigger again.

But Morsen moved even faster, raising his hand and an invisible energy wave spreading across his palm.

"Boom!"

With a soft thud, the bullets that had been fired vanished instantly, turning into several stickers that landed in Mosen's palm.

"After you finish, it's my turn."

Mosen spoke in a deep voice, straightening his index finger and raising his thumb, making a gesture of a "gun" that a child would use when playing a game.

On the tip of his index finger, a small sticker was faintly glowing; it read: "[A flintlock pistol bullet that has already been fired - Status: Hot, spinning, carrying kinetic energy]".

This was a more subtle and practical ability that he had just grasped amidst the chaos of stray bullets, and it could be considered his biggest gain of the night.

Just like the axe attack sticker he had accidentally captured before, as he developed and mastered his Devil Fruit ability, he can now turn some incoming attacks into stickers as well.

"Who are you?!"

"The righteous Black Cat Sheriff".

"What?!……"

Before the shop owner could finish speaking, the sticker on Mosen's fingertip suddenly lit up.

call out!

The bullets converted from stickers didn't make a loud firing sound; they only made a faint, almost inaudible whooshing sound.

The shop owner's head was violently thrown back by the immense kinetic energy, and a deep, bloody hole appeared on his forehead, from which blood mixed with grayish-white fluid slowly flowed out.

His eyes widened, the terror on his face frozen in time. He slid off the table and fell to the floor, the flashlight clattering to the ground, rolling a few times before its beam slanted crookedly toward the ceiling.

The entire "auction house" fell completely silent, with only the pungent smoke slowly settling and dissipating, and the overwhelming stench of blood.

Less than two minutes had passed since the lights went out, and in that time, Mosen had killed everyone except the slaves.

He could clearly feel that his knife skills and shaving techniques had become much smoother and more familiar in actual use.

He had mostly practiced on his own before and hadn't really put his skills into practice yet; tonight's battle was his first time experiencing something like this.

Although the person he was facing wasn't a particularly powerful expert, Morsen still felt that he had gained new insights into swordsmanship and the use of the shave technique, and even his Devil Fruit ability had been developed and improved.

Wow~ Could it be that I really am a genius?!

Mosen stood in the center of the venue, littered with corpses, his eyes gleaming beneath his mask, feeling extremely pleased with himself.

After a moment of reflection, he shook the blood off his sword and sheathed it.

Not far away, the slaves huddled in their cages looked at him in panic, seemingly unable to figure out what he was up to.

In their view, Mosen was most likely an enemy of these guys, and now that they had dealt with the people, they would naturally make full use of these "assets".

As for the naive idea that kind-hearted people would come to rescue them and set them free, that idea had long since vanished with each beating.

The last time someone rescued slaves was the fishman Tiger, but such warriors or hotheads are ultimately a minority. Rather than hoping for that, it's better to hope to encounter a less twisted buyer.

Mosen had no idea what the slaves were thinking. He simply opened the cage and, under the slaves' bewildered gazes, said in a deep voice, "You are free."

"Go out and grab whatever you can, then try to leave this place. You can split up, hide, or try to leave Sabaody."

His voice sounded somewhat muffled through the mask, but it still clearly reached the ears of each slave, leaving them momentarily stunned, followed by the ecstatic joy of escaping death.

They rushed out almost without hesitation, stepping over the corpses scattered on the ground. Some even tripped over the sticky blood several times without slowing down.

For them, this abandoned warehouse was hell.