The Hunter of Pirates

Using the auction's grand event to blend into the chaos had been a plan Mobin devised over half a month ago. If his hunting efforts before this point were unsatisfactory, he would abandon the idea without hesitation.

However, the hunts had gone smoothly, and his arsenal was well-prepared. He had no intention of heeding Sunny's warnings.

Back in his room, Mobin changed into dark-colored clothes and pulled out his pre-prepared disguise items:

A death-marked armband,

A face-covering mask.

The inspiration for this disguise came from the undertaker Arthur.

As a result, the mask Mobin crafted bore some resemblance to Arthur's, though Mobin lamented that he couldn't replicate the distinct style of Arthur's work clothes. Otherwise, Arthur might have ended up taking the blame for any mischief.

Fastening the death-marked armband and donning the mask that only exposed his eyes and mouth, Mobin glanced at his reflection.

"Not bad," he remarked, nodding in satisfaction.

Using the undertaker persona and mask was the most effective disguise for the situation.

Once disguised, he checked his weapons and ammunition:

Two flintlock pistols,

A short dagger,

And most importantly, Usopp.

"Thirty lead bullets. That should suffice."

After thoroughly inspecting his ammo pouch, Mobin completed his preparations and eagerly stepped outside.

Skilled and familiar with the terrain, he climbed onto a rooftop and moved towards the nearest tall building.

Soon, Mobin perched atop a five-story building, gazing down at the illuminated streets below. It was hard to believe such a vibrant night scene could exist in a lawless zone teeming with pirates.

"The auction starts at nine. Two hours to go," he noted, sitting down unhurriedly.

Mobin had no intention of entering the auction venue.

It wasn't about avoiding Sol's potential discovery; he simply believed the risks inside the auction house were higher than those outside.

As long as he could fish a few targets from the outskirts, he'd consider it a success.

For now, he decided to stay put until the auction began.

To pass the time, he pulled out the notebook Sunny had given him and started flipping through it under the moonlight.

The notebook's contents weren't as extensive as he had expected. Most of the detailed notes focused on pirates residing in Mad Hat Town.

Mobin read each entry carefully.

Sunny's habit was evident—before documenting a target's abilities, she would begin with a brief description of their physical appearance.

Although the notes weren't as meticulous as the Neighbors', they were detailed enough for Mobin to recognize targets based on their features.

The sound of flipping pages echoed softly.

Though he couldn't memorize all the details immediately, creating an impression was enough for now.

"Oh? Even Kid is in here?"

Mobin was slightly surprised when he reached a page about Kid.

Examining it closely, he realized much of the information leaned on speculation.

For instance, it suggested Kid's obsession with purchasing firearms implied exceptional marksmanship skills.

However, the overall reliability was limited since Sunny had neither witnessed Kid's abilities firsthand nor gathered substantial information due to his background as an outsider.

"Kid probably hasn't eaten a Devil Fruit yet. His overall strength is still developing," Mobin mused, recalling what he knew about Kid.

If given a chance to take Kid down now, Mobin might hesitate for a moment—but he wouldn't miss the opportunity.

After all, no matter how valuable Kid's experience might become in the future, it couldn't surpass the current potential benefit.

Flipping to the next page, Mobin continued reading.

A few pages later, he stumbled upon an entry with his own name and several lines of description beneath it.

However, all the text had been crossed out with two bold black lines.

At the bottom of the page, a series of prominent question marks were also struck through.

"The way these black lines are drawn… it's like I'm already dead," Mobin muttered, shaking his head at the crossed-out notes before continuing to read.

Soon, he reached the end of the notebook.

He began his second round of reading, focusing on deepening his impressions of the key targets.

After nearly an hour of study, Mobin put the notebook away, feeling more confident.

Of all the targets marked as extremely dangerous, the ones that stood out the most were the Red and the Sharp-Horned Pirates.

Among all his prey so far, Red was the only one connected to a larger group. The rest were merely scattered pirates drifting through the tides.

"The Sharp-Horned Pirates…"

Standing up, Mobin gazed at the distant lights, his mind buzzing with ideas.

His interest in the Sharp-Horned Pirates wasn't solely due to Red.

The primary draw was their captain, Kazt, an Animal-Type Devil Fruit user.

Based on the confirmed details in Sunny's notes, Kazt had eaten a type of Bull-Bull Fruit.

Animal-Type Devil Fruit users were known for significantly enhancing physical attributes, making Kazt an especially lucrative target for Mobin.

This also allowed Mobin to infer Kazt's combat style—likely focused on high strength, defense, and close-quarters combat.

If Kazt was to be hunted, Mobin would need to focus on finding a way to breach his defenses.

"Too bad there's no wanted poster for Kazt."

Mobin sighed, realizing he'd need to allocate time to collect various bounty posters.

Without an accurate visual reference, recording Kazt's name in his Hunter's Journal was impossible.

Wanted posters issued by the Navy were incredibly convenient for this purpose, providing not only names but also photographs.

Even if there was a small chance of errors in the names, the probability was low.

"It's about time."

With an hour left before the auction began, Mobin set off in the direction of Corner Street.

Night Bar, Alleyway

The Sharp-Horned Pirates, led by Kazt, arrived at a bar named Nightshade in the dimly lit alley.

The narrow alley couldn't accommodate the nearly 100 men Kazt had brought, leaving the pathway completely jammed.

Kazt glanced at the bar's sign before striding in with thirty men.

The rest stayed behind, surrounding the bar tightly.

Inside the bar, the bartender, Tattam, and the "guest" Ratsnout wore calm expressions as they faced the imposing Kazt and his crew.

The distinctive sharp-horned helmet and thick, bushy beard made Kazt's identity as the Sharp-Horned Pirates' captain unmistakable.

Ratsnout didn't need much imagination to figure out why Kazt had come, nor was he caught off guard.

Casually swirling his drink, Ratsnout glanced at Tattam's stoic face.

"Sorry about this," Ratsnout muttered insincerely.

Tattam remained silent.

Kazt's gaze bore into Ratsnout as he spoke in a deep voice, "Ratsnout, right? I'm not one to beat around the bush."

"Oh, that's obvious," Ratsnout replied, eyeing Kazt's sharp-horned helmet without a hint of panic.

Read 30+ chapters at:

[email protected]/NenMaster