Chapter 1610 A Shop That Only Talks About Transactions

Of the people who awoke, only Kidd had been to this shop before.

Compared to the panic and confusion of others trying to understand the situation, he seemed much calmer, even somewhat at ease.

He held his helmet in one hand, leaning against the counter, his gaze sweeping over the crowd that had split into two small groups.

On one side were Kidd, Hawkins, Capone Bege who had just caught his breath, and Luffy, who seemed to be the quickest to accept the current situation and was looking around with curious eyes.

On the other side is CP9, centered around Rob Lucci, with Kaku and Ada as the main members.

The two sides were clearly separated, forming an invisible standoff in the small space, each speaking in hushed tones.

The fact that Devil Fruit powers failed in this shop was a situation that these power users had never encountered before, a situation that overturned their understanding.

"Could there be a Devil Fruit user in the world who can nullify Devil Fruit abilities?!"

Lucci's voice was extremely low, carrying the calm analytical tone characteristic of a CP9 commander, but it also betrayed a hint of disbelief.

He and Kaku, both Zoan-type Devil Fruit users, felt it particularly acutely at this moment. The complete severing of their power connection caused them a deep-seated unease.

Their limited careers as spies were mostly spent on training, infiltration, and assassination, dealing more with how to deal with people with special abilities than with the ability itself being erased by unknown rules—such extraordinary events.

Their level is not yet at the level of the higher-level lackeys CP0, and they are unaware of the deeper secrets of that world.

Hawkins quietly moved next to Kidd, lowering his voice even further: "Now you should share the secrets of this shop, shouldn't you?"

"If we meet the shop owner later, we need to be prepared and know what we're going to be facing..."

His voice was perfectly controlled, enough to instantly silence the two small groups from their whispers.

All eyes, as if drawn by invisible threads, instantly focused on Kidd.

Kidd couldn't help but glare at Hawkins beside him. This guy really loved to stir up trouble. He'd give this rambling first mate a good talking-to when they got out.

But now that things have come to this, there seems to be little point in hiding it, at least not about the shop itself.

He no longer concealed using his one arm to pull out a small black card from his tattered inner pocket. It was neither gold nor paper, and had a peculiar texture.

The card didn't reflect light under the dim light; instead, it seemed to absorb the surrounding light. "It was this thing that brought us here at the last minute."

"Without it, even if we hadn't been killed by that pig's roar, our bones would have been chewed up by that sandworm, or worse, they would have fallen into the hands of the Five Elders."

Ada took a half step forward, staring at the card in Kidd's hand, trying to identify it: "Pawnshop No. 8"?

"A pawnshop! A place to pawn items?"

"What kind of monster could rescue so many of us from right under the noses of the Five Elders?"

Faced with a barrage of questions from the woman, Kidd simply said he didn't know. The fact that they were still breathing and sitting there staring at each other meant that, in the shop owner's eyes, these people still possessed some value and were worth trading with this pawnshop.

"trade"??

The meaning of the word "pawnshop" is as clear as it is, yet as bizarre as it is. Exchanging things for things—what would they exchange for in the face of such a strange entity?

What can we exchange it for?

Now that the matter was out in the open, Kidd seemed to have put aside some reservations. He held up the seemingly inconspicuous helmet in his arms and said, "I am where I am today, and my Magnet-Magnet Fruit ability has been developed to this extent, largely because of this."

He didn't mention the price, but there were no fools present. The pawnshop deal for a helmet that enhanced strength was enough to connect the dots.

If the owner here takes one thing from you, you will receive another thing you desire.

Lifespan, luck, obsession with a certain goal, future possibilities (such as fertility), and even more ethereal but supposedly real things, such as parts of the soul, can all be traded in this shop.

As Kidd's descriptions became increasingly fantastical, the expressions on everyone's faces gradually shifted from surprise and doubt to disbelief, and even a sense of absurdity.

Lifespan? Luck? Soul?

This is completely beyond the scope of common sense that they, as pirates and spies, understand.

Devil Fruits may be magical, but at least they are tangible rules.

Such transactions involving concepts sound more like a devil's contract from a fairy tale, or a scam by a charlatan.

Lucci's face was now completely undisguised, revealing a cold mockery as if he were looking at an idiot. He crossed his arms as if to say: "Does a pirate's nonsense think he can fool the elites of CP9?"

Capone Becky, a mob boss, has seen too many scams. "Kid, you're not getting scammed, are you?"

Just as everyone was still skeptical of Kidd's words, hushed discussions began to rise again...

A series of unhurried footsteps came from the deeper part of the shop, an area shrouded in even darker shadows. The sound was not loud, but it strangely overpowered all the whispers and breaths, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

All sounds stopped abruptly.

Argument, doubt, ridicule, and confusion all froze on their faces. As if an invisible hand had gripped their throats, everyone turned their heads to look in the direction from which the footsteps came.

At the edge of the dim yellow light, shadows rippled like water. A figure carrying an old-fashioned oil lamp that emitted a steady but not very bright light slowly emerged from it.

He was a rather thin man, dressed in a simple, dark long gown made of ordinary material. His face was somewhat blurred under the glow of the oil lamp, making it impossible to tell his exact age.

His features were plain, but his eyes were calm and deep, as if reflecting the flame of an oil lamp, yet seemingly empty.

As he approached, the crowd was horrified to discover that the darkness behind him, which had previously been merely a visual illusion, now seemed to come alive.

Like a living, dark tide, it slowly writhed in the depths beyond the reach of the oil lamp's light, casting his thin shadow long and thin, as if it were about to pounce out and devour everyone at any moment.

The already eerie atmosphere inside the shop instantly plummeted to freezing point, gripping everyone with a fear stemming from a primal instinct—a fear of an existence beyond comprehension.

Even the most unruly Kidd unconsciously straightened his body and hugged his helmet tightly.

Lucci leaned forward slightly, entering a state of high alert, while Luffy also put away his confused expression and showed a rare serious look.

The man carrying the oil lamp stopped behind the counter, gently placed it on the table, and his calm, almost unsettling eyes slowly swept over the ordinary people in the shop, some sitting, some standing, all in different but equally tense postures.

The shopkeeper's tone was calm, his voice echoing clearly in everyone's minds, directly affecting their consciousness: "Welcome to my shop. Customers, for a mere pittance, you can obtain everything you desire..."