Chapter 27: Hidden pleasures (1)

The spear he held was a simple yet  complex tool. The head shined even in the darkest of places, with the silvery color inlaid into the steel type metal. One could tell the shaft was carefully crafted from the finest of woods. Delicately Carved letters spelled the weapon's name, 'bayonet'. It spoke of the wielder's pride and confidence, not many thirsted for such fulfillment as they presumed themselves to be lacking. 'bayonet' was like an artifact of some sort, not like any of those gaudy crusty toys that the wannabe swordmasters flung and swung at each other. This spear could handle the internal energy well enough for it to be one of the special, perhaps superior kinds. The devil often spent time marveling at what he assumed to be the many-faced god's gift, he took it under-arms to be one of the few things he dearly treasured. Other than his memories, his very special left eye and that abnormally-strong body. 

Matthew swiped the steel a few times using soaked whetstone, he couldn't put his weapon to hunt unless he repeated this process a dozen times, keeping 'bayonet' as glorious and fresh in appearance as 'she' could be, even though the wielder knew without possible doubt, his fine spear couldn't be crisped up to uselessness from the passing time. Meditation and rest weren't as convenient anymore for those long nights unless his 'precious' was in clean shape and form. A swordsman's lovely weapon doesn't clean itself, only a handy piece of whetstone does…

'The devil, the nighthawk, the demon, the butcher, the man with a black heart… many fancy words to refer to a humble blind man and his steel cane' he thought amusedly of himself. Taking a piece of cloth from one of his pockets, he wiped the blood trails staining his pale face. The pain in his crow's eye worsened with time, something he expected his body to be able to handle, alas it proved to be more severe than usual… so he chose to close both pupils, keeping himself clueless of his pitch-black surroundings like a blind man, with his haki acting quite helpful as a guide. 

The scale, the precision, the practicality of his new powers made his previous work with 'bayonet' seem insignificant and lacking by comparison. Understanding how to use the spear techniques from the manual took him days of training and hard-work, but learning both observation and first-stage armament took him weeks of dedication. 

Every weapon he held was deadly. Each piece of his arsenal complimented the others perfectly, as if it were painted to be that way by a master artist. For each tool he used with utter gracefulness, he reaped limbs and heads right from his victim's body. A one of a kind performer he had to comment. 

He had long finished cleaning his tools. But with the morning dawning plainer than ever, the temptation was too great for him. He removed the eye patch. with the bat-like piece of skin removed, he drew the fingertips of his right hand across the surface of his own face. The shivering muscles and pain quickened his breath. He picked up bayonet from his back, and with a pump of adrenaline, he unleashed the bloodlust. It constricted his breathing and removed his depth nervousness. Calming his mind for what this morning might hold for him is a must. 

Matthew has an unnatural talent in masking his facial expressions. A cold aloofness set his face to remain a mildly handsome one, with his youthful features not changing much since his first arrival in this world. 

He walked to one of the edges and looked down upon the nearly empty Portelinian slums. The devil often liked to jump off many cliffs of some kind, not out of masochism or fetishism, it's just another one of his 'superb' ways of training his body and haki. He would close both eyes, with the observation power telling him of the most vulnerable spot of his brawn. And together under the night's watch, he would 'fly' downwards…

He wanted to see how the armament worked. He wanted to see how his energy flowed subconsciously trying to mitigate as much damage as possible…

Seeing made him feel better about his power. Seeing his own tools develop was a pleasure, much to his delight. 

As sane as that hobby sounds, he couldn't attempt it at the moment. One reason is the pesky atmosphere that hinted at the beginning of springtime and forenoon of another day. The other was the troublesome existence that kept perceiving his moments from down there. He titled his head slightly and 'saw'. A cap of black hair that hid the facial features of another young orphaned boy. The brave-few passersby pointed at the kid, calling him a 'mute' and other profane titles but he didn't seem to be the type to bother. The mute's eyes drilled holes through the sky, as if sensing the devil and his many secrets laid somewhere within his reach.

"... The sky is clearer than ever. Another day of work and spying" Kayn spoke in a quieter than still water voice. He looked around him, the black curls of his hair didn't hinder his vision at all. 

'the results of the silent massacre can be felt from here' despite the tragedy happening around the deeper areas of the slums, even these outer places still get affected. Shall anyone venture north of here, the thick blood mist would quickly set a reminder for the homeless 'do not approach the devil's den'. 

" I didn't know you could speak so fluently. How come they call you a mute?" a sudden voice brought his attention back to his mission, which was to act as an informer between his leader and this weird man. Looking at the spear wielder, he didn't know what to believe anymore. Yami told him that as soon as he enters the slums the man will find him quicker than anything. 

"... It's not that I'm actually unable to speak. It's just that I find talking to be troublesome and inconvenient at times. People speak for each other with expressive emotions, but I imagine it to be repulsive. As many sentences as you utter, a secret might be spat out. As a spy, I have to make sure nothing like this happens at random." 

" oh, but you are speaking to me at this moment" Matthew pointed out. 

"Yes, this is one of the few moments it becomes convenient. You know pictures and sheets aren't as translucent." with a youthful voice, Kayn kept inspecting the man before him. A spear tied to the back with a cloak that hid most of his clothes and the upper part of his visage. The nickname 'faceless' came from the fact that when he looked down at someone of the same or lesser height, he showed his cold smiling lips unintentionally, it was as strange as it could be. 

Matthew glanced around them for a second before saying: "Tell me, aren't you afraid of the devil?" 

"... No" Kayn's eyes fell on the man's figure for another second. He had speculations and assumptions. But he wasn't quite sure of their authenticity. As of right now, those evil thoughts spoke to him about something, it was a warning of some sort…

"Do you happen to be the devil by any chance?". A question that perhaps, both sides knew the answer to. 

"... Your leader also seems to be of the non-talkative type, he doesn't trust you with secrets does he?" 

"Leader Yami whispers many things in our ears. Secrets are not one of them. Which grows some of the four vice leaders' mistrust and suspicions" 

"The lion gets chased out by his own flock as signs of aging start showing, you kids resemble the idiom too well."

"you still haven't answered my previous question" 

"... Oh, I'm sure we have all heard stories and poems of the silent massacre young Kayn. Horrific images were imprinted in the minds of many unlucky souls that day, those paints will haunt them for lives it seems… Quite an unfortunate event, it's said that the devil who attempted the cursed thing is a fine painter who only used the crimson-red color in his art, with the blackness of night acting as a witness of his sophisticated art"

"An unfortunate accident indeed, I'm sure the faceless man had nothing to do with it…" 

"who knows" Matthew turned and headed south meaning to leave the slummy grounds of Portelin, gesturing to the young Kayn to follow him. 

"you don't seem to be afraid" he noticed as the boy walked side by side. Since he got the observation power he could 'smell' many strange scents… he could tell when people are nervous. When they are scared of something. When a young girl has a crush on her handsome white knight. When a young man is impressed by anything. He could smell disobedience, pride, defiance, arrogance, lust, envy and many other 'whiffs'... The people, he could see their naked true natures decorated in a variety of colors and filtered emotions, laid there for his senses to prey upon… but he catched none of these stinks coming from this boy. Faint shades of colors that only indicated pure intelligence, brilliance and commitment to his duties.

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'What's wrong with kids in this world' how many times has he been impressed so far? There was Angella at first, Yami Yugure at second and now a vicious kid by the name of Kayn pretends to be a mute to trick people into trusting him. 

"Why would I be afraid of you? Birds can live well enough in crocodile swamps as long as they clean off the meat stuck in their teeth." Kayn kept speaking quietly in an airy, soft voice. People finally started paying them attention the farther they ventured south. 

"Now that we are at it… Any taverns you recommend where the owners are generous enough to sell whispers and information" 

" 'Hidden Pleasures' is a good bar for that kind of thing. We could get lost on the way yet we won't miss its tall tower like frame. Although you could always come to the casino and seek us for any intel you need" 

"To the 'Hidden Pleasures' then…"

Today, Matthew cut an elegant, slender figure as he walked with his spear resembling a cane. He was steady in his steps, while the mute was hunched over. He forcefully tapped the 'cane' ahead of him as he marched toward the 'Hidden Pleasures'. His spear sparkled under the sunlight, his dark cloak flowed gently with the wind and most importantly… His wallets, jewels, cash papers whatever you wanna call them… all glittered, making him more pleased than ever. Whoever his generous patrons were, they were quite happy with his nightly performances. Looting corpses was frowned down upon but didn't the finest painter deserve a handsome paintbrush for his delicate work? 

—--

Matthew paused for a moment to study the cherubic design of the bar. It was building up with a round, perfectly symmetrical shape. An old dull door was cranked open every few seconds or so, indicating how busy the place was. The customers were… suspicious people with tattoos, weird haircuts and massive builds. It also seemed to be some sort of custom to bring your weapon with you as most of them had swords and axes. 

"... Gangs and thieve groups find these types of places quite convenient. It's not uncommon for them to spy on people and fake their behavior." Kayn commented to Matthew's side as they both entered. 

A woman who acted as a waitress widened her eyes as Matthew brushed past the crowds of people and made his way towards two empty seats at the counter. He was well aware of how intimidating he looked. Normally, it elicited no pangs of grief or whatever, but today he wanted to draw no attention to his attire. 

The name hidden pleasures came from the fact that this place offered many forbidden services to its customers. Starting off with the eye-catching board of sheets, each paper held a name of some kind… Bloody sailor, Green fever, Old rot, ironwood, the red death, gray serpent, pulsating eye, black rat, summer ghost… names of pirates and well known bounty hunters, with the ridiculous prizes of hiring stationed right underneath the name and description. Another board was the bounty one, with even animals getting caught in the fray of hunting… vampire bats, stinging great apes, tattooed lizards, albino ducks… all were endangered west blue species, it's commonly known that finding them was rarer than devil fruits. 

"The dull tower we reside in is said to be older than time" Kayn commented once again as he seated himself comfortably. 

'this is one fucked up place' naked women were pleasuring men on sight. In the middle of the bar, high-pitched moans echoed like a crescendo in the already busy place. Most customers were seated on tables, each of the latter differentiated in luxury depending on how deep one's pockets were. Matthew, despite being the wealthiest from his hunts, chose the cheaper option. 

"Welcome to hidden pleasures, how can we help you?" the same pretty woman from before, came from behind and asked in an unusual cheerful voice. Matthew could see greed and lust pouring from her gaze as she secretly stared at the young Kayn. 'A pedophile waitress certainly matches the mood of this place'. Amusedly, he brought a bag of expensive jewels from his back. Each of them could fetch a nice home in Portelin. 

"oh what is this…huh!!" once she looked at what hid inside the bag, immediate panic hit her like a drum. 

"I will call the boss for you, darling" now she also started flirting with Matthew. Further magnifying the latter's entertainment. His crow sigil danced gorgeously under the cloak, giving him a clear view of the rest of the city around him. His last performance in this journey of death had to be a memorable one, but there's still much word to do for the day. So far all of his hunts have been uninspired. It's high time he went up a level or two. 

"this is an interesting place you recommended me, I'm quite flattered young Kayn" it was the perfect starting point for what he intended to do.

 

"You will thank me even more once you climb the tower. Above us is one of the three biggest fighting rings in Portelin. The thing that drives people nuts for this one is particular is that you get to choose your own chest pieces, raise them form the ground and then put them against other pit fighters"

" Tell me more about these chest pieces" 

"mainly children, preferably. People have a particular fetish when it comes to this 'kind', apparently they grew tired of old men and women beating each other to death. Now they want young blood to be spilled... It's been long noted; Hidden pleasures is a place where those dark, twisted human desires flourish, funneled by evil acts of sheer cruelty" the kid seemed Strangely composed when talking of these matters.

'Portelin is a real place of wonders' the inspiration he needed for his last performance was getting clearer with time. So obvious, so preordained. There was never a chance to begin with, to hold the desire to hunt these people and coat his hands with their blood. Once the day arrives, he would have to make their lives a living hell, all of them will suffer… 

"~ohhhhh. Ahhh harder…~"

"~Ahh. My king, Pound me harder…~"

His enhanced senses tingled furiously. Just hearing these lustful screams of bliss sent his skin prickling. Observation haki was sometimes taken for a curse, the reason was quite obvious. His brain grew chaotic listening to the opposite signals his crow's eye sent him. Moans of delight and pleasure on one floor, groans of pain and anguish on the other. 

Kayn on the other hand took his time to order a meal for two, an expensive one since he wasn't the one paying. 

The glistening vegetable and candied meat swam finely on top of the flavorful broth. An enticing aroma that could send one to paradise as soon as he catches a whiff. Kayn dived right into his own soup while Matthew kept twirling the spoon around his fingers waiting for his guest of the night to show up. Soon enough, the tasty dish will settle at its peak, one just needs to let the soup rest for a minute. Patience is key, just like his artistic performance. 

"oh! what do we have here, generous customers are always welcomed in this wonderful bar of mine" uncaring of the atmosphere around, a suave man with a butler like appearance showed himself. Matthew's teeth clenched for a second. 

"Ahh, I didn't expect the owner of hidden pleasures to carry himself with such gracefulness, mister…?" Matthew spoke first, Looking down at the perfect bowl of soup in front of him, droplets of what seemed to be pork fat's oil shimmered on the surface. But it wasn't time to eat yet. 

"Fred, just Fred if you will. You see…" Fred twirled his long mustache and chuckled maniacally. He appeared to be calming his own rising excitement. The pretty woman from before stood far behind him, ready to intervene at any chance. She held a candle in her hand that flickered from time to time, the other swiftly retrieved a blade from its sheath. 

"... Ahahaha, it's not everyday that a customer seeks us with a wallet as pregnant as yours. So please, forgive my rudeness" In a great display of courtesy, Fred bowed, his old body forming a perfect right angle. Even Matthew's haki couldn't pick any faults in his form, it was an impressive deed. 

'a trained soldier with a marine background, how weird does the lamp switch from dark to light' Matthew could tell in an instance how good this man was at pretending. There were up for a long ride he guessed.

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