Masquerade [Killer x Reader]

3. Unmasked

I wander around the harbor again, checking every street and alley in the hope of finding any clues. Although we have kept both her house and the fruit stall under close surveillance, no one has seen her again.

Once again, she seems to have vanished without a trace and, once again, I find myself looking for her without knowing exactly why.

How can it be that she appears and disappears so easily?

According to Kid, she could be a user of the Gekko Gekko no Mi, which gives its user the ability to transform into one of those small reptiles capable of camouflaging with their environment. But, as good as that theory is, it doesn't convince me.

Why would a noble possess the abilities of a devil fruit?

Speaking of Kid, although he's still worried about the map issue -and has already suggested on a couple of occasions that we torture the fruit vendor to tell us how to find [Yn]-, he's been very happy since he bought those tools. Apparently, they were just what he needed for one of his new prototypes.

In fact, he's so excited that lately he's been falling asleep at night in his workshop while working.

"Have you heard the good news?" Pretending to look for something, I slow my pace to listen to the conversation. The man who has spoken is on the dock, checking some crates of supplies while talking to another man who is cleaning the deck of one of the nearby ships. "«Unmasked» reopens tonight!"

"It was time!" His companion replies enthusiastically. "Yesterday I had to go to that tavern next to the square, and their rum seemed like shark piss." Apparently, just remembering it is enough to make him look disgusted. "Besides, they're thieves! Six hundred berries a beer! Can you believe it?"

With those prices, it does seem like a robbery. I don't think we ever paid more than three hundred berries for a drink, regardless of the liquor it contained.

"You've said it..." agrees the first one. "The truth is that I thought it would take longer, but this morning there were people rearranging the storage room. Kyle told me that, to celebrate the reopening, whiskey is on the house. What do you think? Are you in?"

"Free booze? Doubt offends!" laughs the one on the boat.

Then they start arguing about which of the two is capable of drinking more alcohol, and I stop paying attention to them. I save the name of the tavern in my mind to tell the guys about it later. Although I don't really care, they are probably interested in the promise of free alcohol.

Bored, I continue my walk and soon notice that there is more movement than usual in the market square. There is cheering and laughter, accompanied by a pleasant melody in the background.

Is there a festival?

My feet move on their own towards the hustle and bustle.

In the center of the square, surrounded by a crowd, three women dance enthusiastically to the sound of a lute and a reed flute played by two other women. They wear brightly colored, semi-transparent clothing, and all of them wear white masks with red details that completely hide their faces.

Two words embroidered on their tops, one on each breast, catch my attention: «Un», «masked». Separately, they make no sense, but together they form the name of the same place those two men were talking about a moment ago.

It seems to be some kind of promotion to attract people tonight and, judging by how lively the sailors and pirates who have come to see the show are, it's working perfectly. The owner of that tavern knows how to capture the attention of his audience.

The dancers spread out and begin to dance among the audience, who immediately move aside to make way for them. Despite all the lustful glances, the men keep a prudent distance and avoid touching them. They move confidently, without fear, accompanying the melody with soft giggles.