A day later, Law arrived at the coastal town of Gray Harbor. Ging had given him three days, but Law came two days early.
Most coastal towns rely on fishing as their primary source of income, and Gray Harbor is no exception. It's especially famous for its bustling fish market.
Every Sunday, fishing boats return to the harbor and unload the week's catch at the market not far from the port.
Common seafood is sold at fixed prices, while rare and exotic catches are auctioned off starting from zero. This is the fish market in Gray's Harbor, which is only open once a week.
The special seafood items are usually rare catches, often even classified as graded delicacies. Whether by luck or the blessing of the sea gods, the fishermen of Gray Harbor manage to haul in some extraordinary seafood every week.
Because of the grand occasion created by the fish market, a large number of outsiders would suddenly flock to Gray Harbor on Sundays, all of drawn by the promise of unique seafood.
Among this group of outsiders, more than half of these outsiders are representatives from renowned restaurants or hotels, while others are agents sent by wealthy gourmets hoping to strike it lucky.
Though the auctions are fair, in the eyes of local restaurants, these outsiders were still regarded as food snatchers.
Law happened to arrive in Gray Harbor on the day of the fish market, so he decided to join in on the excitement.
The layout of the fish market resembled a large job fair, with simple, unadorned stalls neatly arranged in rows.
Unlike ordinary markets, the fish market covered a vast area, with wide pathways between stalls, as if it was designed to accommodate massive crowds.
Since it was only open once a week, it would feel like a waste, as it would be equivalent to using such a large area only four times a month. However, the fish market had the financial backing to justify it, as every session brought in huge profits.
Inside the market, the air buzzed with voices, mostly negotiations between buyers and sellers, along with plenty of enthusiastic shouting.
Thanks to the spacious walkways, even with the heavy foot traffic, it never felt overcrowded.
Law wore a ridiculously tacky straw hat, a short-sleeved shirt, knee-length shorts, and a pair of flip-flops. A black cat with silver eyes perched on his shoulder, completing the bizarre ensemble.
As he walked along, he saw more than a hundred kinds of seafood. This is just the result of just walking around for a while, so he wondered how many kinds of seafood there are in this massive fish market.
"Want me to buy you some fish?" Law asked as he walked.
Kuro raised his head and snorted, "These garbage?"
"Garbage? Can you even afford it?" Law sneered.
Kuro's face stiffened, and he fell silent.
Although there were many kinds of seafood on the stalls in the fish market, none of it interested Law. After walking around for a while, he went straight to the auction venue in the center of the fish market, where the real highlight was.
One of the more famous features of this fish market is that its venue is large enough, and the auction venue, where the heavyweight items are held, is also very spacious.
But even though the area is large enough, whenever the fish market is open, this place is always crowded with people.
Most people came to Gray Harbor's fish market specifically for the graded, rare ingredients. Sometimes, if luck was on their side, they might even encounter never-before-seen seafood.
"So many people."
Law squeezed his way into the venue with difficulty, only to see that all the seats were already occupied, while others were standing, almost filling up the entire venue.
Before entering the venue, attendees had to pay 1,000 Jenny to receive a numbered bidding paddle. And after the auction, they can get the money back by returning it.
Law's paddle was numbered 42666. To place a bid, he just had to raise it.
Since the special seafood items changed every week, the fish market auction didn't provide a catalog like a formal auction would. So until the items were presented, no one knew what treasures would appear.
With about twenty minutes left before the auction started, Law tried to squeeze forward to get a better view. Meanwhile, after seeing Law's determination to become a sardine in a can, Kuro retreated into the tattoo.
There is a huge LCD screen stood on the auction stage, as well as a loudspeaker to ensure everyone in the venue could hear. Despite this, there are still many people like Law who want to squeeze to the front row.
While maneuvering through the crowd, Law accidentally bumped into a little girl.
Law was about to apologize, but the little girl quickly stood up and said angrily to Law, "Don't you have eyes?"
As she spoke, the little girl glared at Law fiercely. Without giving him a chance to speak, she pushed away the people in front of her with both hands and walked towards the auction stage.
Law adjusted the brim of his straw hat and chuckled helplessly as he watched her disappear into the crowd.
The little girl looked only about ten years old. She had the bidding paddle tucked into the back of her clothes, with the tag with the number plate dangling above her head like some sort of comical 'for sale' sign.
'There's little kid joining in the fun too?'
Law shook his head, forgetting that his current body was also still underage.
After some effort, he finally made it closer to the front. He annoyed quite a few people along the way, but seeing how young he looked, most chose not to make a big deal out of it.
The auction stage was a vast platform, standing over a meter high, with only a podium placed on it. There was no gavel typically used for auctions, just a microphone.
A large screen hung above the stage, with speakers on both sides. A middle-aged man with a mustache, dressed in a suit, walked out from backstage and gracefully approached the podium. He then said, "Welcome, everyone."
After the customary opening remarks, he quickly got to the point.
"Among today's auction items, there are several very special seafood products. I'm sure those of you who made it here know that at the fish market, in addition to the highest bidder, there's one more exception, that is, those with the highest skill can also win."
"Without further ado, let's bring out the first special auction item, the Spiny Sea Pork!"
As soon as the mustached man finished speaking, staff members pushed out ten carts. Each cart was piled with ice, and atop the ice lay spherical creatures covered in four-foot-long spikes… the Spiny Sea Pork.
"This week, we've been exceptionally lucky to catch the 'ocean tide', allowing us to harvest ten Spiny Sea Pork at once!"
"That's right, these are Spiny Sea Pork, hailed as one of the deep sea's finest delicacies. However, the Spiny Sea Pork is highly venomous. To prepare it for consumption, the venom sac must be carefully removed, requiring extremely high precision and steady technique. If the extraction fails, the entire body of the Spiny Sea Pork will instantly become saturated with lethal toxins."
"Here, we have ten Spiny Sea Pork. According to the 'highest skill wins' rule, if any guest present can successfully remove the venom sac, they will receive half the profits from the sale of all ten. However, if they fail, they must purchase the Spiny Sea Pork at the price of a failed product."
The mustache man smiled politely, looked around at the guests, and said, "Please consider carefully before deciding whether to step forward and attempt this challenge."
"I'll do it!"
At this time, a clear and tender female voice came from the audience. Following the direction of the voice, the crowd turned to see a young girl about ten years old squeezing through the spectators.
Like a nimble kitten, she hopped over the railing and climbed the steps onto the stage.
When the audience saw this little girl with pink hair, the whole place suddenly fell silent.
Not only was her behavior beyond everyone's expectations, but since her auction placard, which is marked with a number, was stuck behind her back, when she stood on the stage, she almost seemed like one of the auction items herself.
'It's her… Did she not understand the rules?'
Law looked at the little girl on the stage with surprised expression.