The origin and existence of the unidentified creature are unclear, so Law decided to call it [Black Cat] for now.
Leaving aside the illusionary world, which was likely the result of the white smoke font and Stargie's Post-Mortem Nen, the real problem was the Black Cat standing before him.
Law could feel that there was an invisible thread connecting him and the Black Cat, and the Black Cat jumped out of the book, which means that the existence of the Black Cat was related to his Nen Ability.
However, Law knew nothing about this.
'Why did such a bizarre black cat appear? Why did its gaze seem so human-like? And why did it look like it wanted to eat me?'
In the monochrome world, the Black Cat's silver eyes stood out vividly. It was smiling, but due to its dark fur and small mouth, Law couldn't see it clearly.
Not far away, Stargie was ready to make a move but did nothing. She had a blank expression on her face, her mouth slightly opened, and like a madman, she kept repeating the words 'unforgivable' over and over again.
As someone who was also in the illusion world, Law was a little confused, mainly because this black cat was related to his Nen Ability.
As Law puzzled over the situation, the Black Cat, perhaps having finished contemplating, suddenly sprang into action. In a flash, it lunged at him, opening its small mouth and biting down hard.
The speed was too fast, and by the time Law reacted, the Black Cat had already taken a bite and retreated.
Law was momentarily stunned. He was not injured because the Black Cat did not bite off his flesh, but his Aura.
"Not bad."
The Black Cat's cheeks puffed slightly as if savoring something delicious.
Its speech was clear and crisp, with a tone resembling silver bells, but with a hint of sharpness and childishness.
'With just one bite, it had consumed a tenth of my Aura. And it spoke.'
Regardless of whether the Black Cat had any connection to him, Law suppressed his shock and swung his blade without hesitation, slashing at the cat's neck.
Shhh!
A fine line appeared on the Black Cat's neck, but in the blink of an eye, it healed completely.
"It's useless."
Black Cat tilted its head slightly, gulped down the Aura, and in the next second, pounced at Law again. With practiced ease, it took another bite at Law's Aura and retreated, chewing contentedly as if no one else were around.
That bite made Law lose some of his Aura again. If it bit him ten more times like this, he'd be done for.
"No matter what method you use, you can't hurt me."
The Black Cat floated mid-air, squinting its eyes while resting its head in its paws. It leaned back leisurely, crossing its legs in a relaxed, almost arrogant posture.
Seeing this smug creature casually chewing on his Aura while posing like that, Law's face darkened.
His previous attack had definitely landed, but the Black Cat had healed instantly, just like Stargie's humanoid Nen Beast.
At this time, Law thought of the white smoke font inside his body, 'Perhaps I could use it to deal with this black cat that appeared out of nowhere.'
"I told you, no matter what method you use, it's useless, including that peculiar ability of yours."
The Black Cat swayed its crossed legs lazily, swallowing another mouthful of Aura before squinting at Law, effortlessly exposing his thoughts.
'That peculiar ability...?'
'Is this cat referring to the white smoke font?'
Law took a step back in shock, after all, that was his biggest secret.
Staring at the Black Cat, he asked, "What exactly are you...?"
The Black Cat pondered for a moment and replied, "If I had to describe myself in a way that fits your understanding, then… I'm a Nen Beast."
"What a joke!"
Law pointed his blade at the Black Cat, and said angrily, "Since when does a Nen Beast feed on its summoner's Aura?"
Nen Beasts could take various forms, humanoid, animalistic, even fantastical creatures not found in reality. And depending on the summoner's abilities, Nen Beasts could speak, possess independent souls, make intelligent decisions, or wield unique powers.
But could there be a Nen Beast that actively devoured its summoner's Aura? That was not something Law could confirm outright.
"What makes you so sure?"
Black Cat leaned forward slightly, its small mouth curving into an anchor-shaped grin as it pounced toward Law again.
This time, before Black Cat could bite him, Law swung his sword again. However, although the sword clearly felt like it was cutting through something, Black Cat remained unharmed and managed to take another chunk of his Aura.
"Who told you that? Have you seen one? Do you truly understand Nen Beasts? Can your knowledge back up your claim?" Black Cat glanced at him sideways, chewing the Aura in its mouth.
Law remained silent. He had already planned to use the ability of the white smoke font to see if he could get rid of this troublesome creature.
Black Cat swallowed the Aura, shrugged, and said earnestly: "Honestly, I don't know either, and it doesn't matter. After all, I am not actually a Nen Beast. I'm just using that term to help you understand me quickly."
At this moment, the silent Law suddenly took a few steps forward and grabbed Black Cat by the throat.
"Didn't I tell you? It's useless." Despite being grabbed at the neck, Black Cat remained completely calm. It even raised its paw, swiping at Law's Aura-filled arm and casually grabbing a chunk of Aura to shove into its mouth.
The way it acted, it was as if someone had put a knife to its throat while it was eating, yet it continued to eat as if nothing was more important than its meal, even death itself.
Law didn't say a word, and just activated the white smoke font's ability. However, there was no response.
Then, he drove his Aura and wanted to break Black Cat's neck with his palm, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't squeeze it any further.
It was as if there was a protective shield preventing him from doing so.
'Why is this happening? What exactly is this thing?'
"You seem surprised. To be honest, I'm surprised too."
The chewing Aura and the grabbed neck did not affect Black Cat's speech.
It looked at Law, a thoughtful look appeared in its silver eyes, and the next second, it returned to calm.
"I am special."
Black Cat muttered to itself, then raised its three-fingered paw, pointed its middle claw at Law, and said calmly, "You are special too. Since we're both special, there's no need to overreact. Just let me eat your Aura, and everything will be fine."
For Black Cat, the middle claw was simply its index finger, so it's not a rude gesture.
What he said was very cryptic, but Law at least understood one thing, which is, Black Cat intended to devour all his Aura.
With too little information to act on and half of his Aura already gone, Law knew he was in serious danger. However, Law became more and more calm.
Even though he couldn't harm the Black Cat, he refused to let go. He kept grabbing its neck and asked coldly, "What are you really?"
This thing who popped out of his Nen Ability seemed to know the ability of his white smoke font, and wanted to eat his Aura. This phenomenon was incredible and difficult to accept to Law.
"I'm your Nen Beast."
Black Cat grinned in its anchor-shaped smile again. Although it had clearly stated that it was not a Nen Beast, it still used this explanation.
Law's eyes turned cold, but he had no way to deal with this damn thing, and his mind was filled with unanswered questions.
Black Cat stared at him, seemingly able to read his thoughts.
"Since you cannot accept the explanation of the Nen Beast, I will change it to another explanation, such as... the Dark Continent."
"Why should I eat your Aura? Actually, my taste is quite diverse, I am not only interested in Aura."
"Simply put, I'm here to mess with you."
"But you don't have to be afraid. Because, if you die, that would be a real hassle for me."
Black Cat continued its self-monologue, though it was clearly answering Law's unspoken questions.
At this point, it turned its head to glance at Stargie, who was still muttering under her breath, and said lightly: "Half of your Aura is enough. As for this trouble, I will help you deal with it."
The moment those words fell, the black-and-white world suddenly collapsed without warning...