Grudge

Maud was quite satisfied with his haul tonight.

His physique was about fifteen times that of an average person, combined with the physical techniques he had already cultivated, and now, a flintlock musket with high lethality within fifty meters.

With such capital, going out on the streets should be fine.

But if he got into a conflict with someone, this much self-preservation ability wouldn't be enough.

However, compared to being cooped up in the punitive institution in his previous life, waiting for opportunities with condemned prisoners...

To quickly improve his strength for self-preservation, it was clearly faster to take the initiative.

It just came with greater potential risks…

With these thoughts, Maud fell into a deep sleep.

The next day.

As dawn broke, the two corpses in the alley had already been moved, leaving only a patch of dried blood.

Nearby residents came and went through the alley, completely ignoring the bloodstains by the wall.

Although this was a residential area, the residents here were basically pirates and people from the underworld, so they were already accustomed to such assassinations.

Therefore, even if the two corpses were still there, they would at most glance at them as they passed by, and then think nothing of it.

After the weapon shop opened, Maud deliberately walked a few steps to observe the "murder scene" from afar.

Although he didn't know who specifically took the bodies away, Maud wasn't too concerned.

He was confident that his actions last night wouldn't be discovered.

Besides, Red's pirate crew was setting sail after noon.

And Red was just a combatant in the pirate crew; if he died, he died. As long as the funds were sufficient, the pirate crew could recruit a group of replacements in Mad Hatter Town at any time.

Therefore, Maud didn't think the pirate crew would change their itinerary because of Red's death.

Unless the other unidentified person was more important than Red, important enough for the pirate captain to take notice.

This possibility was likely very low.

Maud mused.

He glanced at the passersby in the alley, his gaze like he was staring at pieces of walking pork.

Without a trace, he withdrew his aggressive gaze, returned to the weapon shop, and began his routine training.

He had noticed something was off with Sunny; she seemed very down.

Thinking about how women always had those few days each month...

Maud didn't want to court trouble. He squatted in a corner of the shop, performing sets of exercises.

"There are still seven days until the auction begins..."

Soon, Maud's thoughts drifted to his next target.

According to the information Sunny provided, there were quite a few suitable targets.

However, he needed to wait a couple of days before making a move.

After all, he had to lower the hunting frequency to reduce the risk of being discovered.

Mad Hatter Town Port.

A large, open "U"-shaped bay was filled with pirate ships of various sizes and appearances.

Red's Sharp Horn Pirate Ship was among them, a brigantine of considerable size.

It was time to set sail, and the members of the Sharp Horn Pirate Crew had already gathered and made full preparations for departure.

On the deck of the pirate ship, several pirates walked back and forth slowly, seemingly on guard duty.

Inside the ship's cabin, the rest of the pirate crew, including the captain, were gathered.

They were in a circle, with a table in the center, upon which lay two cold, stiff corpses.

Kazt, the captain, wearing a horned war helmet and a thick beard, stood by the table.

He looked down at the corpses, his expression like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

His wide-open eyes were bloodshot, and the breath he exhaled from his nose and mouth seemed to be tinged with killing intent.

Influenced by Kazt, a grim atmosphere permeated the cabin.

Under the influence of the atmosphere, most of the crew members looked solemn, while some were merely putting on a show to match the mood in the cabin.

After a while, as the cabin door was pushed open, the atmosphere inside froze.

Kazt looked towards the cabin door, and the crowd automatically parted to create an opening.

An officer with a long saber at his waist pushed the door open, strode through the gap in the crowd, and approached Kazt.

Kazt stared intently at him and asked coldly, "Anything?"

The officer named Lagron shook his head. "Found nothing."

"Hmm? Not even a single clue?"

"Yes."

Lagron's expression was calm.

A gloomy look flashed in Kazt's eyes.

Something happening at such a crucial moment made him extremely displeased.

Seeing his captain's anger, Lagron reminded him at the opportune moment, "Captain, we need to get back before the auction. We don't have much time to waste."

"You don't need to remind me."

Kazt's eyes held anger as he coldly said, "Lagron, I want you to stay and resolve this matter."

"Understood."

Lagron accepted the order.

Several minutes later, the Sharp Horn Pirate Ship slowly sailed away from the port.

It was the eve of the auction, so most of the incoming pirate ships were docking, and it was rare for a pirate ship to set sail at this time.

Many pirates on the docks couldn't help but take a second look at the Sharp Horn Pirate Ship.

Lagron, who had been ordered to stay behind, watched the pirate ship depart until it became a small black dot. Only then, with a bag of money at his waist, did he turn and walk towards the town.

Among the two crew members who were ambushed and killed last night, one was a navigator the pirate crew had trained for two years.

If only a combatant had been killed, it wouldn't have been enough to cause such worry and effort at this critical juncture.

But a navigator was different; they were one of the important assets for reaching the Grand Line.

Therefore, even though there was a more experienced navigator on board, Kazt couldn't let this go.

Lagron understood the captain's feelings, which was one of the reasons he was willing to stay and handle this matter.

Of course, he actually leaned more towards setting sail, as the target of this voyage was a great prey that couldn't be missed.

Such a great prey would surely provide a rather wonderful plundering experience.

"What a shame."

Lagron thought regretfully.

Half an hour later, he arrived at the bar street.

His gaze wasn't on the large taverns lining the street, but rather towards the alleys.

He pushed through the bustling crowd and entered an alleyway between the buildings.

After walking through the alley for about ten minutes, Lagron stopped in front of a bar.

He glanced at the oil lamp made from a skull hanging on the wall, then pushed open the bar door and strode inside.

Behind the bar, a bartender wiping glasses glanced at Lagron as he entered, but didn't greet him.

Lagron scanned the dimly lit bar, finding not a single customer.

He withdrew his gaze and turned to the bartender behind the counter, asking, "Isn't Wolf Rat here?"

"..."

The bartender silently looked at Lagron and then placed the glass he had just wiped onto the rack.

Lagron frowned and was about to speak when a cold voice suddenly came from behind him.

"I've been here all along."

Hearing the sudden voice, Lagron's expression changed drastically.

When did...?

Amidst the shock, Lagron took several rapid steps forward, then quickly turned to face the source of the voice.

At the same time, his right hand had already reached for his saber hilt, ready to attack at any moment.

When he saw that the speaker was a man as thin as a bamboo pole with sharp eyebrows and a pointed mouth, he couldn't help but freeze.

"You're... Wolf Rat?"