Snake Path Rat Road

Most of the people in Snake Path Rat Road made their living off information.

Although the informants active in Mad Hatter Town were nowhere near as powerful as the Navy or the Revolutionary Army, which could turn intelligence into an art form, they could still provide all sorts of conveniences.

To find the killer who had ambushed his companions, Lagron had no choice but to pay these people for help.

Wolf Rat, supposedly, had a sense of smell even sharper than a dog's.

He was the cold, sinister man with the sharp brows and pointed mouth standing before him.

After sitting down on the sofa, Lagron struggled to calm himself.

The thought of Wolf Rat getting behind him just now without him noticing sent a chill through him.

The man clearly had strength, yet he had chosen to hole up in a stinking gutter doing this kind of work.

Lagron couldn't understand it.

The moment the two of them sat down, the taciturn bartender promptly brought over two glasses of liquor, then silently returned behind the bar.

Wolf Rat extended his right hand, its fingertips long and slender, and lightly lifted the glass to toy with it.

Without waiting for Lagron to explain his purpose, he said on his own, "You're Lagron, an officer of the Sharp Bull Pirates, right? Last night's incident was insignificant, but I still heard about it. So, you want to hire me to find the killer?"

Wolf Rat had recognized his identity and guessed his purpose.

Lagron wasn't surprised.

How could someone make a living in the intelligence business without some ability?

What truly shocked him was the strength Wolf Rat had displayed just now.

"Yes."

Lagron didn't waste words. He simply took out his money pouch and placed it on the table.

Wolf Rat picked up the pouch and weighed it in his hand, then undid the drawstring and glanced inside.

With his years of experience dealing with money, he could accurately estimate the amount without counting it.

"Starting right away?"

He put the pouch away with satisfaction and looked at Lagron.

"That would be best."

Lagron nodded firmly.

Wolf Rat smiled and drained his glass in one gulp.

As for Lagron, he hadn't touched the liquor the bartender had brought from beginning to end.

The two rose and left the bar, one after the other.

Before long, Wolf Rat and Lagron arrived before the dried bloodstains in the alley.

Wolf Rat crouched down to examine them and said, "I heard two people were pierced by a single shot. First, the side of the neck, where bullets penetrated more easily, then the forehead at exactly the right spot. Whoever did this was clearly a ruthless expert sniper."

Lagron's face remained expressionless.

He had no mood to listen to Wolf Rat's analysis, but because of the man's strength, he couldn't bring himself to urge him on.

Wolf Rat didn't care about Lagron's feelings. In a sinister tone, he said, "If we're talking about the kind of person you least want to provoke, it's someone like this—someone who suddenly puts a bullet through you while leaving you no chance to strike back. But..."

Wolf Rat's nose twitched, instantly transforming into a long, narrow black rat's snout.

"It's thanks to people like them staying active that my business is so good."

He raised his snout and sniffed. All sorts of scents turned into information and flowed into his mind.

A hundred possibilities narrowed to ten, then ten to one.

After rapidly filtering out the scent information he wanted, Wolf Rat slowly rose and looked upward.

"Follow me."

He pushed off with his feet and lightly leaped toward the upper levels of the buildings.

Lagron followed close behind.

So he was a Zoan-type Rat-type Devil Fruit ability user. No wonder he specialized in this sort of work.

With that ability, finding the sniper was practically guaranteed.

The two leaped across the rooftops, and before long arrived at the spot where Maud had sniped someone the previous night.

Wolf Rat glanced over the scene. The information transformed from the scents instantly manifested as a trajectory that did not exist in reality, extending from there into the distance.

Following that scent trail, Wolf Rat headed toward Saul's Weapon Shop.

Lagron followed right behind him.

Wolf Rat headed straight for Saul's Weapon Shop. When they were within twenty meters, he suddenly stopped.

"Found him?"

Seeing that, cold intent welled up in Lagron's eyes. He thought Wolf Rat had found the target.

Wolf Rat didn't answer Lagron's question. Instead, he lowered his head and looked toward a spot in the alley.

The scent trail had split. One branch pointed in the direction of Saul's Weapon Shop, while the other extended from Saul's Weapon Shop to this alley.

But that wasn't why Wolf Rat had suddenly stopped.

Even with the split, the final destination was still Saul's Weapon Shop, so the branch wouldn't affect the ultimate search result.

The root of the problem was...

Wolf Rat stared gravely toward Saul's Weapon Shop, where a corner of its entrance was faintly visible.

"Although this scent isn't that old man's, it definitely has something to do with him."

He thought in silence.

Seeing Wolf Rat remain silent, Lagron furrowed his brows slightly and pressed, "Did you find him or not?"

"I found him."

Wolf Rat glanced back at Lagron and said, "However, for the sake of your money, I suggest you give up."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing much. Just a complimentary suggestion."

Lagron replied coldly, "You don't need to worry about that. Finding the target is your job."

Wolf Rat shrugged and said no more.

Following the scent trail, he led Lagron outside Saul's Weapon Shop.

"The killer is inside that shop. What happens after this has nothing to do with me."

"Wolf Rat, our deal was to find the target, not casually point at a place and call it done."

Seeing Wolf Rat point at the shop and prepare to wash his hands of the matter, Lagron's tone turned hostile.

Wolf Rat first glanced warily at the weapon shop's entrance, then sneered at Lagron.

"Fine. The shop owner is an old man, and the clerk is a scarred woman."

"Which one is the killer?"

"Neither."

Lagron suppressed the urge to draw his blade.

Wolf Rat spread his hands. "The killer isn't the old man or the woman, but there are three people in that shop. Understand now?"

Lagron snorted.

Although he didn't know why Wolf Rat wouldn't simply state the third person's identity, at least the target's location had been confirmed.

How could Lagron know that Wolf Rat wasn't refusing to say it, but knew nothing about the third person?

This weapon shop was one of the few places Wolf Rat didn't dare meddle with. If he had known the killer came from the weapon shop, he wouldn't have accepted this job no matter what.

But he had already taken the job, so he could only grit his teeth and carry it through.

That was why Wolf Rat didn't even dare mention Saul and Sunny's names. He could only use the scents to eliminate the two known people and indirectly reveal the existence of a third.

In reality, he didn't even know when that third person had appeared.

But since that person was also a member of the weapon shop...

After completing the deal, Wolf Rat didn't linger. He hurried back to the bar.

Lagron watched Wolf Rat leave, then glanced at the weapon shop's half-closed door.

After thinking in place for a moment, Lagron also turned and left.

That evening.

A shifty-eyed customer arrived at Saul's Weapon Shop.

As soon as he entered, he walked toward the shop's only three racks.

While pretending to inspect the weapons on the racks, he inconspicuously glanced at the three people inside.

A dwarf old man.

A scarred girl.

A handsome young man.

Perfect.

Having made up his mind, the customer casually pulled a secondhand cleaver from the third rack. It had a small chip in the blade and looked rather unimpressive. He then walked toward the counter.

"How much?"

"Fifty thousand Beli."

Saul didn't even raise his head.

The man had thought the shoddy blade would be worth ten thousand Beli at most. He hadn't expected the standard price, and immediately cursed the place as a rip-off under his breath, yet he paid decisively and left.

Only after the customer left the shop did Saul look up at the door.

"Tsk..."