Want to learn guns from me?

Lagron wasn't arrogant.

While he couldn't adopt the advice Wolf Rat had offered in friendship, the wariness Wolf Rat displayed made him realize this weapon shop was unusual.

Therefore, he didn't rush into the store. Instead, he spent a little money to have a lazy pirate scout it for him.

The result was just as Wolf Rat had said: inside the shop were an old man and a scarred girl.

Besides them, there was a black-haired boy, about fifteen or sixteen years old.

This meant the culprit was this boy.

Although he didn't understand the boy's motive for the attack, that wasn't Lagron's concern.

His task was to resolve the matter before his own pirate crew returned.

If the situation allowed, he'd capture the culprit alive.

He figured the captain would be more than happy to waste time torturing the attacker.

Silently moving away from the weapon shop, Lagron went to the bar district.

He wanted to inquire about the background of this weapon shop.

The main reason for his caution was Wolf Rat's indirect warning.

Otherwise, he would have already drawn his sword and gone in to cause trouble.

After all, it was just a weapon shop tucked away in an alley, unlike the stores on the main street that were protected by the Rules.

So, even if he caused a disturbance inside, he wouldn't have to worry about the consequences.

Lagron believed he hadn't been exposed.

However, by the time he and Wolf Rat arrived in the residential area, everything had already been "seen" by Saul.

Naturally, the shifty-eyed pirate who went in to scout didn't escape Saul's notice either.

At six in the evening, the weapon shop closed on time.

"Net profit fifty thousand."

Sunny meticulously recorded the day's earnings in the ledger.

As for why it was net profit, Maud could figure it out.

After recording the earnings, Sunny went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Maud stayed in the shop to clean.

As for Saul, he uncharacterishly didn't immediately slip away to the second floor.

He remained seated behind the counter, his gaze frequently drifting towards Maud.

Maud finished cleaning the floor and then looked up at Saul, asking, "Old man, do you... have something you want to tell me?"

"Oh, you noticed?"

Saul tapped the dregs out of his pipe.

How could I not notice?

Your eyes were practically glued to my neck.

Maud grumbled inwardly, then put on an attentive expression.

Saul looked at Maud and then said, "Do you want to learn firearms from me?"

"Huh?"

Maud was taken aback, completely unprepared for Saul's sudden question.

For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.

He knew Saul was no ordinary person, after all, he was acquainted with Shanks and was addressed with respect by Yasopp.

Therefore, his mastery of firearms must be extraordinary.

However, after being influenced by the characters in the original work, Maud found himself leaning more towards swords or physical combat rather than firearms.

With this in mind, Maud only saw firearms as a temporary means for the early stages. Once his Physique improved sufficiently, he would consider developing his skills in physical combat or swordsmanship.

That's why he hadn't rushed to write his second request in the Hunter's Notebook, and those three blank request slots he'd deliberately left were also for future use.

Seeing Maud's prolonged silence, Saul didn't mind and patiently waited for his answer.

He couldn't think of any reason Maud would refuse.

A moment later, Maud cautiously said, "Actually, I'd prefer to learn swordsmanship. Do you... know how to use a sword, old man?"

"..."

Saul's eyelid twitched as if a sore spot had been hit. He abruptly stood up from his chair and, against his better judgment, shouted, "You want to learn swords? How can that trash compare to firearms?"

Seeing Saul's strong reaction, Maud wisely shut his mouth.

He had heard from Sunny that Saul planned to bid on one of the Fifty Great Swords, a Good Fast Sword, at the auction at the end of the month.

This had led him to believe that Saul would also be a skilled swordsman.

But now, it seemed there was more to the story.

"I'm telling you, learning the sword is a quick way to die. But learning firearms is different. You can set up at a distance and ambush people, and if things go south, you can retreat in time. If you were using a sword, would you have that advantage?"

"In short, you're naturally cut out for firearms, kid. Stop thinking about learning the sword or anything like that. Honestly, just follow me and learn firearms. Got it?"

Saul was earnestly trying to persuade him.

He had originally thought Maud would gratefully accept, but instead, it felt like he was the one begging Maud to agree.

If he hadn't seen Maud's innate gun sense and his potential to learn Observation Haki, why would he have bothered with all this nonsense?

It was just like the store's business principle: learn if you want, or get lost if you don't.

However, what Saul didn't know was that what he perceived as innate gun sense was merely Maud's swordsmanship honed through countless hours in the Hunter world. As for his Observation Haki potential, it was related to an ability called Heartbeat Listening.

That afternoon, the reason Maud was able to dodge Arthur's outstretched hand was also thanks to the Heartbeat Listening ability.

Although the Heartbeat Listening ability had different stages, its core characteristic could be broadly categorized as precognition.

Otherwise, given Maud's condition at the time, even with some preparation, he wouldn't have been able to dodge Arthur's hand.

Saul, who was present at the time, used this to determine that Maud had the potential to learn Observation Haki. And for a sniper, Observation Haki was a mandatory requirement to step onto the threshold of true strength.

If one lacked the potential for Observation Haki, then even if they spent their entire lives perfecting their marksmanship, they would ultimately remain outside the threshold of power.

As for gun sense, while not as important as Observation Haki, it was still a necessary condition for becoming a top sniper.

For example, some individuals with innate gun sense could hit targets with a vague feeling, even without ever having touched firearms or cannons.

This was gun sense.

And for those who possessed innate gun sense, as long as they followed the right path, their future achievements would undoubtedly be extraordinary.

"Understood, understood!"

Maud didn't know why Saul suddenly wanted to take him as a disciple, but in the current situation, he wouldn't dare refuse. He could only nod.

The main reason was that, after a moment's thought, he felt that learning firearms from Saul wouldn't prevent him from pursuing a path of body techniques and swordsmanship later on.

After all, he wouldn't waste a skill slot on marksmanship.

Most importantly, he could latch onto Saul, so why wouldn't he?

Seeing that Maud had finally agreed, Saul finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Huh?

Why did I breathe a sigh of relief?

Saul's lips trembled slightly.

With his status and experience as an old pirate, even if he went to Shanks' ship and just said he wanted to impart some experience, a crowd of juniors would undoubtedly flock to him.

Yet now, he was trying to take Maud as a disciple, and he was afraid Maud would refuse.

"Forget it, considering your talent, I'll accept it."

Saul thought to himself.

He was genuinely worried that Maud might pursue the path of a swordsman.

In his opinion, that would be a complete waste of talent.

If Saul knew Maud's true thoughts, it would be more than just flipping tables.

"Alright, go do what you need to do."

Saul glared at Maud.

Without a word, Maud grabbed his bucket and mop and ran off.

Watching Maud leave, Saul thought of the person who had approached Maud earlier that day.

"Someone dares to mess with my person?"

Saul's eyes flickered, his protective instincts showing for the first time.

He walked to the third shelf, where second-hand goods were stored, and casually pulled out a flintlock pistol that was still in decent condition.

After witnessing the talent Maud displayed last night, Saul's perception of him had fundamentally changed.

And now that their relationship was established, how could he let some petty troublemakers threaten Maud?

Night fell.

A lead bullet flew thousands of meters and accurately struck Lagron, who was gathering information amidst the crowd in a tavern.

A fatal shot.

The tavern erupted into chaos.

Lagron, a pirate with a bounty of nineteen million Belly, had thus met an untimely end.

Thanks to my dearest cat for the 2000 reward, and thanks to book friends 20190918231845317 and Qi Yi Ang for their 2000 rewards.