Beginner's Gift

Eustass Kid.

In the original story, he was known alongside supernova pirates like Luffy and Zoro as part of the Worst Generation, and he was also a ruthless killer who never batted an eye.

Maud habitually treated Kid as a potential target, but thinking about it was one thing; he wasn't suicidal enough to act recklessly.

If the conditions allowed it, he would certainly take Kid's experience points cleanly.

But if the conditions didn't allow it, he wouldn't risk himself so easily.

Not to mention, he was currently nothing more than a weakling.

"The world of One Piece..."

Maud withdrew his gaze and lowered his head, hiding the strange look in his eyes.

Seeing the young Kid here was truly an incredible coincidence. It was like a catalyst, stirring up the sealed memories of One Piece buried in a corner of his mind.

In the future, these memories would become important information in Hunter's Notebook that could be converted into experience points.

Maud and Sunny's arrival brought the gunpowder-filled standoff its first intermission.

Kid glanced sideways at the silent, head-lowered Maud. How could he know that this seemingly frail man had already provisionally listed him as one of his hunting targets?

If he knew, he would probably only laugh disdainfully.

Without paying Maud much attention, Kid turned to Saul and spoke rudely.

"Tsk, where'd you pick up another free laborer? I wonder how he'll die this time. I'm guessing someone will hack him to death, and he'll end up a worthless lump of rotting meat in the street."

"Heh, Mad Hatter Town isn't short of 'undertakers.' With them around, even if this little fellow is chopped into dozens of pieces, they can still dig out something whose value can be extracted. So, as long as he dies in a worthwhile manner, I don't care even if I don't get a single benefit."

Saul, whose face was deeply etched with the marks of age, shook his gold-plated pipe and let the ash fall casually to the ground.

"Speaking of laborers, I have high hopes for you. How about this, Kid? As long as you're willing to work for me, never mind Keanu's Pistol—even Salamander's short sword, I can get it for you. I can also supply you with the finest liquor in the West Blue over the long term."

"Get lost!"

Kid said coldly, "I'm not going to live under someone else's thumb."

"What a shame, what a shame."

Saul shook his head with exaggerated solemnity.

Their carefree conversation reached Maud's ears, giving him some useful information.

Mad Hatter Town?

The West Blue?

A place where people could slaughter others in the streets, and that burst of gunfire just now...

This was very likely an ungoverned, lawless black zone where pirates gathered.

Thinking of this, Maud discreetly glanced at the shelves inside the shop, which were filled with weapons.

This was a weapon shop.

Moreover, Saul, who looked like the owner, seemed to have an unusual insistence on Value Theory.

Maud thought silently.

As an outsider who had just arrived, he could only speak and act cautiously.

Noticing Maud's composure, a glint flashed in Saul's eyes.

Then he jumped down from his stool and walked out from behind the counter.

Only then did Maud notice that Saul was less than a meter tall.

He subconsciously glanced at the counter, which was over one and a half meters high, and could more or less guess that Saul had been standing on a stool earlier, allowing him to meet Kid's eyes.

After trading barbs with Saul for a while, Kid's patience had nearly run out.

Looking at Saul as he emerged from behind the counter, he asked coldly, "Are you selling that pistol or not?"

Saul glanced up at the cloth bag full of Beli in Kid's hand and asked in return, "Where'd you get the money?"

Veins rose on Kid's forehead. He snapped, "Why do you care where I got it? Are you selling it or not?"

If he hadn't known Saul was no simple man, he wouldn't have wasted time here.

Saul seemed not to notice that Kid was about to explode. He leisurely took a puff of his pipe.

"Didn't I say so already? I'd rather dismantle Keanu's Pistol into parts and throw them into a garbage dump than sell it to you."

Several more veins bulged on Kid's face. He glared at Saul and said, "Then throw it away!"

Knock, knock.

Saul tapped the pipe against the side of the counter several times and said, "I'll throw it away after I pick an auspicious day."

"You old bastard!!!"

Kid struggled to suppress his anger.

In sharp contrast, Saul remained calm and unconcerned.

Seeing this, Maud immediately realized that Saul wasn't as weak as he appeared.

After all, he could make Kid—a hot-tempered man who struck first and asked questions later—hold back his emotions. He was clearly a vicious character himself.

Maud observed silently, faintly sensing the helplessness radiating from Sunny beside him.

In Sunny's eyes, Saul might have been greedy for money, but he wasn't the sort of merchant who bowed and scraped for cash. He also hated rude people most of all.

Therefore, as long as Kid had been a little more polite, Keanu's Pistol wasn't some unsellable treasure. Once the price was right, Saul would certainly sell it without hesitation.

Kid clearly knew this, yet he refused to restrain himself in the slightest. That was why this farce had unfolded, with a customer wanting to buy something while the owner refused to sell it.

What Sunny found hardest to understand was that, with Saul's complete lack of interest in harmonious business, he had somehow repeatedly tolerated Kid's attitude.

She had no idea what Saul saw in Kid.

Unable to gain any advantage from Saul and unwilling to remain there and suffer the humiliation, Kid picked up the cloth bag of money and turned around, striding toward the open doorway with one wooden door swung aside.

"Won't see you out."

Saul watched Kid's back and spoke in an indifferent tone.

Kid didn't look back.

He took several steps to the entrance, then suddenly stopped.

Bang—

The single wooden door on the other side was suddenly kicked open by a man holding a machete.

The door slammed heavily into the wall with a dull thud and nearly fell apart.

The man was spattered with blood, and an unspent murderous aura radiated from his entire body. Clearly, he had just killed quite a few people.

He stepped into the shop and immediately spotted the bulging cloth bag in Kid's hand. His icy killing intent turned into a gritted threat.

"You little brat. You made me search all over for you."

"What stray dog crawled in here?"

Kid looked coldly at the man and curled his thin lips into a sneer.

In front of the counter, Saul narrowed his eyes. First he looked at the right wooden door Kid had kicked into the wall, then at the left one the machete-wielding man had just kicked open.

So kicking doors had become a habit for them, huh?

Saul's old face turned frosty.

The machete-wielding man had eyes only for Kid and paid no attention to the others. He held his blade horizontally and glared furiously at Kid.

"I'm wanted for eleven million Beli, and people call me the Execution—"

"Smack!"

Before the man could finish his obviously well-practiced introduction, Saul appeared behind him and slapped him unconscious.

Kid's pupils instantly contracted. He was closest to the man, yet he hadn't been able to see Saul's movements clearly.

This old bastard... really isn't someone to provoke.

Saul landed lightly.

Given his height, if he didn't jump, he could only hit the machete-wielding man's knees.

After landing, Saul ignored the unconscious man on the floor and looked instead at Kid, who was still standing there.

"What? You want to stay for dinner?"

Kid's cheek twitched. Without looking back, he strode away.

After watching Kid leave, Saul directly shut the shop's door, which had narrowly avoided retirement.

Sunny came up behind Saul and said quietly, "I think you were a little too 'friendly' toward Kid."

"Friendly?"

Saul turned to Sunny and smiled. "Perhaps 'biased' would be more accurate."

"Mm." Sunny nodded. As she searched the unconscious machete-wielder for anything valuable, she said again, "I think you were a little too 'biased' toward Kid."

"Heh."

Saul put away his gold-plated pipe and picked up the bloodstained machete lying on the floor.

"In this world, everything is either black or white. There's no such thing as fairness. The reason I'm 'biased' toward him is naturally because he has the value to make me 'biased.'"

By the time he finished speaking, Saul had wiped the machete clean and placed it on one of the shelves, making it a product for sale on the spot.

Watching the two of them skillfully communicate while collecting money, Maud was left speechless.

After putting away the machete, Saul walked over to the man and kicked him in the forehead.

"This fellow's head is worth a few coins, but unfortunately, we can't exchange it for money. By the way, what was his name again?"

"He's Evan Watt, captain of the Ghost Blade Pirates. People call him the Executioner. He's a fairly famous swordsman in the West Blue, with a bounty of eleven million Beli."

Sunny placed the valuables she had found on the counter.

As Mad Hatter Town's part-time, half-incompetent information broker, she kindly completed the pirate's introduction, which Saul had interrupted.

"Oh."

Saul rubbed his chin, then suddenly looked toward the quiet, low-profile Maud.

"You. Come here."

Seeing Saul point at him, Maud walked over without a word.

Saul raised his hand and slapped Maud's knee. He arched a brow and said, "Could you show some respect for the elderly? Do I have to remind you to sit down?"

The corner of Maud's mouth twitched. He instantly understood and immediately sat cross-legged on the floor, successfully bringing himself level with Saul.

With their eye levels finally equal, Saul nodded in satisfaction and examined Maud at close range.

As far as first impressions went, he was more satisfied with the composure Maud had displayed from beginning to end. That wasn't the mental quality of an ordinary person.

"What's your name?"

"Bagard Maud."

It was the signature on the photograph. Since the name matched, Maud was spared the trouble of making one up.

"This surname..."

Saul muttered and habitually looked toward Sunny, the little information broker.

Sunny reminded him, "The liquor merchant."

Saul suddenly realized. "Oh! I remember now. Their rum is pretty good. Didn't they make the papers a couple of days ago? An armed merchant ship transporting goods was robbed by some pirate crew, and not a single person survived, including the head of the family."

Sunny nodded. "That's right."

"Hmm, now that's interesting."

Saul turned back to Maud, his eyes slowly narrowing.

After a while, before Maud could react, Saul suddenly took out a small short sword that looked no different from a fruit knife and handed it to him with a smile.

"Consider it a farewell to your past. Kill this fellow named Watt."

"No problem!"

Maud's pupils contracted and expanded. Without the slightest hesitation, he accepted the short sword Saul offered.

His face remained impassive, but his heart was filled with delight.

This was a benefit delivered straight to my door.

Maud looked at Watt, who was unconscious.

I'll remember you, Evan Watt, the Executioner, with a bounty of eleven million Beli.

Maud silently paid his respects.

Seeing how obediently and decisively Maud acted, Saul became even more satisfied.

Then Maud said, "I'd like to use the bathroom first."

"..." Saul.

"..." Sunny.

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