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Eustass Kid.

In the original story, he was called part of the Worst Generation alongside supernova pirates like Luffy and Zoro, and he was also a ruthless killer who wouldn't blink at murder.

Maud habitually regarded Kid as a pending target, but thinking was one thing—he wouldn't just court death for no reason.

If conditions allowed, he would of course cleanly take Kid's experience points.

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

Not to mention, right now he was nothing but a weakling.

"The world of One Piece..."

Maud withdrew his gaze, lowering his head to hide the strangeness in his eyes.

Seeing a young Kid here was truly an unexpected surprise, like a trigger, stirring up memories of One Piece that had been buried in the corners of his mind.

These memories would become important intelligence in the future, convertible into experience points in the Hunter's Notebook.

Maud and Sunny's arrival brought the first break in that gunpowder-laden standoff.

Kid tilted his head to glance at the silent, head-lowered Maud—how could he know that this seemingly frail-looking guy had temporarily marked him as one of his hunting targets?

If he did know, he'd probably just sneer dismissively.

Without paying much attention to Maud, Kid turned to look at Saul, his tone very rude.

"Tch, where'd you pick up another free laborer this time? Wonder how he'll die? I'm guessing chopped to pieces by random blades, then turning into a worthless pile of meat on the street."

"Heh, Mad Hatter Town doesn't lack 'Undertakers.' With them around, even if the little brat gets hacked into dozens of chunks, they can still pry out something worth value from the mess. So as long as the death is worthwhile, I don't care if I don't get a single benefit out of it."

Saul, whose face was deeply etched with the marks of time, tapped his gold-plated pipe, letting the ash fall carelessly to the ground.

"Speaking of laborers, I have high expectations for you. How about this, Kid? If you're willing to work for me, I'll get you not just Keanu's gun, but even Salamander's short blade. On top of that, I can supply you with the finest West Blue liquor long-term."

"Scram!"

Kid said coldly, "I don't take orders from anyone."

"Pity, pity."

Saul shook his head, putting on a show.

Their conversation, as if no one else was there, was heard by Maud, and he gleaned some useful information.

Mad Hatter Town?

West Blue?

A place where people could be killed freely on the streets, plus those gunshots earlier.

This was very likely a lawless black zone where pirates mingled together.

Thinking this, Maud discreetly glanced at the shelves full of knives and guns in the shop.

This was a weapon store.

And this Saul, who seemed to be the owner, appeared to have a peculiar obsession with "Value Theory."

Maud thought silently.

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

Noticing Maud's calmness, a glint flickered in Saul's eyes.

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

It was only then that Maud realized Saul was less than a meter tall.

He subconsciously looked at the counter, which was over a meter and a half high, and could roughly guess that Saul had been standing on a stool earlier to be at eye level with Kid.

After bickering with Saul for a while, Kid's patience had already worn thin.

He watched Saul step out from the counter and asked coldly, "Are you selling that gun or not?"

Saul looked up and glanced at the bag of Beli in Kid's hand, then asked back, "Where'd you get the money?"

Veins bulged on Kid's forehead as he snapped, "Mind your own damn business where I got the money! Are you selling it or not?"

If he didn't know Saul wasn't simple, he wouldn't be wasting his time here.

Saul acted as if he hadn't seen Kid about to explode, leisurely taking a puff from his pipe.

"Didn't I just say? I'd rather dismantle Keanu's gun into parts and throw them in a landfill than sell it to you."

More veins popped up on Kid's face as he glared. "Then go ahead and throw them!"

Knock knock.

Saul tapped his pipe against the counter a few times. "I'll throw them when I pick a good day."

"You old bastard!!!"

Kid struggled to suppress his rage.

In stark contrast was Saul's utterly calm and carefree expression.

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

After all, for that hot-tempered Kid to restrain his emotions when he's usually quick to throw hands, he must be a tough nut to crack.

Maud observed without moving a muscle, vaguely sensing Sunny's helplessness beside him.

In Sunny's view, Saul was a money-grubber, sure, but not the kind of merchant who'd bow and scrape for cash. What he hated most were rude bastards.

So, as long as someone kept their manners polite, Keanu's Pistol wasn't some unsellable item—if the price was right, Saul would sell it without hesitation.

And Kid knew that perfectly well, yet he refused to rein himself in, which led to this farce of a customer wanting to buy while the boss wouldn't sell.

What Sunny couldn't wrap her head around was how Saul, with his utter lack of a "harmony brings wealth" attitude, had tolerated Kid's behavior so many times.

She had no idea what Saul saw in Kid.

Kid couldn't get a bargain out of Saul and didn't want to stick around and take more crap, so he grabbed the money pouch and turned, striding toward the wide-open single wooden door.

"No farewell."

Saul watched Kid's back, his tone flat.

Kid didn't look back.

He took a few steps to the door, then suddenly stopped.

Bam—

The other single wooden door was kicked open by a man wielding a cleaver.

The door slammed hard against the wall with a dull thud, nearly falling apart on the spot.

The man was stained with blood, his body radiating lingering killing intent—clearly, he'd just killed quite a few people.

He stepped into the shop and immediately spotted the bulging pouch in Kid's hand, his icy murder turning into gritted words.

"You little bastard, I've been hunting you all over."

"What stray dog crawled in here?"

Kid stared coldly at the man, a thin smirk curling his lips.

At the counter, Saul squinted, first glancing at the right door Kid had kicked into the wall earlier, then at the left door the cleaver-wielding man had just kicked open.

Everyone's getting addicted to kicking, huh.

Saul's old face was frosty.

The cleaver-wielding man only had eyes for Kid, ignoring everyone else entirely as he glared, blade raised.

"I'm the one with a bounty of eleven million Beli, known as the Exec—"

"Slap!"

Before the man could finish his clearly well-rehearsed entrance line, Saul, who had somehow flashed behind him, slapped him unconscious with a single blow.

Kid's pupils shrank. He was closest to the man, yet he hadn't fully caught Saul's movement.

This old bastard... definitely not someone to mess with.

Saul landed lightly.

Given his height, if he hadn't jumped, he'd only have reached the man's knees.

After landing, Saul didn't even glance at the unconscious man on the floor. Instead, he turned to Kid, who stood frozen in place, and said flatly, "What? Want to stay for dinner?"

Kid's cheek twitched, and he strode off without looking back.

Watching Kid leave, Saul directly closed the shop door, which was not far from retirement.

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

"Friendly?"

Saul turned to look at Sunny, smiling. "Might as well use the word 'biased'—it's probably more fitting."

"Mm." Sunny nodded, fishing valuables off the unconscious cleaver-wielding man as she spoke again. "I think you're too 'biased' toward Kid."

"Heh."

Saul put away his gilded smoking pipe and picked up the bloodstained cleaver that had fallen to the floor.

"This world is black and white, with no fairness to speak of. The reason I'm 'biased' toward him is naturally because he has value worth my 'bias.'"

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

Watching the two of them chat and loot with practiced ease, Maud was speechless.

After setting down the cleaver, Saul walked over to the man and kicked him in the head.

"This guy's head is worth a few coins, but too bad I can't cash it in. By the way, what was his name?"

"He's Evan Watt, captain of the Ghost Blade Pirates, known as the Executioner. A decent swordsman from West Blue, with a bounty of eleven million Beli."

Sunny placed the looted valuables on the counter.

As Mad Hatter Town's half-baked informant, she kindly filled in the introduction that Saul had cut short.

"Oh."

Saul rubbed his chin, then suddenly looked at the quiet, low-key Maud.

"You, come here."

Seeing Saul pointing at him, Maud walked over to Saul without a second word.

Saul raised a hand and patted Maud's knee, raising an eyebrow. "How about showing some respect for your elders? Do I have to remind you to sit down?"

The corner of Maud's mouth twitched. He caught on instantly, immediately sitting cross-legged on the floor, successfully bringing himself eye-to-eye with Saul.

Finally at the same line of sight, Saul nodded in satisfaction and studied Maud up close.

As a first impression, he was more pleased with the calm Maud had displayed from start to finish—that was no ordinary temperament.

"What's your name?"

"Bagard. Maud."

That was the signature on the photo. Since the names matched, it saved Maud the trouble of thinking up a lie.

"That surname..."

Saul muttered, habitually glancing at Sunny, the little information broker.

Sunny reminded him, "The liquor sellers."

Saul suddenly realized, "Oh! I remember now. Their rum isn't bad, and weren't they in the papers a couple days ago? Something about an armed merchant ship carrying cargo being raided by some pirate crew—no survivors, including the boss."

Sunny nodded. "That's right."

"Hmm, that's a bit interesting."

Saul turned back to Maud, his eyes slowly narrowing.

After a long pause, before Maud could react, Saul suddenly pulled out a small dagger no bigger than a fruit knife and handed it to Maud with a smile.

"Consider it a farewell to the past. Kill this guy named Watt."

"No problem!"

Maud's pupils contracted and relaxed. Without any hesitation, he took the dagger from Saul.

His face remained expressionless, but inwardly, he was overjoyed.

This was practically a gift delivered to his doorstep.

Maud looked at the unconscious Watt.

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

Maud offered silent respect in his heart.

Seeing Maud so obedient and decisive, Saul grew even more satisfied.

Then, Maud spoke. "I want to use the bathroom first."

"..." Saul.

"..." Sunny.

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