Invitation

Half an hour later.

Maud leaned against a secluded alley wall, panting slightly as he looked up.

The battle of offense and defense with Ebe had drained too much of his stamina, and after leaving the tavern, he had run for twenty consecutive minutes.

So, even though he had been resting here for over ten minutes now, he still hadn't fully recovered.

Especially mentally, his overuse of [Heartbeat Listening] had left him feeling rather dispirited.

But if he hadn't done that, he would have already been riddled with holes by Ebe.

"I almost didn't escape."

Maud took a deep breath, finally having the time to take out his flintlock pistol and reload it.

Recalling the dangerous situation in the tavern just now, if it weren't for Wolf Rat's last-minute friendly support, even if he had thrown the whole place into chaos, he would have very likely met his end there.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness."

Maud felt a lingering fear.

Fortunately, with the aid of [Heartbeat Listening] and his decent physical condition, he was able to handle Ebe's sword attacks.

However, he had finally witnessed firsthand the strength of someone with a bounty of over thirty million.

"Kazt and Ebe..."

Maud summoned his Hunter's Notebook and recorded the [Information] he had personally experienced onto a page.

After finishing, Maud put away his quill and silently gazed at the names Ebe and Kazt.

"If I were to face them head-on, I'd probably have to pay a price to take down Ebe. As for Kazt, relying solely on firearms, I have absolutely no chance of winning in a direct confrontation. Even with a surprise attack, it's not guaranteed I could kill him in one hit."

Maud put away the notebook and muttered to himself.

The events of today had made him deeply realize the powerlessness of a gunman.

Once he was cornered and stuck in close combat, the only thing he could do was to create as much distance as possible.

Although, if his speed was fast enough, he could kite enemies, annoy them, and even kill them.

But if the firepower of his firearms wasn't enough to pose a threat, even if he could remain undefeated, it would effectively mean he couldn't accomplish anything.

If he couldn't kill his prey, his Hunter's Notebook wouldn't be of any use.

And this was just a battle at the thirty-million bounty level.

Further down the line, in battles with bounties over a hundred million, with the level of firearms in the pirate world, what kind of effect could a gunman truly have?

Thinking about it, the only reference Maud had was Usopp.

Meaning, the only path left for a gunman was support?

Even so, he didn't have any teammates, so how could he provide support?

Thinking this, Maud suddenly felt a strong urge to go back and ask Saul.

Ask him what methods he used to fight throughout his experiences.

When facing a powerful enemy alone, what kind of tactics and mindset should be used to deal with them?

"As expected, close combat and swords are more reliable."

Maud sighed lightly, but he wouldn't completely abandon his gunmanship. After all, having more skills never hurt, and with Saul's experienced guidance, even if it wasn't his strongest suit, it could become a reliable trump card.

However, what he wanted more now was to quickly master a close-combat skill.

"Time to go home. Although I didn't find any suitable prey to target, I at least obtained some information that will be useful later."

His stamina had mostly recovered, and Maud didn't dare to loiter in the streets at this hour.

Moreover, the aftereffects of Heartbeat Listening were making him quite uncomfortable.

After all, his proficiency in that area was only at an introductory level, and he didn't have [Nen] to reduce the burden, coupled with his current body being rather weak.

Under these combined factors, it was already quite an achievement to have fully utilized the technique in that situation.

"By the way, where is this place again?"

Maud looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

He had been so focused on running that he didn't know which district he had ended up in.

After a moment of silence, Maud looked up at the rooftops of the buildings.

It was still too early in the day; going over the rooftops would seem a bit too conspicuous.

Perhaps he should wait here until nightfall?

Maud pondered.

Just then, hurried footsteps could be heard from the corner ahead.

Maud's gaze sharpened, and he immediately drew his pistol, ready to fire.

The footsteps quickly approached, and a figure emerged from around the corner.

Upon seeing that it was Wolf Rat, a flicker of surprise flashed in the depths of Maud's eyes.

"Wolf Rat, my good brother, I'm so glad you're alright!"

Casually hiding his pistol behind his back, Maud struck first with his "heavy punches" before Wolf Rat could even speak.

Hearing Maud's words, Wolf Rat, looking utterly disheveled, suppressed the urge to beat Maud to a pulp.

"Just barely managed to escape."

Wolf Rat gave a wry smile, his bloody right hand holding a white skunk.

The skunk seemed injured, its hind legs limp, and its overall pathetic state was no less than Wolf Rat's.

Maud glanced at the skunk and calmly explained, "Wolf Rat, my good brother, I'm truly sorry about earlier. When I was running away, I suddenly heard you shouting behind me, and I thought you'd been caught by enemies. I got so scared I shivered, and when I came to my senses, the skunk I had just saved had inexplicably flown away."

"..."

The corners of Wolf Rat's mouth twitched slightly.

The skunk lowered its head, its pain making it listless. It didn't have the energy to retort Maud's shamelessness.

Soon, Wolf Rat recovered and hastily chimed in to support Maud's story.

"I understand, I understand. If it were me, I'd be even worse."

After saying this, he didn't notice the look of disbelief that appeared in the skunk's eyes.

This human is an idiot, right?

The skunk thought to itself.

Maud also didn't notice anything unusual about the skunk. He looked at Wolf Rat and sighed, "It's nothing, it's nothing. It's all in the past, and the most important thing is that neither of us is hurt."

"That's right, it's... huh? Haha, that's the spirit."

Wolf Rat felt as if he had swallowed a mouthful of shit, yet he had to pretend it tasted delicious.

"Oh, and this is something you dropped. If I hadn't been trying to return him to you, I'd probably be back tending to my wounds by now."

As he spoke, Wolf Rat held up the skunk, which looked utterly defeated.

This was his reason and motivation for chasing after Maud.

Though it was a bit far-fetched.

He wanted to press his advantage and break down Maud's friendship defenses.

"Oh, isn't this that pet named Ebe?"

Maud, however, corrected Wolf Rat's mistake with a serious expression.

Wolf Rat looked enlightened and exclaimed in surprise, "Ah? So this is Ebe's pet? I thought it was yours, which is why I carried him all this way."

As soon as he finished speaking, the skunk, having served its purpose, was unceremoniously tossed aside.

Upon landing, the skunk cried out in pain as it hit its broken bone, almost speaking human words, but thankfully managed to hold back.

Two shameless scoundrels, they'll be struck by lightning sooner or later!

The skunk suppressed its pained whimpers, cursing Wolf Rat and Maud fiercely in its mind.

Wolf Rat paid no mind to the skunk's feelings. He glanced around the environment and feigned surprise.

"It's quite close to my place from here. Usopp, my brother, why don't you come over to my place to treat your wounds... uh, rest for a bit?"

He had intended to say "treat your wounds," but Wolf Rat realized that the scoundrel Maud wasn't injured at all, while he himself was covered in wounds, his hands nearly crippled.

"Heh."

Maud smiled slightly at his words.

"???"

Wolf Rat was taken aback. After a moment, he cautiously asked, "Heh... does that mean you agree?"

"Fine, I'll rest at your place for a bit."

Maud had initially wanted to refuse, but after thinking about it, he agreed.

He sensed something was up with Wolf Rat, but back in the tavern, if Wolf Rat hadn't stepped in to block Kazt...

Because of that, Maud didn't mind seeing what game Wolf Rat was playing.

Seeing Maud agree, Wolf Rat was overjoyed, feeling that all his efforts were worth it.

However, he didn't show it on his face and calmly said, "Follow me."

With that, he started walking forward.

Maud subtly put away his pistol and then followed.

After a few steps, he suddenly looked back at the white skunk, which was slowly crawling on the ground, trying to get away.

"Wolf Rat, my good brother, do you think skunk meat is edible?"

Hearing Maud's words, Wolf Rat stopped and also looked back at the white skunk, falling into thought.

Pierced by two malicious gazes, the skunk froze, lying on the ground, not daring to move an inch.

What beasts...!