Maude was very satisfied with his night’s work.
A physique roughly fifteen times that of an ordinary person, along with his previously honed martial arts skills and a highly lethal musket within fifty meters.
With such assets, he should have no problem walking the streets.
But if he were to get into a conflict, this level of self-defense would still not be enough.
However, compared to his previous life of waiting for opportunities within the disciplinary institution…
To quickly enhance his self-defense capabilities, it was clear that taking the initiative was faster.
Though the potential risks were greater…
With these thoughts in mind, Maude fell into a deep sleep.
The next day.
At dawn, the two bodies in the alley had already been removed, leaving only a dried bloodstain.
Nearby residents came and went in the alley, but they turned a blind eye to the bloodstain on the wall.
Although this was a residential area, the residents here were mostly pirates and people from the underground world, used to such scenes of assault and murder.
So, even if the bodies were still there, they would at most, glance at them and then ignore them.
Maude took a few steps to observe the “crime” scene from a distance when the weapon shop opened for business.
He wasn’t sure who had taken the bodies, but Maude didn’t worry much about it.
He was confident that he wouldn’t be discovered from last night’s operation.
Moreover, Red’s pirate crew was set to set sail afternoon.
Red was merely a combat member of the pirate crew, dispensable and replaceable with enough funds, they could easily recruit replacements in Mad Hatter Town.
Thus, Maude doesn’t think the pirate crew will change their plans because of Red’s death.
Unless the other unidentified person was more important than Red, important enough to make the pirate captain take it seriously.
This seemed unlikely.
Maude thought as he glanced at the passersby in the alley, eyeing them as if they were walking pieces of meat.
He discreetly withdrew his predatory gaze and returned to the weapon shop, beginning his routine exercises.
He noticed that Sunny seemed off, looking rather gloomy.
Thinking of the days every month that girls usually have…
Maude didn’t want to provoke her, so he squatted in a corner of the shop, doing sets of exercises.
“Seven days until the auction…”
Quickly, Maude’s thoughts shifted to his next target.
According to Sunny’s information, there were quite a few suitable targets.
However, he planned to wait a couple of days before taking action again.
After all, he needed to lower his hunting frequency to reduce the risk of being discovered.
…
Mad Hatter Town’s port.
In the large, open “U”-shaped bay, various pirate ships of different sizes and designs were docked.
The Horned Bull pirate ship, which Red belonged to, was among them a medium-sized two-masted ship.
As it was time to set sail, the Horned Bull pirate crew had already gathered and made all the preparations for departure.
A few pirates paced back and forth on the deck, seemingly on guard duty.
The rest of the crew, including the captain, were gathered in the cabin.
They stood in a circle around a table with two cold, stiff bodies lying on it.
The captain, Kazte, with a horned helmet and a thick beard, stood beside the table.
He gazed down at the bodies, his expression like a volcano about to erupt.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his breath, heavy and tainted with murderous intent, puffed out from his mouth and nose.
Influenced by Kazte, the cabin was filled with a chilling atmosphere.
Most of the crew had serious expressions, while some were merely pretending to match the mood.
After a while, the cabin door opened, and the atmosphere became even more tense.
Kazte looked towards the door, and the crew automatically made way.
A high-ranking officer with a long sword at his waist entered, walking through the gap in the crowd to stand before Kazte.
Kazte stared at him, asking coldly, “What did you find?”
The officer named Lagrin shook his head, “Nothing.”
“Not even a clue?”
“None.”
Lagrin’s face remained calm.
Kazte’s eyes darkened with gloom.
Having trouble at such a critical moment was extremely irritating.
Seeing his captain’s growing anger, Lagrin timely reminded, “Captain, we need to return before the auction, there isn’t much time left.”
“I don’t need you to remind me.”
Kazte, eyes full of anger, coldly said, “Lagrin, I want you to stay behind and resolve this matter.”
“Understood.”
Lagrin accepted the order.
The Horned Bull pirate ship slowly sailed away from the port a few minutes later.
With the auction approaching, many incoming pirate ships were docking, but rarely did any choose to depart at this time.
Many pirates at the port couldn’t help but glance at the departing Horned Bull ship.
Left behind with a bag of money at his waist, Lagrin watched the ship until it became a small black dot, then turned and headed into town.
Among the two crew members killed last night was a navigator they had trained for two years.
It wouldn’t have been worth the effort at such a critical time if it had been just a combat member.
But a navigator was different, essential for entering the Grand Line.
So, even though they had a more experienced navigator on board, Kazte couldn’t swallow his anger.
Lagrin understood his captain’s feelings, which was one reason he was willing to stay behind.
Of course, he would have preferred to sail, given that the target of this voyage was a once-in-a-lifetime big catch.
Such a big catch would surely make for a thrilling looting experience.
“What a pity.”
Lagrin thought regretfully.
Half an hour later, he arrived at the bar street.
His eyes were not on the large taverns on either side of the street but on an alley.
Navigating through the crowd, he entered an alley between buildings.
After walking through the alley for about ten minutes, Lagrin stopped before a bar.
He looked at the skull oil lamp hanging on the wall and then pushed open the bar door, striding inside.
Behind the bar, a bartender polishing a glass glanced at Lagrin but said nothing.
Lagrin scanned the dimly lit bar, seeing not a single patron.
He turned his gaze to the bartender, asking, “Is Rat Wolf here?”
“…”
The bartender glanced at Lagrin, then continued placing the polished glass on the rack.
Lagrin frowned, about to speak, when a cold voice suddenly came from behind him.
“I’ve always been here.”
Hearing the unexpected voice, Lagrin’s face changed drastically.
Since when…?
Startled, Lagrin took several steps forward, then quickly turned to face the voice.
At the same time, his right hand was already on the hilt of his sword, ready to attack at any moment.
Seeing that the speaker was a skinny man with sharp eyebrows and lips, Lagrin hesitated.
“Are you… Rat Wolf?”
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