Lagrin wasn’t arrogant.
Although he wouldn’t adopt Rat Wolf’s friendly advice, Rat Wolf’s caution made him realize that this weapon shop was out of the ordinary.
Therefore, instead of rashly entering the shop, he spent a small amount of money to have a layabout pirate go in and scout for him.
The results were just as Rat Wolf had described: an old man and a scar-faced girl were in the shop. Additionally, there was a black-haired boy about fifteen or sixteen years old.
This meant the perpetrator was likely this boy.
Although Lagrin didn’t know the boy’s motive for the killing, it wasn’t his concern.
His task was to settle this matter before his pirate crew returned.
If the situation allowed, capturing the boy alive would be ideal.
Surely, the captain would relish the chance to torment the perpetrator.
Quietly leaving the weapon shop, Lagrin headed to the bar district.
He wanted to gather information about this weapon shop.
He was being cautious mainly due to Rat Wolf’s indirect warning.
Otherwise, he would have already stormed in with his blade.
After all, this was just a weapon shop located in an alley, not one of the street-facing shops protected by the “rules.”
So, even if he caused trouble inside, there was no need to worry about the consequences.
Lagrin believed he hadn’t been exposed.
However, Thor had already “seen” everything from the moment Lagrin and Rat Wolf arrived in the residential area.
The sneaky pirate who came to scout the shop naturally didn’t escape Thor’s notice either.
At 6 PM, the weapon shop closed on time.
“Net profit: 50,000.”
Sunny diligently recorded the day’s sales in the ledger.
Why was it net profit? Maude had already figured that out.
After noting the sales, Sunny went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Maude stayed in the shop to clean up.
As for Thor, he unusually didn’t head upstairs right away.
He remained seated at the counter, his eyes frequently glancing at Maude.
After cleaning the floor, Maude looked up at Thor and asked, “Do you have something to tell me?”
“Oh, you noticed?”
Thor tapped the ashes from his pipe.
How could he not notice? Your eyes were practically hanging around my neck.
Maude thought to himself but maintained a listening posture.
Thor looked at Maude and asked, “Want to learn how to shoot from me?”
“Huh?”
Maude was taken aback, not expecting Thor to bring this up suddenly.
He didn’t know how to respond.
He knew Thor was no ordinary person, considering he was familiar with Shanks and respected by Yasopp.
So, Thor’s expertise in shooting was undoubtedly exceptional.
However, due to the influence of various characters in the original story, Maude was more inclined towards swordsmanship or martial arts rather than shooting.
With this understanding, Maude saw shooting as a transitional skill. Once his physique improved enough, he planned to focus on martial arts or swordsmanship.
That’s why he hadn’t filled the second slot in his Hunter’s Log yet, leaving three blank slots for future use.
Seeing Maude’s hesitation, Thor didn’t mind, patiently waiting for an answer.
He couldn’t think of any reason for Maude to refuse.
After a moment, Maude cautiously said, “Actually, I’d rather learn swordsmanship. Do you know how to use a sword?”
“……”
Thor’s eyelids twitched as if hit where it hurt. He jumped up from his chair and exclaimed, “You want to learn the sword? That rubbish can’t compare to a gun!”
Seeing Thor’s strong reaction, Maude wisely shut his mouth.
He had heard from Sunny that Thor planned to bid on one of the fifty Skillful Grade swords at the upcoming auction.
This led him to believe Thor was a skilled swordsman.
But it seemed there was more to the story.
“I tell you, learning the sword will get you killed quickly. But learning to shoot is different. You can snipe from a distance, and if things go south, you can retreat in time. Can you have such an advantage with a sword?”
“Besides, kid, you’re a natural with a gun. Stop thinking about learning the sword. Just follow me and learn to shoot. Got it?”
Thor advised earnestly.
He thought Maude would be grateful and accept, but it felt like he had to beg Maude to agree instead.
If he hadn’t seen Maude’s innate talent for shooting and potential to master Haki, he wouldn’t have bothered.
Just like the shop’s business principle: take it or leave it.
Thor didn’t know that what he considered Maude’s natural talent for shooting was actually Maude’s trained skills from Hunter’s world. As for the potential to master Haki, it was related to a technique called “Heart Drop Fist Listening.”
Maude dodged Arthur’s probing hand that afternoon thanks to “Heart Drop Fist Listening.”
Though the ability had stages, its nature could be categorized as foresight.
Otherwise, given Maude’s condition at the time, he couldn’t have dodged Arthur’s hand even with caution.
Thor, who was present, saw this as proof of Maude’s potential to master Haki, an essential skill for a top sniper.
Without this potential, even a lifetime of honing shooting skills wouldn’t get one past the threshold of being a top marksman.
While shooting intuition is not as critical as Haki’s, it is a necessary trait for becoming a top sniper.
Those with natural shooting intuition could hit targets based on an innate sense, even without prior exposure to firearms.
That’s shooting intuition.
Those with it, if guided correctly, would surely achieve greatness.
“Got it, got it!”
Maude didn’t know why Thor suddenly wanted to mentor him, but in this situation, he dared not refuse, nodding repeatedly.
He also thought that learning to shoot from Thor wouldn’t prevent him from pursuing martial arts or swordsmanship later.
After all, he wouldn’t waste a slot on shooting in his Hunter’s Log.
The most important thing was to cling to Thor as his mentor.
Seeing Maude finally agree, Thor sighed in relief.
Huh? Why am I relieved?
Thor’s lips twitched.
With his pirate background and experience, he could just shout about sharing his expertise on Red-Haired’s ship, and juniors would flock to him.
But now, to accept Maude as a student, he had to worry about Maude refusing.
“Fine, considering your potential, I’ll accept it.”
Thor thought silently.
He was genuinely concerned that Maude would pursue the swordsman path.
To him, that would be wasting talent.
If Thor knew Maude’s true thoughts, flipping the table might not suffice.
“Alright, get back to work.”
Thor glared at Maude.
Without a word, Maude grabbed a bucket and mop and ran off.
Watching Maude leave, Thor thought of the people who had come after Maude earlier.
“Daring to mess with my people?”
Thor’s eyes flashed, showing his protective nature.
He walked to the third shelf, where second-hand goods were kept, and pulled out a moderately worn flintlock pistol.
After witnessing Maude’s talent last night, Thor’s view of him fundamentally changed.
Now that their relationship was established, he wouldn’t let small-time crooks threaten Maude.
That night.
A lead bullet traveled several kilometers, precisely hitting Lagrin, who was gathering information in a crowded bar.
Killed instantly.
The bar erupted in chaos.
Lagrin, a pirate with a bounty of 19 million Berries, met his end like this.
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