One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

The blue slotted mask was what Maude relied on to identify Killer.

Considering that Kid was also in Mad Hat Town, it only confirmed his suspicions further.

"Why is he here? Buying a gun for Kid? But that flintlock pistol… wasn't it the same one Yasopp purchased yesterday?"

Maude discreetly observed Killer, speculating on his motive for entering the shop.

The moment a customer walked in, Sunny immediately put down the auction catalog she had been perusing. Her expression shifted in an instant—emotionless and indifferent—as she glanced up at Killer stepping through the door.

Shops like theirs didn't bother with sales pitches or smiles.

"Buy it if you want it. If not, get lost."

A very straightforward business philosophy.

Killer walked in, slightly surprised that the troublesome old man Kid mentioned wasn't there. But he didn't dwell on it—he was here to make a purchase, and it didn't matter who was behind the counter.

Striding briskly to the counter, Killer placed four stacks of Berries on the surface and got straight to the point.

"Four million. For the Keanu's Gun."

"The Keanu's Gun's price is three million eight hundred thousand."

"Doesn't matter. Do whatever you want with the extra two hundred thousand."

"Oh, but the gun's already been sold."

"?"

A slow question mark seemed to appear above Killer's head.

If it's sold, why not just say so outright? Why waste time talking nonsense?

He suddenly understood why Kid had been so pissed off at this shop.

Since they set sail, when had they ever encountered a merchant like this?

But after a moment's thought, Killer decided that it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If someone else bought the gun, they could simply take it back by force.

Their crew's principle was simple: If they wanted something, they'd take it. If someone annoyed them, they'd kill them.

The four million Berries he was holding? Robbed just the night before.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Killer asked, "Who bought the gun?"

Sunny, who had been in this line of business for years, immediately saw through Killer's intentions.

No doubt, he wanted to track down the buyer and pull off a classic pirate heist.

Under normal circumstances, Sunny wouldn't reveal customer information. It was a matter of principle for a seller.

But this time was different—the buyer was Yasopp of the Red-Haired Pirates.

She looked at Killer and said nonchalantly, "The gun was sold yesterday afternoon. The buyer's name was Yasopp."

Hearing this, Killer didn't bother wasting another word. He simply grabbed his money and turned to leave.

He vaguely felt like he had heard the name "Yasopp" somewhere before, but he didn't think too much about it.

The gun was bought yesterday afternoon, meaning that Yasopp was likely still in Mad Hat Town.

Walking out of the weapon shop, Killer headed straight for the tavern where Kid was waiting.

What followed was self-explanatory: find the buyer, take the gun, and leave town.

Maude leaned half his body out of the doorway, watching Killer's retreating back with a look of pity.

But when he thought about how Shanks and his crew had already left town, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of regret.

Otherwise, he would've loved to see Kid's crew try to rob the Keanu's Gun.

After lightly closing the shop door, Maude turned back to the counter. He was about to compliment Sunny on her cunning, but he saw she was once again engrossed in the auction catalog.

Given her habit of rereading a single newspaper for hours, who knew how much time she'd spend on that little catalog?

Maude, slightly intrigued by the auction, quietly stood behind Sunny and peeked at the list of items.

"A famous blade, one of the 50 Skillful Grade swords? By the time I learn how to use a sword, who knows when that'll be?"

"Hm? A Fish-Man slave? Starting bid: one million Berries… Too bad I don't have money. Otherwise, I'd buy one just to test if the Hunter's Notebook works on the Fish-Man race."

"A fragrant skunk? Description says… 'a historically unprecedented variant that emits a pleasant aroma'? What the hell is this? And it's classified as a rare exotic beast?"

Flipping through the pages, Maude noted that most of the auction items were weapons.

"It makes sense. Most potential buyers here are pirates, so the demand for weapons is naturally higher. It's not like the auctions held for nobles, where slaves dominate the listings."

"Still, among all the items, only the Devil Fruit and the famous blade seem to stand out as big-ticket items."

"The latter might not be as valuable as a Devil Fruit, but it's still a rare find."

As Maude browsed the catalog, he found himself both impressed and amused by the array of goods up for auction.

Compared to the auctions in the Hunter's world, which were dominated by antiques, the Pirate world's auctions were far more interesting.

The sheer variety of items was enough to ignite Maude's desire to spend.

After finishing his look through the catalog, he quietly stepped away from the counter and resumed his physical training in a corner of the shop.

This kind of training wouldn't result in rapid power growth, but it was a steady path. Given the current situation, it was better than nothing.

"It's already past lunchtime, and Sol's still not back," Maude muttered, checking the time.

He couldn't help but speculate. Could it be that Sol, having been so angered by Shanks yesterday, was taking extra time to cool off today?

In the bustling tavern, Kid saw Killer return empty-handed.

"Didn't sell to you?"

Kid's eyes grew cold, his rising anger threatening to manifest as destructive urges.

Killer shook his head. "Not that they wouldn't sell. Someone else bought it—a guy named Yasopp."

"Oh? When?"

"Yesterday afternoon."

"Find him."

Kid stood abruptly, heading for the door.

Killer tossed some money on the counter and followed closely behind.

Mad Hat Town didn't strictly forbid infighting among pirates, but there was one rule that had to be obeyed:

Don't harm the legitimate interests of merchants.

In other words: if you shop, pay what you owe.

Want to skip out on payment?

Prepare to die.

As the two walked through the streets, Killer suddenly said, "That name… Yasopp. It sounds familiar."

"Then think harder," Kid snapped.

Hearing Killer's remark, Kid himself started feeling the same way.

Yasopp…

The two abruptly stopped in their tracks.

Though Kid's expression remained cold and full of murderous intent, the oppressive aura he exuded noticeably diminished.

As for Killer, his mask made his emotions unreadable.

After a long pause, Killer asked, "What now?"

"Let's go."

Grinding his teeth, Kid reluctantly turned to leave.

He had a penchant for collecting weapons, but not all of them were must-haves.

However, the Keanu's gun was different—it was one of the two weapons, a short blade and a short gun, that he intended to carry on him.

This wasn't just for the sake of his collection; it was meant for combat, not some decorative piece to satisfy his hoarding tendencies.

That was the fundamental reason for his persistence, the reason he had stayed in Mad Hat Town for such a long time.

But now that the Keanu's gun was out of reach, there was no reason to remain any longer.

Just then, a man with his head buried in an auction catalog was walking straight toward Kid from the front.

Seeing the collision was inevitable...

Kid didn't budge, allowing the man to walk right into him.

Bang!

Even though it was the head-down man who bumped into Kid, the impact sent the man stumbling backward two steps. The auction catalog slipped from his hand and fell to the ground.

"You blind dog, can't you watch where—"

The man's temper flared instantly.

Before he could finish his sentence, Kid's fist, brimming with frustration, slammed into him, sending him flying over ten meters away. The man lay sprawled on the ground, his condition unclear.

"Trash like you dares to set sail?"

Kid spat on the ground in disdain.

His gaze then shifted to the auction catalog lying on the ground.

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