One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

For the past two weeks, Maude had been diligent and honest.

He did more than was required, never less.

As for things he shouldn't do, he didn't even entertain the thought.

This impeccable demonstration of his value as a laborer gradually integrated him into the circle at the weapons shop.

Although Sol frequently expressed his satisfaction with Maude, the latter never let himself relax. He continued to act cautiously, avoiding any words or actions that might cross a line.

Maude understood Sol's free-spirited nature was genuine. When Sol accepted him, he didn't care about Maude's past identity or background—he only valued what Maude could demonstrate in the present.

But if Maude failed to show his worth or triggered Sol's displeasure, the current situation could change in an instant.

Thus, when dealing with Sol, Maude remained ever vigilant.

As for Sunny, after figuring out her temperament, Maude became familiar with her within ten days.

When Maude identified his second target, the biggest obstacle wasn't how to eliminate the target—it was Sol's attitude.

"Sunny, if I take out that guy next door, do you think Sol will be upset with me?"

Maude leaned against the slightly ajar shop door, tilting his head to peer through the gap and observe the alley.

Sunny looked up at Maude's profile and replied flatly, "Which guy?"

"That Albert Red guy. You gave me the intel, so his name shouldn't be fake, right?"

"Are you questioning my intelligence-gathering skills?"

Sunny raised an eyebrow, her gaze sharp as a needle.

Maude thought to himself, You spend hours poring over a single newspaper…

But he dared not voice this thought. Instead, he said seriously, "How could I doubt your abilities? Whenever I see the detailed dossiers you provide on our neighbors, I can't help but wonder just how professional an intelligence officer would have to be to dig up such thorough information."

When Maude first received the neighbor's information from Sunny, the level of detail left him in awe. He couldn't help but think how unfortunate someone must be to have Sunny as a neighbor.

Sunny remained unimpressed by Maude's flattery. With a cold snort, she said, "A lot of people in town use fake names, so I can't guarantee the accuracy of some information. But if it's about those people next door, I'm confident."

Maude asked cautiously, "Did they offend you?"

"No."

"Then why did you dig up so much about them?"

"Because they live next door."

Sunny gave Maude a look that said, You're the weird one here.

"…"

Maude was speechless and silently steered the conversation back. "You still haven't answered my question. If I take out Red, will Sol get upset?"

"How would I know?"

"Fair enough."

"Red hasn't crossed paths with you. Why do you want to kill him?"

"He's too loud."

Maude casually made up a reason.

The truth was, he noticed Red because the man, drunk on several occasions, had loudly shouted his drunken boasts in the alley near the shop.

Red's stories often involved his exploits as a pirate—raiding merchant ships, killing countless people, and torturing those who resisted.

What left the deepest impression on Maude wasn't the content of Red's drunken rants but the grotesque pride on his face as he boasted about these deeds.

Thanks to Red's loud voice, Maude realized there were plenty of suitable targets nearby. There was no need to look far.

Hearing Maude's supposed motive, Sunny nodded in understanding. "True, that guy is really loud."

"You believe me?"

"?"

Everything was in place; all that remained was Sol's approval.

If Sol didn't care, Maude would grab his gun and ambush Red immediately.

If Sol disapproved, Maude would have to abandon the plan.

If only a silencer existed—he wouldn't need to think twice. He could simply shoot Red and be done with it.

But the fundamental issue was that Maude was still too weak.

If he were strong enough, eliminating a chosen target wouldn't require worrying about the consequences.

That evening, after dinner, Maude approached Sol.

When Maude explained his intentions, Sol, cigarette in hand, gave him a sidelong glance.

"Why do you want to kill Red?"

Like Sunny, Sol wanted to know Maude's motive.

This time, Maude couldn't use the flimsy excuse that Red was too loud.

"To practice."

This was the answer Maude had prepared in advance.

Simple and direct, without explanation.

Sol raised an eyebrow and studied Maude's expression carefully.

In the pirate world, using another's life to gain experience and see blood was a common occurrence.

Just as Sol had pushed Maude to sever ties with his past by having him kill Watt, who had walked into their trap.

Still, Sol hadn't expected Maude to bring it up on his own. He'd planned to give Maude more time to adjust.

But since it was inevitable, Sol didn't object. He simply gave Maude a brief reminder:

"Take responsibility for the consequences."

Short and to the point—a warning and implicit consent.

As for Red's life, it mattered far less to Sol than what they'd have for dinner that night.

"Understood."

Maude's heart leaped with excitement.

With Sol's approval, he could carry out the plan.

As for any repercussions, Maude had already prepared himself mentally when he got the intel from Sunny.

At worst, Red's pirate crew might come seeking revenge.

But as long as he did the job cleanly, there wouldn't be much to worry about.

Three days later, under a moonless, windy sky...

Maude hid in the shadows atop a building, positioning Usopp—his flintlock rifle—and silently observing the alley's far end through faint lamplight.

From the corner at the alley's end to his current hiding spot was about a hundred meters.

The effective range of a smoothbore flintlock rifle, while shorter than a rifled musket, was within a hundred meters if accuracy was prioritized.

Accounting for wear and tear, Maude planned to fire only when Red came within sixty meters.

He had been waiting since dusk when Red had walked out of the alley. Eight hours had passed.

During the evening, the alley had been too crowded, leaving no chance to shoot.

Now, with the night deep and the streets empty, he could act without concern.

As long as Red returned now, Maude would pull the trigger without hesitation.

Time crawled by as the moon disappeared behind dark clouds.

The alley grew even darker, illuminated only by a few flickering wall lamps.

Maude waited patiently.

Minutes turned into tens of minutes.

Finally, before Red appeared, his voice reached Maude's ears.

Maude tensed and focused his gaze on the alley's far end.

Moments later, two figures appeared, walking side by side into the alley.

"Two of them…"

Maude cursed under his breath.

The smoothbore flintlock rifle had only one shot. Reloading would take time.

This meant even if he successfully killed Red, the other person would have ample time to find cover and pinpoint Maude's location based on the gunfire and blood splatter.

Should he abandon the plan?

But Sunny had mentioned that Red's crew would set sail at noon tomorrow. Maude wouldn't have the cover of darkness to act during the day.

In other words, if he missed this chance, who knew when the next one would come?

Maude furrowed his brows.

As the two men drew closer, his window of opportunity shrank.

Caught in hesitation, Maude failed to notice the unseen gaze silently observing him from the shadows.

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