One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

It wasn't that Maude was feigning ignorance.

The main issue was that Sunny's timing for asking the question was far too peculiar.

Seeing Maude's confused expression, Sunny clarified, "Arthur's hand."

"Oh, that…"

Maude looked at Sunny with a hint of puzzlement.

After a brief pause, he set down the mop and bucket, then slowly reenacted the evasive move he had used earlier.

Once finished, he glanced at Sunny and asked uncertainly, "Like this?"

Sunny remained silent.

A few seconds later, the sound of something falling came from behind the counter.

Maude instinctively looked down and noticed part of a gun's handle sticking out from the edge of the counter. His eyelid twitched slightly.

"It's nothing, just the gun accidentally falling. Don't mind it," Sunny said at just the right moment.

She bent down, picked up the gun, and casually placed it back on the counter.

"The move you just demonstrated—I didn't quite catch it. Could you show it again?"

"…"

Maude glanced at the flintlock pistol lying horizontally on the counter, its muzzle seemingly pointing at him, whether intentionally or not.

After a moment of contemplation, Maude decided against repeating the meaningless gesture.

Although he couldn't figure out why Sunny was so fixated on this, it didn't seem like something he could brush off lightly.

"I didn't use any particular technique. I just managed to dodge in time because I was prepared. Besides, isn't this kind of thing nothing special?"

Sunny quietly observed Maude.

After a long pause, she nodded and said calmly, "Indeed, it's nothing special. You can get back to work now."

"…"

Maude was at a loss for words and silently labeled Sunny as "eccentric" in his mind.

He then placed the mop and bucket in the storage room.

When he returned to the store, Sunny was still seated in the same spot.

The flintlock pistol that had been lying on the counter earlier had disappeared, replaced by a piece of scrap paper weighed down by a pencil.

Maude's gaze briefly swept over the paper and pencil before he asked, "Can I go back to my room now?"

Sunny nodded, pulled the scrap paper out from under the pencil, and gestured for Maude to take it.

Understanding her intent, Maude walked to the counter and accepted the paper she handed him.

There were a few lines of text written on it.

After a quick glance, it appeared to be a list of notes.

Writing this little bit down on paper?

Maude was full of questions.

He put the paper away and, noticing the pencil, asked on a whim, "Sunny, can I take this pencil to my room?"

"Do as you like."

"Thanks."

Maude took the pencil and left.

Sunny watched him go, then retrieved a notebook and a newspaper from a drawer under the counter.

She placed both items on the counter.

The newspaper was set aside, and she opened the notebook to its middle pages.

The pages she turned to contained notes, including names.

After a quick glance, she flipped another page.

This page also had writing, with Kid's name prominently listed at the top.

Without lingering on it, Sunny flipped through a few more pages until she found a completely blank one.

She then pulled out a pencil from the drawer, glanced at the newspaper content, and began writing in the notebook.

A few minutes later, she set the pencil down.

The once-blank page was now half-filled with writing.

At the bottom of the text was Maude's full name, followed by a large question mark.

Sunny stared at Maude's name for a moment before closing the notebook and placing it, along with the pencil, deep into the drawer.

"Time to have a chat with Sol," she murmured.

Back in his room, Maude was still surprised by how easily he had been accepted.

However, he could tell that Sol, who ran the place, had a rather casual attitude about such matters.

The reason he had been brought back was likely no more than Sol seeing him as future manual labor for the shop.

"Well, since I'm here, I might as well make myself at home."

Muttering to himself, Maude locked the door and plopped onto a dusty chair. He then carefully examined the paper Sunny had given him.

[Rules]

Do not leave the house, day or night. Stay inside.

Do not touch the items on the shelves.

The basement is off-limits.

There are food supplies in the kitchen fridge.

We'll discuss other matters tomorrow.

Maude felt conflicted after reading the list.

She could have just told me this instead of writing it down, right?

Shaking his head slightly, he couldn't quite grasp Sunny's thought process. He tossed the paper onto the equally dusty table and picked up the pencil.

[Hunter's Notebook]

With a single thought, a black notebook materialized in front of him.

Opening to a blank page, Maude closed his eyes and focused on recalling his memories of the One Piece world.

To solidify and organize these memories, he decided to write them down repeatedly, consolidating his thoughts.

The quill that came with the Hunter's Notebook, while inkless, was the only tool capable of permanently marking its pages.

As for other writing instruments, such as the pencil in Maude's hand...

He could scribble on any page in the Hunter's Notebook, but once he dismissed the notebook, the markings would disintegrate into graphite dust and fall to the floor.

This allowed Maude to freely use this feature to reinforce his memories.

After all, the information stored in these memories could prove invaluable in the future.

"The Straw Hat Pirates are definitely the most vivid in my mind…"

"Understandable, since they're the main characters, with plenty of intel revealed about them."

"But their true strength only manifests two years into the story."

"That's so far away…"

"Judging by Kid's current age, there are still a few years before the story begins."

"Besides, there are more suitable targets to focus on—no need to bother with them just yet."

"Oh, right, the Arlong Pirates. I wonder if the Hunter's Notebook works on Fish-Men or even Giants!"

"If it does, that'd be incredible."

"Speaking of the Arlong Pirates, they're in the East Blue, right? But this is the West Blue. Can I even sail to the East Blue from here?"

"I remember Kid being from the South Blue, and he made it here, so getting from the West to the East Blue should be possible."

"No point dwelling on that now, though."

Maude continued sorting through his memories, writing and sketching on the page as he went.

Although his knowledge of navigation was nonexistent, that didn't stop him from letting his thoughts wander.

Immersed in his work, time slipped away.

In Sol's room, the glow of several lit candles illuminated the space, casting their warm light across the large room.

Despite the availability of electric lighting, Sol had always preferred candles—a habit Sunny could never understand.

"You're telling me that Maude is unusual?" Sol asked, seated cross-legged on a large double bed with a gold-plated pipe in his hand.

Smoke swirled around him, slightly irritating to the nose. His eyes, partially obscured by the haze, studied Sunny with a hint of scrutiny.

"But you know me—I never care about things like that."

"Sol, Maude is different from the others… He's not like them."

"And how's that?"

"…"

Sunny struggled to articulate her thoughts.

Sol gently rubbed the pipe's stem.

"You're not wrong. He is different."

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