One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

Late at night.

The drinks were finished, and the dishes were cleared.

Shanks and Yasopp had left.

Before their departure, Maude solemnly assured Yasopp that he would cherish the rifle like it was his own child.

Later, after Yasopp had gone, Maude silently gave the flintlock a new name—Usopp.

As the night deepened, Maude lay on his bed, utterly content with having secured both the rifle and its bullets. Sleepiness slowly crept over him.

Faintly, he thought he could hear Sol yelling about how he had been tricked again and how all the liquor was gone.

But none of that mattered anymore.

What mattered was that with a gun and bullets in hand, he had taken a significant step forward in his second hunt.

The next morning.

Maude woke early once more.

After completing several sets of intense training exercises, he went downstairs to the first floor.

At this time, Sunny had already prepared a lavishly nutritious breakfast, while Sol had gone to the pleasure district for his morning routine.

It had to be said again: the meals in this place were heavenly.

Yet, Maude couldn't help but find it strange—Sunny ate generously at every meal, but how did she maintain such a slim… no, such a fragile frame?

Weird as it was, it didn't stop him from devouring his breakfast.

After wolfing down his food, Maude cleaned up the table without needing Sunny to remind him and then proceeded to tidy up the shop.

Seeing that he still had time, he even cleaned the corridors and stairways.

Later, Sunny came downstairs and meticulously adjusted the placement of merchandise using a ruler, as was her habit.

When she finished, the store officially opened for the day.

As expected, just like the previous day, hours passed, and not a single customer showed up.

However, after seeing Yasopp spend five million Berries on two guns yesterday, Maude had a new perspective on this shop.

It was evidently a high-end weapons store, one of those rare establishments that could afford to go three days without a single sale but make enough in one transaction to last three years.

With nothing else to do, Maude spent his time organizing his thoughts and completing sets of exercises.

Sunny, meanwhile, sat at the counter, leisurely reading the daily newspaper.

She didn't mind Maude training inside the shop and didn't overly interfere, her laid-back management style allowing Maude to enjoy some peace of mind.

Near noon.

The shop door creaked open.

Maude, thinking it was Sol returning from his morning exercises, glanced up.

Instead, the visitor was Arthur, the undertaker.

Arthur stepped into the shop, casually shutting the door behind him. Looking at Sunny and Maude, he asked, "Sol isn't back yet?"

"Not yet," Sunny replied, putting down her newspaper.

Arthur frowned. "It's already this late, and he's still out? That old man's getting younger by the day."

Sunny didn't respond.

Arthur didn't press further. Leaning against the counter, he began venting.

"Yesterday, over at the pig farm, there was a riot. Nearly a thousand slaves were killed or injured. Damn exhausting work. I really don't get it—why can't those slaves just behave? Living quietly wouldn't kill them. Now look at this mess—production at the farm's going to be delayed, and the ones who'll suffer are the other slaves."

As Arthur's words spilled out, Sunny's expression grew cold.

Noticing her reaction, Arthur patted his mask and offered a half-hearted apology: "Ah, my bad. Forgot you don't like hearing that."

Sunny snorted and ignored him.

Unbothered by the tense atmosphere, Arthur chuckled, pulling a plain booklet from his pocket and placing it on the counter.

"This is today's auction catalog. I think Sol will be very interested. Do me a favor and let him know I'll be waiting for him at the auction house at the end of the month."

"Got it," Sunny replied indifferently.

Arthur shrugged and turned to leave. Before stepping out, he glanced at Maude and said in a sinister tone, "Kid, you'd better stay off the streets for a while. Don't want to end up at the pig farm, do you?"

With that, Arthur left, making sure to gently close the door behind him.

After he was gone, Maude approached the counter and asked, "Sunny, what exactly is the pig farm?"

"The meat you had for breakfast—some of it comes from there. What do you think it is?"

"And what does that have to do with slaves—?"

Halfway through his question, Maude's thoughts suddenly connected to some unsettling images. His face darkened as he exclaimed, "Don't tell me that meat is…!"

Seeing his reaction, Sunny immediately understood he had misunderstood.

"What nonsense are you thinking? The pig farm is just a food production base with well-established livestock and agriculture. The workers there, however, are mostly ordinary people captured by slave ships or pirates. Some are even Navy soldiers who were defeated and enslaved. That's why it has such a derogatory nickname."

As she explained, Sunny glanced meaningfully at the bandages Maude still hadn't removed.

"In the eyes of those beasts, heavily injured captives are worthless. Considering the cost of transportation, they don't even bother selling them on the black market—they just toss them into the sea to save trouble."

After a pause, Sunny added calmly, "So, Maude, you're very lucky."

"Lucky, huh…"

Maude looked at the scars on Sunny's face, nodding. "Yeah, waking up here was definitely my luck."

"Actually, you should thank Sol. He—"

Sunny's words trailed off abruptly as she flipped open the booklet Arthur had left. Her expression suddenly turned excited.

"A Devil Fruit! There's a Devil Fruit in this auction!"

"What?"

Maude's brow furrowed as he leaned in to look at the catalog in Sunny's hands.

A sketch of a fruit with mysterious swirls filled the page.

Seeing the image, Maude's expression shifted.

A Devil Fruit—the shortcut to power coveted by many!

But with his current resources, obtaining it was nothing more than a pipe dream.

He quickly set aside the thought and returned to a calm state of mind.

Noticing Sunny's trembling hands gripping the catalog tightly, Maude could sense her intense desire to grow stronger.

"Something as incredible as a Devil Fruit is out of my reach for now."

Maude looked away, no longer paying attention to the catalog.

Although a Devil Fruit could provide a rapid path to strength, he had neither the money nor the ability to seize it. Dwelling on it was pointless.

Still, the upcoming auction piqued his curiosity.

Even if he couldn't bid, there was no harm in observing.

Who knows? The Devil Fruit might stir up chaos at the auction.

And in the midst of the chaos, an "accidental misfire" from his aging Usopp rifle might quietly take down a target or two.

"Twenty days until the end of the month. If I can take down a few targets by then…"

Maude considered the possibilities.

Suddenly, the door opened for a second time.

It wasn't Sol this time, either. Instead, it was a strange man with long golden hair and a blue, hole-covered mask.

Maude recognized him immediately—Killer, one of the "Worst Generation" and part of Eustass Kid's crew.

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