One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

Before his soul transmigration, Maude could easily withstand a bullet.

But now...

The dark barrel of the gun was like the scythe of a reaper, hanging ominously overhead. One pull of the trigger, and death was certain.

"I mean no harm."

Faced with the barrel, Maude wasted no time declaring his stance.

The fact that the gun had aimed at him the moment the door opened meant that the person holding it had noticed his subtle movements even before entering.

In this situation, Maude had no other choice but to make his intentions clear.

After all, his current body was in no condition to support any sort of defensive plan.

The silence beyond the door was unbroken, the barrel of the gun unwavering.

After a few tense moments, a slightly raspy female voice spoke from outside:

"Step in front of me."

"Alright."

Without hesitation, Maude moved to stand directly in front of the door, the gun's aim following his every step.

As he reached the doorway, he saw the person holding the weapon—a slender young woman dressed in rough, plain clothes.

She had short, cropped hair that gave her a sharp, no-nonsense look. Three claw-like scars ran from the corner of her left eyebrow down to the edge of her right mouth, lending her an air of ruggedness.

If not for the raspy voice from earlier, Maude might have mistaken her for a boy at first glance.

"I mean no harm," Maude reiterated, raising his hands slowly to show he was unarmed.

His gaze briefly flicked to the burlap sack in her left hand, causing his eyelids to twitch slightly.

Compared to the gun's unyielding aim, the presence of that sack made Modder feel even more uneasy.

The woman, whose name was Sunny, fixed her gaze on Maude 's eyes and said coldly, "Stay honest. If we wanted to harm you, do you think you'd even have the chance to stand here and talk?"

After her warning, Sunny skillfully lowered her flintlock pistol.

She understood that Maude 's earlier actions were more out of self-preservation than any hostile intent.

If that weren't the case, she wouldn't have hesitated to pull the trigger.

Seeing that the situation wasn't as dire as he'd feared, Maude let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Since you've woken up, we won't need this anymore."

Before Maude could react, Sunny casually discarded the sack.

Including the time it took to bring him here, this man had been unconscious for seven days.

According to Saul, if he didn't wake soon, it would be more practical to sell him off to recover some of the medical costs spent on him.

But just as they were about to give up, the man had regained consciousness at the last possible moment.

Glancing at the discarded sack, Maude hesitated before asking, "If I hadn't woken up, was that sack meant... for me?"

"Yes. If you hadn't woken up, I'd have stuffed you into it and sold you to the black market. Then, you'd be handed over to the 'Undertaker' to be dismantled into several pieces, sold off as commodities to anyone with enough money."

Sunny gave a chilling smile.

Maude fell silent.

Dismantled, pieces, sold.

Though her words were relatively restrained, the implication of a dark trade was unmistakable.

And judging from the earlier gunfire, this place was far from anything resembling safety.

He could tell Sunny wasn't joking. But as she had pointed out, if they truly meant to harm him, he wouldn't have had a chance to wake up.

In other words, while his future was uncertain, for now, he was safe enough.

As long as his current situation didn't worsen, he would have the chance to develop himself using the Hunter's Notebook.

"What should I call you?"

Maude decided to ask for the girl's name.

Sunny squinted slightly and smirked. "You're quite calm, aren't you? Just call me Sunny. As for your name, I already know it."

Maude blinked, puzzled, as Sunny reached into her pocket and pulled out a bronze pocket watch.

Seeing the familiar yet foreign object, Maude raised an eyebrow.

It was his—or rather, it belonged to this body's previous owner.

When his previous self was taken aboard the slaver ship, the pocket watch had been stolen by one of the men.

Yet now, it was in Sunny's possession.

This meant the ones who had raided the slaver ship were Sunny and her group.

Maude silently mulled this over.

If memory served, the watch contained two photographs—one of his predecessor at age sixteen, taken during a coming-of-age ceremony, complete with a signed name in the bottom right corner.

The other photo depicted a family of three... or was it four?

Suddenly, a sharp pain pierced through his mind.

Maude frowned, wincing.

Sunny, absorbed in examining the pocket watch, didn't notice his reaction.

"This watch is yours, but now it's my 'trophy.' Still, since we might become colleagues in the future, I suppose I can return it to you—begrudgingly."

With that, Sunny tossed the pocket watch to Modder.

Catching it, Maude suppressed the pain and opened the lid. Inside was the stopped clock face and the two photos nestled within.

His gaze skimmed past the solo portrait, landing on the family photo—a group of four, all smiling brightly.

Four?

Weren't there only his predecessor and his parents?

Fragments of memories suddenly began surfacing, intensifying the stabbing pain in his head.

Maude quickly closed the watch, remaining silent.

He was grateful for the new life this body had given him, but he had no intention of being shackled by lingering memories.

Noticing his odd expression, Sunny refrained from prying and instead offered some advice.

"As someone who's been through this, I suggest destroying that signed photo and picking a new name for yourself."

Maude looked at her but didn't ask why. "Thanks. I'll think about it."

Sunny nodded, then glanced at the bloodstained bandage on his forehead. Without further comment, she got to the point.

"Come on, let's go meet Saul."

Maude had no choice but to comply. Pocketing the watch, he followed Sunny obediently.

The two made their way down a corridor and descended to the first floor.

As they reached the bottom, a loud crash echoed from the front hall—like a wooden door being violently kicked open and slamming against the wall.

Sunny stopped in her tracks at the noise, and Maude followed suit, looking toward the source.

Amid the fading sound of the crash, a raspy, duck-like voice shouted angrily:

"Kid, you damn brat! Kicking my door again? Do you want me to rip your tendons out?"

"Shut up. I brought the money. Just hand over Keanu's pistol already."

A defiant, sharp voice shot back without hesitation.

"Get lost! Even if I dismantled that pistol and tossed it in a landfill, I wouldn't sell it to you!"

"Fine, throw it away. I'll still find it."

"Scram!"

The heated argument carried down the hallway, hinting at a small shop at the far end.

Sunny sighed in exasperation.

The voices grew louder and more intense.

"Follow me," she said, quickening her pace.

Maude followed silently.

The hallway wasn't long, and they soon reached the front of the shop.

Before Maude could take in the layout, his attention was drawn to an old man and a young boy locked in a fierce standoff.

As the voices had suggested, it was a clash between an elderly man and a defiant youth.

Maude guessed the old man was Sol, the one Sunny had mentioned. As for the rebellious boy, he was likely a customer.

"Hm?"

Maude 's eyes were drawn to the boy's spiky red hair. His gaze shifted to the goggles resting on the boy's forehead before settling on his somewhat familiar face.

In an instant, memories flooded back.

"Kid?"

Modder's heart skipped a beat as he recognized the fiery-haired boy.

Hearing the name earlier hadn't sparked any connections, but seeing the boy in person confirmed it.

This was the world of One Piece.

However, compared to the memories etched in his mind, this version of Kid seemed younger and less battle-hardened.

Instinctively, Maude marked Kidd as a target.

The nature of the Hunter's Notebook made it particularly effective against characters with well-documented information.

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