One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

During this period, Maude made daily trips into town to hunt his targets.

In the span of five days, he successfully hunted fifteen targets, averaging three per day. While his physical enhancements progressed at a snail's pace and still seemed far from achieving a second star frame, his swordsmanship saw significant improvement. This was largely thanks to his deliberate choice of opponents who wielded blades.

At this rate, it wouldn't be long before Maude could condense his first star frame in swordsmanship.

As for the 4.5 million berries he needed for information fees, Maude managed to gather the sum in just three days. He promptly headed to the Nightshade Bar and instructed Tatamu to start collecting intelligence. Over the following two days, he even earned an additional 1.5 million berries.

It seemed that pirates with bounties generally carried at least some treasure in their wallets.

That day, Sol returned to the shop, replenishing the basement with barrel upon barrel of fine liquor.

For the time being, it seemed unlikely that the red-haired pirate would come back to "steal" Sol's liquor, and this stockpile would be enough for Sol to drink through the New Year.

Accompanying Sol back to the shop was the rarely-seen Arthur.

"Today, I'm on leave," Arthur said, removing his mask and revealing casual attire. It was his explanation for visiting the shop—though, truthfully, no one had asked him.

Leaning against the counter, Arthur made small talk with Sunny, who seemed more engrossed in her newspaper than their conversation. Despite her clear indifference—barely responding to his words—Arthur remained unfazed and carried on speaking to himself.

Meanwhile, Maude stood aside, carefully memorizing Arthur's face. Such opportunities were rare, as the undertaker usually wore a mask, making it difficult to glimpse his true appearance.

"Oh, by the way…" Arthur suddenly flashed a mysterious smile.

Sunny paused, glancing up at him with a slight frown.

Lowering his voice, Arthur said, "Something interesting happened at the Pig Farm last night. Want to hear about it?"

"Not interested."

Sunny's eyes instantly turned icy.

Arthur shrugged and spoke earnestly. "Sunny, Sunny... If you want to grow stronger, you need to face your past head-on. Only then can you confront the future. But every time I bring up the Pig Farm, your reaction is so obvious—it's a weakness, you know."

"It's none of your business," Sunny replied coldly.

Arthur sighed lightly. "I'm only trying to help you overcome your weakness."

Sunny didn't respond further, though her gaze at Arthur grew even colder.

Arthur sighed again. "Being a good person these days is so hard…"

At this moment, Maude quietly approached Arthur, his face adorned with an innocent smile.

"Arthur, I've always admired you."

"Oh?" Arthur turned his head to look at Maude, amusement flickering in his eyes. "Kid, you've got good taste."

Behind the counter, Sunny looked curiously at Maude, puzzled by his sudden praise for Arthur.

With a sincere expression, Maude said, "No, really. It's because your profession commands my utmost respect."

"Hm? Is that so?" Arthur felt something was off.

Maude continued with reverence, "Absolutely. I've always been curious—what inspired you to become such an admirable… cleaner?"

"…" Arthur raised an eyebrow.

In Mad Hat Town, undertakers were a common sight. Polite pirates might refer to them as "cleaners," while the less polite simply called them "janitors."

While it was true that the nature of an undertaker's job bore some resemblance to cleaning, it was still a misrepresentation. No undertaker enjoyed being called a janitor to their face—Arthur included.

Yet, Maude's genuinely respectful expression made it hard to detect any mockery.

Unaware of the undertaker's sensitivities, Maude pressed on.

"And another thing, Arthur. Isn't needlework usually a woman's specialty? But I saw your embroidery skills the other day—they're absolutely extraordinary. I'm truly impressed."

"…Heh." Arthur forced a strained smile.

At that moment, Sol appeared, carrying a jug of wine. Arthur seized the opportunity, taking the wine from Sol's hands.

The reason Arthur had come to the shop in the first place was to purchase a jug of wine from Sol. Now that he had it, he left without a second glance.

Sunny watched Arthur leave, then turned to Maude, a faint smile on her lips.

Leaning against the counter, Maude asked curiously, "Sunny, you're usually pretty sharp-tongued. Why do you go silent around Arthur?"

"Sharp-tongued? Me?" Sunny replied with feigned innocence, clearly unaware of her own tendencies.

"Yes!" Maude said firmly.

Beside them, Bailey the weasel nodded instinctively, then quickly realized his mistake and froze, glancing nervously at Sunny. Thankfully, she hadn't noticed.

"Oh," Sunny responded nonchalantly, then picked up her newspaper and resumed reading.

Maude chuckled helplessly. He had a good idea why.

It must have been Sunny's past experiences that made her despise Arthur's deliberate mentions of the Pig Farm.

Though curious to learn more, Maude refrained from asking further, unwilling to reopen Sunny's old wounds.

That evening, during dinner, Sol cheerfully opened a barrel of wine, sharing it generously.

Having just replenished his stock, he felt no hesitation in indulging.

The wine was excellent—after all, it was the kind of liquor that even Red-Haired Shanks deemed worth stealing.

The old man, the two youths, and a plump weasel drank heartily, quickly finishing off the entire barrel.

"You little thing, you sure can hold your liquor!" Sol exclaimed, staring in surprise at Bailey, who lay lazily on the table.

"Not bad, not bad. Hic!" Bailey replied, hiccuping and releasing an even stronger aroma of wine.

Sunny poured him another large bowl, eyeing his growing belly with amusement.

"Ha!" Sol laughed heartily and went to fetch another barrel. "Tonight, we drink until we drop!"

"Alright!" Bailey suddenly sat upright, looking ready for another 300 rounds.

Amused by the atmosphere, Maude couldn't help but laugh and join in, letting himself relax for the evening. After all, he had no plans to sneak out that night.

A week later, Maude visited the Nightshade Bar and retrieved intelligence on the mafia's cadres from Tatamu. He also learned when they might arrive in Mad Hat Town.

"The auction ten days from now, huh?" Maude mused.

Returning to the weapon shop, he went straight to his room and summoned the Hunter's Notebook, meticulously recording the mafia's cadre-level information.

Among the cadres, there were three with notable strength, along with eleven captain-level members.

He wrote each of their names into the notebook without exception.

Once finished, Maude headed downstairs to the shop, where Sol and Sunny were busy with their tasks.

Sol lounged in a chair, engrossed in a risqué book, while Sunny worked behind the counter, modifying a flintlock pistol.

"Sol."

Hearing the unusually solemn tone, both Sol and Sunny paused their work and turned to look at Maude.

Meeting their gazes, Maude's expression turned grim.

"I've found out the identity of the ones who attacked my family's merchant ship."

Sunny's expression shifted, while Sol's face remained impassive.

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