Chapter 13: The Bloody Case of a Firearm
The blue mask with holes was what allowed Maud to recognize Killer.
The fact that Kid was also in Mad Hatter Town only reinforced his suspicion.
'What is he doing here? Is he buying a gun for Kid? But that gun... I think it's the flintlock pistol that Yasopp took yesterday.'
Maud surreptitiously examined Killer, trying to guess his motive.
Seeing the customer, Sunny immediately put down the auction brochure and quickly adjusted her mood. With her head bowed and then raised, her face showed no expression as she watched Killer enter the door.
In this type of shop, customer service or smiles were not needed.
"If you want to buy, buy. If not, get lost."
A very human rule.
Killer entered the shop. He didn't see the troublesome old man that Kid had mentioned, and although he was a little surprised, he didn't give it much thought.
He was just there to buy something, so he didn't care who was there, as long as there was someone.
He quickly approached the counter. Killer took out four stacks of banknotes and put them on the counter. He said bluntly: "4,000,000 berries, to buy Jinu's pistol."
"The price of Ginny's pistol is 3,800,000 berries."
"It doesn't matter, keep the extra 200,000 berries."
"Oh, but the weapon has already been bought by someone else."
"?"
A question mark slowly formed on Killer's forehead.
"Why didn't you tell me right away instead of making me waste my time?"
Suddenly, he understood why Kid was so upset with the shop.
Since they set sail, when had they encountered a merchant like this?
But, on second thought, Killer believed it was a good thing that someone else had bought it. After all, they could go and steal it.
Taking what they wanted and killing those they didn't like. That was their way of acting.
Just like the 4,000,000 berries, they had stolen it the night before.
With a clear idea, Killer asked: "Who bought the gun?"
Having been in this place for years, how could Sunny not realize Killer's motive for asking about the buyer?
He just wanted to go to where the buyer was and commit a robbery, something that was perfectly normal for a pirate.
Normally, Sunny would never reveal a client's information. It was a line she didn't cross as a salesperson.
But this time was different, because the buyer was Yasopp of the Red-Haired Pirates.
She looked at Killer and said calmly: "The weapon was sold yesterday afternoon. The buyer's name is Yasopp."
Hearing that, Killer turned and left without another word, as if another word was a waste of time.
He thought he had heard the name Yasopp somewhere, but he didn't think about it anymore.
The weapon had been bought yesterday afternoon, so it was very likely that this person, named Yasopp, was still in Mad Hatter Town.
Upon leaving the gun shop, Killer went directly to the bar where Kid was.
What would happen next was obvious: find the buyer, steal the weapon, and then leave the city.
Maud approached the door, peered halfway out, and looked with pity at Killer's back as he walked away.
But thinking that Shanks and his crew had already left, he couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Otherwise, he really wanted to see the scene of Kid's crew trying to steal Jinu's pistol.
Closing the door halfway, Maud turned to look at the counter. He wanted to tell Sunny how evil she was, but he saw her engrossed again in the auction brochure.
Considering that she read the same newspaper for three or four hours, Maud wondered how long it would take her to read the small auction brochure.
Maud was still somewhat interested in the auction, so he quietly stood behind Sunny and looked at the catalog of items.
'A famous sword from one of the 50 Skillful Grade (Ryo Wazamono)? I don't know when I'll learn to use a sword.'
'Hmm? There are even fish-man slaves. The starting price is 1,000,000 berries... What a shame, I don't have money. Otherwise, I could buy one to see if the Hunter's Notebook works on fish-men.'
'Scented skunk? The description is... 'An unprecedented mutant skunk that gives off a sweet scent!' What the hell? Do they even auction things like this? And they categorize it as 'exotic beast'...'
'Eh, looking at it all, most of the auctioned items are weapons. Swords are fine, but there are even muskets.'
'On second thought, the potential buyers are mostly pirates, so the demand for weapons is naturally high, unlike auctions for the nobility, which are mainly for slaves.'
'However, after reviewing it all, only the Devil Fruit and the famous sword are the main items.'
'The value of the sword is not comparable to that of the Devil Fruit, but it is still something rare and difficult to get.'
Maud was amused to see the auction items with different starting prices behind Sunny.
Compared to the auctions in the world of Hunter x Hunter, which focused on antiques, those in the world of One Piece were more interesting.
The varied items awakened Maud's desire to buy.
After finishing looking at the items, Maud retreated from the counter silently and continued to exercise in the corner of the shop.
This type of exercise would not increase his strength in a short time, but it was steady progress. In his current situation, it was better than nothing.
'It's already lunchtime, and Saul still hasn't returned.'
Maud checked the time.
He didn't know if Saul had been so angry with Shanks the day before that he felt particularly young today.
After all, he needed to vent, right?
Maud thought he had found the reason why Saul had not yet returned.
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In the noisy tavern, Kid was waiting for Killer, who returned empty-handed.
"They didn't sell it to you either?"
Kid's gaze was cold. The anger that was rising in him turned into a destructive desire that could erupt at any moment.
Because of that weapon, he was on the verge of despair.
Killer shook his head and said: "It's not that they didn't sell it to me, but that a person named Yasopp bought it."
"Oh? When did he buy it?"
Kid suddenly perked up, and a cold smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
He couldn't provoke the unpredictable Saul, but he could provoke the person who bought the weapon, couldn't he?
"Yesterday afternoon."
"Find him."
Kid stood up abruptly and headed for the door.
Killer threw the money for the bar and followed Kid closely.
In Mad Hatter Town, it was not strictly forbidden for pirates to kill each other, but there was one rule that everyone had to follow.
That is, you could not harm the legitimate interest of merchants.
In essence, if you consumed something in a shop, you had to pay the price.
Did you want to not pay?
Then be prepared to die.
The two left the tavern and headed for the street.
As the saying goes, "every dog has its day."
To find Yasopp as quickly as possible, they had to go to the traffickers who specialized in that type of business.
As they walked quickly down the street, Killer suddenly said: "I feel like... the name 'Yasopp' sounds familiar."
"Well, think about it."
Kid gave him a look.
But upon hearing it, Kid also had the same feeling.
Yasopp...
Suddenly, they stopped.
Although Kid still had a cold, murderous expression, the aura he was emitting had vanished.
As for Killer, with the mask on, you couldn't see what he was thinking.
After a long time, Killer said, confused: "What do we do now?"
"Let's go!"
Kid said through gritted teeth.
He loved to collect weapons, but there were some that were not essential.
However, the Jinu pistol was different. It was one of the two weapons he planned to carry with him: a short sword and a short pistol.
That is, it was for fighting, not to satisfy his desire to collect.
That was the main reason for his obsession, and that was why he had stayed so long in Mad Hatter Town.
But now that he couldn't get the Jinu pistol, there was no point in staying.
At that moment, a man with his head down reading an auction brochure was walking toward Kid.
When he was about to collide with him...
Kid didn't move, allowing the man to crash into him.
Bang!
Although the man with his head down had crashed into him, he staggered two steps back. The auction brochure fell from his hands.
"Damn it, don't you have eyes...?"
The man's anger flared.
But before he could finish speaking, Kid hit him with a punch full of frustration, sending him flying more than ten meters, not knowing if he was alive or dead.
"A piece of trash like you dares to be a pirate?"
Kid spat on the ground.
Suddenly, he noticed the auction brochure.