Half an hour later.
Maude leaned against the wall of a secluded alley, tilting his head back as he panted softly.
The clash with Abby had drained most of his stamina, and after leaving the tavern, he had been running nonstop for twenty minutes.
Even after resting here for over ten minutes, he still hadn't fully recovered.
Particularly his mental state—overusing Heart Drop Combat Perception had left him mentally fatigued.
But if not for that, Abby would have turned him into a pincushion by now.
"That was way too close."
Maude took a deep breath and finally had the time to reload his flintlock pistol.
Recalling the harrowing situation inside the tavern, he felt a pang of gratitude for Wolfrat's last-minute assist. Without it, even if he had managed to stir the place into chaos, the odds of escaping unscathed would have been slim.
"Good thing, good thing," Maude muttered, still shaken.
With the aid of Heart Drop Combat Perception and his decent physical abilities, he'd barely managed to fend off Abby's sword strikes.
Now, he'd seen firsthand the strength of someone with a bounty of over 30 million berries.
"Abby and Kazte, huh..."
Summoning his Hunter's Notebook, Maude carefully recorded the intelligence he had gleaned during the fight.
After finishing, he put away the quill and silently gazed at the names of Abby and Kazte.
"In a head-on fight, taking down Abby would come at a cost. As for Kazte, relying on firearms alone, I stand no chance against him in a direct confrontation. Even a sneak attack might not guarantee a one-shot kill."
Closing the notebook, Maude murmured to himself.
The incident today made him acutely aware of the limitations of being a gunman.
Once an enemy closed the distance, his only option was to retreat and create space.
While speed might allow him to kite and wear down an opponent, even killing them, a firearm lacking the necessary firepower to pose a significant threat rendered him essentially helpless—capable of neither victory nor meaningful action.
Failing to take down prey meant his Hunter's Notebook remained useless.
And this was just a battle at the 30-million-berry level.
What about battles involving enemies with bounties exceeding 100 million? Given the technological level of firearms in the One Piece world, how effective could a gunman truly be?
Pondering this, Maude couldn't help but think of Usopp as a point of reference.
In other words, was the only path for a gunman relegated to support?
But without teammates, what support was there to give?
At that thought, Maude felt an urge to seek out Sol and ask him something.
He wanted to know how Sol had fought through his journey.
If facing a powerful enemy alone, what strategies and combat methods should he use to overcome the challenge?
"Guess close combat and swordsmanship are more reliable after all."
Maude sighed lightly, though he wasn't about to abandon his marksmanship altogether. With Sol's experienced guidance, even if it didn't become his strongest asset, it would still serve as a reliable trump card.
Still, he was eager to master a close-range combat style as quickly as possible.
"Time to head back. Although I didn't find a suitable target today, I did gather some useful intelligence for the future."
Once his stamina had recovered sufficiently, Maude decided against roaming the streets any further.
The lingering aftereffects of Heart Drop Combat Perception were particularly uncomfortable.
His skill level in this technique was still at the beginner stage, and without Nen to ease the burden, his current body was unable to handle the strain effectively.
[TL/N: Nen is similar to Aura or Ki in various anime.]
Considering all these factors, successfully utilizing the technique in such a high-stakes situation had already been an impressive feat.
"Wait, where am I again?"
Maude glanced around the unfamiliar surroundings.
In his rush to escape, he hadn't paid attention to where he was running.
After a moment of silence, Maude looked up at the rooftops.
The sun hadn't set yet. Walking along the rooftops might draw too much attention.
Should he just wait here until nightfall?
As Maude pondered his next move, the sound of hurried footsteps reached him from around the corner.
His eyes narrowed as he immediately drew his pistol, ready to shoot.
The footsteps grew closer, and a figure emerged from the corner.
Upon recognizing the person as Wolfrat, a flicker of surprise crossed Maude's eyes.
"Wolfrat, my brother! I'm so glad you're okay!"
Casually hiding his pistol behind his back, Maude took the initiative before Wolfrat could speak.
Hearing Maude's words, the disheveled Wolfrat suppressed the urge to pummel him into the ground.
"Just barely made it out," Wolfrat said with a forced smile, his bloodied right hand clutching a white skunk.
The skunk appeared injured, its hind legs limp. It looked just as battered as Wolfrat.
Glancing at the skunk, Maude nonchalantly explained, "Sorry about earlier, Wolfrat. When I heard you yelling, I thought the enemies had caught up. I panicked, and before I knew it, the skunk I just rescued went flying."
"..."
Wolfrat's mouth twitched slightly.
The skunk lowered its head, too weak from its injuries to muster the energy to retort.
Quickly recovering, Wolfrat forced a response to back up Maude's story.
"I get it. In your position, I'd have done much worse."
As he said this, he failed to notice the incredulous look in the skunk's eyes.
This human... is an idiot, isn't he?
The skunk thought silently.
Unaware of the skunk's inner turmoil, Maude looked at Wolfrat and sighed. "What's done is done. The important thing is that we're both okay."
"Yeah, yeah, that's... right, that's what matters," Wolfrat said, swallowing his bitterness like it was delicious.
"By the way, you dropped something. If not for returning it, I'd already be tending to my wounds back home," Wolfrat said, holding up the dejected skunk.
This was the excuse he had come up with to find Maude and further break down his walls of friendship.
"Oh, isn't this Abby's pet?"
Maude corrected him earnestly.
Wolfrat looked surprised. "Huh? This is Abby's pet? I thought it was yours! That's why I carried it all this way."
The moment he finished speaking, the now-useless skunk was unceremoniously tossed aside.
The skunk hit the ground, landing on an already fractured limb, and let out a pained cry. It almost spoke human words but barely managed to hold back.
You shameless bastards will get struck by lightning one day!
The skunk suppressed its agony, silently cursing Wolfrat and Maude.
Wolfrat paid no mind to the skunk's feelings. Scanning the surroundings, he feigned surprise.
"We're close to my place. Usopp, why don't you come over to rest a bit?"
He initially intended to say "tend to your wounds" but realized Maude was completely unharmed, while he himself was battered and bruised.
"Ha," Maude chuckled softly.
"???"
Wolfrat froze, then cautiously asked, "Does that mean yes?"
"Fine. Let's go," Maude said.
He had planned to refuse but decided otherwise.
He could sense Wolfrat's motives, but considering the man had blocked Kazte earlier, Maude didn't mind seeing what he was up to.
Thrilled by Maude's agreement, Wolfrat suppressed his excitement and remained composed. "Follow me."
As he walked ahead, Maude discreetly holstered his pistol and followed.
A few steps later, he suddenly glanced back at the skunk, which was trying to crawl away.
"Wolfrat, do you think skunk meat is edible?"
Hearing this, Wolfrat stopped in his tracks and looked at the white skunk, deep in thought.
Feeling the malice in their gazes, the skunk froze in place, not daring to move.
Monsters... absolute monsters!
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