Realizing Bailey's potential value, Maude decided to keep him around.
At the same time, Maude grew interested in the "rising star pirate" that Sol had mentioned.
After dinner, Maude pressed Sol for more details about this pirate.
Sol, perhaps recalling old memories, became animated. One drink followed another, and one story led to the next.
Maude and Sunny acted like attentive listeners, silently taking in Sol's tales of the past.
The reminiscing only ended when Sol was thoroughly drunk.
After Sol retired to his room to rest, Maude helped Sunny clean up the mess, and the two then went to their respective rooms.
As for Bailey, given his newfound value, he no longer needed to serve as an air purifier in the restroom. However, all the chains binding him remained firmly in place.
Returning to his room, Maude removed his weights and sat on the bed. With a thought, the Hunter's Notebook materialized before him.
His gaze swept over the faint cluster of star points on the notebook's cover. Among them, the star representing the Fishman, Sam, now had a small, sharp corner protruding from it.
Flipping open the notebook, Maude picked up a pencil and began jotting down notes on the blank pages.
Each stroke of his pencil captured fragments of memory from the original story, a daily routine he had maintained to solidify those memories further. This process helped sharpen the increasingly blurry images in his mind.
Though the task was tedious, it was immensely important.
After finishing his daily review, Maude put away the Hunter's Notebook and instead pulled out the Replicated Journal, poring over it twice before putting it away and lying down.
Yet, as he lay there, Maude summoned the Hunter's Notebook once more.
Staring at the second blank silver line on the cover, he sank into deep thought.
The battle with Abby had further solidified his inclination toward swordsmanship.
Compared to barehanded combat, the advantages of a long blade—its length and durability—were clear.
A longer reach also meant less risk, aligning well with Maude's chosen path.
Drawing the quill from the notebook's spine, Maude hesitated to write.
He was no longer undecided, but Sol's story about that rising star pirate lingered in his mind, sparking new ideas.
According to Sol, this pirate was a prodigy in martial arts, skilled not only in swordsmanship and marksmanship but even in rarer weapons.
On top of that, the pirate had consumed a Zoan-type Devil Fruit that enhanced his overall physical capabilities and paired it with the Weapon-Weapon Fruit, creating a unique and formidable combat style.
However, despite his brilliance early on, the pirate's star quickly faded.
"Overindulgence leads to ruin—everyone knows this. No matter how talented he was, he ultimately plateaued," Sol had said, his tone dripping with irony.
At the end of the tale, Sol had even shot Maude a warning glance.
Maude took the cautionary tale to heart.
He understood the dangers of overextending oneself all too well.
Of course, that was assuming one didn't have the Hunter's Notebook.
With its abilities, Maude could save time and energy in ways others couldn't, avoiding the pitfalls that had ensnared that rising star pirate.
With this in mind, Maude began reconsidering the choice he had previously dismissed—Weapon Mastery.
If Bailey were to consume the Weapon-Weapon Fruit, he could transform into any weapon at will: a gun when needed, a sword when necessary, even an axe if the situation demanded it.
Such versatility would surely frustrate any opponent.
This possibility was the source of Maude's hesitation to write.
Initially, he had rejected the idea of Weapon Mastery, but Bailey's presence and Sol's story reignited the possibility.
If the Hunter's Notebook could help him overcome the early and mid-stage hurdles, the future seemed boundless.
The thought of that future filled Maude with excitement.
But he didn't let his imagination cloud his judgment.
If he couldn't even overcome the early challenges, what future was there to speak of?
Moreover, leaving aside whether Bailey could be truly trusted, obtaining the Weapon-Weapon Fruit would be no easy task.
To acquire it, Maude would have to be prepared to clash with Doflamingo.
The biggest obstacle, however, was the issue of dividing resources.
Maude gradually calmed down.
While the vision of the future was enticing, the obstacles were daunting. If he couldn't overcome them, his plans would remain mere fantasies.
"I can't afford to dilute my resources any further. From now on, I need to focus on either Haki or Devil Fruits."
After much deliberation, Maude was unmoved by the rising star pirate's tale and finally wrote down Swordsmanship Mastery as his second objective.
Even so, he still held high expectations for Bailey's potential.
If Bailey could consume the Weapon-Weapon Fruit, that would be ideal.
If not, a Devil Fruit with auxiliary capabilities could work as well.
Stowing away the notebook, Maude closed his eyes.
His mind swirled with ideas on how to maximize Bailey's utility.
Over the next few days, despite setting his second goal, Maude stayed put in the shop.
He was certain Abby and Kazte would come looking for trouble.
To secure Sol's support, Maude acted eager to learn marksmanship, persuading Sol to stay at the shop instead of heading to the pleasure district for his morning training.
Yet, several days passed without incident.
The unusual calm left Maude perplexed.
This didn't add up.
Unable to figure it out, Maude turned his attention to the nearby "fodder," reaping the experience points of neighbors numbered 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10.
After clearing out the "weeds" close to home, Maude even asked Sunny if there were any new ones to harvest.
Unfortunately, the frequent "weeding" had left the locals on edge.
Not only had no new weeds moved in, but even the less desirable ones had begun leaving the area.
Meanwhile, Bailey, who overheard Maude and Sunny's casual conversation, grew increasingly wary.
Though he knew the people in this town were far from virtuous, the mental image of Maude coldly gunning down targets left him trembling.
By the fifth day, Maude stopped trying to keep Sol around.
After Sol left, Maude finally indulged his urge to handle a sword. He pulled a relatively appealing longsword from the shelf.
Sunny, reading a newspaper, noticed and raised her head. "What are you doing?"
"Testing the feel," Maude replied with a sly grin, holding the sheathed sword.
Sunny frowned. "If Sol finds out, he'll skin you alive."
"You won't tell, I won't tell—how would Sol ever know?"
Maude gripped the sword hilt, a faint sense of familiarity washing over him.
Unlike the sense of security he felt holding a gun, this was something else—a subtle but profound sense of fulfillment.
Driven by this inexplicable feeling, Maude felt an overwhelming urge to draw the blade.
Unfortunately, there were no enemies before him, nor were there any training dummies in the shop.
With a glance, Maude's eyes landed on Bailey.
Feeling Maude's gaze, the heavily chained Bailey shuddered, squirming his way behind the counter to hide behind Sunny.
Maude followed, feigning concern. "Bailey, are you alright? Feeling unwell?"
"N-no."
"Good to hear."
Turning to Sunny, Maude asked, "How much for this sword?"
He suddenly realized there was no need to buy swords elsewhere—this shop had plenty.
"2.6 million berries."
"..."
Silently, Maude returned the sword to the rack. Not wanting to create more work for Sunny, he refrained from touching another and instead pointed.
"How about that one?"
"1.7 million."
"And this?"
"2.2 million."
"What's the cheapest one?"
"900,000."
"..."
Maude patted the 500,000 berries in his pocket and sighed deeply.
It seemed a trip to the town's weapons shop was in order.
As for the second-hand weapons on the shop's third rack? Not worth a second glance.
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