Maude's family had been massacred, with the culprit none other than Capone Bege of the Mafia.
If not for Wolfrat casually mentioning this, Maude would never have made the connection.
After all, the memories left behind by his previous self held no trace of Capone Bege or his deeds.
Whether this claim was true or not, Maude had no intention of wasting time verifying it.
To him, it didn't matter—Bege was already a prime hunting target.
With a sudden scoff, Maude slammed his palm onto the bar counter, the sound drawing the attention of both Wolfrat and Tatamu.
Their eyes shifted toward him as Maude spoke, his face filled with righteous fury.
"Mafias are a blight! Not only do they seize others' livelihoods, but they also wipe out entire families!"
"Indeed," Tatamu responded, a rare moment of agreement in his typically reserved demeanor.
Maude's sentiment resonated with him, but the world was steeped in darkness. Crimes worse than this were far too common.
Having witnessed enough, one's heart rarely stirred over such matters.
Wolfrat, seemingly empathizing with Maude's emotions, slammed his hand on the counter and exclaimed angrily, "Setting aside the issue with the liquor, those Mafia scumbags truly lack any shred of humanity! They commit every atrocity imaginable without leaving an ounce of room for mercy!"
Maude turned his head abruptly, looking at Wolfrat with a satisfied expression. "As expected of my friend—we think alike."
Wolfrat suddenly felt a chill of unease but maintained a façade of indignation toward the Mafia. He dared not utter another word, lest Maude trap him in one of his schemes.
Unbothered by Wolfrat's abrupt silence, Maude skillfully placed a hand on Wolfrat's shoulder.
Wolfrat stiffened slightly, lowering his gaze to the hand on his shoulder. His mind wandered as he fell into deep thought.
Maude spoke with gravitas. "Wolfrat, since the Mafia is so devoid of humanity, why don't we just…"
Wolfrat shuddered, ready to reject the notion, but Maude continued speaking before he could.
"Just kidding. Organizations like the Mafia are best dealt with by the righteous Marines."
With that, Maude withdrew his hand with a smile and raised his glass, taking a leisurely sip.
A subtle flicker of surprise crossed Wolfrat's eyes before he laughed along. "Exactly."
He lifted his glass, drinking to mask the faint trace of discomfort that had surfaced.
Maude slowly set down his glass, his mind still on the matter of Capone Bege.
For a moment, he considered having Wolfrat act as his enforcer again. But with the target being the Mafia, he couldn't come up with a sound justification, so he dismissed the idea.
Then, another thought crossed his mind: Sol, the powerful mentor he had been learning marksmanship from.
When Maude first started training under Sol, he had entertained the idea of using Sol's strength to "level up" quickly. However, after spending more time with Sol, he decisively abandoned that unrealistic notion.
Such actions would only diminish his value in Sol's eyes—and Sol was the type who deeply valued utility and competence.
Furthermore, requesting Sol's help required a reasonable and justifiable cause, and even then, it couldn't happen too frequently.
Now, Maude finally had a reason that was beyond reproach—avenging his family.
Hunting Bege wasn't just about overcoming his individual strength; the real challenge was the Mafia behind him.
As the most dominant underground organization in the West Blue, their overwhelming manpower alone posed an insurmountable hurdle for Maude.
But with Sol's support, the conditions for directly hunting Bege could be created.
With his plan crystallized, Maude's eyes gleamed with determination.
Before putting the plan into motion, he needed intelligence on the Mafia.
Gathering intelligence, however, was time-consuming. Maude had no desire to waste precious time on such tasks, especially when an ideal resource was already at hand.
"Tatamu, can I count on you to gather intelligence on the Mafia?"
"Sure, but it'll cost you," Tatamu replied without hesitation.
"How much?"
Maude was short on cash at the moment, but the streets were full of walking wallets. A few quick black-market raids would refill his coffers in no time.
"It depends on the details."
"I need the names and abilities of the Mafia's key members—especially their abilities, as detailed as possible. Also, their approximate size and Capone Bege's movements. Can you manage that?"
Maude laid out his request without delay.
Tatamu didn't respond immediately. Instead, he assessed the difficulty and feasibility of the task before quoting a fair price.
"Four and a half million."
"Deal. I'll bring you the money in a few days," Maude agreed promptly.
By skipping any haggling, he acknowledged Tatamu's capability to fulfill the request. Information trading wasn't something you bargained over—it was take it or leave it.
With that settled, Maude inquired about recent developments in Mad Hat Town.
Over the past two months, the town hadn't seen much change. The only notable events involved the Demon Sheriff, Lafitte, whose infamous rampage left even the boldest unwilling to provoke him.
According to Wolfrat, in just two months, Lafitte had claimed the lives of over 300 pirates and underworld figures, including two with bounties exceeding 30 million berries. Many others fell within the 5-to-15-million range.
Hearing Wolfrat list the names of the victims, Maude felt nothing but frustration.
Even in a town abundant with "experience points," Lafitte's kill-stealing spree was a blow.
Yet, Maude had no intention of confronting someone as dangerous as Lafitte over this. For now, the farther away, the better.
Aside from Lafitte, two other matters caught Maude's attention: a conflict between Eustass Kid, Killer, and a well-known pirate crew; and the recovery of Abby's injuries.
About a month ago, Abby had nearly healed. Since then, her crew had been buying young slaves from the black market—boys who met certain "criteria"—and sending them to Abby.
The horrifying cycle continued almost daily, sometimes escalating to three victims in a single day.
The ultimate fate of these boys was self-evident: the Abby Pirates supported not just the slave trade but also the mortuary business.
After learning the town's situation, Maude prepared to leave, paying for his drinks before asking to purchase all the bounty posters on hand.
Tatamu, having just struck a deal with Maude, didn't refuse the odd request and even gave the posters to him for free.
Maude accepted with a smile and left the Nightshade Bar.
After Maude's departure, Wolfrat downed several glasses of Bacardi White Rum in succession, finishing the bottle.
Sitting silently at the bar for a long time, he eventually went upstairs to his room.
Maude's offhand remark—"leave it to the righteous Marines"—lingered in his mind like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Not painful, but profoundly uncomfortable.
Back in his room, Wolfrat picked up a Transponder Snail.
No matter what, the bait had been taken.
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