In the world of snake paths and rat trails, most people make a living off information.
These informants, active in Mad Hatter Town, though far from the colossal entities like the Marines or the Revolutionary Army that can manipulate intelligence in sophisticated ways, still provide various conveniences.
To find the murderer who killed his crewmate, Raglan had no choice but to spend money seeking their help.
And Wolf Rat, it was said, was a man with a sense of smell sharper than a dog's.
That would be the cold, sharp-featured man before him.
Sitting on the sofa, Raglan struggled to calm his nerves.
The thought of Wolf Rat sneaking up behind him without him noticing sent chills down his spine.
This guy clearly had the skills, yet he chose to wallow in the gutter doing this kind of work.
Raglan couldn't understand it.
As soon as the two sat down, the taciturn bartender promptly brought over two glasses of wine, then silently returned to the bar.
Wolf Rat extended his slender right hand, picking up the glass and toying with it.
Without waiting for Raglan to state his purpose, he spoke on his own, "Raglan, a cadre of the Spiked Bull Pirates, right? Although last night's incident was trivial, I did hear about it. So, you want to hire me to find the murderer?"
Being recognized by Wolf Rat and having his intentions guessed didn't surprise Raglan.
In the intelligence business, if you didn't have some skills, how could you survive?
What truly shocked him was the strength Wolf Rat had just displayed.
"Yes."
Raglan didn't need to say more, directly taking out a money bag and placing it on the table.
Wolf Rat picked up the bag, weighed it in his hand, then untied the string to peek inside.
With his years of experience dealing with money, he didn't need to count to accurately estimate the amount.
"Shall we start now?"
Satisfied, he put away the money bag and looked at Raglan.
"The sooner, the better."
Raglan nodded heavily.
Wolf Rat smiled, downing the wine in his glass in one gulp.
As for Raglan, he never touched the wine the bartender had brought over.
The two stood up and walked out of the bar, one after the other.
The Hunt Begins
Soon, Wolf Rat and Raglan arrived at the bloodstains in the alley.
Wolf Rat crouched down to examine the dried blood, saying, "I heard they were shot through one after the other—first the side of the neck, which is easier for a bullet to penetrate, then the forehead, perfectly placed. The guy who did this is clearly a skilled sniper."
Raglan remained expressionless.
He wasn't in the mood to listen to Wolf Rat's analysis, but given the man's strength, he couldn't rush him.
Wolf Rat, however, didn't care about Raglan's feelings, continuing in a sinister tone, "If there's one kind of person you don't want to mess with, it's the type who can take you out with a single shot before you even have a chance to fight back. But…"
Wolf Rat's nose twitched, instantly transforming into a long, narrow black rat's nose.
"Thanks to their activities, my business is thriving."
He sniffed the air, various scents turning into information in his mind.
From a thousand, to a hundred, to ten, to one.
After quickly filtering out the desired scent information, Wolf Rat slowly stood up and looked toward the heights.
"Follow me."
He pushed off with his feet, leaping lightly onto the rooftops.
Raglan followed closely behind.
So, he's a Zoan-type Devil Fruit user of the Rat-Rat variety. No wonder he specializes in this.
With that, finding the sniper should be a sure thing.
The two leaped across the rooftops, soon arriving at Alex's sniper spot from the previous night.
Wolf Rat glanced at the scene, and the scent-based information instantly materialized into a trajectory that didn't exist in reality, extending into the distance.
Following the scent trail, Wolf Rat headed toward Thor's weapons shop.
Raglan followed closely behind.
Wolf Rat moved with clear purpose toward Thor's weapons shop, but when the distance narrowed to within twenty meters, he suddenly stopped.
"Found him?"
Seeing this, Raglan's eyes filled with cold intent, thinking Wolf Rat had located the target.
Wolf Rat, however, didn't answer Raglan's question. Instead, he looked down at a spot in the alley.
The scent trail had split—one branch pointed toward Thor's weapons shop, while the other extended from the shop to this spot in the alley.
But this wasn't the reason Wolf Rat had suddenly stopped.
Even though the trail had split, the final destination was still Thor's weapons shop, so this branching trail wouldn't affect the final search result.
The root of the problem was…
Wolf Rat's expression turned grave as he looked in the direction of Thor's weapons shop, where a corner of the shop's entrance was faintly visible.
"This scent, though not the old man's, is definitely related."
He thought silently.
Seeing Wolf Rat remain silent, Raglan frowned and pressed, "Did you find him or not?"
"I found him."
Wolf Rat glanced back at Raglan. "But, for the sake of the money, I suggest you give up."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing much, just a free piece of advice."
Raglan's voice turned cold. "That's none of your concern. Your job is to lead me to the target."
Wolf Rat shrugged and said no more.
Following the scent trail, he led Raglan to the outside of Thor's weapons shop.
"The perpetrator is inside that shop. After this, it's none of my business."
"Wolf Rat, our deal was for you to find the target, not just point at a place and call it a day."
Seeing that Wolf Rat was about to leave after pointing out the location, Raglan's tone turned hostile.
Wolf Rat first glanced warily at the weapons shop's door, then sneered at Raglan.
"Fine. The shop's owner is an old man, and the clerk is a scar-faced woman."
"Which one is the perpetrator?"
"Neither."
Raglan barely held back the urge to draw his sword.
Wolf Rat spread his hands. "The perpetrator isn't the old man or the woman, but there are three people in that shop. Got it?"
Raglan snorted coldly.
Though he didn't understand why Wolf Rat didn't just name the third person, he at least had a confirmed location for the target.
What Raglan didn't know was that Wolf Rat wasn't withholding information—he simply knew nothing about the third person.
The weapons shop was one of the few places Wolf Rat dared not meddle with. Had he known the perpetrator was from the shop, he would never have taken the job.
But since the deal was already made, he had no choice but to see it through.
Thus, Wolf Rat didn't even dare to mention Thor or Sunny's names, instead using the scent trail to indirectly point out the existence of a third person.
In truth, he had no idea when this third person had appeared.
But since they were also part of the weapons shop…
After completing the transaction, Wolf Rat didn't linger, hurrying back to the bar.
Raglan watched Wolf Rat leave, then glanced at the weapons shop with its slightly ajar door.
After pondering for a moment, Raglan also turned and left.
That evening, a shifty-eyed customer arrived at Thor's weapons shop.
As soon as he entered, he headed straight for the shop's three weapon racks.
While pretending to examine the weapons on the racks, he subtly glanced at the three people in the shop.
A dwarfed old man.
A scarred girl.
A rather handsome young man.
Got it.
The customer had his answer and casually pulled out a second-hand machete with a small chip from the third rack, then walked to the counter.
"How much?"
"50,000 Berries."
Thor didn't even look up.
The customer, thinking this shoddy knife was worth at most 10,000 Berries, was taken aback by the standard price. He cursed the shop in his mind but paid without hesitation and left.
After the customer left, Thor finally looked up at the door.
"Tsk..."