Raglan wasn't arrogant.
Although he couldn't take Wolf Rat's friendly advice, the caution Wolf Rat had shown made him realize that this weapons shop was anything but ordinary.
Therefore, instead of barging into the shop recklessly, he spent a little money to hire a lazy, good-for-nothing pirate to scout it out for him.
The result was exactly as Wolf Rat had said: inside the shop were an old man and a scar-faced girl.
In addition, there was a black-haired boy around fifteen or sixteen years old.
In other words, the perpetrator was this boy.
Although Raglan didn't know the boy's motive for the killing, that wasn't something he needed to consider.
What he needed to do was settle this matter before his pirate crew returned.
If circumstances allowed, capturing the boy alive would be ideal.
No doubt, the captain would be more than happy to waste some time torturing the perpetrator.
Quietly moving away from the weapons shop, Raglan headed to the bar street.
He wanted to gather some information about this weapons shop.
The reason for his caution was mainly due to Wolf Rat's indirect warning.
Otherwise, he would have already stormed into the shop with his sword drawn.
After all, it was just a weapons shop tucked away in an alley, unlike those shops on the main street that were protected by the "rules."
So, even if he caused trouble inside, he wouldn't have to worry about the consequences.
Raglan believed he hadn't been exposed.
However, the moment he and Wolf Rat entered the residential area, everything had already been "seen" by Thor.
Including the shifty-eyed pirate who had come in to scout—naturally, he couldn't escape Thor's notice either.
At six in the evening, the weapons shop closed on time.
"Net profit of 50,000 Berries."
Sunny carefully recorded the day's revenue in the ledger.
As for why it was net profit, Alex could probably explain it.
After recording the revenue, Sunny went to the kitchen to prepare dinner, while Alex stayed behind to clean up the shop.
As for Thor, unusually, he didn't immediately slip away to the second floor.
He remained seated behind the counter, his gaze frequently drifting toward Alex.
After sweeping the floor clean, Alex looked up at Thor and asked, "Do you… have something to say to me?"
"Oh, you noticed, huh?"
Thor tapped the ashes out of his pipe.
How could I not notice? Your eyes were practically glued to my neck.
Alex silently complained in his mind, then put on an attentive expression.
Thor looked at Alex and casually said, "Do you want to learn guns from me?"
"Huh?"
Alex was startled, completely caught off guard by Thor's sudden offer.
For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
He knew Thor was no ordinary person. After all, he was acquainted with Shanks and was addressed with respect by Yasopp.
So, his skills with guns must be extraordinary.
However, influenced by the characters from the original story, Alex was more inclined toward swords or martial arts than guns.
With this mindset, Alex saw guns as a transitional tool for the early stages. Once his physique improved sufficiently, he planned to shift his focus to martial arts or swordsmanship.
That's why he hadn't rushed to write a second desire in the Hunter's Notebook, and the three blank desire slots he had left were reserved for the future.
Seeing Alex hesitate to answer, Thor didn't mind and patiently waited for a response.
He couldn't think of any reason Alex would refuse.
After a while, Alex cautiously said, "Actually, I'd prefer to learn swords. Do you know how to use a sword?"
"…"
Thor's eyelid twitched, as if struck by a sore spot. He abruptly stood up on his chair and, against his conscience, shouted, "You want to learn swords? That garbage can't compare to guns!"
Seeing Thor's strong reaction, Alex wisely kept his mouth shut.
He had heard from Sunny that Thor planned to bid on one of the 50 Skillful Swords at the auction at the end of the month.
This had led him to believe that Thor must be a skilled swordsman.
But now, it seemed there was more to the story.
"Let me tell you, swordsmen die young, but guns are different. You can set up a sniper position from a distance, ambush your enemies, and retreat in time if things go south. Can you do that with a sword?"
"In short, kid, you were born to handle guns. Stop thinking about learning swords or whatever. Just follow me and learn guns, got it?"
Thor earnestly advised.
He had thought Alex would gratefully accept, but instead, it felt like he was begging Alex to agree.
If it weren't for recognizing Alex's natural talent with guns and his potential to learn Observation Haki, Thor wouldn't have wasted so much breath.
Just like the shop's business principle: take it or leave it, no hard feelings.
However, what Thor didn't know was that the so-called "natural talent with guns" was actually the result of Alex's rigorous training in the Hunter world. As for the potential for Observation Haki, it was related to an ability called [Heart Drop Fist Listening].
That afternoon, the reason Alex had been able to dodge Arthur's hand was also due to the [Heart Drop Fist Listening] ability.
Although [Heart Drop Fist Listening] had different stages, its core feature could be summarized as preemptive insight.
Otherwise, given Alex's condition at the time, even if he had been on guard, he wouldn't have been able to dodge Arthur's hand.
Thor, who had been present at the time, had used this to determine that Alex had the potential to learn Observation Haki. And for a sniper, Observation Haki was a hard requirement to step into the realm of the strong.
Without the potential for Observation Haki, even if one spent a lifetime honing their marksmanship, they would ultimately remain outside the threshold of true strength.
As for gun sense, while not as crucial as Observation Haki, it was still an essential condition for becoming a top-tier sniper.
For example, some people with natural gun sense could hit their targets without ever having touched a gun or cannon, relying solely on an innate feeling.
This was gun sense.
And those with natural gun sense, as long as they followed the right path, were destined for greatness.
"Got it, got it!"
Although Alex didn't know why Thor suddenly wanted to take him as a disciple, in this situation, he didn't dare to say no. All he could do was nod.
Mainly because, upon further thought, he realized that learning guns from Thor wouldn't interfere with his future plans to pursue martial arts or swordsmanship.
After all, he wouldn't waste a desire slot on marksmanship.
Most importantly, he could cling to Thor's coattails. Why not?
Seeing Alex finally agree, Thor let out a sigh of relief.
Huh? Why am I sighing in relief?
Thor's lips twitched slightly.
Given his status and experience as an old pirate, if he went to the Red-Haired Pirates' ship and offered to share his knowledge, a bunch of juniors would undoubtedly come flocking.
But now, he was the one trying to take Alex as a disciple, and he was worried Alex might refuse.
"Whatever, I'll accept it for the sake of your talent."
Thor thought silently.
He was genuinely concerned that Alex might choose the path of a swordsman.
In his eyes, that would be a complete waste of talent.
If Thor knew Alex's true thoughts, it wouldn't just be a matter of flipping the table.
"Alright, go do whatever you need to do."
Thor glared at Alex.
Without a word, Alex grabbed the bucket and mop and ran off.
Watching Alex leave, Thor thought about the people who had come for Alex during the day.
"Dare to mess with my people?"
Thor's eyes flashed, revealing a protective side.
He walked over to the third rack, which was dedicated to second-hand goods, and casually pulled out a somewhat aged flintlock pistol.
After witnessing Alex's talent the previous night, Thor's perception of Alex had fundamentally changed.
Now that their relationship was established, how could he let some petty thugs threaten Alex?
That night.
A lead bullet flew several kilometers, accurately hitting Raglan, who was gathering information in a crowded bar.
One shot, one kill.
The bar erupted into chaos.
Raglan, a pirate with a bounty of 19 million Berries, had met his end just like that.