Chapter Six: Sorting Out
It wasn’t as if Maud was pretending to be clueless. The main issue was that Sunny’s timing for asking her question was simply too odd.
Seeing Maud’s look of confusion, Sunny added, “Arthur’s hand.”
“Oh, that…” Maud looked at Sunny in puzzlement.
He paused, set down the mop and bucket, and slowly reenacted the evasive movement from earlier. After finishing, he looked at Sunny and asked uncertainly, “Was it like this?”
Sunny fell silent.
A few seconds later, there was a sudden sound from behind the counter. Maud instinctively glanced down and noticed the small portion of a pistol grip protruding from the edge beneath the counter, causing his eyelids to twitch.
Sunny spoke at just the right moment, “It’s just the gun falling accidentally, nothing to worry about.”
She bent down, picked up the gun, and placed it casually on the counter.
“The move you demonstrated just now—I didn’t quite catch it. Could you show me again?”
Maud glanced at the flintlock pistol lying across the counter, its barrel pointed at him in a way that seemed both intentional and accidental.
He pondered for a moment and, of course, had no intention of repeating the meaningless action. Though he couldn’t quite fathom Sunny’s fixation, he realized he could no longer brush her off.
“I didn’t use any special technique. I was simply alert at the time, so I managed to dodge in time. Besides, it’s really not a big deal, is it?”
Sunny listened, quietly studying Maud. After a while, she nodded calmly. “You’re right, it’s nothing important. Go on with your work.”
Maud was left speechless, silently labeling Sunny as peculiar.
He placed the mop and bucket in the storage room.
When he returned to the shop, Sunny was still sitting in her usual spot. The flintlock pistol was gone from the counter, replaced by a sheet of rough paper weighed down by a pencil.
Maud’s gaze flickered over the paper and pencil. He asked, “Can I return to my room now?”
Sunny nodded, then pulled the paper from beneath the pencil and gestured for Maud to take it.
Maud understood and approached the counter, accepting the paper Sunny handed him.
There were several lines written on it.
He glanced over it—it looked like a list of instructions.
Was it really necessary to write so little on paper?
Maud was full of questions.
He tucked away the paper, and his peripheral vision caught sight of the pencil. An idea crossed his mind.
“Sunny, can I take this pencil back to my room?”
“As you like.”
“Thank you.”
Maud took the pencil and left.
Sunny watched Maud go, then retrieved a notebook and a newspaper from the drawer beneath the counter.
She placed both items on the surface—setting the newspaper aside, she opened the notebook halfway.
On the page she found, there were notes interspersed with names.
Sunny glanced at it before flipping again.
This page also contained writing, and at the top, the name “Kidd” stood out prominently.
Without lingering, Sunny turned a few more pages until she finally reached a completely blank one.
She then took a pencil from the drawer, glanced twice at the newspaper, and began writing in the notebook.
A few minutes later, she stopped.
The once blank page was now more than half filled.
At the bottom of the writing was Maud’s full name, followed by a large question mark.
After one last look at Maud’s name, Sunny closed the notebook, placing it and the pencil deep in the drawer.
“Time to talk to Saul,” she murmured.
...
Maud returned to the room where he had first awakened.
He was still surprised at how easily he had been accepted.
However, he could tell that Saul, the master of the house, was quite casual about such matters.
Perhaps the only reason he had been brought here was to serve as the shop’s future laborer.
“Since I’m here, I might as well settle in,” he muttered, locking the door behind him and sinking into the dust-laden chair.
He finally examined the contents of the paper.
【No matter day or night, do not leave the house; stay inside.】
【Do not touch the goods on the shelves.】
【The basement is off limits.】
【There are ingredients in the kitchen refrigerator.】
【Anything else will be discussed tomorrow.】
Maud read the instructions, feeling conflicted.
Just these few things—couldn’t they have been said aloud?
He shook his head, unable to grasp Sunny’s style, tossed the paper onto the equally dusty desk, and picked up the pencil he’d brought with him.
【Hunter’s Notebook】
With a thought, a black notebook appeared out of thin air.
He opened to a blank page, closed his eyes, and tried to recall everything he knew about One Piece.
To consolidate and organize these memories, he planned to write them out, review them, and repeat the process several times.
The quill that came with the Hunter’s Notebook had no ink, but only it could leave permanent marks within the notebook.
As for other pens—
For example, the pencil in Maud’s hand.
He could scribble on any page of the Hunter’s Notebook with it.
But once the notebook was dismissed, the writing and doodles left on the pages would turn to graphite dust and fall away.
Thus, Maud could freely use this to reinforce his memory.
After all, the information derived from these memories could become invaluable to him in the future.
“The most vivid impressions are still of the Straw Hat Pirates…”
“They’re the main cast, so there’s more information about them.”
“But their true strength only comes two years after the story begins.”
“Too far off…”
“Judging by Kidd’s current age, there’s still a few years before the story starts, right?”
“Besides, there are plenty of more suitable targets—no need to focus on them.”
“Right, the Arlong Pirates! I wonder if the Hunter’s Notebook works on Fishmen, and giants too!”
“If it does, the possibilities are unimaginable.”
“Speaking of which, the Arlong Pirates are in the East Blue, but this is the West Blue—could I get to the East Blue by sailing?”
“I remember Kidd was from the South Blue, and since he made it here to the West Blue, getting from West to East should be possible.”
“Thinking about this now seems pointless.”
Maud organized his recollections while jotting notes and sketches on the page.
Though he knew nothing of navigation, it didn’t stop his mind from wandering.
Immersed in thought, time slipped away unnoticed.
...
Saul’s room.
Several lit candles were placed on the windowsill, beside the bed, on the desk, filling the spacious room with ample light.
There were electric lights available, but Saul chose not to use them.
This had always been one of Sunny’s mysteries.
“You came to me just to tell me Maud is abnormal?”
Saul sat cross-legged on a large double bed, holding a slim gold-plated pipe in his right hand.
Smoke curled around him, slightly pungent.
His gaze pierced the haze, landing on Sunny with a hint of scrutiny.
“But you know I’ve never cared about such things.”
“Saul, Maud is different from those before…”
“How is he different?”
Sunny was momentarily at a loss for words.
Saul gently rubbed the stem of his pipe.
“You’re right, he is indeed very different.”