Chapter 4: Improving His Physique
After successfully escaping with the excuse of going to the bathroom, Maud went into the restroom and immediately locked the door.
[The Hunter's Notebook]
The notebook, as black as jade, elegant and sophisticated, appeared out of thin air.
On the spine, the black tail of the quill pen wiggled slightly, as if awaiting Maud's favor.
When he developed the ability, Maud had thought of having the pen be a black fountain pen, but that would have increased the difficulty of its creation.
So, to reduce the pressure on other parts of the development, he had to settle for something second-hand and materialize the quill pen, which was more difficult to use but simpler in its structure.
He took the pen from the spine and, without hesitation, wrote the word Physique on the first silver line.
His physical fitness was his highest priority need at the moment.
There was no need to think twice about it.
Because only by improving his physique could he aspire to more things.
Furthermore, in the world of One Piece, a powerful physique was the foundation for a warrior to establish themselves.
And a monstrous physique like that of Empress Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin, or Kaido, the King of the Beasts, was something Maud didn't even dare to dream of at that moment.
After writing the need, Maud opened the first page of the notebook.
It was as white as snow.
Suddenly, Maud saw a series of horrible scribbles on the page.
He blinked, and the words disappeared like shadows.
Maud was stunned and muttered, "Let's start over..."
At that moment, it was as if his main account had been erased and he had to start over on a new server with a secondary account.
As for the advantages, they were still real.
Maud began to write. While generating Watts' appearance in his mind, he quickly wrote down the relevant information about him.
[Evan Watts]
[Skilled with a machete]
This information was what he had heard from Sunny, and it was extremely simple.
However, even the smallest bite was important.
Besides, with his body's current strength, even if the reward was small, the effect would be instant.
As if he had completed an important task, Maud slowly closed the Hunter's Notebook.
Thank you for your sacrifice, Evan Watts.
And thanks to Kid for bringing Watts.
Maud made the notebook disappear and looked at himself in the mirror.
He gently touched the blood-stained bandages on his forehead and immediately felt the pain.
If the Hunter's Notebook worked, the wound should show a visible change after the hunt.
The only thing he regretted was that Watts wasn't an expert in close-quarters combat.
"I'm ready."
Maud took the small knife that was on the sink and left the bathroom.
In the shop, Saul and Sunny were waiting for him.
But in reality, only a few minutes had passed.
Maud, with the knife in his hand, approached the unconscious Watts.
Under the gaze of Saul and Sunny, Maud didn't waste any time. He crouched down, grabbed the knife, and stabbed it forcefully into Watts' chest, aiming for the heart.
Plop!
Blood splattered on Maud's hand.
The most embarrassing part was that the knife only went in halfway and almost slipped out of his hand.
Saul raised an eyebrow.
Sunny lowered her eyelids.
Damn it.
Maud cursed under his breath.
But when he thought about the physical level of this world, he felt relieved. Besides, his current body was very weak.
Without hesitation, Maud pulled out the knife and gave him several more stabs, which caused Watts to die quickly while still unconscious.
The whole process was like killing a chicken.
After all, Maud had already done this several times.
In the Hunter's Notebook, in his past life, he had written nearly a thousand names as results of his hunts.
Most of them were people he had executed himself through a job in a penitentiary institution.
The process only consisted of pressing the switch to administer the medication, so it was very simple.
Because the rewards came so easily, Maud had stayed in the penitentiary institution for a long time and lacked experience in death-match fighting.
Strictly speaking, Maud wasn't a standard hunter who was inclined to fight.
But as the number of criminals he executed himself increased, Maud gradually developed an apathy for life.
Or rather, an apathy for the lives of criminals. And most of the pirates in this world, in Maud's opinion, were no different from the most dangerous criminals in the penitentiary institutions of his past life.
Killing them was like crushing an ant, without any psychological burden.
Speaking of penitentiary institutions, the place Maud could imagine in the world of One Piece was Impel Down.
However, the penal institutions in the pirate world seemed to be a bit more humane.
Even if a criminal locked up in Impel Down deserved to be sentenced to death a dozen times, they would only be locked up.
It could be understood that they didn't want the Devil Fruits to spread, but the Devil Fruit users who were locked up in Impel Down were undoubtedly a minority.
However, even if Impel Down was not in favor of executing prisoners, with his ability, it was actually very suitable to join the Marines.
Unfortunately, he had woken up in such a chaotic place. And even if he could escape later, he probably wouldn't pass the Marine recruit selection process.
As his thoughts swirled, Maud slowly let go of the knife handle and stood up, closing his eyes.
In the darkness before him, the Hunter's Notebook floated silently, with a halo emanating from its edges, like the sun during a total eclipse.
The halo seeped into the notebook at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Then, a small white dot appeared on the black cover.
At that moment, the light disappeared, and darkness returned to his eyes.
In a short time, a touch of a sanguine color appeared on Maud's pale face.
He opened his eyes and felt a slight itch on his forehead.
At the same time, the feeling of weakness, as if he were about to be knocked down by a strong wind, was noticeably reduced.
These changes were the implicit benefits of the physical need.
As for the explicit benefits, such as muscles or toughness, Watts' category and the information he had prepared were not enough to cause changes.
But anyway, the Hunter's Notebook worked.
Maud's eyes lit up.
Saul and Sunny watched Maud kill Watts, as well as the excited reaction he had afterward. To them, it was nothing special.
After all, in their opinion, merchants often hated pirates who plundered without control.
Besides, Maud was in that situation because of the pirates.
It was normal for him to vent on Watts to calm his mind.
However, Saul didn't want the future second laborer in his shop to become a fanatic.
He walked over to the body, pulled out the knife, and wiped the blood on the corpse's clothes.
"Look how excited you are. I told you to say goodbye to your past, not to obsess over it."
"I understand."
Maud lowered his head and replied.
He understood what Saul was saying. And he wasn't going to give any explanation.
What he had to do now was to honestly stick to Saul and then integrate as quickly as possible into Mad Hatter Town, a place where human life could become cheap at any moment.
Saul took a look at Maud's bloody hand and said, "It's good that you understand. First, go wash your hands."
Then, he turned to Sunny and said, "Sunny, go find Arthur to take care of the body."
"Okay."
Sunny nodded and left.
Maud, for his part, went to the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and washed the blood from his hands.
After cleaning them, he dried them and looked at himself in the mirror.
He touched the wound again.
A few minutes ago, it hurt, but now it no longer did.
The effect was gratifying, and it was also because his body was too weak.
He didn't know how many hunts he would have to complete to reach the level of Luffy's self-healing ability.
"Phew!"
Maud exhaled softly, relaxing his body and mind at the same time.
Successfully completing his first hunt gave him a little confidence.
However, his current situation was still very difficult, and his second hunting target was still something very far away.
"Mad Hatter Town..."
"Although it's dangerous, on the other hand, it's an excellent hunting ground."
"Take it easy."
Maud splashed cold water on his face.
After drying himself, without taking off the bandage to look at the wound, Maud left the bathroom.
When he returned, there was a burly stranger in the shop.
The man was wearing a suit similar to a work uniform, with a black cloth band on his left arm that had the word Death written on it. On his face, he wore a white mask that only left his eyes and half of his mouth visible.
Maud thought that must be Arthur, whom Sunny had gone to find to take care of the body.
Arthur, who was examining the corpse, looked up when he heard Maud's footsteps and was a little surprised.
"Oh, so you woke up."