Chapter 15: The Sniper
For almost half a month, Maud has been diligent and honest.
He does the necessary chores, and a little more.
As for the things he shouldn't do, he doesn't even think about them.
With such a perfect performance as a laborer, he has gradually integrated into the gun shop's circle.
Although Saul always says he's satisfied with him, Maud doesn't get carried away. He is still cautious in his actions and words, avoiding as much as possible any behavior that might be inappropriate or cross the line.
He knows very well that Saul's carefree nature is real. In accepting him, he didn't care about his identity or background, only the value he could provide at that moment.
But if he didn't show value, or if he bothered Saul, the situation would change in an instant.
Therefore, Maud is always very careful when he is near Saul.
As for Sunny, after understanding her personality, he has become familiar with her in about ten days.
Once Maud finds his second prey, the biggest problem is not how to kill the prey, but Saul's attitude.
"Sunny, if I kill the guy next door, do you think Saul will have an opinion about me?"
Maud leans against the side of the ajar shop door, tilting his head to look at the situation in the alley through the crack.
Sunny looks up at Maud's profile and says indifferently: "What guy?"
"The one named Albers Red. You gave me the information. That name isn't fake, is it?"
"Are you questioning my ability to gather information?"
The little "informant" Sunny raises an eyebrow, her eyes piercing Maud like needles.
Maud thinks to himself that she reads the same newspaper for several hours...
Even if he thinks it, Maud doesn't dare to show it. He says with a serious expression: "How could I question your ability? Every time I see the information you give me about the neighbors, I can't help but think how professional a spy must be to find out all the details of a neighbor so thoroughly."
At first, when Maud received the information about the neighbors from Sunny, the level of detail was so surprising that he couldn't help but think how unlucky someone would be to encounter a neighbor like Sunny.
Hearing Maud's flattery, Sunny is not impressed. She snorts coldly and says: "Many people in the city use fake names, so I can't guarantee if the information about the names is accurate. But in the case of the people next door, I can guarantee it."
Maud asks cautiously: "Have they bothered you?"
"No."
"Then why did you investigate them so thoroughly?"
"Because they live next door."
Sunny looks at Maud with a "what a strange person you are" expression.
"..."
Maud is speechless and changes the subject: "You still haven't answered my question. If I kill Red, will Saul get annoyed or something?"
"How would I know something like that?"
"Okay."
"Red has nothing to do with you. Why do you want to kill him?"
"Because he's too noisy."
Maud makes up a random reason.
Speaking of which, the reason he set his sights on Red, his neighbor, was because Red, when he passed by the shop drunk, often shouted things in the alley.
The content of his shouts was basically about how he killed people when he plundered merchant ships with his pirate crew and how he tortured the tough ones.
But what impressed Maud the most was not these drunken shouts, but Red's ugly expression when he boasted about all this.
Thanks to Red's loud voice, Maud realized that he had many suitable prey around him, so he didn't need to look far.
Hearing Maud's reason for killing, Sunny realizes: "Yes, that guy is very noisy."
"You believe me?"
"?"
---
Everything is ready, all that's missing is one step.
After thinking about it seriously, Maud believes it is necessary to investigate Saul's attitude first.
If Saul doesn't care, he will immediately go and ambush Red with his gun.
But if Saul doesn't agree, he will have to abandon the idea.
If he had a silencer, he wouldn't have to worry so much. He could find an opportunity to shoot Red and kill him.
But the main reason is that he is currently too weak.
If he were strong enough, he wouldn't have to worry about the consequences of killing a prey.
---
That night, after dinner, Maud approached Saul.
After Maud told him his intention, Saul, smoking a cigarette, looks at him sideways.
"Why do you want to kill Red?"
Like Sunny, Saul wants to know Maud's motive.
This time, Maud cannot give a superficial answer like the one about Red being too noisy.
"To practice."
This is the answer Maud has prepared in advance.
There are not many explanations, it is simple and direct.
Saul is a little surprised and examines Maud's expression.
In the world of pirates, it is very common to practice and test yourself with the lives of other people.
Just like him, at the time, he made Maud kill Watt, who had approached the shop, so that Maud would leave his past behind.
But he didn't expect Maud to propose it. Originally, he planned to give Maud more time to prepare.
Anyway, it was something that would happen sooner or later, so Saul doesn't object, but he gives Maud a warning.
"At your own risk."
Concise and to the point. It is a warning and, at the same time, an agreement.
As for Red's life or death, for Saul, it is less important than what he will have for dinner that night.
"Understood."
Maud is happy.
With Saul's approval, he can do what he wants.
As for the possible consequences of killing Red, he was already mentally prepared since he received the information from Sunny.
At most, Red's pirate crew could come to take revenge.
But if he does it cleanly, he won't have to worry about the consequences.
---
Three days later, on a dark and windy night.
Maud hides in the shadows of a building. He keeps his gun, Usopp, in position. With the help of the dim light, he observes the end of the alley in silence.
The distance from the corner of the alley to where he is hiding is approximately a hundred meters.
Although the accuracy of the musket is much lower than that of a rifle, its range is just under a hundred meters.
But, considering wear and tear and other factors, Maud plans to wait for Red to be less than 60 meters away to act.
Eight hours have passed since he saw Red leave the alley at dusk.
At dusk, there were people coming in and out of the alley, so he couldn't find the right time to shoot.
But now the night is deep, and there are hardly any people in the alley, which eliminates many worries.
If Red returns at that moment, Maud will pull the trigger without hesitation.
Time passes slowly. The moon hides behind the black clouds.
The visibility in the alley is very low. If it weren't for the few lamps hanging on the wall, it would be completely dark.
Maud waits patiently.
Several dozens of minutes later, Red's voice is heard before he appears.
Maud suddenly perks up and focuses his sight on the end of the alley.
After a few seconds, two figures walk together through the alley.
"There are two of them...!"
Maud curses in his mind.
The musket only has one bullet. After shooting, it needs time to reload.
This means that, even if he manages to kill Red, the other person will have enough time to find a place to hide and, at the same time, judge the trajectory of the bullet by the sound of the shot and the direction of Red's blood.
'Do I have to give up...?'
But Sunny said that Red's pirate crew will set sail tomorrow at noon, and Maud cannot act during the day because he would not have the advantage of concealment that the night provides.
That is, if he loses this opportunity, he doesn't know when he will have another.
Maud frowns.
As the two people get closer, his time runs out.
At this moment, Maud, who is hesitating, does not notice a gaze that is watching him from the darkness.