The Terror of the Pirates

Half an hour later.

Alex leaned against the wall of a remote alley, tilting his head back as he panted lightly.

The intense battle with Abbey had drained his stamina, and after escaping the tavern, he had run nonstop for twenty minutes.

Even though he had been resting here for over ten minutes, he still hadn't fully recovered.

The mental strain from overusing [Heart Drop Fist Listening] had left him feeling unstable.

But without it, he would have been skewered by Abbey.

"I almost didn't make it out."

Alex took a deep breath, using the moment to reload his flintlock pistol.

Reflecting on the chaos in the tavern, he realized that without Wolf Rat's timely intervention, he might not have escaped alive.

"Lucky, so lucky."

Alex felt a wave of fear.

Thankfully, [Heart Drop Fist Listening] and his decent physical condition had allowed him to withstand Abbey's relentless attacks.

However, he had now witnessed firsthand the strength of a pirate with a 30-million-berry bounty.

"Kazit and Abbey…"

Alex summoned his Hunter's Notebook and jotted down the [Intelligence] he had gathered from the encounter.

After writing, he stared at the names of Abbey and Kazit.

"If I face them head-on, I'd probably have to pay a heavy price to take down Abbey. As for Kazit, relying solely on firearms, I'd have no chance of winning. Even a sneak attack might not be enough to finish him in one blow."

Alex put away the notebook and muttered to himself.

This incident had made him acutely aware of the limitations of being a gunman.

Once caught in close combat, his only option was to create distance.

While speed could allow him to kite and frustrate his enemies, if his firearms couldn't deliver enough firepower, even perfect evasion would be meaningless.

If he couldn't kill his prey, the Hunter's Notebook would be useless.

Moreover, this was just a battle at the 30-million-berry level.

What about fights against pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million? In the world of pirates, how effective could a gunman truly be?

Thinking about it, Alex could only refer to Usopp.

In other words, the only viable path for a gunman was support?

But without teammates, how could he even provide support?

Alex suddenly felt the urge to return and ask Saul.

He wanted to know how Saul had fought his battles and what strategies he had used to tackle powerful enemies alone.

"Physical combat and swordsmanship are still more reliable."

Alex sighed softly, but he wasn't about to give up on his gun skills. After all, more skills were never a burden, and with Saul's guidance, his marksmanship could still become a reliable fallback.

However, he was now more interested in quickly mastering a form of melee combat.

"Let's head home. Even though I didn't find suitable prey tonight, I've gathered valuable information for the future."

Once his stamina had mostly recovered, Alex hesitated to venture back into the streets.

The aftereffects of [Heart Drop Fist Listening] were still weighing on him.

His proficiency in the technique was only at a beginner's level, and without [Nen] to reduce the strain, combined with his current physical limitations, it was impressive that he had managed to use it effectively in such a high-pressure situation.

"Wait, where am I, exactly?"

Alex looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings.

In his haste to escape, he hadn't paid attention to where he was going.

After a moment of silence, Alex glanced up at the rooftops.

It was still early, and walking up there might draw unwanted attention.

Should he wait here until nightfall?

As he pondered, hurried footsteps echoed from around the corner.

Alex's gaze sharpened, and he immediately drew his pistol, ready to fire.

The footsteps grew louder, and a figure emerged from the corner.

Seeing that it was Wolf Rat, Alex's expression softened slightly.

"Big Brother Wolf Rat, I'm so glad you're okay!"

Quietly holstering his pistol, Alex spoke before Wolf Rat could say a word, delivering a "heavy blow" of concern.

Hearing Alex's words, Wolf Rat, who looked utterly disheveled, resisted the urge to strangle him.

"You got away with it."

Wolf Rat forced a sarcastic smile, holding a white skunk in his bloodied right hand.

The skunk appeared injured, its hind legs limp, looking just as wretched as Wolf Rat.

Alex glanced at the skunk and explained calmly:

"Big Brother Wolf Rat, I'm really sorry about earlier. When I was running, I suddenly heard you shouting behind me and thought I was being chased by the enemy. I was so scared that I panicked, and before I knew it, the skunk I had just saved somehow flew out of my hands."

"..."

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Wolf Rat's mouth twitched slightly.

The skunk lowered its head, too injured and dispirited to react to Alex's shamelessness.

Quickly, Wolf Rat composed himself and played along.

"I understand, I understand. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably have done worse."

As he spoke, he didn't notice the incredulous look in the skunk's eyes.

[Is this human an idiot?]

The skunk thought silently.

Alex, too, didn't notice anything unusual about the skunk. He looked at Wolf Rat, shook his head, and sighed, "It's fine, it's all in the past. What matters is that we're both okay."

"Right, that's… uh, yeah, that makes sense."

Wolf Rat felt as though he were swallowing a mouthful of dirt, but he forced himself to act as if it were delicious.

"By the way, this is what you left behind. If I hadn't brought it back to you, I'd probably be tending to my wounds by now."

With that, Wolf Rat lifted the lifeless skunk.

This was his excuse and motivation for chasing after Alex.

Though it was a bit far-fetched, he wanted to use it to break through Alex's defenses.

"Oh, isn't this Abbey's pet?"

Alex corrected Wolf Rat with a serious expression.

Wolf Rat feigned surprise. "Huh? So this is Abbey's pet? I thought it was yours, which is why I carried it all this way."

As soon as he finished speaking, the skunk, now deemed useless, was unceremoniously tossed aside.

The skunk hit the ground, its injured limbs causing it to hiss in pain. It barely managed to suppress the urge to curse.

[Two shameless bastards! May they be struck by lightning!]

The skunk silently cursed Wolf Rat and Alex.

Wolf Rat, of course, didn't care about the skunk's feelings. He glanced around and pretended to be surprised.

"This is actually quite close to my place. Brother Usopp, why don't you come to my place to tend to your wounds… uh, I mean, rest for a bit?"

He had initially meant to say "tend to your wounds," but he noticed that Alex wasn't injured at all, while he himself was covered in wounds, his hands nearly useless.

"Hmm."

Alex smiled faintly at his words.

"???"

Wolf Rat was stunned for a moment before cautiously asking, "Does that mean… you agree?"

"Sure, I'll rest at your place."

Alex had initially planned to refuse, but after some thought, he agreed.

He could tell that Wolf Rat had ulterior motives, but given that Wolf Rat had stepped in to block Kazit in the tavern…

Because of that, Alex didn't mind seeing what Wolf Rat was up to.

Seeing Alex agree, Wolf Rat's heart soared with joy, feeling that all his efforts had been worth it.

However, he kept his expression neutral and said calmly, "Follow me."

With that, he led the way.

Casually, Alex holstered his pistol and followed.

After a few steps, he suddenly turned back to look at the white skunk, which was slowly crawling away, trying to escape.

"Big Brother Wolf Rat, do you think skunk meat is edible?"

Hearing Alex's question, Wolf Rat stopped and also turned to look at the skunk, falling into deep thought.

Under the weight of their malicious gazes, the skunk froze, not daring to move a muscle.

[Animals…!]