Meanwhile, Hiroto approached the man brought by Issho. After communicating, he learned that Perona had been sniped by him.
This was actually a good thing. According to the original story, Perona was a child adopted by Moria, and the bond between them was essentially that of father and daughter. Having killed Moria, it was impossible to expect Perona not to seek revenge.
And this man was no stranger to him.
Van Augur.
In the original story, he was a member of Blackbeard's crew and appeared during the Marineford War, though he didn't have much room to show off.
However, there were scenes mentioning he could hit a seagull from several kilometers away, making Usopp, a fellow sniper, exclaim in disbelief.
Later, he ate the Warp-Warp Fruit, able to teleport between islands.
His most impressive feat was during a joint operation with Aokiji, where he shattered one of Charlotte Cracker's Biscuit Soldiers with a single shot.
That was the same Biscuit Knight that gave Gear 4 Luffy a hard fight, yet Van Augur could take them out one by one, shattering a biscuit with every shot.
Although it was very likely the Biscuit Knights were made brittle by Aokiji's freezing, he could still be considered a top-tier talent.
"Can you teleport?" Hiroto pressed.
"No."
Van Augur was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.
"I was able to get up there because some people on the ship island helped me."
On the ship island...
Charlotte Lola and her group?
Hiroto then thought of something else and continued to ask, "How did you hit that shot?"
"My Senriku and... I don't know how to describe it, but I have a perception ability that lets me lock onto targets from a long distance."
Van Augur seemed unsure how to describe it, but Hiroto nodded in realization.
It's Observation Haki.
It was confirmed, Van Augur was the type with a strong talent for Observation Haki.
This made Hiroto interested, because during their conversation, he also learned the reason Van Augur was here.
His hometown had been destroyed, everything turned to nothing, so he took his gun and chased after them for revenge. Now that Moria was dead, Van Augur had nowhere to go.
His ship lacked enough strong combat power, and a sniper would be a good addition. An attack range calculated in kilometers—this alone could provide irreplaceable support.
If he were trained to master Armament Haki later, that would be an excellent addition to their strength. After all, there were too few people on his ship.
Furthermore, [Genius Trader] could also be used to invest in Van Augur. And through the buff from [Effort King], it would bring Hiroto massive gains in Observation Haki.
Even though his tests showed [Genius Trader] could only be assigned to one target, Van Augur's talent was very high.
Most importantly, Hiroto clearly remembered that Devil Fruits would choose their own masters in a mysterious way.
If Van Augur obtained the Warp-Warp Fruit—the Devil Fruit that allowed teleportation between islands with just a touch, it would undoubtedly be extremely useful for Hiroto.
While Hiroto was lost in thought, Van Augur was sizing him up with a complex gaze. After sniping Perona, he had shifted his target to Moria's side. Then, he realized he wasn't even qualified to intervene in a battle between two monsters.
Moria's strength far exceeded his previous expectations. The man hadn't even used his full strength when destroying his hometown.
That massive body, sixty or seventy meters tall, and the power to shake the earth with every move—that was Moria's true terror.
He clearly realized that even if he pulled the trigger, he wouldn't be able to do anything.
But that kind of monster was crushed in an overwhelming manner by the man before him, who looked even younger than himself. He was simply a monster among monsters.
Because of this, Van Augur felt an impulse. The monster he couldn't kill was killed by another monster. And the other party didn't pursue the matter of him hiding in the shadows, he even acted quite kindly.
Could it be that this was the fork in his destiny today?
Thinking of this, Van Augur suddenly made a decision.
And Hiroto also made a decision, he wanted to recruit Van Augur.
But before he could speak, just as he reached out his hand, he saw Van Augur drop to one knee.
"Please allow me to join your ranks."
Van Augur looked up resolutely, then saw Hiroto's hand extended in front of him. He was stunned for a moment, then immediately reached out to grasp it and was pulled up by Hiroto.
Although there was a slight misunderstanding, with both parties willing, Van Augur became Hiroto's subordinate smoothly.
"Since you've joined, you're one of us. Go back and look for those people on the ship island. I'm looking for someone named Charlotte Lola."
After the successful recruitment, Hiroto immediately issued an order.
He definitely had to visit Moria's headquarters, especially Oars sleeping underground. He wondered if Oars could be a target for [Gluttony].
As for Lola, she was just an extra. He remembered she carried Charlotte Linlin's Vivre Card, which might be useful later.
Just like Buggy's heart, which he kept, it was a move made in passing.
Let the favor of saving their lives be repaid with this.
(End of Chapter)
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