One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

The figure vanished into thin air.

Yet, the attacks continued.

"Where is he?!"

The pirates who had come to challenge the Maude Pirates were on high alert.

Their tense eyes darted around, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of Maude's movements, hoping for the fleeting comfort of seeing their opponent with their own eyes.

What greeted them, however, were silent ripples that brought forth invisible strikes.

An unseen foe!

An unseen blade!

The strikes landed squarely on their comrades, leaving behind deadly wounds.

It was as if an invisible "ghost" existed—unseen yet undeniably real.

Such an entity was both unnerving and terrifying.

Watching their companions fall without understanding why, one pirate was the first to break.

"Fuck this!"

He turned and fled.

Moments earlier, a comrade had been cut down just a step away from him.

For a brief instant, he believed he would be next.

But the next to fall was a comrade over ten meters away.

This ghostly and bizarre attack left him with no will to resist.

He would rather face an overwhelming, visible assault than die so inexplicably.

Yet, just as the panicked pirate ran a mere two steps, the fabric around his abdomen split open.

Moments later, a deep gash appeared on his skin, and blood began to pour out.

As blood soaked the ground, his intestines spilled forth.

The pirate collapsed in shock.

The one who killed him wasn't Maude with his stealth walk, but Yatari, captain of the Gut-Hunter Pirates.

"Useless trash without the guts to fight shouldn't show their faces out here."

Yatari kicked the corpse aside, her heavily made-up face carrying an expression as cold as winter.

The man she killed was a member of the Pyke Pirates.

Yet Pyke didn't show any anger—instead, he agreed with her sentiment.

For people like them, living by the sword, who wasn't prepared to die at any moment?

To wantonly plunder and kill without considering the risks and consequences—what kind of naive fantasy was that?

Still, Pyke wasn't ready to fall here.

Even if death was inevitable one day, it wouldn't be today!

"Yatari, hold him off!"

Watching one comrade after another fall to invisible strikes, Pyke turned to Yatari with a steely gaze.

Among those present, only Yatari, known for her speed, stood a chance of countering Maude's unseen attacks.

"Don't give me orders."

Yatari's gaze was cold.

From the moment Maude entered his silent killing mode, she had been carefully observing his methods, searching for a flaw.

During her analysis, at least one comrade fell every second.

But their deaths weren't in vain.

At the very least, they provided Yatari with critical insights.

"That ghostly movement technique is undoubtedly eerie and terrifying, but... it doesn't completely conceal his movements."

Yatari had noticed the faint, jellyfish-like ripples of dust spreading on the stone pavement.

If one couldn't see the attacker with their eyes, they had to rely on experience and instinct to predict his movements. For instance, Blackhand Hobson's forward punch, though ultimately tragic in outcome, had been based on a correct prediction of Maude's position.

Another method was to track the ripples on the ground to anticipate Maude's next step.

With this realization, Yatari glanced at her fallen comrades.

"Moreover, while these strikes are strange and swift, they lack precision and power."

Most victims had died from critical hits, but some, having avoided vital injuries, lay gravely wounded but alive.

These outcomes revealed much.

By sacrificing her comrades, Yatari had gradually identified the limitations of this silent-killing technique.

The flaws were twofold: the trace of movement and the lack of precision and force.

Of course, she also recognized its strengths.

And that was—extreme maneuverability.

As someone who specialized in speed-based assassination techniques, Yatari understood how difficult it was to change direction at high speed.

Whether it was her self-created Cat Step or the Navy officers' common Shave, both were primarily straight-line, high-speed movement techniques.

Fully aware of this limitation, Yatari was both alarmed and envious of Maude's ability to change direction so effortlessly.

She desperately wanted to know how he achieved it.

Unfortunately, without Observation Haki, she couldn't see Maude's movements.

Even if she could grasp the essence of this stealth walk technique and replicate it, lacking Observation Haki would prevent her from using it effectively.

Regardless, she had found a way to counter it.

"The real fun is just beginning."

Yatari licked her lips, her eager gaze fixed on the ripples spreading across the ground.

It was as if she could already see Maude's deadly figure moving with ghostly grace.

"What are you waiting for?!"

Hearing Yatari's declaration, Pyke realized she had found a way to fight back.

"Hohoho."

At that moment, a distinctive chuckle echoed from nearby.

Pyke and Yatari spun around to see Lafitte and Jim approaching leisurely, with Bailey perched atop Jim's bald head.

Maude's relentless assault had captured the pirates' attention so thoroughly that they had almost forgotten Lafitte and Jim's presence.

The enemy wasn't just Maude.

Despite being overlooked, Lafitte wasn't upset.

After all, it was their captain stealing the spotlight.

Pyke studied Lafitte and Jim coldly, dragging his blade forward a few steps.

Without needing further instruction, Yatari dashed toward Maude, who was still silently cutting down their comrades.

Meanwhile, members of the three pirate crews targeted by Maude refused to sit idle.

Though they couldn't see Maude's movements, that didn't stop them from wildly slashing at thin air.

With so many of them, perhaps a blind swing might hit the mark.

If Captain Kuro were here, he might actually run straight into a slashing blade.

But Maude was different.

When using Stealth Walk, Observation Haki was essential.

Moreover, Maude wasn't willing to waste Armament Haki on such opponents.

Thus, the flaw Yatari had observed—the lack of power—became apparent.

Even with their desperate efforts, the pirates couldn't halt Maude's slaughter.

As more comrades fell, a sense of helplessness grew in their hearts.

An invisible enemy, an invisible attack—how could they possibly fight against this?

At that moment, Yatari arrived.

"It's Captain Yatari!"

Members of the Gut-Hunter Pirates saw hope at last.

"Captain Yatari, stop this demon!!!"

The crew watched her graceful figure dart forward with renewed hope.

Yatari glanced at her crew, her expression cold, though her lips retained a seductive smile.

"Relax. I've figured out his weakness."

With that, Yatari's form blurred like a passing breeze.

Clang!

Before the stunned eyes of the gathered pirates, Maude's figure finally appeared.

Yatari had crossed her twin wave-blades to block Maude's sword, Chidori.

"As expected of Captain Yatari!"

Cheers erupted as the pirates saw her deflect Maude.

Staring closely at Maude's cold and deadly face, Yatari licked her lips and purred, "Handsome, your ghostly steps is impressive. But no matter how good you are..."

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

A bloody hole appeared in Yatari's forehead.

Her delighted expression froze.

"?"

Maude holstered his gun, looking puzzled at Yatari.

"What just happened?"

Around them, the cheering pirates fell silent, as if someone had strangled their voices.

"..."

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