One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

What exactly was this woman so pleased about?

Maude holstered his gun and casually nudged Yatari's lifeless, unyielding body aside.

He had used a single-handed sword, while Yatari had wielded dual blades to block his attack.

In such a situation, Maude naturally and adeptly pulled out his gun and, with a single shot, ended the confrontation swiftly.

Simple, effortless, and efficient.

Perhaps this is the charm of the "Usopp Style."

Compared to Maude's calm demeanor, the members of the "Pirate Alliance" were dumbfounded.

When Yatari had seemingly blocked Maude's offensive with ease, they had glimpsed a sliver of hope.

But in the next instant, as Maude drew his gun and fired, it felt as if the sound of shattering glass echoed in their minds.

Those observing the battle from the outskirts were equally shocked by what they saw.

"It's the Usopp Style…"

From a distant street, a man with an afro hairstyle watched Maude, surrounded yet unfazed, with eyes aglow.

"Brilliant!"

The man clapped in admiration, then reached up to touch his hair, his fingers brushing against the flintlocks concealed within his afro.

This is the terror of the Usopp Style!

Even someone as notorious as Yatari the Gut-Hunter, with a bounty exceeding fifty million, could be dealt with in just one shot!

The man tilted his head slightly, a resolute expression crossing his face.

But while the afro man marveled, the other onlookers were left speechless.

First, Blackhand Hobson had been casually killed, and now even Yatari, with her hefty bounty of over fifty million, met the same fate?

"The gap in strength is just too vast!"

"..."

Both Blackhand Hobson and Yatari were among the top combatants in this town. Their bounties were well above the local standard.

Yet, such formidable figures had been taken down by Maude in mere moments.

These bystanders, who equated bounties with strength, found it hard to reconcile the staggering disparity between a bounty of one hundred million and fifty million.

Their thoughts turned to Bloodshadow Pyke, who carried a bounty of eighty million.

If Yatari couldn't withstand a single strike from Maude, what about Pyke, with his slightly higher bounty?

They wanted to know the answer.

However, when they looked over, what greeted them was the sight of Pyke being suppressed by the "Demonic Sheriff" Lafitte.

What's going on?

Wasn't Lafitte's bounty below fifty million?

How could he dominate Pyke, who was worth eighty million?

The pirates who had hoped to profit from this chaos were utterly flustered.

The Maude Pirates…

What kind of crew is this?

Then, they saw a white weasel leap onto Maude's shoulder.

To their shock, Maude casually flung the weasel into the crowd of pirates.

They expected the weasel to be hacked to pieces, but instead, the creature exploded like a bomb, sending pirates flying in all directions.

Even their pets are like this…

The would-be opportunists were struck with a sudden urge to retreat.

The Maude Pirates were anything but ordinary!

Forget it.

Time to scram.

Some of the pirates abandoned their plans on the spot.

In the midst of the battlefield.

Maude watched as Bailey, the weasel, wreaked havoc among the crowd, showing no signs of concern.

Taking advantage of the distraction Bailey caused, Maude turned to glance at Lafitte, who was still locked in combat with Pyke.

He knew Lafitte wouldn't kill Pyke, so after a brief look, he shifted his focus back to the remaining enemies.

"The highest-level prey left is Pyke. With Lafitte keeping him occupied, I'll clean up the rest first."

Maude's gaze swept over the remaining enemies.

Suddenly, he recalled something important.

Stealth Walk!

In a flash, Maude vanished and reappeared, intercepting Jim, who was about to charge into the enemy ranks.

"Captain?"

Jim looked at Maude in confusion.

"Jim, there's something I need you to do."

"What is it?"

"Listen carefully."

Maude leaned in and whispered a few instructions into Jim's ear.

Jim nodded and immediately turned, striding towards the outskirts of the town.

At that moment, Bailey's voice rang out, calling for help.

"Boss, if you don't come over soon… you'll lose your adorable me!"

"..."

Maude turned to look at Bailey, who was surrounded by enemies.

In his haste to send Jim on a mission, he had completely forgotten about Bailey.

"Why are you so excited, then?"

With a sigh, Maude stepped into the air using Moonwalk and soared above the battlefield, descending straight into the crowd.

Landing with a crash, Maude unleashed a sweeping circular slash, felling five or six pirates in an instant.

"Out you go."

He grabbed Bailey and hurled him out of the combat zone.

No sooner had Bailey flown out than the surrounding pirates turned their weapons on Maude.

Stealth Walk!

Maude vanished once again, leaving the incoming attacks to strike empty air.

"He disappeared again…"

A nearby pirate exclaimed in shock.

The moment the words left his mouth, he felt a sudden chill across his face.

Slash!

A deep, crimson line appeared on his cheek, and his vision was quickly consumed by red.

As his strength ebbed away, his consciousness faded, and he collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

Maude resumed his silent killing spree, cutting down enemies with precision and speed.

Unlike the Shave technique, which required the entire sole of the foot to generate explosive force, Stealth Walk relied on the toes to push off the ground for propulsion.

This approach allowed the toes to serve as a pivot point, with the heel suspended in the air, reducing resistance when altering direction with ankle rotations.

The motion resembled a spoon standing upright; with just a gentle flick, it could twirl effortlessly.

In terms of speed, Stealth Walk couldn't rival Shave, but it excelled in agility and adaptability.

This flexibility was its greatest advantage.

However, Maude had yet to fully unleash the technique's maximum potential.

To enhance precision, he had to sacrifice a portion of its speed.

Even so, the sheer physical prowess Maude brought to the technique rendered him unstoppable against these pirates.

Before Maude's silent and invisible slashes, the members of the three pirate crews fell like harvested wheat.

Faced with Maude's relentless assault, the pirates were utterly defenseless, like lambs awaiting slaughter, unable to do anything but await the descent of his blade.

And so...

Maude singlehandedly slaughtered every member of the three pirate crews.

On the the other part of the battlefield, the only sounds that remained were the sharp clashes of steel as Lafitte and Pyke's weapons collided.

Atop a statue on the Tree Bridge...

Dada slowly regained consciousness, his eyes opening to the grisly scene of corpses strewn across the ground and Maude standing in their midst.

Saved...

The joy of surviving such a perilous ordeal had barely taken shape when a sudden thought surfaced in his mind.

Meanwhile, Pyke, locked in a stalemate with Lafitte, realized with a sinking heart that he was the last man standing on his side. His face darkened, his expression so grim it seemed as though it could drip water.

Life is like a game of chess—one wrong move, and the entire board is lost.

He had gravely underestimated the strength of Maude's pirate crew.

At the same time...

From the rooftop of a nearby building, the sound of a camera shutter clicked.

Dale snapped a picture of Maude standing amidst the pile of corpses.

The pirate who had been assigned to guard him now lay unconscious on the ground, sporting a swollen lump on his forehead.

As a reporter, how could Dale provide the public with swift and authentic coverage without a few tricks up his sleeve?

Of course, had the pirate not been distracted by Maude's overwhelming display of power, Dale wouldn't have dared make his move.

"Now this is the true poise and presence of a dark horse," Dale murmured to himself, his excitement evident as he stared at Maude amidst the carnage.

"This angle is perfect..."

Click!

"Oh, this one looks great too."

Click!

"Magnificent! Absolutely magnificent!"

Click!

Dale went wild, snapping photo after photo.

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