One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

A single bullet came out of nowhere, like a stone causing ripples across a tranquil pond.

The surrounding pirates, who had been mere bystanders, were stunned.

There had been no gunshot sound, and yet…

They stared at the gangster who lay dead with a bullet hole in his temple, their faces full of disbelief.

No one knew who fired the shot, but it was undoubtedly related to Maude.

With that thought, their gazes shifted to Maude, standing in the middle of the road, sword drawn.

Until this moment, it was unthinkable for anyone to dare confront the mafia in broad daylight.

After all, the mafia was one of the West Blue's underworld giants. Even though they didn't roam the seas, even the well-known pirate crews of the West Blue wouldn't provoke them lightly.

Maude's obstruction didn't stop Bege from continuing forward.

However, that soundless gunshot made Bege halt abruptly.

"Protect the boss!"

The mafiosos, shocked and panicked, immediately surrounded Bege, forming a human shield to block any further bullets.

[TL/N: Mafioso is the general term for a member of a mafia group. The raw originally says "gangsters" but since they are from a mafia group led by Bege, I'll use mafioso instead.]

Encircled by his men, Bege's face remained impassive as he looked at Maude.

Even for someone like Bege, who had played with guns since childhood, the brief whistle of the bullet was too fleeting to pinpoint the shooter's location.

At best, he could only deduce the bullet's trajectory from the splatter of blood and the impact point.

But the suddenness of the situation left no time for his eyes to collect such details.

Even if he could identify the bullet's direction, it wouldn't change a thing.

Because Bege was certain the shot had been fired from a great distance.

As unbelievable as it seemed, it was an undeniable fact.

Alarmed by the marksman's terrifying skill, Bege showed no outward emotion and instead coldly locked eyes with Maude.

There was no doubt the shooter was working with him.

"Kill him."

Having no interest in questioning Maude's motives, Bege issued the chilling command.

Upon hearing the order, several mafiosos in the outer ring of the group immediately drew their pistols.

Whizz, whizz—

Yet before they could act, bullets once again whizzed through the air.

Still, no gunshot was heard, but the mafiosos who had just raised their pistols collapsed one after another, dead from bullets to the temple.

Multiple bullets had been fired, all striking with surgical precision.

Was there more than one shooter?

Bege's pupils contracted sharply, his composure finally breaking as he turned toward a certain direction.

All he saw were brightly lit buildings and the deep darkness of the night beyond.

But lurking at the edge of that black void was a presence that sent shivers down his spine.

"Boss…"

The mafiosos, unaccustomed to such a terrifying foe, couldn't conceal their fear.

Facing enemies ten times their number would've been preferable; at least then they could fight back.

But this ghost-like sniper? He drained the courage from even battle-hardened men.

The pirates watching from the streets were no better off, wearing expressions as if they'd seen a ghost.

These were pirates who had never even ventured to the Grand Line—what experience did they have with such a spectacle?

Putting themselves in the mafia's shoes, they felt only despair.

While the mafia reeled in terror, Maude stood calmly, sword in hand, a faint smile on his face.

The distant sniper, of course, was Sol.

With his exceptional mastery of Haki, Sol could effortlessly claim the lives of mafiosos from several kilometers away.

If Sol wanted to, he could eliminate the entire mafia in mere moments without ever revealing himself.

"This is the power of a top-tier sniper…"

Watching Sol's precision, Maude deeply understood the true terror of a sniper.

However, Sol's task tonight wasn't to annihilate the mafia—it was to cover Maude.

This was why Maude had the confidence to confront the mafia openly.

Otherwise, facing their overwhelming firepower, even with Maude's skill at evasion, taking down Bege would've been impossible.

But who is it…?

Suppressing the growing chill in his heart, Bege cast a dark glance at his men. "I won't repeat myself."

At his order, those mafiosos who could still move immediately raised their guns to target Maude.

Yet the bullets from the distant darkness came faster.

Pff, pff—

Every mafioso who raised a gun fell, one after another, all shot through the temple.

Within moments, over twenty corpses littered the ground.

Bege glanced at the bodies, cold sweat dripping from his brow.

He didn't know how many snipers were hidden in the darkness, but the rapid-fire rate suggested there were several.

Which meant, if those snipers desired, they could not only threaten him but also wipe out all his forces in mere moments.

But they didn't.

Why?

Bege couldn't deduce the reason but managed to infer the sniper's trigger conditions.

If Bege knew there was only one sniper, he'd be utterly dumbfounded.

Realizing that aiming guns at Maude was futile, Bege ordered, "Switch to blades."

The mafiosos hesitated but quickly complied, drawing their short blades.

This time, no bullets came.

Even so, Bege's heart remained heavy as he stared into the distant darkness.

For the first time, he felt a suffocating sense of crisis, as if unseen bars had fallen from the sky, caging him in.

Even with hundreds of men inside his body and the defensive capabilities granted by his Devil Fruit, that oppressive feeling wouldn't fade.

It didn't make sense.

Yet, as a veteran of the underworld, Bege steeled himself, spitting out his cigar with venomous resolve.

He had considered retreating.

But ultimately, he chose to face the danger head-on and eliminate it.

Despite the sniper's presence, his desire to kill Maude remained undeterred.

"Kill him!" he barked again.

This time, the mafiosos charged at Maude with their blades.

With no bullets flying, they felt a fleeting sense of confidence.

But they seemed to forget their true strength lay in firearms.

As the mafiosos closed in, Maude stepped forward, lamenting the missed chance for more kills.

In a matter of moments, he cut them down like weeds, scattering corpses around him.

Bege was left visibly shaken, now the sole survivor of his group.

The watching pirates fell silent.

The mafia—one of the West Blue's feared powers—was reduced to this pitiful state.

"Just who is this Usopp?" they murmured, filled with doubt.

With such a terrifying sniper at his side, they could already imagine a pirate crew led by Usopp rising to prominence in the West Blue.

Amid the carnage, Maude stood among the bodies, flicking the blood off his blade before pointing it at Bege.

"Release them, and we'll continue."

"…Who the hell are you?" Bege asked, his expression darkening further.

The surrounding pirates were confused, while Lafitte furrowed his brows.

"Release them?"

He looked at Bege, a suspicion forming in his mind.

At that moment, Bege made his move.

Instead of releasing his men from within his body, he opened a row of miniature cannon ports across his chest.

From them emerged rows of cannon barrels, all aimed squarely at Maude.

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