One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

When Sol decided to make a move, the mafia's destruction was inevitable, and Maude reaped massive rewards from the situation.

This was no ordinary mafia but a major underworld syndicate. Had Maude handled it alone, who knows how many chapters it would've taken to resolve? Instead, in less than an hour, he claimed almost every gain recorded in his Hunter's Notebook.

The efficiency was immensely satisfying, far surpassing the rote monotony of his past life, where he'd pressed the execution button for criminals thirty times a day in a cold institution.

Compared to this direct payoff, the injuries on his body and the damage to his Dark Crow weapon seemed insignificant.

With such a bounty secured, Maude was prepared to retreat.

But the sudden arrival of the Abby Pirates made him change his mind.

After all, the time-limited Big Player Card was still active.

And now, Abby—already registered as a target—showed up at his doorstep. How could he let such an opportunity slip by?

However, what Maude hadn't anticipated was Lafitte stepping into the fray uninvited.

Thinking about what Lafitte had been up to in Mad Hat Town over the past few months made it impossible for Maude to stay indifferent. So, he stepped in decisively to claim his stake.

When Abby heard Maude's overt declaration, her demeanor shifted.

"W-wait… Is this… a confession?"

Abby's eyes sparkled with a hint of charm as she gazed at Maude, whose face, framed by the aftermath of battle, exuded a rugged masculinity that stirred her imagination.

Behind her, her crewmates seemed used to such behavior and showed no reaction, staying battle-ready.

"No," Maude denied her assumption flatly.

Abby's expression instantly collapsed, her gaze sharpening with renewed killing intent.

Her shift in mood was as swift as a Sichuan opera face change.

[TL/N: It's a magic trick that's a staple of Sichuan Opera. Performers in vividly colorful costumes and ornate headdresses change masks in the twinkling of an eye.]

"Lafitte, she's mine," Maude declared, ignoring Abby's reaction. His voice carried an air of undeniable authority as he once again staked his claim.

With Sol providing solid cover, Maude's confidence soared.

Lafitte, however, remained calm. Twirling his cane with graceful movements, he didn't respond immediately.

Abby, on the other hand, suppressed her hostility once again. Her gaze returned to Maude, brimming with admiration.

The blood and grime smeared across Maude's face, instead of being unsightly, now appeared to Abby like an enticing form of battle makeup.

"If I could have him... I wouldn't just toy with him for a day; that'd be such a waste. At least a week. No, half a month at minimum!"

Abby's mind was already painting vivid scenarios of her domination over Maude.

Meanwhile, Lafitte first glanced at Abby, noting her unusual demeanor, before turning his attention to Maude. He pointed to the corpses strewn across the battlefield with his cane.

"Aren't these spoils enough to satisfy you?"

"No. But adding her to the tally would make it sufficient."

Maude knew Lafitte had his eye on Abby, which was why he intervened to block her. Maude's goal was simple: to prevent Abby from being killed.

And with the perfect alignment of time, place, and circumstance, Maude had no intention of letting Lafitte take her away.

Hearing Maude's resolve, Lafitte smiled thinly and lowered his cane to the ground.

Despite his gentlemanly attire, demeanor, and behavior, Lafitte was anything but. Beneath the polite veneer was a man who reveled in shattering rules and unleashing violence.

Perhaps because he didn't care to hide it, his eyes often glinted with a cold, night-like cruelty, while his pale, unsettling complexion only accentuated the blood-red vibrancy of his lips.

There was no mistaking it—this was a man who exuded danger at all times.

At this moment, Lafitte smiled as he looked at Maude.

Suddenly, he tilted his hat slightly and performed a gesture of civility, bowing faintly.

"Usopp, before tonight, I had marked this woman as mine. However, I'm honored to have 'met' you this evening. So, if you want her, I don't mind conceding."

"Oh?"

Seeing Lafitte's apparent tactfulness, Maude raised an eyebrow.

"This arrangement works well for me, as I also considered her my prey earlier. Still, since you've shown me courtesy, I'll return it. I wouldn't want you to feel cheated, so her crewmates are all yours."

"..."

The smile on Lafitte's face froze momentarily.

"I'm nothing if not reasonable," Maude continued earnestly. "What do you think?"

"..."

Lafitte shot Maude a long, probing look.

Finally, he raised his cane, drawing a slender blade from within.

The thin sword was strikingly similar in size to Abby's rapier, a subtle indication of why Lafitte viewed her as a target.

With his weapon in hand, Lafitte shifted his gaze beyond Abby to her crewmates.

"Consider this a gift…" he muttered to himself, already imagining the satisfaction of venting his pent-up frustrations.

Meanwhile, Abby's expression darkened as she listened to the exchange between Maude and Lafitte.

Being treated like an object or a prize for their taking—it was infuriating. Even a clay figure would have its limits.

Her demeanor snapped, and the once smitten expression was replaced by cold fury. She drew her rapier and pointed it at Lafitte.

"Kill this freak!" she ordered her crew.

The Abby Pirates wasted no time, charging at Lafitte in unison.

Lafitte, unfazed, stepped forward to meet them head-on, engaging in a ferocious battle.

Abby, however, no longer paid attention to Lafitte's situation. Her icy gaze was now fixed on Maude.

"Don't worry, I'll leave just enough life in you to keep breathing," she sneered.

"Oh, how thoughtful of you," Maude quipped, a sly grin spreading across his face as he eyed the discarded firearms scattered across the ground.

The onlookers around the battlefield, ever eager for entertainment, gathered once again. To them, tonight's events were more thrilling than any auction.

Most of their attention remained on Abby, captivated by the unpredictable twists and turns unfolding before them.

At the center of the street, Abby, rapier in hand, lunged toward Maude with the grace of a panther.

Maude, ever resourceful, grabbed a nearby flintlock pistol and fired directly at her.

Bang!

The bullet shot toward Abby, who sidestepped it with ease.

Her evasive maneuver briefly slowed her pace, giving Maude enough time to pick up another pistol and fire again.

Abby deftly dodged once more but found her rhythm disrupted by the continuous volleys.

"Damn it!" she cursed, forced to evade yet another well-placed shot.

Though Maude didn't aim down the sights, his marksmanship was sharp enough to make every shot count within the fifty-meter range.

The relentless barrage left Abby no choice but to maneuver frantically, her movements growing increasingly erratic under Maude's precision.

Meanwhile, the spectators couldn't help but cheer silently for the sharpshooter, their admiration for Maude reaching new heights.

But just as the rhythm of the fight reached its peak, a click broke the sequence.

The pistols Maude grabbed were out of ammo.

Abby smirked coldly, seizing the opportunity to close the distance.

Maude, unperturbed, discarded the firearms and drew his Dark Crow blade.

Abby prepared for a close-quarters duel but was caught off guard when Maude suddenly kicked a nearby corpse toward her.

The body hurtled through the air, directly in her path.

"..."

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