Chapter 72: More Than This (New Year's Bonus)

Harvey’s Serpentine Blade Technique could only be described as masterful.

Yet Kira had witnessed how, with a single, perfectly timed strike, Maud effortlessly dismantled Harvey’s serpentine assault.

In that instant, Kira found himself anticipating a true duel of blades between Maud and Harvey.

He was convinced it would be a clash for the ages.

But that budding excitement was shattered when Maud dispatched his hopes with a single gunshot.

It was as though a lone blade of grass had sprouted in the desolate air—such was Kira’s mood at that moment.

He couldn’t help but glance at his captain, as if to say, Is this really the man you told me to keep an eye on?

Sensing Kira’s odd look, Kid’s cheek twitched subtly. He pretended not to notice.

Around them, the pirates regarded Maud with complicated, unreadable expressions.

As for the members of the Sea Serpent Pirates, their eyes seemed ready to burst with rage.

Harvey, shot in the chest, hadn’t even had time to spit out the curse that would have immortalized his final feelings before Maud’s follow-up slash cut him down.

“Three moves? Sorry, I have no interest whatsoever.”

Maud looked calmly at Harvey, whose eyes would never close in peace, and at once felt the swordsmanship proficiency flowing into him from Harvey’s defeat.

It soared, growing by leaps and bounds.

By contrast, his gain in hand-to-hand combat was barely noticeable.

Such was expected after forging his star ranking.

“Not bad,” Maud thought.

Even so, the rewards from Harvey took him by surprise.

He’d never imagined that for a pirate with a bounty of just 13.8 million, and whose full name was all that had been entered, the gains in swordsmanship would be so substantial.

This meant Harvey’s true strength far outstripped his bounty. If he could defeat a few more like this, he might even forge the [Star Frame].

Amid his delight, Maud couldn’t help but feel a twinge of regret.

If he’d had more information, simply entering Harvey’s signature moves—given Harvey’s level of expertise—he might have been able to extract a technique or two.

Regretful as it was, the harvest was still more than satisfactory.

Maud glanced at the furious Sea Serpent Pirates, and before all eyes, made a move.

He carried on the fine tradition of Saul’s Weapon Shop, deftly rifling through Harvey’s corpse and extracting a thick wad of Berries, which he slipped into his pocket.

The entire process took no more than a second or two.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The faint stirrings of conversation in the crowd were silenced once more by Maud’s looting.

His actions only fueled the Sea Serpent Pirates’ rage.

“His gun’s out of bullets! Kill him! Avenge Captain Harvey!”

The Sea Serpent Pirates’ first mate, Quincy—whose bounty was 11.5 million Berries—roared, leading his men in a furious charge toward Maud.

Quincy was first to reach him, swinging his blade in a furious arc.

Maud had already holstered his spent flintlock and raised his sword single-handedly, parrying Quincy’s strike.

Sparks flew as their blades met in a test of strength.

It was a familiar scene—only this time, Quincy had taken Harvey’s place.

“Shameless scoundrel!” Quincy gripped his sword with both hands, teeth gritted, pouring all his strength into overpowering Maud and buying his allies a chance to attack.

Their power surged through their arms and into their swords, a tug-of-war of force.

“Your gun’s empty! Prepare to die!” Veins bulged on Quincy’s face, twisted with fury.

Maud, using only one hand, was at a slight disadvantage against Quincy’s full-bodied rage.

As for why he fought one-handed, it was certainly not for show.

“Bang!”

Maud drew his second flintlock and, with cool efficiency, pulled the trigger.

The lead shot punched into Quincy’s body, abruptly severing the force he’d poured into his blade.

Caught off guard, Quincy stared in shock.

Maud remarked coolly, “You’re right, that gun was empty. But I have another.”

Without waiting for Quincy’s response, Maud cut him down with a single stroke.

Quincy couldn’t utter a word—he fell, sharing Harvey’s fate.

At this point, the five remaining Sea Serpent Pirates finally reached Maud.

They hadn’t expected their first mate to be dispatched in an instant.

Now, with no choice, they braced themselves and attacked together.

Surely he couldn’t have a third gun, they thought. Besides, there were five of them.

But what greeted them was Maud’s flashing blade.

[Shattering Strike]

Maud stepped forward and unleashed five rapid slashes.

In the blink of an eye, the five arcs of his blade vanished, and the pirates froze as if turned to stone.

Blood spurted from each of their chests.

Maud stepped back, straightened, and with a flick of his arm, sent the blood flying from Black Crow’s blade before sheathing it slowly.

Shattering Strike was Gabdon’s signature move—five rapid slashes converging on a single point.

But Maud, now, had divided those five strikes among each member of the Sea Serpent Pirates.

The effect was devastating.

Thud, thud…

The pirates collapsed, dead.

Maud crouched, and before the stunned crowd, looted the corpses once more.

He quickly pocketed another stack of Berries.

“Satisfying,” he murmured.

He had no time to count the total, but under the wide-eyed stares of the pirates, Maud slipped away, disappearing into the night.

The departing figure left most of the pirates with complex feelings.

They’d seen his final five slashes with their own eyes.

Clearly, Maud possessed exceptional swordsmanship—yet he’d chosen to use his gun to catch his enemies off guard.

No one quite knew how to judge his style.

And yet—

Many pirates felt as if a new world had opened before their eyes.

For a fleeting moment, they imagined Maud haloed in holy light, smiling as he reached out a hand to them.

As if to say, Come, follow me.

“That move wasn’t bad.”

“I’m buying a pistol first thing tomorrow.”

“There’s no defense against that!”

Maud’s tactics had given them all new inspiration.

In the crowd, Kira stared after Maud, dazed.

He’d thought Maud relied on his pistols, that his sword skills were nothing special—but those five slashes had slapped him awake.

A chill crept into Kira’s heart.

Even having witnessed Maud single-handedly wipe out the Sea Serpent Pirates, he couldn’t shake the feeling that what he’d seen was far from Maud’s full strength.

Just what kind of man was he?

Kid glanced at Kira, but, masked as he was, couldn’t see Kira’s shaken expression—though he could sense his companion’s turmoil.

“Kira, if you had to face him, could you win?”

“No,” Kira replied, his gaze grave. “That man is nowhere near his limit.”

“Is that so…”

A glint of murderous intent flashed in Kid’s eyes.

Such a monster—better to kill him quickly.

But with that old man around…

Kid’s murderous intent stalled.

The excitement ended, and the crowd began to disperse.

Suddenly, an angry female voice rang out.

“Usopp!”

A rush of footsteps followed.

All eyes turned to see a scantily clad woman—Abby—striding at the head of her group with formidable presence.

The crowd instinctively parted for them.

Abby strode into the center, immediately spotting the corpses on the ground but finding no sign of Maud.

“Where did Usopp go?!”

She looked sharply at the surrounding pirates.

None answered.

“Too late…” Abby clenched her teeth, her chest heaving with anger.

For a moment, many pirates who had been about to leave paused, their gazes lingering lasciviously on the beautiful spectacle before them.