Chapter Seventy-Nine: Grass

That's right. That man was one of his own kind.

And finding someone of your own kind was undoubtedly something to rejoice over.

The light in Lafitte’s eyes receded like the tide. His black cane spun in several elegant circles, then he tipped the brim of his hat upward with the cane’s head.

The light in his eyes was gone, replaced by the image of Maud in battle.

“Hold back...”

Lafitte’s crimson lips curled into a grin as he struggled to suppress his urge to act.

To finally encounter a kindred spirit made the violent urges within him surge uncontrollably.

But that prey belonged to Maud.

Therefore, he could not intervene.

To snatch it away would be like shattering a beautiful scene with his own hands.

He managed to restrain his impulse to attack, but he could not contain the murderous aura that radiated from him.

At once, a chilling presence emanated from around him.

Pirates still some distance from Lafitte suddenly shuddered.

In that instant, it felt as if dozens of needles were stabbing into their sides.

What was happening?

Unable to help themselves, those who had been watching the battle turned to look at Lafitte.

In a daze, they seemed to glimpse a savage face, wrought from pure killing intent, looming behind him.

Their expressions shifted, and they quietly edged farther away from Lafitte.

Though, truth be told, they had already kept a fair distance...

Far off, atop a building.

Wolf Rat and Tatamu crouched low behind the eaves, watching the battle unfolding on the long street.

“So strong,” Tatamu murmured from the depths of his heart.

Wolf Rat was silent, his eyes filled with astonishment as he watched Maud force Bege into a desperate situation with nothing but a single blade.

He had thought Maud’s strengths lay in marksmanship and shamelessness, but now it was clear that his swordsmanship was formidable as well.

It might have looked flashy, but its destructive power was undeniably real.

But none of that mattered anymore.

What mattered was that the Phantom Gunslinger had finally made his move.

Such strength was truly terrifying.

No wonder that naval legend was so fixated on the Phantom Gunslinger.

A man like that must have stained his hands with the blood of countless comrades.

But most frightening of all was the fact that the Phantom Gunslinger’s reputation was hardly known...

The thought sent chills down Wolf Rat’s spine.

Moments later, he shook his head gently, freeing himself from the shadow cast by the Phantom Gunslinger.

From the moment the Phantom Gunslinger acted tonight, his own mission was nearly complete.

Maud and the girl from the weapon shop.

Those two alone were enough as bargaining chips.

“After this, it’s no longer my concern...” Wolf Rat mused.

Instinctively, he reached for his pocket.

Inside rested a transponder snail.

The verification was complete; all that remained was to inform Gion.

After that...

Should he leave, or stay and witness the final curtain fall on the Phantom Gunslinger?

Wolf Rat quietly watched the figure on the long street.

Perhaps, he was more inclined to stay.

...

On the long street, corpses lay strewn everywhere.

Blood pooled into red streams, flowing outward in all directions.

Bege had had enough.

He could disregard the lives of his subordinates, but he could not bear the stagnant, unchanging tide of battle.

It wasn’t supposed to be this way.

The initial thrill of his Devil Fruit power wasn’t meant to feel so feeble.

This ability was perfectly suited to his status and position...

So why was it turning out like this?

Was the power too weak?

No.

He was too weak, unable to unleash the true might of this weapon.

If he couldn’t wield it with ease, relying on it blindly would only turn it against him.

Suddenly, Bege understood.

When he first gained the Castle-Castle Fruit’s power, he had been convinced it would pave his way to invincibility.

He never doubted his own judgment.

It should have been a certainty.

But Maud’s actions had taught him the true meaning of present and future.

Awakened, a ruthless glint flashed in Bege’s eyes.

The next moment, the loyal subordinates who emerged from his castle no longer brandished swords or guns, but each carried a black cannonball.

This was Bege’s new strategy after his realization.

At worst, it would end in mutual destruction.

At best, both sides would be wounded.

And he still had plenty of men left inside.

So no matter the outcome, once these cannonballs exploded at close range, he would surely regain the upper hand in numbers.

That was his style—and his chance at victory.

When Bege saw Maud instinctively slashing at his men again, a savage grin twisted his face.

“Cannonballs?”

Maud’s eyes narrowed.

By the time he realized, Dark Crow had already struck the cannonball.

There was no helping it—he’d grown used to cutting down anything in his path; there was no way to stop in time.

Boom!

A violent explosion instantly engulfed both Maud and Bege.

A scorching shockwave slammed into them, hurling them both through the air until they crashed to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

“Cough, cough.”

Maud clutched his chest and slowly got to his feet.

Thanks to his physique, now at one-star strength, he had only suffered a few superficial wounds from the shrapnel—cuts of varying depth.

Aside from that, the impact of the blast felt like taking a punch head-on.

Nothing serious, just painful.

That was the benefit of his improved constitution.

“How ruthless.”

Maud thought to himself.

In desperate moments, only such merciless tactics could break the deadlock and open a sliver of hope.

Something worth remembering.

He checked his injuries, then looked toward Bege, who lay motionless on the ground.

At the time, Bege had been closer to the center of the explosion. Without a constitution stronger than the blast, he would have been seriously wounded, if not dead.

But the Hunter’s Notebook had not recorded any gain—meaning Bege was still alive.

Without a moment’s hesitation, Maud charged at the helpless Bege, intending to finish him off and claim his experience.

But just then, a group of gangsters appeared around Bege.

Bege, fighting off dizziness, was releasing his men one after another.

Before resorting to the self-destruction tactic, Bege had anticipated both sides being equally injured.

What he hadn’t expected was to be unable to get up himself, while Maud could still stand.

If that wasn’t enough, the bastard could even run.

Still, at least he’d escaped the mire.

Maud paused as more and more gangsters poured out of the castle.

“What a nuisance,” Maud sighed softly.

He wasn’t worried about the current situation, but rather about someone else stealing his kill.

“Surely I won’t be that unlucky?”

His gaze passed through the sea of gangsters and landed on the fallen Bege.

He knew Bege was seriously wounded.

In this state, it was only a matter of time before blood loss claimed him.

But with so many onlookers nearby, there was no telling if one of Bege’s enemies might be among them.

If, while Maud was dealing with the gangsters, someone else killed Bege—

Maud would be spitting blood.

Bege, for his part, cared nothing for Maud's thoughts. Furious and in pain, he shouted,

“Kill that bastard!”

At his command, the gangsters raised their guns in unison.

Whizz, whizz...

The sound of bullets tearing through the air.

Just then, the sniper hidden in the darkness reconnected.

The gangsters fell one after another, like dominoes.

Bege stared in disbelief, nearly choking on his own blood.

“Damn it!”