Chapter Eighty-One: She Is Mine

This battle had finally reached its most critical juncture.

Aside from the gang lieutenant killed by Saul, all the remaining prey were among these ten or so men.

It was fortunate that no one else had appeared to snatch the kill.

“Not coming over?”

Seeing the remaining gang members holding their positions with utmost vigilance, Modde sheathed his battered Raven blade.

Then, under the furious glares of the ten or so gang members, Modde drew his pistol once again.

He took aim at Bege and fired.

Unsurprisingly, another gang member threw himself in front of the bullet, sacrificing his body to block the shot.

At this point, Bege could no longer hold back his question.

“Who are you? Why are you trying to kill me?”

His answer was Modde’s cold gaze, and another lead bullet.

In that instant, Bege felt not only Modde’s stare, the crack of the gun, and the dying screams of his men—

But also the despair of death drawing ever nearer.

In their desperate bid to protect Bege, only six gang members remained.

Counting Bege, there were just four targets left that Modde could profit from.

Modde pressed on methodically, firing another shot at Bege.

Another gunshot, another body fell.

The gang was one step closer to annihilation.

Around them, the onlookers watched in silent awe.

A group of less than five people was about to wipe out the gang before their very eyes.

Had they not witnessed it themselves, who would believe it?

This was the strongest criminal organization in the West Sea’s underworld.

Yet reality was as plain as day.

Much of it was thanks to the sniper who had never shown his face—a force so overwhelming that he’d forced the gang to abandon their firearms.

Without guns, the gang was no match for Modde’s superior close-quarters skills.

And so, the once-mighty gang was reduced to dead bodies scattered across the long street.

It was a sight both astonishing and pitiful.

Inside the field,

The gang’s loyalty was undeniable.

Even as their world teetered on the brink of collapse, none showed signs of abandoning Bege.

Even knowing death was certain, they willingly used their bodies to shield him from bullets.

It was a loyalty that could be entrusted with life and death, drawing the attention of all.

But Bege, realizing his life was nearly over, rasped, “Forget about me.”

When he spoke, only the two most senior lieutenants remained.

“Boss, we swore to share hardship and death together!”

“…”

Bege fell silent.

Ten minutes later.

Modde struggled for a good while before finally dispatching the two lieutenants who had held out the longest.

At last, only Bege—the main course—remained.

Tonight’s hunting profits had already been explosive; if he claimed Bege’s head as well, it would be nothing short of a gift from the heavens.

The feeling of clinging to a powerful ally was indescribably comfortable…

Modde approached Bege, looking down at him as his breath grew weaker.

Bege struggled to speak, “I… bear you no grudge… why…”

Modde picked up a flintlock pistol from the ground and pointed it at Bege.

Before pulling the trigger, Modde’s lips parted slightly, and he softly uttered a name.

Hearing it, Bege was first shocked, then enlightened, and finally, his face was drained of all hope.

So that was it…

The gunshot rang out.

Modde fired.

A bloody hole appeared in Bege’s forehead. Even in death, his eyes remained wide open.

Looking at Bege’s lifeless face, Modde casually tossed aside the smoking flintlock.

He slowly closed his eyes, and with a thought, the dark void of his mind revealed the Hunter’s Notebook.

[Physique: ★☆]

With Bege, two lieutenants, and over ten gang captains as his hunting spoils, Modde had condensed his second star in the physique category.

The process was so smooth that Modde couldn’t help but let a satisfied smile show.

A slight regret lingered—none of the gang members were skilled knife fighters, so the gains in swordsmanship were pitifully small.

To date, the cover of the notebook was crowded with clusters of stars, yet not even the first star in swordsmanship could be condensed.

But Modde was in no hurry.

For him, as long as he had Saul’s protection,

Mad Hatter Town was a perfect hunting ground.

As long as he could raise his star level to the point where there was no further gain, it wouldn’t matter if he spent years here.

Modde stood before Bege’s corpse for a moment.

The surrounding spectators could barely make out the smile on Modde’s face.

It was a smile of deep satisfaction, one that made them secretly uneasy.

“From now on, you can provoke anyone—but never Usopp.”

Most of the onlookers shared this sentiment.

In truth, Modde’s demonstrated strength was not enough to intimidate these fierce men.

What truly frightened them was the sniper behind Modde.

To provoke Modde was to provoke that terrifying sniper.

Having witnessed Modde annihilate the gang, the crowd began to disperse.

The auction was about to begin, after all.

People started to leave.

But Lafitte walked toward Modde.

His only thought now was to engage Modde in a deep conversation from the standpoint of a fellow kindred spirit.

Just then,

A rush of hurried footsteps sounded behind Lafitte.

He turned to see the members of the Elbe Pirates approaching with murderous intent.

Especially their leader, Elbe, whose stride was laced with killing intent.

“They’re here for Usopp…”

Lafitte understood the feud between Modde and the Elbe Pirates well, so he instantly guessed their purpose.

The pirates who had been about to leave paused, intrigued, and turned their attention to Modde amidst the heap of bodies.

The grudge between Elbe and Modde wasn’t universally known in Mad Hatter Town, but most pirates were aware.

Modde heard the commotion and turned to look.

Seeing Elbe arrive, his eyes lit up.

Perfect timing!

The Elbe Pirates had come after hearing the rumors, and upon arriving, were immediately shocked by the sight of the gang corpses.

Then, they looked at Modde standing among the bodies, their faces growing grim.

Unaware of the sniper’s existence, they drew a conclusion from the identical black suits on the corpses.

Modde alone… wiped out the gang?

How was that possible?

Elbe, stunned, turned his gaze to Modde.

At that moment, a figure stepped between them, blocking Elbe’s view.

It was Lafitte.

Such a sudden move could only mean trouble.

Seeing Lafitte, Elbe’s expression changed, but he showed no sign of backing down. He said coldly, “Out of the way, stranger!”

“Afraid I can’t comply.”

Lafitte calmly raised his cane, holding it upright in front of him, his gaze drifting to the flower sword at Elbe’s waist—his meaning clear.

Elbe’s face darkened.

Of all people, this one had to interfere.

“Wait, she’s mine!”

Suddenly, Modde’s voice rang out.

“Hm?”

Lafitte glanced back at Modde, his eyes tinged with scrutiny.

“Hmph?”

Elbe looked at Modde in surprise, unable to help but ask, “Usopp, what do you mean by that?”

“Just what it sounds like.”

Modde looked at Elbe, a reserved smile on his lips.