With only his reflexes and speed, Maude achieved an effect similar to the Six Powers' Paper Art technique.
No matter how fierce and relentless Abby's thrusts were, Maude was like a paper boat drifting along the waves. Despite the perilous situation, it was as if the boat would never capsize.
Watching this, Wolfrat realized that Maude's dodging technique wasn't the actual Paper Art, which only made him more astonished.
This level of skill was completely different from the impression Maude left on him last night in the alley.
"Usopp... must have a deep connection with the 'Phantom Gun.'"
Wolfrat's eyes flickered as he attributed the techniques Maude was displaying to Sol.
He knew one of the most troublesome aspects of the Phantom Gun was their incredible survival skills.
According to intelligence, not only was the Phantom Gun adept at escaping, but they could also retreat unscathed even when surrounded by a hundred enemies.
"This isn't the time to be thinking about that."
Wolfrat calmed himself. Seeing that Maude wouldn't fall into immediate danger, he shifted his attention elsewhere.
The shot Maude fired at Abby earlier was like a battle horn that instinctively made the Redhorn Pirates' gunners pull their triggers.
Amidst a deafening volley of gunfire, several lead bullets whizzed toward Maude and Abby.
At the critical moment, Abby's subordinates formed a human wall, using their longswords to block the incoming bullets.
This was an order Abby had silently conveyed through a snap of her fingers—no one was allowed to interfere with her murderous enjoyment.
Typically, pirate crews could be divided into three categories: those focused on numbers, those focused on quality, and those that balanced both.
The Redhorn Pirates were the first type, while the Abby Pirates were the second.
Thus, even though Abby's side was outnumbered, they weren't easily overwhelmed by the Redhorn Pirates.
It's worth mentioning that the Abby Pirates consisted of 31 members, but Abby only brought ten of them to the Battleaxe Tavern this time.
As Wells and the other gunners reloaded their bullets, the Redhorn Pirates' melee fighters charged at Abby's subordinates.
In an instant, the two pirate crews clashed in a chaotic brawl.
However, the first casualty of the fight didn't come from either crew.
The unlucky soul to die first was struck by a stray bullet fired by Maude.
The surrounding pirates cursed inwardly, all eager to leave this mess as soon as possible.
Seeing that Kazte was determined to block the exit, they began looking for other ways out, initiating a "wall-breaking" operation.
Within seconds, driven by sheer survival instincts, several holes were punched through the wooden walls of the tavern.
One by one, pirates squeezed through these man-sized holes, fleeing the tavern.
Kazte glanced at their actions and chose to ignore them.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out two thick stacks of Berries, and tossed them into the tavern's counter.
The tavern owner, hiding behind the counter, looked at the money thrown before him and could only respond with a bitter smile.
After prepaying the compensation, Kazte first assessed the situation, confirming that his men had the upper hand against Abby's subordinates. Then he turned his attention to Abby, who was chasing Maude relentlessly.
It was clear that Abby genuinely wanted to kill Maude, but given how the situation had unfolded, Kazte didn't bother pondering her reasons.
No matter what, Maude had to die!
Covered in thick black fur with a face resembling that of a black bull and horns protruding from his head, Kazte strode toward Abby and Maude.
At that moment, he had the upper hand and several choices.
He could eliminate Abby's subordinates first.
Or he could sit back and watch as Abby and Maude fought to the death.
But his choice was to seize the opportunity and attack both Abby and Maude, aiming to kill one of them first.
Whoever died first didn't matter to him, as long as he was the one to deal the killing blow.
Under Abby's storm-like assault, Maude had to fully concentrate to defend himself, completely unaware of Kazte's approach.
Meanwhile, Maude's evasive tactics were frustrating Abby to no end.
She initially thought she could turn Maude into a pincushion in no time, so she had her subordinates provide cover without considering the risks.
But to her shock, this guy moved like a slippery eel—no matter how fast or fierce her thrusts were, she just couldn't land a hit.
Throughout her journey, when had Abby ever faced such an opponent?
He wasn't threatening, but his slippery moves made her nauseous.
Fueled by indignation, Abby refused to accept defeat, stabbing with an unyielding resolve to hit her mark.
Yet, Maude was gradually adapting to Abby's rhythm.
Abby's fast-paced thrusting technique, while initially menacing, lacked the variety of a well-rounded sword style. At its core, it was no different from a brute force approach.
Once her initial momentum waned, she was no longer much of a threat.
Feeling the pressure and danger from Abby gradually diminishing, Maude couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret.
Without a "silhouette," Maude couldn't pre-write Abbe's name in his notebook.
In other words, even if he took the risk to kill Abbe, there would be no rewards to gain.
"Forget it. I should focus on finding a way to escape."
Maude thought to himself.
Locked in their intense duel, neither of them noticed the looming threat from Kazte.
Observing the unfolding situation, Wolfrat quickly realized what he needed to do for Maude.
He stepped forward decisively, blocking Kazte's path.
"Wolfrat."
Kazte coldly eyed Wolfrat, who stood before him.
"..."
Wolfrat remained silent, his body and even his face transforming as he activated his Zoan abilities.
His features turned rodent-like, his body swelled, and sharp claws emerged from his hands.
As a fellow Zoan user, Kazte sneered at Nezumi, whose smaller stature was evident. "Do you really think a rat like you can stop me?"
With a cold laugh, Kazte suddenly lunged, his massive body bearing down on Wolfrat.
Ignoring any defense, Kazte aimed a powerful hoof at Wolfrat's face.
In his beast form, Kazte's strength was significantly amplified, and his hardened hooves were capable of smashing an enemy's skull in one strike.
The heavy black hoof came down with a gust of wind.
Wolfrat's eyes narrowed as he raised his claws to block the incoming hoof.
Crack!
The immense force snapped two of Wolfrat's claws and sent him stumbling back several meters.
Kazte pressed his advantage, following up with another fierce hoof strike.
Wolfrat was forced to block again.
This time, he wasn't sent flying, but another claw was shattered.
Gritting his teeth, Wolfrat endured the searing pain as if his fingers had been broken.
"Damn it, if only…"
Suppressing the urge to use the Six Powers, Wolfrat struggled to defend himself against Kazte's ferocious onslaught.
In less than a minute, Wolfrat's hands were nearly useless.
Zoan battles often boiled down to this.
Without advanced combat techniques, it was a contest of raw power and defense.
In this aspect, the Mouse-Mouse Fruit's rodent variant was naturally inferior to the Bull-Bull Fruit's bovine variant.
"In terms of strength, how can a rat compare to a bull?"
Kazte sneered.
Facing the threat of death, Wolfrat took a deep breath.
He was willing to help Maude, but not at the cost of his life.
"I wonder how Usopp's side is doing…"
Taking advantage of a brief pause in Kazte's attacks, Wolfrat glanced toward Maude.
What he saw was Abby standing frozen in place, clutching her swollen cheek.
And—Maude, fleeing like a rabbit.
"Sell… Sell me out?!"
Wolfrat was dumbfounded.
--------------------------------
If you want to support me and read advance chapters, please visit:
patreon.com / emperorgarus
I would greatly appreciate your support if you choose to join my patreon 🙏