Kazte's enraged voice echoed through the air.
Whether it was the hidden sentries lurking in the shadows or the pirates idly observing from their anchored ships nearby, they all instantly understood the cause of the gunfight.
Before the incident at the Battleaxe Tavern, no one had ever heard the name Usopp.
To call him obscure would be generous.
Yet this seemingly insignificant figure had not only slapped Abby with an insult-laden strike at the tavern but now had the audacity to single-handedly challenge the Redhorn Pirates?
The surrounding pirates stationed on their ships, though uninvolved, couldn't help but inch closer to observe the unfolding drama.
On the deck of the Redhorn Pirates' ship, at the exact moment Kazte's furious shout resounded, Maude swiftly unholstered Usopp from his back and fired without hesitation.
Bang!
The lead bullet whizzed through the air, aimed directly at Kazte's chest.
Maude knew a gun wouldn't inflict serious harm on high-bounty pirates like Kazte.
Thus, he aimed for the upper torso, where the hit rate was highest.
Kazte's eyes bulged with fury, his transformation into his human-beast hybrid form already underway as he bellowed Maude's name.
Facing the incoming bullet, he raised a hoofed foot and slammed it down with force, shattering the lead bullet into sparks.
The shot having failed, Maude calmly slung Usopp back onto his back.
Against opponents of this caliber, guns were almost useless in direct combat; they could easily predict the bullet's trajectory.
Before Kazte could close the distance, Maude rushed toward the Redhorn crew members, swiftly plunging his dagger into another enemy, killing them instantly.
By now, the low-level grunts had dwindled to just over a dozen, posing no substantial threat.
As for whether more enemies lurked in the cabin, Maude couldn't be sure.
Seeing Maude fire a single shot before disregarding him entirely, Kazte's expression twisted with rage.
"Get out of my way!"
Kazte roared. With a mighty leap, his towering form soared through the air, pouncing toward Maude.
The Redhorn crew scattered at the sound, retreating from the battle zone. Maude, watching Kazte's airborne approach, lightly jumped backward, evading the impact zone just in time.
Boom!
Kazte's powerful hooves smashed into the deck with a thunderous crash.
Splinters flew as the wooden floor splintered and cracked beneath his weight.
Without pausing, Kazte lunged forward again, his thick, fur-covered frame charging toward Maude like an unstoppable freight train.
The sudden rush of wind from his charge was oppressive.
But Maude remained composed. With a swift sidestep, he dashed toward the Redhorn crew members, his intentions crystal clear.
"Damn it!"
The Redhorn Pirates cursed as they scrambled to evade Maude.
Unbothered, Maude moved faster than them, luring Kazte along while slicing through another crew member. As Kazte drew closer, Maude dodged out of his attack range once more.
Kazte, mid-charge, couldn't stop in time, his heavily injured legs limiting his control.
One unlucky Redhorn pirate failed to get out of the way and was sent flying by Kazte's unrelenting charge.
The poor soul hadn't even hit the ground before succumbing to their injuries mid-air.
Maude, retreating safely from Kazte's strike zone, glanced at the crewmate's crushed chest and felt a chill run down his spine.
"With that kind of strength, a direct hit would leave me either dead or incapacitated," Maude thought grimly.
"Hard to believe Abby survived that…"
A fleeting image of Abby flashed through Maude's mind.
For someone of her stature, to take a hit like that from Kazte's Black Hoof and live—let alone fight—was nothing short of miraculous.
Shaking his head slightly, Maude turned his gaze toward Kazte's heavily bandaged legs. Blood was beginning to seep through the wrappings.
A faint smile flickered across Maude's face.
This was the very reason he dared to provoke trouble tonight.
Kazte's bloodshot eyes ignored the crewmate he had killed.
Though aware of his injuries worsening, he refused to slow his attacks and charged at Maude once more.
This time, he abandoned his reckless charging, opting to close the distance first before unleashing his Black Hoof to finish Maude.
But Maude wasn't foolish enough to let Kazte gain the upper hand. Utilizing his superior speed, Maude darted across the deck, never letting Kazte get close.
After several laps of this game of chase, Kazte was so enraged he nearly had a stroke.
But he wasn't entirely oblivious. Sensing Maude's tactics, Kazte forced himself to calm down.
If this continued, he wouldn't just fail to harm Maude; he would only tire himself out and fall into a more vulnerable position.
And with Gabton still absent, it was clear his companion had been neutralized.
As the situation grew increasingly dire, Kazte's breathing began to steady.
In his hybrid form, the Ushi Ushi no Mi (Bull-Bull Fruit) gave him immense strength and durability, but it also slightly slowed his speed.
If this went on any longer...
"You coward! All you do is run!"
Kazte roared, resorting to taunts.
"Even that wench Abby dared to face me head-on, but you? You're just a coward running circles. Pathetic—less than a woman!"
The vulgar insults caught Maude's attention, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his eyes.
He moved again.
Kazte's eyes gleamed with glee, but his expression quickly froze as Maude ignored him and dashed toward the remaining crewmates, cutting one down effortlessly.
Flashing a grin at Kazte, Maude stepped back, daring him to approach.
Kazte's face twitched violently. "Useless!" he bellowed, unsure if he was cursing Maude or his own subordinates.
Abandoning futile pursuits, Kazte grabbed a weapon from a nearby corpse and hurled it at Maude.
But Maude dodged it with ease.
After hurling several more weapons to no avail, Kazte growled in frustration, his upper body's injuries flaring up.
Taking a deep breath, Kazte shifted his lower body back into human form, sacrificing defense for speed.
"Usopp, I'll tear you limb from limb!"
Fully committed, Kazte charged.
This time, his speed noticeably increased.
Watching this, Maude sighed. "Guess I can't win this easily after all."
Kazte mistook the sigh for weakness, his bloodlust surging as he closed in.
Finally, he succeeded in narrowing the gap.
"Caught you!"
Kazte grinned savagely, unleashing his Black Hoof, his arm muscles swelling with power.
Maude swiftly dodged the attack, retreating step by step as Kazte's relentless strikes forced him back.
"If I can't win easily, then…"
With a glint of resolve in his eyes, Maude sidestepped one of Kazte's attacks and delivered a single, focused punch to the bandaged abdomen.
"Guh?!"
Kazte staggered, blood spurting from his mouth as the force of the punch sent him flying backward. Landing with a heavy thud, he skidded several meters before collapsing onto one knee, panting heavily as he struggled to stay upright.
The remaining crew, who had been cheering moments before, were stunned.
"How… How is this possible?"
Their hope shattered as they saw their captain, a pirate worth over 30 million, beaten to his knees by a single punch.
For the Redhorn Pirates, it was the beginning of the end.
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