The bullets coated in Armament Haki were several times more powerful than ordinary gunfire.
From the moment Ace was shot, the scales of victory had already tipped toward Maud.
However,
Maud did not press his advantage. Instead, he halted his assault, directly swapping places with the shadow on the ground and returning to the surface.
The black butterflies filling the sky immediately converged into a mass of dark current and surged straight toward Maud, eventually reverting to their normal shadow form.
The purpose of this battle had never been to kill Ace.
Stopping once the point had been made was inevitable.
If Ace were seriously injured, it might even affect his progress in pursuing Blackbeard.
Speaking of which...
Had Ace come all the way to Alabasta specifically to see Luffy, or had Blackbeard also come to Alabasta?
Maud calmly watched Ace, who was surrounded by flames, as a trace of doubt crossed his mind.
There was no way he could remember every little detail from the original story.
With Maud withdrawing his hand, the fierce battle came to a halt in the blink of an eye.
Ace, restored to human form, landed on the sand and furrowed his brows in silence.
A bullet had pierced through his right elbow, leaving a bloody hole that gushed with blood.
"Why did you stop?"
Ace looked at Maud, completely unconcerned about the gunshot wound on his elbow.
"I've already seen the 'result' I wanted to see, so there's no point in continuing the fight."
Maud's arm hung naturally at his side.
Beli, still in the form of dual pistols, silently returned to his original form before leaping onto Maud's shoulder, his spirits dampened by the scorching sunlight.
"The result you wanted to see?"
Confusion showed on Ace's face. He was utterly baffled.
Maud