Ambush

The air was thick with smoke, acrid and conspicuous.

The pirates in the tavern, accustomed to smoke and the glint of blades year-round, paid no mind to the lingering haze.

gazes cut through the smoke, fixing on Maud.

A mixture of awe, surprise, and astonishment filled their eyes.

The incident had happened so suddenly that by the time they reacted, the two pirates who had clearly come for revenge had already taken bullets to the forehead, their bodies now lying on the floor.

Even though these two pirates had entered with a clear target and wasted no time raising their guns to pull the trigger.

The Undertaker, wearing a mask, had been faster.

He had fired with both hands, sending two lead bullets into their foreheads almost simultaneously.

It was swift, brutal, and precise!

A few pirates sitting near the entrance couldn't help but glance at their two fallen comrades, their eyes wide with disbelief. As they processed what had happened, they suddenly realized the sinister intentions of those two men.

The reason they chose this time and place for their revenge was likely because they had followed Lafitte, intending to use the people present as a means of escape or as a shield.

However, these two pirates never dreamed that the table where Lafitte was sitting held a ruthless individual waiting for them.

"Just as I was preparing to leave..."

Enduring the stares of everyone in the tavern, Maud sighed inwardly, calmly tucking the still-warm flintlock pistol under the table.

He didn't rush to leave. Instead, he immediately began reloading the flintlock pistol.

Blind reloading was inefficient, but he performed it with steady hands.

At this point, Maud had a rough idea that the two pirates were after Lafitte. Otherwise, why would they have followed so closely on Lafitte's heels shortly after he entered?

It was just that Lafitte, by sheer bad luck, was sitting at his table, which exposed him to gunfire.

In such a situation, even if he hadn't sensed any killing intent, how could he just sit there and wait to die?

No matter who you were after, if you pointed a gun at me, you'd have to face the consequences.

So, Maud drew his gun and took down the two pirates without a second thought.

In the end, Maud had eliminated two enemies for the rather unpopular Lafitte.

But in reality, Maud had only acted to eliminate a potential risk.

"Good marksmanship."

Sabo's grip on the end of the pipe loosened slightly, and he watched Maud with keen interest.

His real name was Sabo, and he was from the Revolutionary Army. He had undergone rigorous training and was proficient in various skills.

Gathering intelligence was one of them.

Although he didn't use guns often, his marksmanship was considered one of his skills.

He had sensed earlier that Maud was also gathering information, and out of curiosity about Maud's identity, he leaned towards the possibility that Maud was a Marine.

Now, witnessing Maud's marksmanship up close, which was clearly the result of systematic training, his suspicion that Maud might be a Marine grew stronger.

Maud ignored Sabo's compliment, lowering his head slightly, concentrating on reloading the ammunition.

Seeing Maud's continued silence, Sabo smiled, unfazed.

Despite differences in allegiances, he never judged a person's character based on their affiliation, nor did he harbor baseless animosity towards someone simply because they belonged to a different faction.

His values were relatively free, unburdened by old and stubborn notions.

Lafitte, sitting at the same table, cast a second glance at Maud.

Lafitte knew very well that those two unfortunate souls had come for him. After all, the palpable killing intent was as obvious as a flashing red light.

But what surprised him was how decisively and ruthlessly the man beside him, who should have been uninvolved, had acted.

He certainly didn't think Maud had acted to help him, and he could see the reason behind Maud's swift action.

"Heh."

And it was precisely this aspect that he admired.

Lafitte's gaze swept over all the details of Maud visible outside his mask.

His eyes, lips, ears, and neck.

After memorizing them deeply, he withdrew his gaze and signaled for a waiter.

The tavern staff had also recovered from the shock and immediately carried the bodies outside, cleaning up the bloodstains on the floor before they could spread.

At the same time, with limited staff, one person was dispatched to notify the Undertaker to collect the bodies.

As for the Undertaker inside who had timely averted the disaster, they would have to be out of their minds to disturb him.

The commotion gradually subsided, and the surrounding pirates also withdrew their attention from Maud.

It was at this moment that Maud finally finished reloading both flintlock pistols.

He lacked practical experience in reloading, so regardless of whether it was blind reloading, the efficiency was truly hard to describe.

After stowing the reloaded flintlock pistols, Maud stood up, preparing to leave this troublesome place and find a spot outside to stake out his targets.

"Leaving already?"

Despite being ignored by Maud multiple times, Sabo still initiated a conversation as if they were old friends.

Maud glanced at the large-lensed sunglasses on Sabo's face, chose to ignore him again, and walked straight towards the door.

Lafitte, meanwhile, eyed Maud's build, his eyes scanning Maud's back from head to toe like a scanner.

The surrounding pirates also couldn't help but glance at Maud.

Maud left, and once the door closed again, the tavern became lively once more.

Stepping out of the tavern, Maud surveyed the environment around it, trying to find a shadow where he could hide.

In a place with varying building heights and density, light inevitably cast shadows.

Soon, Maud found a suitable temporary hiding spot.

He strode through the crowds on the street, melting silently into the shadow of his hiding place.

Then, he stood across the street, silently watching the door of the tavern.

As soon as the prey he had his eye on walked out of the tavern door, he would follow, looking for an opportunity to hunt.

As for their names, there was no need to force them out; he could just search for the bounty certificates they carried as proof of their bragging rights.

Time ticked by, and less than ten minutes remained until the auction was scheduled to begin.

However, Maud's focus was not on the auction.

"Hm?"

Suddenly, Maud saw two familiar figures.

"It's Kid and his crew."

Keeping his body hidden in the shadows, Maud watched Kid and Killer heading towards the auction, instinctively touching the Usopp strapped to his back.

"If there's a chance tonight, maybe I can give it a try."

Maud slowly withdrew his gaze, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Whether it was worth the risk still depended on the situation.

For now, he needed to keep a close watch on those few targets.

If they got away, his trip tonight would have been for nothing.

Maud silently monitored the tavern door.

Before long, the clock struck nine, and the auction house began closing its entrance.

Maud observed from afar that quite a few people in consistent attire had appeared around the auction house, standing guard like sentries.

They must be the auction house's security team, Maud thought.

He then shifted his attention away from the auction house.

An hour passed.

The tavern door was pushed open, and three men, their faces flushed with drink, emerged arm in arm.

Upon seeing the three men, Maud, who had been staking out the place for over an hour, his eyes lit up.

"They're finally out."

Maud quietly followed them.

Meanwhile, the auction was in full swing.