Sell, Sell Me???

Maud achieved an effect resembling the Six Powers technique Paper Arts through nothing but reaction speed and agility.

No matter how fierce and densely Abe's thrusts came, he was like a paper boat drifting with the waves. Though he looked to be in extreme danger, he simply would not capsize.

Wolf Rat recognized that the evasion technique Maud used was not Paper Arts, which only made him more astonished.

This level of strength was completely different from what he had witnessed in the alley last night.

"Usopp... definitely has a close connection with Ghost Gun."

Wolf Rat's eyes flickered as he directly attributed the techniques Maud had displayed to Saul.

He knew that one of the most troublesome things about Ghost Gun was his overwhelming ability to preserve his life.

According to the intelligence, not only was his ability to escape first-rate, he could even withdraw unscathed with ease when surrounded by a hundred people.

"Now isn't the time to think about this."

Wolf Rat calmed his emotions. After confirming that Maud would be fine for the time being, he shifted his attention elsewhere.

The shot Maud had fired at Abe just now was like a battle horn, causing the Sharp Bull Pirates' gunslingers to pull their triggers instinctively.

Amid a deafening burst of gunfire, several lead bullets flew toward Maud and Abe.

At the critical moment, Abe's subordinates formed a wall of people and used their long blades to forcibly block the incoming bullets.

This was the order Abe had conveyed to them with a snap of her fingers—no one was allowed to interfere with her enjoyment of killing.

Generally speaking, pirate crews could be divided into three types.

The first focused on quantity, the second on quality, and the third valued both quantity and quality.

The Sharp Bull Pirates belonged to the first type, while Abe's pirate crew belonged to the second.

Therefore, even though Abe's side was outnumbered, they would not be easily crushed by the Sharp Bull Pirates.

It was worth mentioning that Abe's pirate crew had thirty-one members in total, but she had brought only ten subordinates to the Battle Axe Tavern this time.

While Wells and the other gunslingers were reloading, the Sharp Bull Pirates' close-combat members pressed toward Abe's subordinates.

In an instant, the Sharp Bull Pirates and Abe's pirate crew clashed in a chaotic battle.

However, the first blood of this battle was not drawn by either pirate crew.

The first to die was instead an unlucky man killed by a stray bullet Maud had sent flying.

The surrounding pirates cursed furiously in their hearts, thinking only of leaving this dangerous place as quickly as possible.

Seeing that Kazt was determined to block the door, they could only seek another way out and began breaking through the walls.

Within seconds, driven by their desire to survive, the pirates smashed several large holes into the tavern's wooden walls.

One pirate after another crawled through the half-man-sized holes and fled the tavern.

Kazt glanced at what they were doing and simply ignored them.

He took two thick stacks of Beli from his pocket and tossed them into the tavern's counter.

The tavern manager hiding beneath the counter could only give a bitter smile as he watched the two stacks of Beli land in front of him.

After paying the compensation in advance, Kazt first looked at Abe's subordinates, who were being held back by his men. Once he confirmed that he had the advantage, he then turned toward Maud, whom Abe was pursuing and stabbing.

He could tell that Abe genuinely wanted to kill Maud, but with matters having developed this far, he could not be bothered to investigate the reason.

Regardless of what had happened, Maud had to die!

Covered in thick black fur, with a black bull's face and two horns atop his head, Kazt strode toward Abe and Maud.

He held every advantage at that moment and had plenty of choices.

For example, he could kill Abe's subordinates first.

Or he could sit back and watch the two tigers fight, waiting for Abe and Maud to decide life and death.

But his choice was to take advantage of the situation and launch a sneak attack on Abe and Maud, trying to kill one of them first.

It did not matter to him who died first. Either outcome was acceptable, but he had to be the one to do it personally.

Faced with Abe's storm-like assault, Maud could only focus his mind on dealing with it, completely failing to notice Kazt's movements.

And Maud's difficulty to deal with was also giving Abe a headache.

She had originally thought she could stab Maud full of holes in a short time, which was why she had ordered her subordinates to provide cover first and had not considered the risks involved.

Who could have expected that this young man would be like a loach? No matter how fast or fiercely she stabbed, she simply could not hit him.

In all her travels, when had Abe ever encountered an enemy like this?

He clearly posed little threat, yet he was slippery enough to disgust her.

As her temper flared, Abe refused to believe it. She showed every sign of refusing to stop until she landed a hit.

However, Maud gradually adapted to Abe's rhythm.

A fast-attack style centered on thrusting like Abe's appeared highly threatening at first glance, but it lacked the versatility of swordsmanship. In essence, it was no different from a mere three-move routine.

Once its powerful phase passed, it was no longer anything special.

Clearly sensing that the pressure and threat Abe exerted were gradually declining, Maud could not help feeling disappointed.

Because he lacked a likeness, Maud had no way to write Abe's name in his notebook in advance.

In other words, even if he took the risk of seeking an opportunity to kill Abe, he would gain nothing at all.

"Forget it. I should focus on figuring out how to slip away."

Maud thought to himself.

The two, locked together as if glued, remained deeply embroiled in their offensive and defensive struggle, neither noticing the threat from Kazt.

Wolf Rat surveyed the situation from the side and quickly realized what he should do for Maud.

He immediately stepped forward and blocked Kazt.

"Wolf Rat."

Kazt stared coldly at Wolf Rat, who stood in his way.

"..."

Wolf Rat remained silent. In an instant, his body and even his face transformed into a beast's.

His features became ratlike, his body swelled by a full circle, and sharp claws emerged from both hands.

They were both Zoan users. Looking at Wolf Rat, whose body was much smaller than his own, Kazt said disdainfully, "You think a mere rat like you can stop me?"

After a cold laugh, Kazt suddenly moved, driving his towering body forward.

He directly ignored defense and stamped a hoof toward Wolf Rat's face.

In his beast form, his strength multiplied. Combined with the hardening property of his hooves, he could usually shatter an enemy's head with a single stomp.

The thick, pitch-black hoof arrived with a gust of wind.

Wolf Rat's gaze sharpened. He raised both claws and blocked the incoming Black Hoof.

Crack!

The tremendous force not only snapped two of Wolf Rat's claws, but also sent him flying several meters back.

Kazt pressed his advantage and gave chase, delivering another powerful stomp.

Wolf Rat was forced to block again.

Though he was not knocked back this time, another claw was smashed apart.

Wolf Rat gritted his teeth, enduring the pain as if his fingers had been broken off.

"You piece of trash, if it weren't for—"

Suppressing the urge to use the Six Powers, Wolf Rat struggled to withstand Kazt's fierce assault.

In barely a minute, both of Wolf Rat's hands had nearly been crippled by Kazt.

Battles between Zoan users were often like this.

Without the enhancement of physical techniques, what they competed in was strength and defense.

In that regard, Wolf Rat of the Rat-Rat Fruit branch was naturally weaker than Kazt of the Ox-Ox Fruit branch.

"How can a rat's strength compare to a bull's?"

Kazt sneered coldly.

Facing the threat of death, Wolf Rat took a deep breath.

He would try to help Maud out of trouble, but he would not risk his life.

"I wonder how Usopp is doing over there."

Taking advantage of the moment Kazt was speaking, Wolf Rat glanced toward Maud.

What entered his sight was Abe, covering her swollen red cheek and standing there in a daze.

And—Maud, running faster than a rabbit.

"Sell, sell me???"

Wolf Rat was dumbfounded.