Chapter Forty-Three: Sell... Sell Me???

Relying solely on his reflexes and speed, Maud was able to achieve an effect akin to the Rokushiki’s Paper Art. No matter how fierce and dense Ibe’s thrusts became, he moved like a paper boat drifting with the tide—though appearing to be in grave danger, he never capsized.

Wolf Rat recognized that Maud’s evasive techniques weren’t actually Paper Art, which only made him all the more astonished. This level of skill was on an entirely different plane from what he’d witnessed in the alley last night.

“Usopp… must be closely connected to the Trickster Gun.”

Wolf Rat’s eyes flickered as he credited the techniques Maud displayed to Saul. He knew one of the most troublesome aspects of the Trickster Gun was his uncanny ability to survive. Intelligence reports claimed he wasn’t just a master of escape, but could even retreat unscathed from an encirclement of a hundred foes.

“Now’s not the time to ponder this.”

Wolf Rat composed himself. Once he confirmed that Maud wouldn’t be in immediate danger, he shifted his attention elsewhere.

The shot Maud had just fired at Ibe was like a clarion call to battle, prompting the sharpshooters of the Spiny Snail Pirates to instinctively pull their triggers. Amidst the deafening gunfire, several lead bullets whistled toward Maud and Ibe.

At the critical moment, Ibe’s subordinates formed a human wall, using their long blades to block the incoming bullets. This was a command Ibe had relayed with a snap of her fingers—they were not to let anyone interrupt her killing spree.

Normally, pirate crews could be classified in three ways: those who prioritized numbers, those who prioritized quality, and those who balanced both. The Spiny Snail Pirates belonged to the first category, while Ibe’s crew was the second. So, even though Ibe’s side was outnumbered, they wouldn’t be easily overwhelmed.

It was worth mentioning that the Ibe Pirates had thirty-one members in total, yet Ibe had only brought ten with her to the Battle Axe Tavern this time.

While Wells and the other gunners were reloading, the melee fighters of the Spiny Snail Pirates pressed in on Ibe’s subordinates. In an instant, the two pirate crews were locked in combat.

Yet the first casualty of this chaos didn’t come from either crew. Instead, it was an unfortunate soul struck down by a stray bullet Maud had fired.

The surrounding pirates cursed inwardly, desperate to flee this place of bloodshed. When they saw that Katzet was determined to block the door, they sought other exits and began a “wall-breaking” operation.

Driven by the instinct to survive, several gaping holes appeared in the tavern’s wooden walls within seconds. One by one, pirates squeezed through the man-sized gaps, fleeing the tavern.

Katzet glanced at their escape and simply ignored it. He pulled out two thick stacks of Berries from his pocket and tossed them behind the bar. The tavern’s manager, who was cowering behind the counter, could only force a bitter smile at the sight of the flying cash.

Having prepaid for damages, Katzet first checked on his subordinates holding back Ibe’s crew. Once he confirmed the upper hand, he turned his attention to Maud, who was being relentlessly pursued by Ibe.

From what he could see, Ibe truly wanted to kill Maud. But with the situation having escalated this far, Katzet no longer cared about the reasons. No matter what, Maud had to die!

Covered in thick black fur, his face bovine, double horns crowning his head, Katzet strode toward Ibe and Maud. At this moment, he held all the advantages and had many options. He could, for instance, eliminate Ibe’s remaining men first. Or he could wait on the sidelines and watch Ibe and Maud fight to the death.

But instead, he chose to seize the momentum and launch a surprise attack on both Ibe and Maud, aiming to kill at least one of them himself. Whichever of the two died first, it would be an outcome to his liking—as long as it was by his own hand.

With Ibe’s tempestuous assault, Maud had to focus all his attention on defense, utterly unaware of Katzet’s movements. Meanwhile, Maud’s tenacity was starting to frustrate Ibe. She’d thought she could turn him into a pincushion in short order, which was why she had her men provide cover, never considering the risk.

But to her dismay, this young man was as slippery as an eel—no matter how swift or brutal her thrusts, she just couldn’t land a hit.

In all her exploits, Ibe had never faced such an opponent. Seemingly harmless, yet so elusive it disgusted her.

Her ire rose—she refused to believe she couldn’t pierce him, and she pressed on with a stubborn, almost obsessive resolve.

Yet Maud was gradually adapting to her rhythm. Ibe’s fast, thrust-focused style appeared threatening at first glance, but lacked the versatility of a sword technique; in essence, it was no different from a three-move combo. Once you survived the initial onslaught, it lost its edge.

Sensing the pressure and threat from Ibe steadily diminishing, Maud felt a pang of regret. Without a “portrait,” he couldn’t write Ibe’s name in his notebook in advance. In other words, even if he risked it all to kill her, he’d gain nothing from it.

“Forget it. I should focus on how to slip away.”

So he thought to himself.

Locked in a fierce back-and-forth, neither he nor Ibe noticed the looming threat from Katzet.

Wolf Rat, watching from the sidelines, quickly realized what he needed to do for Maud. He immediately stepped forward to block Katzet’s path.

“Wolf Rat,” Katzet said coldly, glaring at the one who stood in his way.

Wolf Rat remained silent. In the blink of an eye, his body and even his face took on a beastly form. His features transformed into those of a rat, his body swelled, and his hands sprouted razor-sharp claws.

Both users of Zoan-type fruits, Katzet looked at the now much smaller Wolf Rat with disdain. “Do you really think you, a mere rat, can stop me?”

After a cold laugh, Katzet suddenly lunged, his hulking body bearing down. Ignoring defense entirely, he swung a heavy hoof straight for Wolf Rat’s face.

In his beast form, his strength was multiplied, and with the hardening effect of his hooves, he could often crush an enemy’s skull with a single blow.

The pitch-black, weighty hoof came whistling in with a powerful gust. Wolf Rat’s gaze sharpened; he raised his claws to block the incoming blow.

Crack!

The immense force shattered two of Wolf Rat’s claws and knocked him back several meters.

Katzet pressed the attack, not about to let up. Another powerful hoof came crashing down. Wolf Rat was forced to parry again. This time, he wasn’t sent flying, but lost another claw in the process.

Gritting his teeth, Wolf Rat endured pain akin to having his fingers snapped.

“Damn beast… if only…” He fought the urge to unleash Rokushiki, struggling to fend off Katzet’s ferocious assault.

In less than a minute, Wolf Rat’s hands were nearly ruined by Katzet’s onslaught.

Such was the nature of battles between Zoan-type users. Without advanced physical techniques, it all came down to brute strength and defense. In this respect, Wolf Rat, with his Rat-Rat Fruit, was innately weaker than Katzet and his Bull-Bull Fruit.

“In terms of strength, how can a rat compete with a bull?” Katzet sneered.

Facing mortal danger, Wolf Rat drew a deep breath. He would try to help Maud, but not at the cost of his own life.

“I wonder how Usopp is faring over there…”

Taking advantage of Katzet’s brief pause, Wolf Rat glanced Maud’s way—only to see Ibe standing dazed, clutching her swollen, reddened cheek.

And Maud—was running faster than a rabbit.

“He… he sold me out?!”

Wolf Rat was dumbfounded.