Chapter Sixty: A Star

Kazt’s strength was indeed formidable. Even at a disadvantage, if he managed to land a direct blow, the tide could turn in an instant.

The reason Maud had been avoiding a direct fight wasn’t simply because of Kazt’s overwhelming power. To his mind, if he could easily kite Kazt to death, why risk close combat? But Kazt had changed tactics just in time, sacrificing defense for speed and managing to stick to him, forcing Maud into a head-on confrontation.

Given the circumstances, Maud had no choice but to face him directly.

He unleashed his most powerful punch yet, ruthlessly targeting Kazt’s wound. The blow not only left Kazt internally injured but also shattered his assumptions.

Kazt had believed Maud’s strength wasn’t anything remarkable. Otherwise, why would he have avoided a direct fight for so long? So, when he launched his offensive, he held nothing back.

But after taking Maud’s punch, Kazt realized how gravely mistaken he was.

“You—” Kazt glared at Maud, but before he could finish, blood spilled from his mouth.

He simply couldn’t understand Maud’s approach—why resort to underhanded tactics when he clearly had the strength for a fair fight?

“Me?” Maud smiled.

“Shameless…!” Kazt gritted his teeth against the pain rolling in his gut, forced to express his feelings with just that single word.

Bang—

Without warning, Maud drew his flintlock pistol and shot Kazt in the knee that hadn’t transformed.

The lead bullet tore into Kazt’s knee, blooming in a spray of crimson.

“What was that you just said?” Maud calmly holstered his pistol.

The gunshot had completely drowned out whatever Kazt said next, so Maud didn’t hear it.

Kazt stared wide-eyed at Maud, and after a moment, let out a furious roar that echoed through the night.

“Usopp!”

In a flash, Kazt’s body transformed fully into his beastly form. However, instead of attacking Maud, he turned and fled toward the shore, dragging his injuries with him.

Maud raised an eyebrow and gave chase.

Seconds later, Maud gripped his dagger, aiming straight for Kazt’s heart from behind.

But at that moment, Kazt suddenly spun around. The violent motion ripped open the wound on his inner thigh, blood spurting in crimson arcs.

Yet he didn’t even flinch.

[Double Strike]

Kazt’s expression was ferocious. His left hoof struck first, aimed at Maud’s throat.

Maud raised his dagger, attempting to parry Kazt’s desperate counterattack.

With a clang, the force of the blow sent Maud’s dagger flying into the sea.

A flash of joy crossed Kazt’s eyes; his right hoof followed instantly, driving toward Maud’s chest.

If he landed this blow, he was confident he could kill Maud in a single strike and reverse the situation in an instant.

But he didn’t notice the faint smile at the corner of Maud’s lips.

The black hoof crashed down!

Maud ducked low, letting the hoof graze the top of his head.

Clang—

Dodging the hoof, Maud drew Dark Crow with his right hand. His elbow flexed, and with no flourish, he drove the blade straight into Kazt’s heart.

The sharp blade pierced a third of the way in.

Kazt’s body, still locked in his attack posture, shuddered violently. He looked down in stunned disbelief at the blade embedded in his chest.

Maud gave him no chance to recover. With his other hand, he pressed down hard on the hilt and stepped forward.

A slick, wet sound—and the bloody blade burst out Kazt’s back.

Step by step, Maud drove Kazt backward until he pinned him to the mast.

“A shot to the knee and you still think you could escape? I wouldn’t believe it even if you did.”

Maud’s smile faded as he gazed coldly at Kazt’s twisted, hate-filled face.

“In truth, we had no enmity between us. But… I needed a stepping stone.”

Maud yanked Dark Crow free and stepped back, watching Kazt’s lifeless body crumple to the deck.

Around them, the remnants of the Sharp Bull Pirates stared in disbelief at the scene before them.

“Captain Kazt!!”

Maud, holding his bloodied blade, turned his head toward them.

The lingering scent of blood made the remaining pirates tremble in their boots, unable to move.

“Now is not the time…” Maud’s eyelids drooped.

Within his consciousness, the cover of his notebook showed that the “☆” beside Physicality had filled into a solid “★”.

“So it’s finally filled. Hm? It’s coming…”

A thrill surged through Maud’s heart; he instinctively gripped his blade tighter.

Suddenly, a wondrous sensation swept over him, as if a hundred delicate hands were kneading his spirit gently.

An indescribable comfort sharpened his senses to an extraordinary degree.

At the same time, waves of warmth flowed through his limbs and bones.

Every muscle, every cell, seemed to sink into soft cotton—like a perfect massage that missed not a single inch.

A tingling, blissful numbness spread through him.

Maud slowly closed his eyes, relishing this long-awaited metamorphosis.

His senses, heightened in an instant, remained focused on the pirates on deck, as well as the crowds pouring out of the shadows.

The remnants of the Sharp Bull Pirates watched as Maud suddenly closed his eyes. Then, they heard a series of crackling sounds coming from his body, like firecrackers.

Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but they thought Maud’s body had swelled slightly.

They glanced at each other, wanting to act, but the sensation of being stalked by a wild beast left them rooted in place.

After a moment, Maud opened his eyes.

The baptism was complete.

“How comfortable.”

Sheathing Dark Crow, Maud couldn’t help stretching lazily.

The solid star representing his physicality marked an important first step.

Based on the traits of the Hunter’s Notebook, it also suggested that the physical limit of this pirate world was ten stars.

Maud knew well that with each step, forming and filling each star frame would only become harder.

To raise a single trait to ten stars would be an arduous journey.

In his previous life, he advanced too quickly, causing the early “gains” to be severely split among his traits.

Thus, even after exploiting several rounds of experience before he was killed by that unreasonable “wishing machine,” the highest of his four traits barely broke past four stars.

With that lesson, Maud had considered focusing solely on Physicality, but that was too extreme, so he abandoned the idea.

Right now, with Physicality and Swordsmanship as his main traits, his early gains would remain focused.

As for the next trait, it would doubtless be Haki.

But since his own talent was unknown and prey was scarce, Maud was in no hurry to fill in another trait.

If he found himself talented in Observation Haki, for example, he could then add a specific need for Armament Haki to speed up his progress.

Otherwise, he would hold off.

Maud let the matter drop and looked toward the shore.

A flurry of hurried footsteps sounded from the bank.

Armed and hostile, more pirates began climbing aboard the Sharp Bull Pirate ship.

In a flash, the deck was crowded with seventy or eighty pirates, divided into three groups.

They gazed at the corpses strewn across the deck.

When their eyes fell on Kazt’s body, they were all taken aback, then turned in silence to stare at Maud.

They were like jackals: gathering in numbers, but hesitating between attack and retreat.

They wouldn’t pounce until the prey fell; only then would they sink their fangs into its flesh.

Maud saw through their intentions at once.

Compared to the Sharp Bull Pirates’ loot, Maud’s priority was the quarry named Gabton.

He swept a cold gaze over the pack of jackals, then walked toward the shore.

As Maud took a step forward, the pirates who had come to fight over the spoils swallowed hard, each stepping back to open a path for him.

Ignoring them, Maud strode down the path and left the ship.

Gulp.

Once Maud was gone, one of the pirates—who had been closest to him—swallowed hard.

“Damn, that’s terrifying.”

His legs were still trembling.

Just now, he’d been only a few paces from Maud. As Maud passed, he couldn’t help but picture himself being hacked to pieces by Maud’s blade.

Around him, no one mocked his reaction.

The Sharp Bull Pirates, brought low by this youth called Usopp.

Amazed, the other pirates’ greedy eyes quickly turned to the few remaining members of the Sharp Bull crew.