Chapter Eighty-Two: A Tumultuous Journey

When Saul decided to intervene, the fate of the gang was sealed. And Maud reaped enormous profits from it. This was a major crime syndicate of the underworld; had he tackled it himself, who knows how many chapters it would have taken to resolve. Yet now, in less than an hour, he had almost collected all the benefits registered in his Hunter’s Notebook.

The experience was simply sublime, far more visceral than executing thirty criminals a day at the agency in his previous life. With such obvious gains before him, injuries and the damage to his Dark Crow weapon seemed trivial.

Having secured such rich rewards, Maud prepared to withdraw. However, the sudden arrival of the Elbe Pirates made him change his mind. His “big shot pass” was still active, after all. At a time like this, when a registered target like Elbe came to him of her own accord, how could Maud let the opportunity slip?

Only, Lafitte’s unexpected intrusion took Maud by surprise. Thinking of the chaos Lafitte had caused in Mad Hat Town these past few months, Maud couldn’t remain calm and stepped forward to assert his claim.

Hearing Maud’s blunt words, Elbe was equally unsettled.

“Is this... a confession?” she asked, her gaze sultry as she looked at Maud, whose masculine presence was heightened by the aftermath of battle. Her heart fluttered uncontrollably.

Her crew, behind her, seemed used to such scenes, showing no reaction and staying ready for action.

“No,” Maud flatly denied Elbe’s speculation.

Elbe’s expression instantly collapsed, her eyes once again filled with murderous intent. The speed of her mood change rivaled a Sichuan opera face change.

“Lafitte, she’s mine,” Maud ignored Elbe’s shifting demeanor and turned to Lafitte, his tone brooking no argument as he again asserted his claim.

With Saul’s cover, Maud’s confidence was unshakeable.

Lafitte remained calm, twirling his cane, not immediately responding.

Elbe, meanwhile, quickly suppressed her murderous aura and once more gazed at Maud with a look of longing. The blood and grime on Maud’s face, far from being unsightly, seemed to her like a seductive mask.

“If I get him... I can’t just play for a day, that would be such a waste. A week, no, at least half a month!” In her mind, Elbe already pictured the delightful torment she would inflict upon Maud.

Lafitte glanced first at the odd expression on his prey, Elbe, then turned to Maud, pointing his cane at the corpses littering the ground.

“Is all this still not enough for you?”

“Not enough, but with her, it will be,” Maud replied, knowing Lafitte had his eye on Elbe, which was why he stepped in to block her. Lafitte simply wanted to prevent Maud from killing Elbe. But with everything in his favor, there was no way he would let Lafitte take her.

Hearing Maud’s resolve, Lafitte smiled thinly, retracting his cane and resting it on the ground.

His gentlemanly attire and manner reflected every inch the gentleman, but beneath those courteous gestures lay a heart that trampled rules with abandon and reveled in violence. Perhaps he didn’t bother to hide it. His eyes were often cold as winter nights, and his unnaturally pale skin only made his blood-red lips more striking. Clearly, danger radiated from this man at every moment.

Now, Lafitte smiled at Maud. Suddenly, he pressed the brim of his hat and offered Maud a bland, watery salute.

“Usopp, this woman was my chosen target until now, but I’m honored to ‘meet’ you tonight, so perhaps I’ll let you have her.”

“Oh?” Maud raised an eyebrow at Lafitte’s tact.

“That’s perfect, since she’s been my target as well. Still, you respect me, so I’ll repay you double. I can’t let you lose out, so her crew is yours.”

Lafitte’s smile faltered.

Maud continued seriously, “How about it? I’m not unreasonable.”

Lafitte gazed deeply at Maud. Then, he raised his cane and drew a slender sword from within. In size, it wasn’t much different from Elbe’s rapier—one reason he considered her a worthy prey.

Sword in hand, his gaze shifted past Elbe to her pirate crew.

Consider it a greeting…

Fixing his eyes on the prey he needed to vent his desires upon, Lafitte replied serenely, “Very well.”

Maud narrowed his eyes, unwilling to trust so easily.

Meanwhile, their conversation increasingly irked Elbe. Being referred to as an “object” and “prey,” even a clay figure would ignite, let alone her former infatuation. She abruptly drew her rapier, pointed it at Lafitte, and ordered coldly, “Men, kill that ugly freak!”

Her crew responded instantly, charging at Lafitte.

Lafitte laughed, advancing instead of retreating to meet their attack. In moments, both sides were locked in battle.

Elbe, meanwhile, ignored Lafitte’s situation, turning her cold gaze on Maud.

“Don’t worry, I’ll leave you just enough breath to hang on.”

“How very considerate,” Maud replied, his eyes sliding toward the scattered firearms with a deepening smile.

Around them, a new spectacle drew the crowd, who stopped to watch. To them, tonight was unusually lively—far more entertaining than any auction.

Most of their eyes were fixed on Elbe.

For good reason: the drama was captivating.

At the center of the street, Elbe gripped her rapier, her upper body leaning forward like a graceful hunting leopard, rushing at Maud.

Maud seized the opportunity, picking up a gun from the ground and firing at Elbe.

Bang!

The lead bullet flew toward her. Elbe sidestepped easily, dodging the shot.

Her movement slowed her somewhat. As she was about to regain her top speed, she saw Maud pick up two more guns.

“Hm?” Elbe’s gaze shifted, and she instinctively slowed down.

Bang! Bang!

Two lead bullets came flying. Elbe’s eyes flashed, and she dodged left and right.

Barely steadying herself, she heard two more shots.

“Damn it!” Elbe cursed, sidestepping another bullet.

She then lunged forward, suddenly accelerating toward Maud. Yet another bullet forced her to slow down and evade.

Even though Maud fired without aiming, at this short range—less than fifty meters—every shot was uncannily accurate.

Elbe, relying on her formidable strength matching her bounty, managed to dodge each bullet, but Maud’s cunning marksmanship forced her to evade constantly, making her look quite disheveled.

In the eyes of the spectators, however, the sight was far more thrilling than any mere drama.

Well done, Usopp!

They silently applauded Maud.

Click…

Suddenly, the gunshots ceased. Maud had picked up two empty flintlocks.

Elbe sneered coldly and used the moment to close the distance.

Maud, undeterred, tossed aside the flintlocks and drew his Dark Crow.

Just when Elbe thought Maud was about to engage her in close combat, she saw him kick the corpse of a gang member.

A body flew straight toward her.

“…”