Caught off guard, Cavendish barely managed to withstand Maude's Haki-infused slash. With his current level of strength, there was no way he could completely nullify the attack.
The stark difference in power was undeniable. The force of the blow left Cavendish shaken, his consciousness growing hazy.
At this stage of the fight, the outcome was already decided—Cavendish was as good as dead.
For the past few weeks, Cavendish had poured everything into increasing his bounty, striving to surpass Maude.
And in terms of results, he had indeed succeeded. His new bounty of 380 million had surpassed Maude's previous 360 million.
However, a bounty was not an absolute measure of strength.
Cavendish's bounty was even higher than it would be three years from now, yet his actual power had hardly improved.
Faced with Maude's seamless combination of Shadow Step and Stealth Walk, Cavendish was defeated in just two exchanges.
"So this is…the gap between us…"
Before losing consciousness entirely, Cavendish suffered an unprecedented blow to his pride, so much so that he subconsciously stopped referring to himself in his usual flamboyant manner.
Maude gazed coldly at the incapacitated Cavendish.
Nearby, a group of women cried out in shock, cursing Maude furiously.
He ignored them entirely. Without hesitation, he raised his blade and brought it down toward Cavendish's vital point.
Though Cavendish lacked both Armament and Observation Haki, his defense in their brief exchange had been nearly impeccable.
Maude silently acknowledged this in his mind.
But that didn't change the fact that Cavendish was about to become his experience.
The killing intent in Maude's blade was unmistakable as it slashed toward Cavendish.
The moment the blade passed through, Cavendish's head would roll.
Nearby, Borsy the Fanged Sword clenched his fists, suppressing the urge to launch a sneak attack on Maude.
He had hoped that Cavendish's elegant swordsmanship would force Maude into revealing a weakness.
But the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
Forget exposing a weakness—Cavendish hadn't even been able to create an opening!
"380 million?"
Borsy spat disdainfully.
Had he known Cavendish was this weak, he wouldn't have held back. He would have struck the moment Maude used his gun to suppress Cavendish.
But it was too late for regrets now.
Borsy watched coldly as Cavendish was about to be beheaded.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on the scene.
Panic, shock, reluctance—various emotions were reflected in their expressions.
Then, something unexpected happened.
Just as Maude's assured strike was about to land, Cavendish—who had clearly lost all ability to resist—suddenly vanished into thin air.
Maude's blade cut nothing but air.
The abrupt turn of events left the onlookers stunned.
Maude, however, remained calm. He first recalled the shadow he had placed a meter away, then shifted his gaze forward.
At that very moment, a figure materialized in front of him—Cavendish, but with a drastically altered expression and demeanor.
His eyes were now pure white, his golden hair billowing despite the absence of wind. His mouth was agape, resembling a monstrous maw.
This was Cavendish's other personality—a state of pure madness, devoid of rationality, and driven by an insatiable bloodlust.
Typically, this persona only surfaced when Cavendish fell asleep. However, if Cavendish were seriously wounded or rendered unconscious, it would also emerge.
Whenever this personality took over, it attacked indiscriminately, friend or foe alike.
Cavendish's high bounty was largely due to the carnage caused by this bloodthirsty alter ego.
Cavendish himself was well aware of his second personality's existence. But rather than seeking a cure or trying to suppress it, he reveled in the notoriety it brought him.
Under the control of his alter ego, Cavendish let out a maniacal laugh. His grip on his sword shifted, his entire presence undergoing a dramatic transformation.
"This is…"
Borsy narrowed his eyes at the now completely different Cavendish.
He happened to be positioned at Cavendish's flank, the distance between them uncomfortably close.
The aura of killing intent radiating from Cavendish's alter ego was ice-cold.
—Swish!
Before anyone could react, Cavendish vanished from sight.
A sudden gust of wind tore through the battlefield, leaving a chaotic trail of sword marks on the ground.
"Huh?!"
Borsy's face tensed, a chill running down his spine.
A razor-sharp sword wind came hurtling toward him.
"Damn it…"
Without thinking, Borsy instinctively raised his sleeve sword, positioning it in front of his chest.
—Clang!
An invisible slash struck his blade, sending sparks flying.
Feeling the crushing pressure transmitted through his sword, Borsy's heart pounded.
If his reaction had been even a fraction slower, he would have been gutted on the spot.
"This guy…"
Borsy was on full alert.
The wind blades didn't stop—they surged past him and toward his subordinates.
"Scatter, now!"
Seeing the attack heading straight for his men, Borsy's expression changed dramatically, and he shouted in warning.
But before his voice could fully reach them, Cavendish's invisible slashes had already sliced through their bodies.
—Shhhk! Shhhk! Shhhk!
Blood sprayed in all directions.
Borsy's men collapsed before they even understood what had happened.
Less than two seconds.
That was all it took for Cavendish's alter ego to completely annihilate Borsy's subordinates.
"Cavendish!"
Watching his men fall one after another, Borsy's eyes turned bloodshot.
Just moments ago, he had scoffed at Cavendish's weakness. Now, Cavendish had proven him wrong in the most brutal way possible.
Fueled by rage, Borsy couldn't comprehend why Cavendish was attacking his men instead of Maude.
In truth, to Cavendish's alter ego, there was no difference between Maude and Borsy's crew—they were all targets to be cut down.
Perhaps hearing Borsy's furious roar, Cavendish did not cease his attacks. He remained invisible, his blade continuing to unleash relentless wind slashes toward Borsy.
Borsy's heightened senses allowed him to track Cavendish's movements despite the invisibility.
—Clang! Clang! Clang!
He desperately parried the incoming attacks with his sleeve sword, sparks flying with each clash.
From a distance, Maude observed their battle, slightly surprised.
He had expected Cavendish's alter ego to target him first. Instead, it had turned on Borsy's group.
"Fast slashes. Even more precise than 'Spoon.'"
Maude's eyes gleamed with Observation Haki.
To him, Cavendish's wind-like slashes were perfectly visible.
Moreover, he noticed that Cavendish's alter ego possessed the ability to use Observation Haki.
From atop a distant root, Brook watched in awe. "Such incredible speed!"
As a master of swift swordplay himself, he fully understood the sheer difficulty of Cavendish's technique—it was among the finest in the art of rapid sword strikes.
Rayleigh took a swig of liquor and sighed, "Swift sword style, huh… The last time I saw it was over a decade ago."
In the battlefield, Borsy was growing desperate.
Within mere seconds of their duel, three fresh wounds had already been carved into his body.
"Damn it… I can't block them…"
Faced with an onslaught like a raging storm, Borsy found himself on the verge of collapse.
Just as he was about to be overwhelmed, Maude suddenly appeared between them.
With a single step, he stomped down on Cavendish's sword, pinning it to the ground.
—Boom!
The ground cracked under the force.
Cavendish's alter ego, for the first time, revealed an expression of disbelief as he looked at Maude.
"This is my prey."
With a casual remark, Maude stepped on Cavendish's rapier and, in a single fluid motion, thrust his blade backward into Borsy's chest.
Borsy barely had time to register his impending doom before Maude's blade pierced through him.
"You..."
Borsy's expression froze in an instant, his eyes filled with disbelief as he stared at Maude with an unwilling gaze.
Maude, however, didn't spare him a single glance. Instead, he exerted force, pressing Cavendish's rapier firmly against the ground.
Cavendish twisted his wrist with all his strength, trying to rotate the blade and slash at Maude's foot.
But...
No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't shake the foot pinning down his rapier.
"..."
Cavendish's golden hair, which had been billowing despite the still air, gradually settled. His gaping mouth slowly closed into a tight line.
This subtle shift in his appearance reflected the turmoil within him.
For the first time in his life, he was experiencing an overwhelming sense of danger—emanating from the man standing before him.
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