With Cavendish and the other Supernovas scouting ahead, Haus and Gant had witnessed firsthand the overwhelming strength Maude had displayed.
That level of power was beyond their expectations—far exceeding what could be measured by a simple bounty.
Realizing this, Haus decisively abandoned his plan to use Maude to make a name for himself.
However, what he never expected was that after taking down Cavendish, Maude would head straight for them.
After all, throughout the entire battle, they had merely observed from afar, never once interfering. They had no idea why Maude would come looking for trouble with them.
Seeing Maude charging toward them with such force, Haus, despite his confusion, reacted swiftly, immediately ordering his crew to open fire.
In an instant, a hail of bullets rained down toward Maude as he strode through the air.
"Quite the intense reaction."
Maude glanced at the hundred or so members of the White Whale Pirates clustered around the tree roots. Abruptly, he halted midair and stomped his right foot against the air, shifting his body leftward to evade the incoming barrage.
Then, with a sharp descent, he once again avoided the trailing bullets.
Maude's midair evasive maneuvers left the White Whale Pirates in shock. Their hearts pounded as they pulled their triggers frantically, emptying their first volley in mere moments.
"We missed..."
"What are you standing around for? Reload! Now!"
"O-okay!!"
The pirates hurriedly reloaded their weapons.
Shooting at Maude while he was airborne was perhaps their best chance to injure him.
Maybe, just maybe, they could even bring him down.
Having dodged all the incoming bullets, Maude adjusted his stance slightly, then looked down at the White Whale Pirates as they scrambled to reload.
He muttered to himself, "Then let's use guns."
The moment the words left his mouth, Bailey, ever the loyal tool-weasel, instantly responded to Maude's will, transforming into a pair of pistols.
Seeing this, Maude smirked. Gripping the twin firearms, he stepped through the air while aiming down at the White Whale Pirates.
Bullet Storm!
Maude rapidly squeezed the triggers.
Bang! Bang! Bang!—
An unrelenting stream of bullets poured forth.
Like a torrential downpour, the lead rounds rained down on the pirates still in the midst of reloading.
"Dodge! Now!"
Haus's expression changed as he saw the bullet storm weaving through the air, the sheer firepower forming a deadly net.
As he shouted a warning, he raised his arm, using his iron-gauntleted right fist to deflect the incoming bullets one by one.
Nearby, Gant drew two small hand axes from his back and swung them in a flurry, using the axe heads to block the flying bullets.
For combatants at their level, ordinary gunfire posed little threat.
However, most of the White Whale Pirates' crew did not possess the ability to parry or evade such an onslaught.
The relentless hail of bullets cut through them. In just one second, over ten pirates were shot down.
Whether by sheer coincidence or cruel fate, those who fell first were the ones who had just finished reloading—cut down before they could even raise their guns.
Their deaths disrupted the rhythm of the counterattack.
Or rather, it completely shattered it.
The White Whale Pirates failed to mount an effective suppression, leaving Maude free to fire without restraint.
Unlike them, he had no need to reload. With just two guns, he unleashed a barrage that sent the pirates scattering like rats.
After several rounds of gunfire, the ground was littered with over seventy or eighty bullet-ridden corpses. Less than thirty members of the White Whale Pirates remained.
Maude ceased fire, lifting his gun as smoke curled lazily from the barrel.
The remaining fighters, including Haus and Gant, had all managed to withstand the bullet storm.
Continuing to shoot at them would only waste Bailey's energy.
That meant he had to use a different method to further thin their numbers.
"Switch to a single gun."
At Maude's command, the twin pistols fused together, transforming into a sleek, long-barreled white flintlock.
By switching to a single firearm, his accuracy improved significantly.
His plan was simple—pick them off from the air, whittling them down one by one.
If they chose to flee, exposing their backs to him, it would only make them easier to kill.
From atop the tree roots, the White Whale Pirates glared at Maude, their expressions darkening.
"Gant."
Haus clenched his fists, casting a sidelong glance at Gant.
Wearing his signature pointed green helmet, Gant gave a firm nod. Without hesitation, he swung his arm and hurled a small hand axe straight at Maude.
"Get the hell down here!"
The axe spun like a propeller, cutting through the air as it hurtled toward Maude with surprising force.
Maude sneered, raising his left hand. He effortlessly caught the spinning axe by its head.
Then, under the stunned gazes of the White Whale Pirates, he crushed the axe into fragments with his bare hand.
"Just stay down there and be my target practice."
With the axe reduced to shards, Maude raised his white flintlock.
Shadow Bullet!
He squeezed the trigger five times in rapid succession.
Five bullets tore through the air, homing in on five separate pirates.
"We can dodge this!"
The targeted pirates reacted quickly, evading the incoming shots.
However, just as the bullets passed them, they abruptly curved midair—changing trajectory in an instant—and struck their vital points from behind.
Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!—
Blood sprayed from five bodies as they collapsed lifelessly.
"What the hell...?!"
Haus and Gant's faces twisted in shock, their minds flashing back to the death of Oliver—the infamous sniper with a 110-million-berry bounty, who had been slain by these very same eerie, curving bullets.
"Run if you want," Maude said with a smirk. "Either way, I'll make sure each of you receives a bullet."
Hovering in the air, he continued to fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!—
Five more Shadow Bullets shot forth.
Five was the maximum number he could control at once.
If he tried for more, the precision would drop significantly.
Before the curving bullets, the White Whale Pirates fell one after another.
"Damn it!"
Enraged, Gant hurled another axe at Maude.
Just like before, Maude caught it effortlessly and crushed it into shards before Gant's eyes.
Gant felt a sense of helplessness wash over him.
The feared reputation he had built around his flying axes now seemed utterly worthless.
Haus gritted his teeth, his fury mounting. His blood surged, turning his pale complexion a furious shade of red.
As long as Maude remained in the air, they had no way to deal with him.
Even if they split up and ran, with Maude's agility, they would only be picked off one by one.
What a disgusting combat style!
Lacking effective anti-air tactics, Haus and his men felt utterly sickened, as if they had swallowed a swarm of flies.
But Maude paid no heed to their plight. Another volley of Shadow Bullets rained down, cutting down five more pirates.
Today's battles had shown him the terrifying potential of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
Rayleigh, watching from a distance, couldn't help but recall an old comrade.
"Phantom Gun..."
A fitting name indeed.
-------
Want to read waaaay ahead of schedule?
Join here: patreon.com / emperorgarus
There are more than 200 advance chapters available for you!