The White Whale Pirates were on the verge of total collapse.
Under Maude's relentless assault, combining Moonwalk and Shadow Bullet, only Haus and Gant remained atop the massive tree roots.
"Bacardi Maude!!!"
Seeing their crew suffer such devastating losses, Haus and Gant's eyes burned red with rage, their faces contorted in fury.
But no matter how loudly they roared from below, there was nothing they could do about Maude.
As long as he stayed in the air, they had no way of retaliating and could only endure his relentless gunfire.
Normally, in a situation like this, they would just have to wait for Maude to run out of bullets. Even if they still couldn't defeat him afterward, at least they wouldn't have to suffer the humiliation of being helpless punching bags.
But Maude was anything but normal.
Ignoring his sheer strength, just the fact that his gun seemed to have an endless supply of bullets was enough to drive them insane.
"You worthless coward! If you've got the guts, come down here and fight me one-on-one!"
Gant, having exhausted nearly all his throwing axes and left with only two, finally lost his patience and started hurling taunts at Maude.
Seeing his vice-captain already lashing out, Haus, who had always let his fists do the talking, couldn't hold back either and began flinging a stream of curses at Maude, who remained in the air.
They weren't afraid to die—but they wanted to at least go down fighting rather than being toyed with like this.
Ignoring their powerless fury, Maude calmly pulled the trigger, intending to pelt them with Shadow Bullets until they died of sheer frustration.
However, Haus and Gant weren't just some no-name nobodies. Against opponents of their caliber, Shadow Bullets had little effect.
After multiple shots, not a single bullet even grazed them.
"A pity... My proficiency isn't high enough yet. If I could infuse Armament Haki into the Shadow Bullets, their power would increase dramatically, and these two wouldn't be able to deflect them so easily."
A thought flashed through Maude's mind, and he suddenly stopped shooting.
His experiment of using the Supernovas to practice his Shadow Fruit abilities had just about run its course.
With that in mind, Maude holstered the white rifle formed by Bailey's shadow and ceased stepping on the air, allowing himself to plummet toward the ground.
Seeing Maude finally stop firing and descend from the sky, Haus and Gant exchanged glances, a flicker of excitement flashing in their eyes.
"Couldn't take a few insults? What an idiot."
They silently rejoiced.
With Maude finally within reach, they had a chance to go all out.
Perhaps they could wound him.
Perhaps, they could even kill him.
They thought Maude had fallen for their provocation, unaware that he had simply decided there was no need to continue using them for practice.
The moment Maude landed, Haus and Gant hesitated no further. Splitting up, they charged toward him at full speed.
Maude slowly drew Shusui, his crimson-glowing eyes first shifting left, briefly scanning Haus's approach, then right, locking onto Gant.
In that instant, a plan took shape in Maude's mind.
Leaving a shadow in his place, he activated Stealth Walk, vanishing into the wind as he darted toward Gant, who wielded two throwing axes.
Gant's expression tensed. Though he couldn't see Maude's movements, the faint tingling on his skin acted like a radar, warning him of the incoming danger.
"So, you're targeting me first? Fine. That'll give the captain an opening."
Gant quickly regained his composure, veins bulging across his clenched hands gripping the axe handles.
"You bastard! I'm not some small fry!!!"
With a fierce roar, Gant unleashed a surge of raw energy, suddenly halting his forward charge before swinging his axes toward the empty air beside him—where there was seemingly nothing.
At that exact moment, Maude materialized right within the axes' trajectory.
"Oh?"
Maude raised an eyebrow, mildly impressed by Gant's split-second precision and ruthless decisiveness.
It was proof that any pirate with a bounty exceeding 100 million berries had some foundation of skill.
However…
When the gap in power was too vast, no amount of skill could bridge it.
Just before the twin axes could cleave into him, Maude's foot barely brushed against the ground, sending ripples through the earth like water.
The force from that light touch allowed Maude to twist his body mid-air, narrowly dodging the lethal strike by mere inches.
At the same time, he reversed his grip on Shusui and slashed upward, carving a deep gash from Gant's chest to his shoulder.
For a fleeting moment, time seemed to freeze.
Then, a geyser of blood erupted from Gant's wound.
His face went rigid, and his disbelieving eyes remained locked onto Maude.
At that moment, Haus, eyes burning with rage and sorrow, lunged forward with all his might, swinging his massive fist directly at Maude's temple.
The timing was perfect—right when Maude had yet to withdraw his blade.
Shadow Warrior.
Just as the punch was about to connect, Maude's form abruptly vanished, leaving only a dark shadow sprawled on the ground.
He had switched places with his shadow.
Haus's devastating punch, which had been aimed squarely at Maude's skull, struck nothing but empty air.
As Haus's body moved past the shadow, Maude switched positions once more, instantly reappearing behind him in the exact same pose—his arm still raised from his previous strike.
Instant Prison Shadow Strike.
In one fluid motion, Maude's arm swung downward, driving Shusui's blade straight into Haus's back.
Schlik!
The black blade pierced clean through Haus's torso, its tip emerging from his chest, nailing him to the ground.
Haus's massive body collapsed with a heavy thud, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Though the strike hadn't killed him immediately, it had utterly destroyed any chance of resistance.
"Y-Your blade... It's so strong... From the beginning... You could've done this... So why... Why waste time with a gun...?"
Haus's bloodshot eyes struggled to look up at Maude, his gaze filled with unwillingness and resentment.
Only in the face of death did he finally understand the vast difference in their strength.
And now, his past ambition of using Maude to make a name for himself seemed laughably absurd.
Looking down at Haus, who was taking his final breaths, Maude's expression remained indifferent.
"Oh, just for fun."
Haus's pupils trembled violently, but as the light in his eyes faded, they gradually stilled.
He had drawn his last breath.
Watching as Haus perished, Maude withdrew Shusui, flicking off the blood before sheathing it once more.
With that, five Supernovas had now fallen by his hand in the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Even the White Whale Pirates, with two Supernovas, couldn't escape this fate..."
The onlookers had become numb to the spectacle.
To them, Maude's fearsome reputation was proving to be anything but exaggerated.
From the shadows, many pairs of eyes observed him with hesitation.
Maude's bounty was undeniably valuable.
But as more Supernovas fell, the true extent of his power became undeniable.
And that power was enough to make them think twice before making a move.
-------
Want to read waaaay ahead of schedule?
Join here: patreon.com / emperorgarus
There are more than 200 advance chapters available for you!