A defeated man has no right to question how Maude handles his spoils.
Yet, the unmasked contempt on Maude's face stabbed directly into Cavendish's pride.
"Huh? My sword is still here…?"
Cavendish belatedly realized that Durandal was still firmly in his grasp. He was surprised that after knocking him out, Maude hadn't taken his sword.
Such carelessness!
Instead of being a mercy, it was an opportunity for a desperate counterattack!
Fueled by wounded pride, Cavendish sprang to his feet, gripping his blade tightly and holding it before him.
Though he had been knocked unconscious by Maude's sheer strength, his injuries weren't severe. He could still fight.
Maude looked at Cavendish's defiant stance with an indifferent expression and said, "I spared your life, but not so you could waste it on something meaningless."
"Meaningless?!"
Anger flared across Cavendish's dust-streaked yet still strikingly handsome face. Gritting his teeth, he seethed:
"If you hadn't stolen the spotlight, my 'unprecedented, world-shocking grand entrance' wouldn't have been ruined! Listen up, you bastard! This year's Super Rookie… can only be me!!!"
"???"
Maude was momentarily dumbfounded.
What he meant was simply that Cavendish should know his place and not attempt any futile resistance.
But Cavendish's response had jumped to an entirely different topic.
Maude stared at him as if he were a lunatic.
That gaze—completely undisguised—stabbed at Cavendish once again.
Old grievances and fresh humiliation surged together, fueling Cavendish's fury.
"Damn it! What kind of look is that?!"
"If you don't want to be treated like an idiot, then act accordingly."
Maude's gaze flickered to the famous sword in Cavendish's hands. A chilling, bloodthirsty aura slowly seeped from his body, like a creeping mist of ice.
Had Maude not seen Cavendish as an intriguing "test subject," he would have already taken his life and claimed his experience points.
Feeling the suffocating sharpness of Maude's presence, Cavendish's heart tightened, his volcanic rage suddenly suppressed. His expression grew solemn.
"Heh…"
Just then, a chuckle from Shakky slightly eased the heavy atmosphere Maude was exuding.
"White Horse Cavendish, you're on my watchlist too."
"Hmm?"
The tense confrontation shattered as Cavendish turned his head toward the cross-armed Shakky. His eyes sparkled—literally—as his signature dazzling effect surrounded him.
Amused by Cavendish's rapid shift into self-adoration mode, Shakky smirked and said, "I've been keeping an eye on your recent activities."
"Oh? So you're a fan of mine?"
Cavendish's eyes lit up. In this moment of anger and frustration, he finally found some solace.
Shakky chuckled but neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, she remarked, "I find it rather interesting that every time you pass through an island, you burn all the newspapers and wanted posters related to Maude."
"?" Maude.
"?" Bailey.
"?" Gaya.
"?" Brook.
"Haha." Rayleigh.
Cavendish snorted, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Any bastard who steals my spotlight deserves to have their name erased!"
"…You're sick."
Maude found it hard to believe that someone would go out of their way to burn all his wanted posters and newspaper articles.
Cavendish raised an eyebrow, suddenly pointing his sword at Maude. He showed no awareness of the danger he was in, his voice laced with hostility. "Our business isn't finished yet!"
"Captain! Are you okay?!"
Just then, a commotion arose from the roots of a nearby tree.
A large group of people rushed over, led by Cavendish's prized white horse—Farul.
Earlier, when Cavendish had fought Maude alone, Farul had been unable to assist and, deeply concerned for his captain's safety, had retreated to gather the crew.
The Handsome Pirates arrived just in time to see their captain locked in a standoff with Maude.
They had no idea Cavendish had already been captured once.
"You guys… why are you here?"
Cavendish's heart skipped a beat as he glanced at his crew.
He had fought Maude alone precisely to avoid putting his crew in danger.
If Maude were truly ruthless, he might target the weaker ones first.
Bluntly put—they were just here to serve as fodder.
"Captain, we're here to help!"
The crew members weren't thinking that far ahead; they were simply worried about their captain fighting alone and being outnumbered.
"..."
Cavendish clenched his jaw slightly.
At this point, he might as well let "him" handle Maude.
If "he" took over, Maude would be defeated!
The hidden persona within him was far stronger than himself—this was his trump card!
And in the end, no matter how "he" won, the glory would belong to Cavendish.
That was the reason he didn't despise or resist "him."
"You all, stay back!"
Having made up his mind, Cavendish called out to his crew while closing his eyes.
Oblivious to his surroundings, he hoped that "he" would take over and deal with Maude.
To be honest, Cavendish rarely called upon his hidden persona to fight.
But Maude's strength justified it.
After all, "he" had never let him down before.
Hearing Cavendish's warning, the Beautiful Pirates hesitated but soon reacted.
"Step back! The 'Kamaitachi of Rommel' is coming out!"
"Damn… I never thought Maude would be strong enough to make the captain this serious!"
"Well, he does have a 500 million bounty. It wouldn't make sense if he wasn't strong."
"Heh, if the 'Kamaitachi' comes out, Maude is finished!"
"No kidding. In that form, the captain's strength and speed are several times greater! If you translated that into a bounty, it'd be over a billion! What can a mere 500 million guy like Maude do?"
"We'd better step back so we don't get caught in the crossfire."
The Beautiful Pirates retreated while keeping a close eye on their captain.
They all knew how terrifying the Kamaitachi was—but they also knew how indiscriminate he could be.
As they pulled back, Cavendish instantly fell asleep, his body tilting backward.
Before he hit the ground, his hidden persona took over, suspending the body mid-fall.
"He's here… the Kamaitachi of Rommel!"
The Beautiful Pirates watched in a mix of fear and anticipation as their captain's face twisted into a manic expression.
Then… he saw Maude's emotionless face.
"..."
The wildness in his eyes froze.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
The overwhelming presence of chaos and destruction crumbled instantly.
"What the hell!?"
In less than a second, Cavendish's hidden persona abandoned ship, and his body collapsed to the ground.
"Eh?!"
The Beautiful Pirates' eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
Never—never in history—had the Kamaitachi of Rommel failed to obliterate his enemies the moment he emerged.
Yet now…
"Did I see that right? The Kamaitachi… actually got scared?!"
The crew had all seen it—the way his body trembled in fear.
And the reason?
All eyes turned to Maude, unable to hide their shock.
What… the hell just happened?
A silence settled over the battlefield.
Moments later, Cavendish's main persona regained control and sat up with a smug grin.
"Hmph! So, is it over?"
But what he saw was Maude, completely unscathed.
"?"
A question mark practically floated over Cavendish's head.
Then he noticed his crew's dumbfounded faces.
W-what… just happened?!
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