One Piece: Scourge of the Seas

An explosion?

Was it coming from the auction house?

Maude's thoughts stirred as he hesitated.

If the explosion indeed originated from the auction house, then something must have gone wrong.

Trouble meant it would be easier to blend into the chaos.

But at the same time, it also meant higher risks.

Should he go or not?

After a brief deliberation, Maude made up his mind.

As long as he kept a safe distance, it should be fine.

As for Sol's safety—

That wasn't even a concern for Maude.

Even if every participant in the auction were to perish, Maude was confident Sol would undoubtedly be the last one standing.

And why was that?

Ever since hearing Sol's explanation of the "sniper's realm" that day, Maude had come to understand one thing deeply:

"As long as you run fast enough, no enemy's hail of bullets, swords, or daggers can catch up to you."

Maude believed that Sol, as a veteran sniper even Yasopp would respectfully acknowledge, might not be overwhelmingly powerful in direct combat, but his skill in running away had likely reached unparalleled heights.

Having made his decision, Maude packed away his gun and leapt effortlessly onto the rooftop of a nearby building.

The three pirates he hunted tonight had brought him tangible benefits, and his jumping ability had noticeably improved. Scaling a building two or three stories high was now a trivial task.

Leaping from rooftop to rooftop, Maude advanced toward the auction house.

Before long, he arrived at Watchpoint Street, where the auction house was located.

After some effort, he found a suitable vantage point atop one of the buildings.

However, to avoid getting caught up in the chaos, Maude chose a spot that was still a fair distance from the auction house.

From his position, he could clearly see the black smoke billowing out of the auction house, but the crowd outside was only faintly discernible.

At that moment, Maude suddenly felt the need for a pair of tactical goggles or a small, portable telescope.

Something that would allow him to observe clearly from a safe distance, just like now.

"Should I move closer?" Maude contemplated.

"Forget it. Safety first."

He quickly abandoned the idea of taking any unnecessary risks.

If simply killing those pirates could earn him experience points, he'd be willing to take the risk since the reward was clear.

But the restrictions of the Hunter's Notes made it unnecessary to venture into danger in this situation.

All he needed to do was stay put in a safe spot and wait patiently.

If luck was on his side, opportunities would naturally come his way.

If not, he'd just wait for the next chance.

Maude gripped "Usopp" in his hands, leaning against a long chimney as he gazed at the scene outside the auction house.

Aside from the billowing smoke, the crowd gathered outside seemed relatively calm, with no signs of significant unrest.

Perhaps the auction house's armed guards had the situation under control.

"Looks like it's just a lot of noise with little action," Maude muttered, slightly disappointed.

Without any fighting, there was no opportunity for him to capitalize.

In his imagination, he didn't expect something as intense as Marineford's "fight to the death," but at least a chaotic brawl would be nice.

Only in a chaotic battle would there be injuries and temporary retreats.

That would be the perfect moment for him to step in and collect a few kills.

But while his plan seemed sound, the minimal disturbance meant he might end up empty-handed.

"I'd settle for a troublemaker showing up," Maude mused to himself.

As if to prove the power of his words, another explosion suddenly rang out from within the auction house.

Moments later, a figure burst through the black smoke, barreling into the crowd like a runaway tank.

"Hm?"

Maude's interest piqued as he frowned, focusing on the large street outside the auction house.

With his current eyesight, he could only make out a vague outline.

It appeared to be a "person" who had stormed out of the auction house, scattering the crowd in every direction.

"Not bad," Maude remarked with quiet admiration.

To get a clearer view of the situation, he decided to abandon his position and move closer to the auction house.

Meanwhile—

Outside the auction house—

Blood spattered, and severed limbs flew through the air as chaos erupted within the crowd.

A two-meter-tall fish-man rampaged through the throng, his path one of destruction and carnage.

"Out of my way!"

The fish-man's face twisted into a terrifying snarl, his mouth full of razor-sharp teeth slicing through anyone in his way. In an instant, he bit a hapless victim into several pieces.

Even more horrifying was that among the scattered body parts, one piece fell into his mouth, and he swallowed it whole, filling his empty stomach.

"Out of my way! Move! Get out of here!"

"I need to get back! Back to the sea!"

The fish-man's blood-streaked face twisted in rage as he grabbed two pirates by their cheekbones with his enormous hands.

With a sudden burst of strength, their heads exploded like overripe melons.

Undeterred, he pressed forward, though the sheer number of people surrounding him slowed his progress. To the onlookers, he appeared to stumble as if trapped in a cycle of despair.

In such a desperate situation, even if the fish-man could keep killing, exhaustion would ultimately claim his life.

"It's a fish-man! If he gets close, we're done for! Shoot him! Kill him!" someone shouted in the chaos.

Bang—

A gunshot rang out.

But instead of hitting the fish-man, the bullet struck an unfortunate pirate nearby.

"Which idiot fired that shot?!"

The injured pirate's companions turned pale with anger, incredulous that someone would fire in such a tightly packed crowd.

"What, are you practicing your aim in this mess?"

"Move aside! Make way!"

The auction house's armed guards pushed through the crowd like an unstoppable force, clearing a path.

"Stop! That fish-man slave is an important asset to the auction house!"

"Asset my ass! He's right here killing us, and you want us to stop?!"

A pirate whose companion had been killed by the fish-man raised his gun in fury, aiming at the rampaging fish-man's back.

But just as he was about to pull the trigger, one of the guards seized his flintlock pistol in the chaos.

The pirate froze for a moment before turning to curse, only for a gunshot to interrupt him mid-shout.

He stiffened, staring at the bloody hole in his chest. His lips trembled as he collapsed, dead on the spot.

The guard who had grabbed the gun blinked in shock, wondering if the firearm had misfired.

"Who fired that shot?"

The question formed in his mind as chaos erupted anew.

"The auction guards are killing people! They're killing us!" someone shouted.

"I didn't—"

The guard began to protest but was silenced by another gunshot.

A bullet struck him squarely in the forehead, cutting off his words forever.

With a pirate and a guard both dead, the chaos escalated.

"Damn it! They killed my brother!"

Bang—

Another gunshot rang out, and another guard fell.

The shooter melted into the crowd, vanishing instantly.

Though the auction house's guards initially refrained from retaliating, the deaths of two of their own shattered their restraint.

Two more gunshots followed, destroying what remained of their resolve.

In an instant, the scene devolved into utter mayhem.

Though the fish-man slave didn't understand what was happening, he seized the opportunity, dispatching pirates with renewed vigor.

"Who's giving me all this help?"

From atop a rooftop, Maude watched the unfolding chaos with astonishment. He quickly packed up "Usopp" and leapt into the alleyway between buildings.

"Could there be another hunter here?"

He swiftly moved to a new position.

After arriving at the scene, Maude realized the "person" who had stormed out of the auction house was a fish-man.

After observing for a while, Maude decided the situation wasn't chaotic enough. So he took a test shot.

He hadn't expected much.

But to his surprise, after his shot, a series of "assists" emerged like mushrooms after the rain.

The ensuing chaos far exceeded his expectations.

Listening to the sounds of battle from the auction house, Maude darted through the alleyways, reloading his weapon as he went.

He wasn't running away but rather changing locations to see if any opportunities would present themselves.

--------------------------------

If you want to support me and read advance chapters, please visit:

patreon.com / emperorgarus

I would greatly appreciate your support if you choose to join my patreon 🙏