Chapter 144: You're Lying
That human—he not only effortlessly deflected Kuroobi's killing move but took him down with a single slash?
The Fish-Men, led by Chew, were both furious and in disbelief.
Ever since arriving in the East Blue, the humans they encountered were all pitifully weak.
Even the Marines who came to challenge them were easily crushed.
Over time, their unchecked rampage made the Fish-Men arrogant beyond measure.
To them, humans were nothing more than an inferior species—stupid, weak, and utterly useless!
But the more conceited they had become, the more earth-shattering Kuroobi's defeat now felt.
"You lowly human dare to...!"
Chew's eyes turned blood-red as he glared at the approaching Maude.
"Frog in a well," Maude said with a cold smile.
This baseless disdain for humans was laughable in Maude's eyes.
After all, in the farthest reaches of the seas, there were countless human monsters.
Arlong, as a former member of the Sun Pirates, should have understood this better than anyone.
Yet Arlong had led his crew into becoming fools utterly dismissive of humanity.
Chew was livid.
"Water Shot Barrage!"
His elongated lips trembled like a machine gun, firing a rapid succession of water bullets at Maude.
Maude neither dodged nor flinched. He stepped forward through the onslaught and drew his flintlock pistol in a flash, pulling the trigger without even aiming.
Bang!
The lead bullet spiraled out of the barrel, cutting through the air with perfect precision. It narrowly evaded the incoming water bullets before flying straight into Chew's open mouth.
At the same time, Maude's nimble movements allowed him to sidestep every water bullet effortlessly.
His stance was like a man strolling through the rain without a single drop touching him.
In mere moments, the barrage of water bullets ceased.
Chew collapsed to the ground, felled by a single shot.
The lead bullet pierced through his mouth and exited the back of his head.
So many water bullets, yet they couldn't stop one lead round? And the accuracy...
As Chew lay on the ground, he wracked his brain, unable to fathom how Maude had done it.
The shot hadn't killed him outright, but it left him incapable of continuing the fight.
In less than ten seconds, two officers of the Arlong Pirates were down—one dead, one gravely injured.
The remaining Fish-Men, numbering over twenty, couldn't accept what they were seeing.
For years in the East Blue, when had they ever encountered such a situation?
Maude holstered his flintlock after passing through the water bullets.
He glanced at the remaining Fish-Men and said calmly, "Using a gun on trash like you would be a waste."
The implication was clear—they weren't even worth a single bullet.
Enraged, the Fish-Men roared and charged at Maude.
Maude gripped his sword, Chidori, and bent his knees slightly.
Gathering strength—springing forward!
His body shot forward like an arrow, carrying a streak of light from his blade.
Slash!
Blood sprayed into the air as Maude cut through the group of Fish-Men.
Expressions froze on their faces before they collapsed, lifeless, mere seconds later.
Without pausing, Maude strode toward the fallen Chew.
Chew lay on the ground, trembling with fear as Maude approached.
"Mmngh...!"
The earlier shot had rendered him unable to speak, leaving only meaningless sounds.
But he struggled—flopping like a fish out of water.
Fitting, considering he was indeed a Fish-Man out of his element.
Maude stood over Chew and thrust his sword into the Fish-Man's temple.
Chew's struggles ceased instantly.
Maude withdrew Chidori, its blade slick with blood.
With a flick of his arm, he cleared the sword of blood and returned it to its sheath.
All around, the villagers stood frozen, staring in shock at the Fish-Men corpses littering the ground.
This group, who could so easily crush the Marines, hadn't lasted twenty seconds against this young man.
Unbelievable.
Was it that the boy was too strong?
Or were the Fish-Men not as terrifying as they'd believed?
Nami and Nojiko stared at the scene as if in a dream.
"Nami, Captain Wolfrat… he didn't lie to us."
"Yeah."
Nami bit her lip, the shadow that had long darkened her gaze finally lifting.
Watching Maude dispatch the Fish-Men as though they were nothing, she began to believe his earlier words.
"Maybe… maybe Wolfrat really can pull this off!"
Hope sparkled in Nami's eyes and spread to the villagers around her.
Six long years.
During that time, so many had died under the cruel rule of the Arlong Pirates.
Now, at last, someone had brought them true hope.
From the sidelines, Genzo watched Maude's retreating figure, his heart swelling with indescribable emotion.
"Boy… who are you?"
Maude turned, ready to respond, but Nami interrupted him.
"He's Captain Wolfrat of the Marine Headquarters."
Nami and Nojiko approached, their gazes fixed on Maude.
Genzo muttered, "A Marine from Headquarters? No wonder he's so strong—and so young!"
Hearing Nami's words, the villagers grew excited.
"A Marine—and so powerful!"
"This is great! We're saved!"
"Captain Wolfrat, please! Defeat the Arlong Pirates!"
"Captain Wolfrat…"
Their hopeful voices swelled like a tide, bursting with long-repressed emotion.
In the midst of it, one could feel a kind of spiritual joy.
But…
Maude smiled faintly.
"I'm not a Marine."
The unexpected words shattered the atmosphere, silencing the crowd.
The villagers were dumbfounded.
Nami and Nojiko looked at Maude in shock.
"I'm not Captain Wolfrat, either."
With that, Maude turned and walked away.
This brief encounter with the Fish-Men had been rewarding for him.
Fish-Men truly were ideal prey.
Even though their displayed strength wasn't remarkable, their robust constitution provided significant physical enhancements.
He could feel it—the fourth star in his physique stat was about to appear.
That thought made him eager to deal with Arlong and his crew.
"Are you really not a Marine?!" Nami shouted at Maude's back.
"Nami, your intel was helpful. Thanks." Maude didn't turn, answering indirectly.
"You liar!"
Nami bit her lip.
She wasn't strong, but she could tell that Maude's victory over Kuroobi and the others was due to his own overwhelming power—not her intelligence.
Nojiko couldn't hold back and shouted, "Then who are you?!"
The villagers, too, stared at Maude, waiting for an answer.
But all they got was his silhouette disappearing toward Arlong's territory.
The villagers were silent for a long time.
They would never forget this young man.
Even if he failed to defeat the Arlong Pirates…
They would no longer suffer in silence.
The corpses of the Fish-Men were a constant reminder:
Fish-Men were not invincible.
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