Chapter 155: Untitled

Lyle's lifeless body fell stiffly to the deck, blood slowly seeping from the bullet hole in his forehead.

A man accustomed to unchecked arrogance in the Kingdom of Nandekar, Lyle couldn't comprehend, even in death, why Maude had pulled the trigger.

With Lyle's demise, the once-disciplined soldiers descended into chaos.

Though unafraid of death, they feared the repercussions their families might face due to their failure to protect their charge.

On the warships flanking the royal vessel, the Marines noticed the commotion.

The prince had been shot...

But this situation was out of their hands.

They had their own pressing matters to attend to, as Maude and Lafitte bore down on them from the front with an overwhelming presence.

After swiftly gunning down Lyle, Maude holstered his flintlock and launched himself forward with Moonwalk, heading toward one of the warships.

The entire process was seamless and efficient.

The Marines aboard the warship fired a few token shots, only to watch helplessly as Maude and Lafitte landed on the deck.

With ample mobility, there was no need for Maude and Lafitte to split up.

Conversely, for the Marines, coordinating forces from two ships to deal with the duo required stopping their vessels, furling the sails, and deploying gangplanks.

Even with maximum efficiency, this would take time.

And in encounters like this, even a short delay often meant the loss of many lives.

As Maude landed on the deck, his eyes swept over the assembled Marines with calm scrutiny.

Their numbers were considerable, and their spirit and discipline far surpassed that of branch Marines.

"No wonder the World Government takes the Reverie so seriously," Maude remarked.

"Hoho, the reinforcements from the other ship should arrive in about five minutes," Lafitte noted casually.

Drawing on his maritime experience, he factored in the time required for furling sails and other operations to estimate a rough timeline.

As he spoke, the Marines on the deck refrained from engaging in close combat, instead opting to aim their firearms at Maude and Lafitte.

Employing Observation Haki, Maude dodged the bullets effortlessly and smiled. "Five minutes... more than enough."

Lafitte chuckled softly as he weaved through the hail of bullets with an odd, almost playful gait, charging toward the Marines.

Realizing their firearms were ineffective against Maude and Lafitte, the Marines drew their standard-issue sabers.

Lafitte, unfazed, plunged into their ranks.

With a flash of his blade, several Marines fell lifeless to the ground in an instant.

The remaining Marines, faces pale, slashed at Lafitte with their swords, only to find their strikes landing on empty air.

As Lafitte twisted and turned through their ranks, his blade flashed again, cutting down several more Marines.

Yet, this time, he intentionally left one alive.

In this skirmish where they were heavily outnumbered, Lafitte still took the time to spare lives for Maude's benefit.

It was like sifting beans—killing the unsuitable and sparing the "worthy."

The controlled precision of his movements underscored Lafitte's formidable skill.

With his rampage, the Marines fell one after another, either dead or gravely injured.

Those still clinging to life on the deck had no inkling that Lafitte had deliberately held back.

Maude, however, saw through it instantly, recognizing Lafitte's intent to create opportunities for him.

Because Lafayette was the only one who knew about Maude's Hunter's Journal.

"Honestly..."

While Maude was eager to accumulate experience points, he didn't want Lafitte risking himself to create those opportunities.

In a one-on-one battle, selective restraint was fine.

But in a chaotic melee like this, every calculated holdback required splitting one's focus, increasing the risk of missteps and vulnerabilities.

After this battle, Maude resolved to talk to Lafitte about it.

There was no need to rush his progress—he didn't want to lose Lafayette.

With these thoughts in mind, Maude raised his gun and began firing at the Marines.

Each lead bullet claimed another Marine.

Thanks to Lafitte drawing their fire, Maude could fully exploit his firearm's potential.

Loading swiftly, Maude fired again, and another Marine fell.

A group of Marines attempted to flank him from the ship's bridge, creeping up behind him for a sneak attack.

Just as they prepared to strike, Maude abruptly turned and drew his blade.

A gleam of steel sliced through the air.

The flanking Marines collapsed, their heads severed.

Maude flicked the blood from his sword, sheathed it smoothly, and resumed firing at the Marines on the deck as if nothing had happened.

In less than a minute, over forty Marines lay sprawled across the deck.

Among them, about ten were still alive but incapacitated.

These survivors were carefully selected by Lafitte.

Once the battle was over, Lafitte could extract valuable intelligence from them using his hypnotic abilities.

The synergy between Maude and Lafitte was evident.

Confiding the existence of the Hunter's Notebook to Lafitte had been more than an act of trust—it elevated its utility to a new level.

With Lafitte absorbing the brunt of the assault, Maude could attack freely from the rear.

While slicing through enemies with a blade was satisfying, the precision of taking them down with a firearm had its own appeal.

Suddenly, Maude's Observation Haki flared.

A finger jabbed toward the back of his head.

Maude ducked instinctively.

The finger grazed his hair and pierced the air where his head had been.

It was Finger Pistol!

The attacker was a Marine captain with an explosive afro.

Using Shave to close the distance, the captain had launched a lightning-fast Finger Pistol aimed to pierce Maude's skull.

"I was careful, yet he still noticed…"

The captain's shock didn't stop him from transitioning into his next move.

If stealth failed, he would engage Maude in close combat head-on.

"Snap!"

Maude raised his left hand and caught the captain's elbow with pinpoint accuracy.

"Huh?"

"Crack!"

Maude crushed the captain's arm bone effortlessly.

The captain screamed in agony.

Having mastered only Shave and Finger Pistol, he lacked the means to counter Maude's raw strength—or his Haki.

Not that it would have made much difference.

Maude swung the captain forward and slammed him onto the deck with a resounding crash.

The planks splintered beneath the impact.

The captain coughed up blood as his vision blurred, meeting Maude's cold, unflinching gaze.

"Crack!"

"Crack!"

Maude methodically broke the captain's legs.

Then, as a coup de grâce, he delivered a brutal kick to the man's groin, ensuring he passed out instantly.

"This one's not bad," Maude remarked, eyeing the unconscious captain.

Capable of using the Six Powers, his physique was clearly above average.

Just to be sure, Maude raised his foot, ready to crush the captain's remaining arm.

Before he could, his Observation Haki warned him of another attack.

Leaping forward, Maude turned mid-air, landing with Moonwalk just as a blade slashed where he had stood.

The assailant was a buck-toothed Marine commodore, newly arrived from the second warship.

Having struggled to cross the royal vessel without Moonwalk, the commodore glared at Maude and the wreckage of his subordinate.

Hovering in the air, Maude smirked.

"Your Navy really loves sneak attacks. I commend the pragmatism."

To the commodore, Maude's words were nothing short of mockery.

"Bacardi Maude, you're audacious enough to assassinate the prince of Nandekar Kingdom!"

"Oh, so he was a prince? That means… the king must be on that ship too, right?"

The commodore's expression stiffened at Maude's casual inquiry.

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