The arrival of Borsy the Fanged Sword and the Nobleman Cavendish immediately drew the attention of the gathered onlookers.
As two of the most highly anticipated Supernovas of the year, Borsy had already broken past the 200 million bounty mark. Meanwhile, Cavendish had gone even further, pushing his bounty up to 380 million in an attempt to surpass Maude.
To put things into perspective, three years later, even after the Dressrosa incident, Cavendish's bounty had only reached 330 million.
Yet now, it had already skyrocketed to 380 million—a testament to just how obsessed he was with Maude's existence.
Borsy the Fanged Sword and Cavendish's arrival did not go unnoticed by Maude.
"Heh."
A smirk tugged at Maude's lips.
These guys… really couldn't wait, huh?
At first, when he had heard from Shakky that the Supernovas had deliberately lingered on Sabaody Archipelago just to wait for him, he had found it rather puzzling.
After all, he had no prior interactions with the other Supernovas.
But now, he realized he had underestimated just how eager they were to challenge him.
One after another, they were throwing themselves at him—it was almost amusing.
Crossing his arms, Maude calmly observed Borsy and Cavendish approaching from different directions.
To him, these guys were nothing more than heads waiting to be collected.
And with the upcoming Shichibukai (Seven Warlords of the Sea) meeting, this was the perfect opportunity to take down some Supernovas and strengthen his candidacy for the position.
Unlike Cavendish, who had come alone, Borsy the Fanged Sword had brought his entire crew.
"That's… Jeff the Ripper."
Borsy' narrow eyes slightly narrowed as he spotted the lifeless corpse of Jeff the Ripper, his neck twisted and broken.
At the same time, he also noticed Cavendish approaching from the opposite direction.
"Tch."
Borsy' gaze flickered toward Cavendish, whose very presence seemed to sparkle with an almost unnatural brilliance. He let out a low, cold scoff but, deep down, found the situation rather favorable.
After all, their target was an extremely tough opponent. If another sharp set of teeth could help gnaw at this difficult bone, then it was all the better.
Besides, his poisoned fangs—his signature lethal technique—relied heavily on distraction.
And Cavendish, with his overwhelming pride, was the perfect distraction.
With that thought in mind, Borsy deliberately slowed his pace, hoping Cavendish would be the first to charge headlong into Maude's line of fire.
Cavendish, however, had no such calculations.
If his goal was to defeat Maude, then he needed no one's help.
He spared only a passing glance at Borsy before locking his sights entirely on Maude, his mind void of all distractions.
Clip-clop—
Riding atop his gallant white steed, Cavendish suddenly tugged on the reins.
His horse reared up dramatically, its front hooves kicking into the air before coming to a controlled stop—perfectly accentuating Cavendish's suave elegance.
"Bacardi Maude, this young master has finally laid eyes upon you!!!"
With those words, Cavendish drew his famed sword, Durandal, his sharp gaze fixed upon Maude.
"Ahhh!!! So handsome!!!"
Before Maude could react, a chorus of excited screams erupted from Cavendish's direction.
"???"
The crowd turned toward the source of the screams, only to see a group of women of various ages who had somehow gathered there without anyone noticing.
Their eyes sparkled with adoration as they gazed upon Cavendish, clearly enraptured by his charm.
It was obvious they were devoted fans, drawn here purely by his presence.
The fact that they had managed to follow him even into such a lawless zone spoke volumes about Cavendish's allure.
"Damn that Cavendish! Always so popular with the ladies!"
Many among the crowd cursed him internally.
Being a pirate and still managing to attract this level of admiration? Truly outrageous.
All they could do was envy him—begrudgingly, at that.
Cavendish had heard his female fans cheering for him. Under normal circumstances, he would have gracefully acknowledged them with a charming wave and a smile.
But now, he had no time for such pleasantries.
Because the moment Maude's gaze locked onto him, he felt an inexplicable pressure.
This was the man who had stolen his spotlight. Of course, he would be this formidable.
"Snort—snort—"
At that moment, even Cavendish's horse, Farul, seemed uneasy, scraping its hooves anxiously against the ground as though intimidated by Maude's presence.
"Farul…"
Sensing his steed's distress, Cavendish gently stroked its mane to calm it while continuing to meet Maude's gaze from his elevated position.
"Bacardi Maude, this young master has waited long enough for this moment. Today…!"
Raising Durandal high, he gritted his teeth and declared, "Today, I will defeat you and reclaim what you stole from me!"
"…Something I stole from you?"
Maude, seeing the sheer intensity of Cavendish's animosity, blinked in confusion.
"I don't even know you. How could I have stolen anything from you?"
"Gah—?!"
Cavendish's face stiffened, as though he had just heard the most absurd thing in the world.
"You… You don't even know who I am?!"
Bang!
Maude wasn't in the mood for idle chatter. Without hesitation, he raised his flintlock and fired a Haki-infused bullet.
Unlike the two Supernovas before, this guy had a bounty of 380 million. That deserved at least some measure of respect.
The bullet, crackling with immense power, shot toward Cavendish at lightning speed.
"You insolent monkey!"
Cavendish's expression shifted as he hastily swung Durandal to intercept the incoming bullet.
Boom—!
The moment his blade made contact, an unexpected force surged through his sword and into his arm.
"What?!"
His pupils shrank as the sheer impact of the bullet's force exploded outward.
In the next instant, both he and Farul were sent flying. Crashing into the ground, they tumbled violently, leaving a deep ten-meter-long trench in their wake before finally coming to a stop.
Silence fell over the battlefield.
The once-ecstatic group of women stared blankly at Cavendish, now lying in the dirt.
The rest of the onlookers were equally stunned, their gazes fixed on the still-smoking flintlock in Maude's hand.
A single shot… with this much power?
Watching Cavendish get blasted away in one shot, Borsy the Fanged Sword felt a chill run down his spine as he cautiously observed Maude holstering his weapon.
This guy…
Was his gun more terrifying, or was his sword?
"Farul, are you alright?"
Struggling to his feet, Cavendish immediately checked on his horse.
"Snort… snort…"
Farul shakily got up, its limbs trembling slightly.
Though Cavendish had taken the full brunt of the attack, the shockwave had still affected Farul. Fortunately, the injuries weren't severe.
Only after ensuring his steed was fine did Cavendish finally check himself.
One look down, and he realized his brand-new aristocratic attire had been reduced to tattered rags.
"..."
For a moment, he was silent.
Taking out a mirror, he inspected his face.
Reflected back at him was a dust-covered, utterly disheveled visage.
Then, he looked around—only to find the crowd staring at him with unreadable expressions.
Never in his life had he suffered such humiliation.
In that instant—
His ego completely shattered.
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