Once the commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates clashed head-on with the Seven Warlords of the Sea...
Maude had ample opportunities to strike.
Just like moments ago, when the Seventh Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Rakuyo, misjudged Hancock's strength and, as a result, exposed a fatal opening in Maude's eyes after being repelled by her.
Having withdrawn to the plaza, Maude surveyed the battlefield from a vantage point. He would never miss a chance to reap experience points.
Without hesitation, he fired a shot at Rakuyo.
Under normal circumstances, that single shot—imbued with Armament Haki—should have been enough to take down Rakuyo, securing Maude a commander-level experience boost.
However, Izo, who had been closely watching Maude, utilized his expert Observation Haki to fire a precise counter-shot almost simultaneously, narrowly saving Rakuyo.
Mastery of both Armament and Observation Haki, coupled with sharpshooting skills nearly equal to Maude's.
If Izo was determined to keep Maude in check, then he would become the greatest obstacle to Maude's hunt for experience.
This meant one thing—before Maude could freely leverage his superior ranged firepower to harvest experience on the battlefield, he had to eliminate Izo first.
Realizing this, Maude made Izo his top priority.
"First things first…"
Maude raised both his flintlock pistols, aiming at the numerous pirates engaged in battle with the Marines at the plaza's edge.
"I need to make you understand something."
With his sights set on the Whitebeard Pirates, Maude rapidly pulled the triggers.
At the same time, his gun barrels trembled slightly from side to side, sending a barrage of lethal golden streaks toward the pirates.
It was standard gunfire, but with an exceptionally high rate of fire.
"Hmm?"
Izo's pupils contracted as he swiftly raised his pistols and fired in rapid succession.
Amidst the muzzle flashes, a series of high-temperature lead bullets intercepted Maude's golden streaks with pinpoint accuracy.
Once again, lead collided in midair.
But unlike before, neither side had infused their shots with Armament Haki, resulting in a much quieter impact.
The battling pirates were so preoccupied that they never even realized a deadly bullet had nearly claimed their lives just moments ago.
Clang! Clang!
Lead bullets clashed midair, producing a barely audible sound amidst the chaotic battlefield.
With exceptional marksmanship, Izo had intercepted all fourteen of Maude's consecutive shots in an instant.
And fourteen rounds was precisely the full capacity of Izo's dual pistols.
Yet, after emptying his magazines, Maude's barrage continued uninterrupted.
"His guns…"
Seeing Maude still firing relentlessly, Izo's expression shifted. As he hurriedly reloaded, he could only watch as Maude's golden bullets pierced his comrades' bodies.
In an ordinary battle, his allies would normally be vigilant enough to avoid such attacks.
But in the midst of large-scale combat, where blades and strikes came from all directions, everyone's focus was stretched thin.
In such a situation, who would have the capacity to anticipate a gunshot from an unknown range or angle?
And this was precisely where the terror of a sniper came into play.
"Damn it!"
Izo reloaded as fast as he could, repeating his prior tactic to intercept Maude's bullets and ease the pressure on his comrades.
However, when he emptied another fourteen rounds, Maude's firing still hadn't ceased. His efficiency in taking down targets remained unchanged.
"I was too naive…"
Watching this unfold, Izo's hands trembled slightly as he reloaded.
At that moment, he finally understood the most significant gap between himself and Maude.
It wasn't their mastery of Armament or Observation Haki, nor was it the precision of their marksmanship—it was the difference in ammunition capacity and firing speed.
That bastard didn't need to reload while shooting, nor did he have to worry about running out of bullets.
With just this single advantage alone…
In large-scale warfare, that bastard could exert a level of firepower far beyond any top-tier sharpshooter.
This was… the most despairing gap among marksmen of the same caliber.
"So turning your gun on my allies was just to make me realize the difference, huh? Damn bastard…"
Izo steadied his emotions after reloading, his gaze sharp as he locked onto Maude, who was still ruthlessly sniping his comrades.
"If I can't stop him… then I'll at least keep him occupied."
With this shift in thought, Izo adjusted his aim toward Maude.
With no allies creating openings for either of them, two marksmen, both proficient in Haki and sharpshooting, would find it nearly impossible to determine a winner at this distance.
Their only contest now was their respective kill efficiency in war.
Realizing that Maude had an infinite ammunition capacity—an ability with no apparent counter—Izo knew that his only option was to restrict Maude's output as much as possible.
But just as he raised his gun toward Maude…
What happened next left him visibly shocked.
Shadow Clone.
Maude manipulated a portion of his shadow, transforming it into a tangible clone.
Though not yet "colored," the shadowy figure's outline was faintly discernible.
"Bailey, make two more guns."
Maude muttered.
Bailey didn't respond verbally, but along the white strip connecting Maude's two flintlocks, two additional pristine flintlocks materialized out of thin air.
Bailey could indeed create multiple flintlocks, but each had to remain attached to a roughly two-meter-long white strip.
That strip was, essentially, Bailey's body.
Thus, the four flintlocks couldn't be detached individually—they were akin to Bailey's limbs.
Under Maude's control, the shadow clone took up the extra two guns and began indiscriminately firing toward the most chaotic parts of the battlefield.
There was no precision—
Both pirates and Marines were within the clone's firing range.
Meanwhile, Maude trained his own guns on Izo.
With a total of four guns and infinite ammunition at play, despair seeped into Izo's heart.
"What the hell… is that weapon?"
Seeing the four flintlocks in Maude's hands, Izo's expression darkened.
At this point, forget about defeating Maude—
Even stopping him seemed like an insurmountable task.
"So, you think understanding the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's weakness means I'm no longer a threat?"
Maude's eyes gleamed red. Seeing Izo's grim expression, he smirked and pulled the trigger, sending a rapid volley toward him.
Izo dodged left and right, barely evading the lead bullets.
"If you think you can stop me, then go ahead and try."
Watching Izo shift tactics, abandoning interception for pure evasion, Maude remained unfazed.
With the overwhelming advantage of Bailey's enhanced bullet speed, Maude held the upper hand in this sharpshooter duel.
In other words—
If Izo stubbornly refused to call for reinforcements, it was only a matter of time before Maude took him down.
And deep down, Izo knew the inevitable outcome of this battle.
Yet…
He had just promised his comrades that he would handle Maude.
Now…
If he didn't ask for help, he wouldn't just fail to suppress Maude—
With time, he would be forced into a corner.
Dodging another wave of bullets, Izo's cheeks twitched.
His pride stung.
For over twenty years, ever since he had joined the Whitebeard Pirates and dedicated himself to the path of a marksman…
Never once had he encountered someone as utterly unreasonable as Maude.
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