Allowing Maude to face Lao G alone filled Law with unease.
From his perspective, having the numbers advantage was a clear edge. Swarming the enemy should've been the obvious choice.
But that logic was swiftly overturned by the arrival of the soldiers streaming out from the colosseum with murderous intent.
Law didn't know what the Maude Pirates had done inside, but it was clearly no small matter.
Glancing over his shoulder, Law saw Maude approaching Lao G, now fully within the veteran fighter's attack range. With no other choice, he decided to follow Lafitte's suggestion and focus on their own task.
Within the battle zone.
Lao G stared coldly at the solitary Maude. He bent his upper body forward with remarkable rigidity, his hands forming the unmistakable shape of the letter "G."
"G~~~!!!"
With a loud and nonsensical shout, Lao G struck an odd pose.
Maude, momentarily taken aback, quickly brushed it off. After all, the Grand Line was home to plenty of eccentric individuals.
As his cry echoed, Lao G's frail and elderly body began trembling slightly. Upon closer inspection, the tremors carried a rhythmic quality, almost like they were infused with the spirit of martial arts.
"Bacardi Maude, my Geo-Fist will make you feel the pain of the elderly firsthand~~~!!!"
"Bang!"
Maude didn't bother listening to Lao G's rambling. Drawing his flintlock pistol, Dark Crow, already loaded with Haki-coated bullets, he fired directly at Lao G.
The bullet, wrapped in Armament Haki, tore through the air, reaching Lao G in the blink of an eye.
"Bullets like this can't—wait, what?"
Lao G quickly realized something was wrong.
His reflexes were sharp. In an instant, he clasped his hands together, still forming the "G" shape, and raised them to shield his forehead.
The bullet struck his Haki-clad hands with a deafening bang, sending a powerful shockwave rippling outward.
Lao G's body, unable to fully absorb the impact, was hurled backward like a baseball hit with full force.
Crash! Crash! Crash!
His body smashed through building after building along the street. Only after crashing through the sixth structure did he finally stop, rolling several times on the ground before coming to a halt.
"Attaching Armament Haki to a flintlock and bullets? That's no ordinary marksman's trick!"
Amid the rubble, Lao G staggered to his feet, eyes fixed warily in Maude's direction.
The shot's power left him shaken. He suddenly recalled an incident from a year ago, when Maude had stirred up chaos in Mad Hat Town in the West Blue. It wasn't classified information, but few knew about it.
If Doflamingo hadn't been interested enough to investigate, the tale of a mere upstart pulling off such a feat might have been dismissed outright.
"Well, it seems I have no choice but to use my trump card~~~!"
Ignoring the trembling civilians cowering in the corners of the walls, Lao G strode toward the hole in the wall and stepped outside.
Despite the impressive impact, Maude's bullet hadn't caused any significant injuries. However, it had drained a considerable amount of his Haki.
Outside the colosseum.
The soldiers who had pursued Maude's crew from the colosseum were now frozen in place, staring in awe at Maude's pistol.
The power of his shot had far exceeded their understanding of firearms.
Even Law was caught off guard. Turning back at the sound of gunfire, he saw Maude holding the smoking flintlock, while Lao G had seemingly vanished.
Though Law wasn't sure what had happened, the trail of destruction left in Lao G's wake made it clear enough.
Still, he couldn't help but mutter, "A gun?"
Next to him, Bepo's voice carried disbelief. "That's the first time I've seen someone sent flying by a flintlock shot. Could Maude be a Devil Fruit user?"
Law shot a glance at Bepo.
The power of a flintlock alone shouldn't have been capable of such a feat. Yet, Maude had used it to send Lao G flying.
At that moment, Law realized how foolish it was to gauge Maude's strength solely based on his bounty.
"Maude..."
A strange glint appeared in Law's eyes.
His plans to take down Doflamingo remained distant and uncertain, but for the first time, it felt like a small step forward might be possible.
Maude's shot hadn't just sent Lao G flying—it also cowed the soldiers who had been charging at them moments earlier.
In less than ten seconds, Lao G returned to the battlefield.
Despite his frail appearance, his speed and agility were on par with a man in his prime.
"Hmph, Bacardi Maude, a year ago, you managed to wound the Navy hero Garp with a gun. But now, that same gun can't even harm me~~~!"
Lao G stood firm, staring coldly at Maude, clearly in no rush to attack.
"..."
Maude remained silent.
Around them, a growing crowd of pirates who had fled the colosseum earlier began to gather, drawn by the commotion.
These pirates had escaped the chaos in the colosseum and had been observing from a distance. Now, the scene before them was far beyond their expectations.
Hearing Lao G's words, their shock was palpable.
Bacardi Maude—someone who had only recently gained notoriety—had injured the legendary Marine hero Garp a year ago?
"Could that really be true?"
The pirates whispered among themselves, skeptical yet intrigued.
Some, sensing an opportunity, quietly slipped away, planning to sell this information to someone who could use it.
After all, rumors like these could fetch a good price, especially from that journalist with the pen name Turkey Dada...
Within the battle zone.
Lao G focused his energy, his gaze never leaving Maude.
"G~~~! This proves I'm stronger than the Marine hero Garp—"
Bang!
Before he could finish, Maude fired another shot.
Unsurprisingly, Lao G was once again sent flying by the Haki-infused bullet before he could unleash his strength.
This time, Law witnessed the entire sequence with his own eyes.
"How is he doing this?"
Law's curiosity burned brighter.
At the same time, he grew increasingly eager to determine Maude's stance toward the Donquixote Family.
The captain of the Heart Pirates, who once doubted Maude's ability to defeat Lao G, now found his assumptions completely overturned.
After the second shot sent Lao G flying, Maude calmly holstered his pistol and drew Chidori, striding toward Lao G's landing site.
Against an opponent skilled in Armament Haki, gunfire alone wasn't sufficient to inflict significant damage without support.
It was time to switch tactics.
Suddenly, a building in the distance collapsed with a thunderous crash.
Amid the billowing dust, a robust figure emerged.
"Geo-Fist Ultimate Secret Technique: Battle Preservation Fist!"
Lao G's booming voice echoed as he stepped out of the ruins.
Hearing the absurd name of the technique, Maude's forehead twitched, a few black lines appearing as he suppressed a groan.
This style...
How had Lao G survived to such an old age?
Still, Maude had a soft spot for enemies who called out their attacks in advance.
They were his favorite kind.
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