After Blackbeard effortlessly neutralized the combined assault of Ace, Aokiji, and Fujitora, Maude made his move. In a single exchange, he slashed through the ranks of the Blackbeard Pirates.
The attack was swift and ruthless!
Everyone who witnessed the scene was visibly shaken, their eyes fixed on Blackbeard and his crew as fresh blood sprayed from their wounds.
What shocked them the most was Maude's uncanny ability to phase in and out like a phantom, even deceiving someone as perceptive as Fujitora.
In that instant, Maude and his shadow seemed indistinguishable.
Blood arced through the air and splattered across the ground, forming countless crimson plum blossom patterns around the battlefield.
The sight was gruesome, yet the wounds themselves were not deep.
This marked the distinction between Twin Blade Wheel Slash and Extreme Darkness.
The former dispersed its attacks across multiple targets, while the latter focused its power into a single devastating point.
The shallow wounds were largely due to the exceptional Observation Haki of the Blackbeard Pirates. Just before being engulfed by the barrage of slashes, they managed to reinforce themselves with Armament Haki in time to mitigate the damage.
Maude slowly turned, his calm gaze sweeping over Blackbeard and his crew, their bodies bloodstained yet their presence still formidable.
This outcome was well within his expectations.
If a single Twin Blade Wheel Slash could have ended the Blackbeard Pirates, then the fearsome reputation they held in the original timeline would have been entirely unearned.
Blackbeard finally stopped his pained screams, veins bulging on his forehead as his bloodshot eyes burned with rage.
"I was almost killed just now... Damn bastard!"
Wiping the blood trickling from the corner of his eye, he shot Maude a murderous glare.
Having sustained multiple wounds in mere moments due to his own carelessness, Blackbeard was visibly frustrated.
Nearby, Shiryu of the Rain narrowed his eyes at Maude's sword—Shusui—his battle spirit surging.
Unlike the others, Shiryu was the only one who had sensed the lethal intent approaching from behind before Maude struck.
Even after the attack, he had been the only one still capable of launching a countermeasure.
Yet, having lost the initiative, no matter how quick his reflexes were, his venom-coated blade—Raiu—had still failed to match Maude's speed.
Had he managed to land even the tiniest cut when Maude struck…
Even the most minuscule wound would have allowed his deadly poison to seep into Maude's bloodstream, eliminating the monstrous threat before them.
"Next time, I'll make sure my blade reaches you."
Shiryu's cold gaze gleamed with menace as sickly green poison oozed from his palm, slithering down the hilt of Raiu before dripping onto the ground, releasing wisps of smoke.
Poison varied in color from person to person.
And for this man who found pleasure in slaughter, he had chosen green.
Van Augur tightened his grip on his rifle, his eyes shadowed in deep contemplation.
Since encountering Maude, the pride he once held as a marksman had been shattered time and again.
For the first time, he questioned whether choosing the arduous path of a sniper had been a mistake.
"I have not lost..."
His gaze shifted slightly, locking onto the glint of white at Maude's waist.
If not for that peculiar weapon…
Under the watchful eyes of the Blackbeard Pirates, Maude reversed his grip on Shusui and, before them all, slowly sheathed the blade.
The heavy, obsidian blade slid into its scabbard with a crisp, melodic resonance that any true swordsman would find intoxicating.
Even with his sword sheathed, Maude's grip on the hilt remained firm, his fingers wrapped in a reverse grip.
His pitch-black eyes, gleaming with streaks of crimson light, flickered like the rhythmic pulse of a breathing lamp.
From behind him, shadows surged like an upwelling spring, writhing like a living mire, slithering up his calves and swiftly covering his entire back.
Shadow Flow—Twin Fish Circulation: Shadow Demon Form.
It was as if a powerful jet of water had struck his back—his shadow liquefied, rapidly spreading over his body before extending into two massive, jagged, ink-black wings.
As the transformation completed, his eyes now bore twin concentric black-and-red irises.
The flickering crimson glow within them solidified into slitted, bestial pupils that bisected the rings like glowing red scars.
This manifestation of Observation Haki seamlessly fused with his ability.
"Just how many tricks does this bastard's shadow ability have…?!!"
Blackbeard's heart pounded violently, his pupils quivering in shock.
Despite his extensive research into Devil Fruits, he had never heard of a previous Shadow-Shadow Fruit user displaying such a vast array of techniques.
"His presence… cough, cough… it's gotten even stronger. And not just by a little."
Doc Q, having lost his horse in the chaos, stood unsteadily, coughing into his hand while casting a wary gaze at Maude.
Though silent, the Catarina Devon, Shiryu, and Van Augur all sensed it as well.
"If someone must exit the stage today… then I'd prefer it to be you."
Maude leaned forward slightly, locking eyes with the Blackbeard Pirates, his tone eerily calm, devoid of any ripples of emotion.
"Zehahaha, I'd like to see you try—Hmm?!"
Mid-sentence, Blackbeard's eyes widened as Maude abruptly vanished into thin air.
In that instant, a suffocating sense of danger crashed down on them, forcing their Observation Haki to its peak.
Yet…
Just as their vision flared with crimson foresight, Maude materialized like a fleeting bolt of lightning, his blade slicing through their ranks in a freezing arc of steel.
Slash—!
A split second later, Maude reappeared behind the Blackbeard Pirates, his right foot slowly touching the ground.
Boom!
The impact of his landing sent tremors through the already ruined battlefield, fracturing the earth even further.
Simultaneously, the Blackbeard Pirates' bodies erupted with fresh, thicker spurts of blood.
As the crimson streams splattered onto the ground, disbelief painted their faces. Their bodies trembled, nearly collapsing from the sudden assault.
"Impossible…"
Their hearts pounded wildly in alarm.
Only Shiryu, with chilling indifference, turned to face Maude's back.
"I got him."
Raising his blood-stained blade, Raiu, he revealed the mixture of Maude's blood and his lethal venom.
That tainted blood… belonged to Maude.
Hearing Shiryu's words, Maude shifted Shusui to his left hand and extended his right, palm outward, toward the wounded Blackbeard Pirates.
A thin gash marred the center of his palm.
From the wound, blood trickled forth—tainted with an eerie green hue.
"Oh? Impressive."
Expression calm, Maude wasted no time—
With an unwavering resolve, he decisively severed his own poisoned hand.
Shiryu's pupils shrank sharply.
This bastard…!!!
The others within the battlefield were once again shaken to their core by Maude's ruthless act.
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