Selling Me Out?

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With nothing but reaction speed and physical movement, Corvin had achieved an effect similar to the Rokushiki technique Kami-e.

No matter how sharp or dense Aibe's thrusts became, he drifted through them like a paper boat riding a heavy tide. It looked dangerous at every moment, yet somehow the boat never overturned.

Wolf Rat could tell that Corvin's evasive technique was not Kami-e, and that made it even more shocking.

This level of ability was completely different from what he had seen in the alley the night before.

"Usopp... he absolutely has a close connection to Phantom Gun."

Wolf Rat's gaze sharpened as he credited Corvin's displayed skill directly to Sol.

He knew that one of the most troublesome things about Phantom Gun was how difficult the man was to kill.

According to the intelligence, Sol was not only first-rate at running. He could even escape intact from a hundred-man encirclement.

'This isn't the time to think about that.'

Wolf Rat settled himself. After confirming that Corvin would not get into trouble in the short term, he shifted his attention elsewhere.

The shot Corvin had fired at Aibe had been like a battle horn. The gunmen of the Sharp-Horn Pirates pulled their triggers almost by reflex.

A deafening burst of gunfire followed, sending several lead balls toward Corvin and Aibe.

At the critical moment, Aibe's subordinates formed a human wall and blocked the incoming shots with their long blades.

That was the order Aibe had given them with her finger snap: do not let anyone interrupt her pleasure in killing.

Generally speaking, pirate crews tended to fall into three types.

Some relied on numbers. Some relied on quality. Some valued both.

The Sharp-Horn Pirates belonged to the first type, while Aibe's crew belonged to the second.

So even though Aibe's side had fewer people, they would not be crushed easily.

It was worth noting that Aibe's crew had thirty-one members in total, but she had brought only ten of them to Battleaxe Tavern.

While Wells and the other gunmen reloaded, the Sharp-Horn Pirates' melee fighters pressed toward Aibe's subordinates.

In an instant, the Sharp-Horn Pirates and Aibe's crew clashed.

The first death of the fight, however, did not come from either crew.

The first to die was the unlucky pirate struck by Corvin's stray bullet.

The surrounding pirates cursed inwardly and wanted only to escape this dangerous place as fast as possible.

Seeing that Kazt was determined to keep the door blocked, they had no choice but to find another way out. Their wall-breaking operation began.

Driven by sheer survival instinct, the pirates smashed several holes through the tavern's wooden walls in only a few seconds.

One by one, they crawled through half-body-sized openings and fled.

Kazt glanced at what they were doing and ignored it.

He took two thick stacks of Berries from his pocket and threw them behind the counter.

The tavern manager hiding under the counter looked at the money that had flown in front of him and could only smile bitterly.

After paying the damages in advance, Kazt checked first on Aibe's subordinates, who were being pinned down by his men. Once he confirmed the advantage, he turned toward Corvin, who was still being chased and stabbed by Aibe.

He could tell that Aibe truly wanted to kill Corvin, but the situation had already reached this point, and Kazt no longer cared why.

No matter what, Corvin had to die.

Covered in dense black fur, with the face of a black bull and twin horns on his head, Kazt strode toward Aibe and Corvin.

He held every advantage now, and he had many choices.

He could kill Aibe's subordinates first.

He could also sit back and let Aibe and Corvin decide life or death between themselves.

Instead, he chose to use the opening to ambush Aibe and Corvin directly, aiming to kill one of them first.

Either one dying first would be acceptable, as long as he did it himself.

Under Aibe's stormlike assault, Corvin had to focus all his attention on handling her. He did not notice Kazt's movement at all.

Corvin's slipperiness was also starting to frustrate Aibe.

She had thought she could turn him into a pincushion in a short time. That was why she had ordered her men to cover her, without considering the risk.

Who would have thought that the handsome boy in front of her would be like an eel? No matter how fast or hard she thrust, she could not hit him.

In all her travels, when had Aibe ever met an enemy like this?

He clearly lacked the power to threaten her, yet he was so slippery that it made her sick.

Her temper rose. Aibe refused to believe she could not land a hit, and her momentum took on the feeling of someone who would never stop until her blade found flesh.

Corvin, however, was gradually adapting to her rhythm.

Aibe's fast-attack style, focused almost entirely on thrusting, was terrifying at first glance. But it lacked the variety of swordsmanship, and at its core it came down to a limited set of patterns.

Once he endured the strongest opening pressure, it was no longer that overwhelming.

Feeling the pressure and threat from Aibe steadily decline, Corvin could not help feeling a little regretful.

Because he did not have her likeness, he had no way to write Aibe's name in the black ledger ahead of time.

In other words, even if he risked himself to find a chance and kill Aibe, he would not gain anything from it.

'Forget it. I should focus on getting out.'

The two of them remained tangled in offense and defense, neither one noticing the danger from Kazt.

Wolf Rat watched the whole situation from the side and quickly realized what he should do for Corvin.

He stepped forward without hesitation and blocked Kazt.

"Wolf Rat."

Kazt looked coldly at the man standing in front of him.

Wolf Rat said nothing. In the next instant, his body and face transformed.

His features became ratlike, his body swelled by a full size, and sharp claws extended from both hands.

Both of them were Zoan users. Seeing Wolf Rat's body, which was much smaller than his own, Kazt sneered. "You think a rat like you can stop me?"

After the sneer, Kazt moved. His huge body bore down on Wolf Rat.

He ignored defense completely and drove one hoof straight toward Wolf Rat's face.

In his beast form, his strength was multiplied, and the hardness of his hooves often let him crush an enemy's skull with a single blow.

The heavy black hoof came with a violent rush of wind.

Wolf Rat's gaze tightened. He raised both claws and blocked the incoming hoof.

Crack.

The force not only snapped two of Wolf Rat's claws, but also drove him several meters back.

Kazt refused to let the advantage go. He chased after him and threw another powerful hoof strike.

Wolf Rat was forced to block again.

This time he was not driven back, but another claw snapped.

Wolf Rat clenched his teeth and endured the pain, sharp as broken fingers.

"You bastard. If it weren't for..."

Holding back the urge to use the Rokushiki, Wolf Rat struggled to withstand Kazt's brutal attack.

In less than a minute, Kazt had nearly ruined both of Wolf Rat's hands.

Battles between Zoan users often came down to this.

Without advanced combat techniques added in, it became a contest of strength and defense.

In that area, Wolf Rat's Rat-Rat Fruit model was naturally weaker than Kazt's Ox-Ox Fruit model.

"In strength, how does a rat compare to a bull?"

Kazt smiled coldly.

Facing a threat to his life, Wolf Rat drew in a deep breath.

He would try to help Corvin out of the situation, but he would not die for him.

'I wonder how Usopp is doing.'

Using Kazt's moment of speech, Wolf Rat glanced toward Corvin.

What entered his sight was Aibe standing in place, stunned, one hand pressed to her swollen cheek.

And Corvin, running faster than anyone in the tavern.

"Selling... selling me out?"

Wolf Rat froze.

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