At the very moment when Maude's attention was drawn by the uproar, a lead bullet, carrying deadly intent, shot toward him.
Timing, angle—
Precise and ruthless.
It was evident that the shooter had prepared meticulously in advance.
Unfortunately for him, his target was Maude.
Just as the bullet was about to pierce his temple, Maude tilted his head back slightly.
Whoosh—
The lead bullet grazed past his forehead, brushing through his hair before embedding itself into the ground at an angle, leaving behind a smoking bullet hole.
A shot that should have been a guaranteed kill missed entirely.
Eight hundred meters away, on a highland within the mangrove island, a man with disheveled, bird's nest-like hair and dark circles under his eyes knelt on one knee, holding a modified single-shot flintlock rifle.
He was the one who had fired that shot.
"Damn..."
Having missed, the man's expression changed slightly.
He was confident in his timing and precision, convinced that this shot would land. Before pulling the trigger, he had even envisioned Maude's head exploding upon impact.
Yet reality had slapped him in the face.
"Captain Oliver, did you hit him?"
A companion beside him asked expectantly.
Oliver shook his head while swiftly reloading his rifle, his eyes never leaving Maude in the distance.
The flintlock rifle he had personally modified ensured accuracy within a kilometer, even without a scope.
The gun's power and stability played a role, but the true key was his extraordinary eyesight.
With these eyes, he could clearly see a grain of sand in the distance and even track the trajectory of a speeding bullet.
This talent had naturally led him to become an exceptional sniper, earning him a formidable reputation.
A bounty of 110 million berries.
That was Oliver's worth as a Supernova—the lowest bounty among this year's group.
Even so, Oliver firmly believed that he was the most lethal of them all.
His confidence stemmed from his unparalleled eyesight and his custom-built high-performance rifle.
"Heh, let's see how you react..."
Oliver finished reloading, his eyes gleaming as he observed Maude.
Despite Maude looking in his direction, he showed no intention of moving.
"He pinpointed my location but isn't coming after me?"
Oliver muttered, resting his rifle on his shoulder and aiming at Maude's vital points.
"Even if you do come after me, you'll just become my helpless target."
As a sniper, Oliver possessed an unshakable confidence.
If Maude charged at him, he would immediately retreat, repositioning to a safer sniping spot—or simply abandoning the fight altogether.
Conversely, if Maude remained stationary or was uncertain of Oliver's exact location, he would freely pull the trigger, treating Maude as a defenseless target.
However, after his most assured shot had missed, Oliver quickly realized one thing—
A conventional sniper's approach would never be enough to kill Maude.
Thus, he refrained from taking a second shot, instead waiting for another fighter to engage Maude.
Once Maude was occupied, Oliver would seize the opportunity to line up the perfect kill shot.
"Oh?"
Suddenly, Oliver's eyes narrowed.
He saw the white short-barreled gun in Maude's hand transform into a long sniper rifle in an instant.
—On the battlefield—
Maude gripped his transformed sniper rifle, his gaze locking onto Oliver's position.
Thanks to the detailed intel provided by Shakky, Maude had already deduced the shooter's identity the moment the bullet was fired.
A Supernova with a bounty of 110 million berries—Spencer Oliver, renowned for his sniping skills.
"Quite the calculated strategy."
Maude sneered, ignoring the murmuring crowd around him. Raising his rifle, he zeroed in on Oliver's distant figure and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
Amidst the rising gunpowder smoke, the bullet whizzed through the air, reaching Oliver in the blink of an eye.
"Hmm?"
Oliver's eyes flickered with surprise. At the last moment, he tilted his head slightly, narrowly dodging Maude's shot.
Had it not been for his ability to see the bullet's trajectory, allowing him to react in time, that bullet would have struck him right in the forehead.
"You want to challenge me in a sniper duel?"
Oliver narrowed his eyes, a smirk forming on his lips.
At this range, he had never feared anyone in a gunfight.
With his natural talent, he could stand undefeated.
"Find cover."
Oliver instructed his crew.
"Understood."
Based on the angle of Maude's previous shot, his crew quickly secured optimal positions, ensuring visibility of their captain while staying out of Maude's line of fire.
After all, as Oliver's subordinates, they had ample experience handling such situations.
—On the battlefield—
Oliver's evasive maneuver was well within Maude's expectations.
Observation Haki...
Maude mused as he took another shot at Oliver.
Once again, Oliver effortlessly dodged the bullet aimed at his vital point.
Since he could clearly see the bullet's path, his evasive movements were minimal, exuding an air of complete control.
"It's pointless. As long as you're within my 'vision,' no matter how accurate your shots are, you'll never hit me."
Oliver smirked smugly.
Throughout his countless gunfights, he had never been hit.
Oliver's crew watched in awe as their captain dodged bullets with ease, their admiration deepening.
This godlike skill was what made them follow Oliver without hesitation.
Maude fired several more shots.
Each was precise, yet none even grazed Oliver's coat.
"Without Armament Haki, bullets lack the intimidation factor."
Maude muttered, deciding against wasting his Haki on Oliver.
Unlike coating fists or blades, projecting Haki through bullets consumed much more energy.
It wasn't worth exhausting himself on a long-range sniper hiding in the distance.
Instead, Maude smirked.
"Ever seen a bullet turn?"
He raised his rifle, aiming at Oliver's heart while drawing a strand of shadow from beneath him and fusing it into his White Weasel flintlock rifle.
Bang!
The bullet tore through the air.
Its faint shadow on the ground carried an eerie anomaly.
In an instant, the scorching bullet reached Oliver's chest.
"I told you, it's useless!"
Oliver smoothly sidestepped, confident he had dodged it.
But at that moment—
The bullet, which should have flown past him, suddenly veered mid-air as if nudged by an invisible force.
"What?!"
Oliver's special eyes clearly captured the unnatural curve of the bullet's trajectory.
Before he could react, the bullet buried itself in his chest.
Splurt!
Blood burst from Oliver's chest.
"Why... did it change direction...?"
Oliver collapsed, his face filled with shock and disbelief.
"Captain Oliver!!!"
His crew members were horrified.
They understood guns, but unlike Oliver, they couldn't perceive the bullet's high-speed movement.
All they saw was a bullet that had initially traveled straight somehow bending mid-flight to strike their captain.
How is that even possible?!
On a nearby tree root—
"Hmm?"
Rayleigh and Shakky watched Maude with intrigue.
A bullet that could change direction...
Though they knew about Maude's Shadow-Shadow Fruit abilities, this was the first time they had witnessed such an application.
"Interesting."
Behind his glasses, Rayleigh's eyes twinkled as he quickly deciphered the mystery behind Maude's technique.
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