The Terror of the Pirates

Over the past two days, Kazit had been upset—very upset.

First, his important navigator was suddenly killed, followed by Raglan, a competent cadre who had stayed behind to handle the situation.

Then, there was the incident at the long-awaited auction.

The fishman slave he had successfully bid on was shot in the alley, and more than half of the crew members stationed outside the auction house were either dead or injured due to the chaos.

One misfortune after another left Kazit deeply frustrated.

He couldn't even pinpoint what he had done wrong to deserve such targeting.

Even the successful plundering of the Platinum Merchant Ship a few days ago couldn't lift his spirits.

With a heavy heart, Kazit began to settle scores.

According to the information he had obtained from Wolf Rat, the primary culprit was the teenager from the weapons store.

Kazit wanted to capture the teenager quickly, torture him severely, and demand an explanation for why he had targeted him.

However, Raglan's bizarre death made Kazit cautious.

Prudence had always been the guiding principle of Kazit's actions.

Even during major operations like the plundering of the Platinum Merchant Ship, which only required partnering with a pirate crew of similar strength, Kazit had sought out an additional crew to ensure success, willingly sharing the spoils.

Given his cautious nature, Kazit didn't immediately confront the weapons store after the auction. Instead, he and his subordinates spent considerable effort investigating the store's background.

Through this investigation, he learned that the owner of the weapons store, Saul, who usually kept a low profile, was actually a formidable figure.

But that was all.

If Kazit hadn't lost more than half of his crew the previous night, he might not have hesitated to storm the weapons store and destroy it.

However, considering the risks, Kazit reluctantly abandoned the idea of attacking the store.

Still, he was human—a pirate who saw freedom and indulgence as the very reasons for taking to the seas.

If he didn't gain something from this ordeal, he couldn't let go of the hatred festering in his heart.

So, Kazit sent one of his men, an expert in surveillance, to lurk near the weapons store.

While he couldn't risk destroying the store, he was determined to eliminate Alex.

What Kazit didn't expect was that the opportunity would come so quickly.

After his man reported back, Kazit decided to give Alex the "honor" of his full attention and led his entire crew to the [Tomahawk Tavern].

The aggressive entrance of Kazit and his crew immediately drew the attention of everyone in the tavern.

Seeing Kazit burst in with his men, Wolf Rat's face paled. He muttered to himself, "This is bad."

His concern wasn't for his own safety but for Alex's.

The previous night, Wolf Rat had first provided Kazit with free information. Only afterward had he stumbled upon the scene of Alex taking out three pirates, realizing that Alex was the key to contacting [Trick Gun Sol].

Thinking about this, Wolf Rat felt a pang of regret.

He had severely underestimated Kazit's ability to act on the information.

"Usopp, Usopp… If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have sold you out last night. Now, with Abbey in front of you and Kazit behind you, you're out of luck."

Faced with this maelstrom that could crush him in an instant, Wolf Rat abandoned any thought of intervening.

If it had just been Abbey, he might have tried to gain Alex's favor by standing up for him.

But with Kazit seeking revenge as well…

What was the point of standing up now? As for the mission tangent he had worked so hard to find?

Forget it!

Self-preservation was the priority.

In just a few seconds, Wolf Rat's thoughts raced.

He decided to stay out of the conflict. At that moment, he couldn't help but lament the irony of his earlier assumption that Abbey had called him forward, which had inadvertently distanced him from Alex.

It felt like fate.

Before Kazit's attention turned his way, Wolf Rat quietly moved away from Alex's table.

The distance made his action seem natural.

From Wolf Rat's perspective, Alex was as good as dead.

If [Trick Gun] were present, the outcome might have been different.

After all, [Trick Gun] was a figure even naval heroes despised.

If [Trick Gun] didn't mind revealing his identity, dealing with pirates like Abbey and Kazit would be as simple as firing two shots.

But [Trick Gun] wasn't here.

As for Alex, with the level of strength Wolf Rat had witnessed the previous night…

"I hope you don't die too horribly, Usopp," Wolf Rat thought silently, his back turned to Alex.

Alex, who was contemplating how to escape Abbey's clutches, didn't notice Wolf Rat's movements, let alone his mental shift from wanting to befriend Alex to selling him out in the blink of an eye.

Kazit's dramatic entrance into the tavern drew everyone's attention.

Hearing the commotion, Alex abandoned his ostrich-like pretense and looked toward the tavern door at the same time as Abbey.

His eyes immediately landed on Kazit's trademark spiked helmet and thick beard, recognizing the man instantly.

Kazit, with a bounty of 32 million berries.

"Finally, I've met the man himself," Alex thought, memorizing Kazit's appearance.

Unbeknownst to him, Kazit was there for him.

As the instigator of the attack, Alex was the only one unaware of the danger he was in—a situation he couldn't have imagined.

Abbey coldly eyed Kazit. Pirates with bounties exceeding 30 million berries were always at odds.

On the surface, there might be no friction, but given the chance, they would gladly eliminate each other.

"Did this black bull get kicked in the head by a donkey and come here specifically to pick a fight with me?" Abbey wondered.

After all, she had just arrived, and Kazit had shown up with a large group shortly after.

In this place, Abbey felt there couldn't possibly be anyone else worthy of Kazit gathering his crew to confront.

For a moment, Abbey forgot about her interest in Alex and signaled her men to prepare for battle.

At the entrance, Kazit scanned the room, naturally noticing Abbey's hostility.

But he paid little attention to it. Guided by his subordinate, his gaze passed over Abbey and settled on Alex.

The sight of Alex ignited Kazit's rage.

His pent-up anger transformed into cold killing intent, surging toward Alex like a tidal wave.

The first to react to the killing intent wasn't Alex but Abbey's white skunk.

[This is my chance to escape!]

The skunk darted under the table without a second thought.

The second to react was Alex, who bore the brunt of the killing intent.

"He's coming for me???" Alex's heart raced.

In a flash, he realized the reason: the killing of Red had been exposed.

He couldn't understand why Kazit had taken so long to come after him, but there was no time to dwell on it.

Alex stood abruptly and took two steps forward, positioning himself just within Abbey's line of defense—close enough to be under her protection but not so close as to provoke her.

Then—

"Big Sister Abbey!" Alex called out respectfully, addressing her by name.

He then turned to Wolf Rat's retreating back.

"Big Brother Wolf Rat!"

Hearing Alex's dual address, everyone froze.

Abbey and her men were stunned.

Kazit and his crew were equally shocked.

Even Wolf Rat, who had been ready to distance himself, was caught off guard.

"Usopp, you @#%@#&...!" Wolf Rat cursed silently.