The Terror of the Pirates

With Alex's two calls, the room fell silent once more.

The pirates around them, who had initially planned to stay out of the conflict, sensed trouble brewing.

If it weren't for the Pointed Bull Pirates blocking the entrance, they would have already slipped away.

The owner of the Tomahawk Tavern, however, was experienced. With a subtle gesture, he signaled his employees to retreat behind the bar, where they would be relatively safer.

Kazit was the first to recover. His murderous gaze shifted from Alex to Wolf Rat and finally settled on Abbey.

With Alex addressing both Abbey and Wolf Rat, and with Abbey standing nearby, Kazit's tangled suspicions suddenly unraveled into a clear line of thought.

Why would Alex, who had no prior grudge, kill the navigator?

Why had Raglan, who always acted cautiously, been shot dead the very night after meeting Wolf Rat?

And why did Abbey, Alex, and Wolf Rat seem to know each other?

Before the attack, Kazit was certain that the Pointed Bull Pirates had no dealings—let alone a grudge—with Alex or Wolf Rat.

So, what motive could Alex, who had neither friendship nor enmity with them, have for killing the navigator?

It made no sense.

But if Abbey, a rival, had orchestrated it…

The motive and reasoning suddenly became clear.

Kazit's gaze toward Abbey darkened with hostility.

How could he know that the true instigator, Alex, possessed an ability called [Hunter's Notes]?

Moreover, he couldn't have known that Alex's actual target was Red, and that the navigator, so crucial to the Pointed Bull Pirates, had simply been an unfortunate bystander.

As Kazit turned his attention to Abbey, Alex calmly plotted his next move.

Having been targeted by Kazit's killing intent moments ago, Alex had reacted almost instantly, using Abbey as a shield.

As for Wolf Rat, he had been an incidental addition to the plan.

If Alex had known the names of the pirates at the nearby tables, he wouldn't have hesitated to call out to them as well.

This act of dragging others into the fray had inadvertently created a dramatic scene.

It was clear that Wolf Rat's role in the matter was ambiguous, but Alex's impulsive cry of "Big Brother Wolf Rat" had been the final straw that solidified Kazit's suspicions.

No wonder Wolf Rat was cursing Alex in his heart.

It was simply inhuman.

However, Alex didn't believe that two well-placed epithets alone would be enough to create an escape opportunity.

He needed to see how Abbey would react next and adjust his strategy accordingly.

Ideally, he could provoke a fight between Abbey and Kazit and use the chaos to escape.

If that failed, he would have to fight for his life.

The intense sense of danger only made Alex calmer.

Abbey met Kazit's hostile gaze, filled with killing intent.

Though she wasn't entirely clear on the situation, she wasn't a fool.

In an instant, she realized that the strange young man behind her was trying to use her as a shield.

What baffled her was how Kazit, the "stupid bull," had fallen into the trap so easily.

As a competitor, she was happy to call Kazit a fool, but she knew he wasn't stupid.

She wasn't interested in figuring out the reasons.

What upset her was that Alex had used her as a shield.

In reality, if Abbey hadn't been interested in Alex and approached him, he wouldn't have had the chance to use her as a shield in the first place.

Swish—

Without a word, the displeased Abbey drew her foil sword.

In one fluid motion, she turned and thrust the needle-like blade toward Alex's heart, her movements swift and precise, filled with icy killing intent.

She didn't care about the grudge between Kazit and Alex.

Nor did she care to explain anything to Kazit.

Stabbing Alex to death was all she wanted to do right now.

"Tough luck."

Facing the sudden thrust, Alex stomped his right foot hard against the ground, using the force to propel himself backward and narrowly dodge the attack.

Abbey's strike was fast, precise, and utterly unexpected.

If Alex hadn't hunted the fishman Sam the previous night, or if he hadn't been paying close attention to Abbey's movements, he would have been killed on the spot.

Abbey's attack caught Kazit, Wolf Rat, and the others off guard.

It was too sudden.

But what surprised them even more was that Alex had managed to dodge it.

It was worth noting that Abbey's bounty of 38 million berries was partly due to her lightning-fast sword skills.

"You actually dodged it?"

Abbey looked at Alex in amazement.

Had her turning motion slowed the thrust enough to give Alex a chance to evade?

Alex, however, didn't dwell on it. As he retreated, a look of despair spread across his face.

"Big Sister Abbey, you clearly said that as long as Brother Wolf Rat and I each took out one member of the Pointed Bull Pirates, you'd let us join your crew. We did as you asked, but instead of accepting us, you're trying to kill us now that the Pointed Bull Pirates are here!"

Alex's tone was filled with despair, like a general who had achieved great feats but was never rewarded.

Hearing Alex drag him into the mess again, Wolf Rat's mouth twitched violently.

He was starting to understand.

This guy was nothing but trouble.

Anyone who crossed paths with him was doomed!

But he had no choice now.

He was already dragged into this.

To complete the mission as soon as possible!

Wolf Rat decided to play along. With tears streaming down his face, he cried out as if heartbroken.

"That's right, Big Sister Abbey! We admire you so much! We were even willing to die for you! But you… how could you treat us like this?!"

Wolf Rat's exaggerated display of sorrow made the surrounding pirates look at Abbey with disapproval.

While betrayal and abandonment were common in the pirate world, such blatant exploitation and discarding of allies was still frowned upon.

Seeing Wolf Rat not only cooperate but also dive so deeply into the act, Alex was secretly impressed.

Feeling the judgmental gazes of the crowd, Abbey's eye twitched.

At the entrance, Kazit had already activated his Devil Fruit ability, transforming into his human-beast form.

He glared at Abbey, his voice filled with rage.

"Well done, Nuttman Abbey!"

With Kazit's furious declaration, the tavern was instantly filled with tension.

Abbey, who had been dragged into this mess, took a deep breath.

She didn't feel innocent or wronged.

Ignoring Kazit's rage, she turned to Alex, her red lips curling into a dangerous smile.

"Little brother, you've really caught my attention. It's only fair that you tell me your name, right?"

"Big Sister Abbey, please give me and Wolf Rat another chance!" Alex pleaded dramatically.

"..."

"Big Sister Abbey, please give me and Usopp another chance!" Wolf Rat chimed in, seizing the opportunity to throw Alex's alias into the mix.

Abbey laughed.

"Usopp, is it? Little brother…"

She looked at Alex, her tongue tracing her lips.