As Maude stepped forward, the imposing bounty hunters around him suddenly collapsed to the ground, as if they had lost consciousness, lying motionless.
The onlookers who witnessed this shocking scene instinctively attributed this inexplicable phenomenon to Maude.
"I know... I know what's going on..."
Among the spectators, an older man with a large black mole on his nose seemed to have suddenly recalled something. His face was filled with shock as he stared at Maude, who stood calmly in the middle of the scene, as though he were looking at a newly born monster.
"It's Conqueror's Haki...!!!"
"Conqueror's Haki? What's that?"
The man's companions seemed unfamiliar with the term, their faces filled with confusion despite their initial shock.
His eyes trembled uncontrollably as memories buried deep within his heart surged like crashing waves.
He was a failure who had fled from the New World. Compared to his companions, who had never even set foot there, he had been fortunate enough to witness things that could earn him plenty of free drinks just by boasting about them.
"It's a power that can knock out opponents without even lifting a finger... A true mark of a king. Only one in a million possesses it!"
"Huh?"
His companions' expressions grew even more astonished.
They had initially thought that Maude was merely a rookie pirate with a high bounty—someone they could potentially take down through sheer numbers.
But now...
A sense of retreat welled up within them.
This kind of monster among the new generation was not someone they could afford to mess with.
Why did they ever think provoking Maude was a good idea?
Weren't there other supernova pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million berries arriving at Sabaody Archipelago? Wouldn't they be easier targets?
The mole-faced man, Whitman, stared at Maude in the center of the scene. His slightly yellowed eyes were filled with envy, jealousy, and bitterness.
If only he had such talent, he wouldn't have been forced to retreat from the New World, reduced to a nameless existence on Sabaody, making a living by hunting pirates for booze and food.
Moreover, Maude wasn't just extraordinarily gifted—he was a hot topic of discussion, young and undeniably handsome. His future was limitless.
At that moment, Whitman's jealousy grew like weeds in his heart.
For just an instant, he wished he were the one standing in Maude's place.
"Whitman, what are you doing just standing there? Let's go!"
His companions were already retreating, and before leaving, they urged him to move.
Whitman slowly snapped out of his thoughts.
As he turned away, he took one last glance at Maude, who seemed to radiate brilliance. With a deep sigh, he followed his companions in retreat.
This year, there were a total of nine supernova pirates frequently making headlines and drawing widespread attention.
But from this moment on, Maude, with his 500 million berry bounty, and Lafitte, with his 120 million berry bounty, had become names that Whitman and his crew would never dare provoke again.
As for the other supernovas with bounties over 100 million? Those were still within consideration.
With that, Whitman and his crew swiftly left the scene.
However, many others remained in the surrounding area.
They stared in shock and disbelief at the thousands of bounty hunters who had mysteriously lost consciousness, silently grateful that they hadn't rushed in like fools.
Otherwise, they would have ended up as just another unconscious body on the ground.
"Ah..."
Brook had his mouth agape, his face full of disappointment.
He had been just about to draw his sword and put on a good performance, but these uninvited troublemakers had inexplicably collapsed before he had the chance.
While it certainly saved him some effort, the timing was simply too unfortunate.
Brook felt a deep sense of exhaustion.
Nearby, Lafitte and Gaya exchanged glances, their eyes flickering with intrigue as they silently observed a certain direction.
There, atop a raised root of the Yarukiman Mangrove, they had both distinctly sensed an immensely powerful presence at the exact moment the bounty hunters collapsed. But when they turned to look, there was no one in sight.
Who was it?
Both Lafitte and Gaya tensed slightly.
To be able to knock out over a thousand bounty hunters from that distance—this was no ordinary Conqueror's Haki.
Maude was also looking in that direction.
Like Lafitte and Gaya, he had felt that overwhelming presence for just a fleeting moment.
However, he had a good guess as to its owner.
"Rayleigh, huh..."
A smirk tugged at Maude's lips.
If there was anyone on Sabaody who would use Conqueror's Haki at this moment to clear the riffraff, it could only be Rayleigh, the retired legend residing on the archipelago.
This also meant that the Fish-Man, Hatchan—whom Maude had previously spared in Arlong's territory—must have made contact with Rayleigh by now.
Udyr, who was standing close to Maude, had no idea what had just happened.
As shock coursed through him, he cautiously looked at Maude—only to catch sight of the pirate's slight, playful grin. His heartbeat quickened.
"He's a rookie, yet his strength is terrifying..."
Udyr immediately concluded that Maude had been responsible for the incident. His respect and fear deepened.
Reflecting on his earlier decision to surrender without hesitation, Udyr felt it was the smartest choice he had ever made in his life.
Otherwise, he wouldn't even know how he had died.
Maude paid no heed to Udyr or the other spectators' thoughts. Since the trouble had been taken care of, there was no point in lingering any longer.
"Udyr, keep leading the way."
"Yes, Lord Maude!"
Udyr bowed his head respectfully and continued forward.
Perhaps the earlier display had been too intimidating—on the way to Yarukiman Mangrove No. 13, no more troublemakers appeared.
Passing by a tavern, Maude bought out all of its finest aged liquors.
With no further obstacles, Maude and his crew soon arrived at their destination: Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
The bar was built on an exposed root of the Yarukiman Mangrove.
The root stood about ten meters high, with a wooden staircase leading up to the bar's entrance.
In this lawless land, it was telling that Shakky had managed to claim an entire root for her establishment.
Sitting on the wooden staircase leading up to the bar was an old man with glasses, a vertical scar over his right eye, and a bottle of liquor in his hand.
His hair and beard were completely white, unkempt and wild. He looked just like any ordinary old man one might find anywhere.
And yet—
This seemingly unremarkable old man was none other than the former right-hand man of the Pirate King, the Dark King, Silvers Rayleigh.
Rayleigh looked at Maude and his crew as they arrived, then laughed heartily.
"So, you've finally come."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over Lafitte and Brook before finally settling on Maude and Gaya.
Upon seeing Gaya's signature black ponytail, a trace of nostalgia flickered in Rayleigh's eyes.
"Rayleigh."
Maude smiled as he met the legendary man's gaze.
The fact that Rayleigh had greeted them confirmed Maude's suspicion about the Conqueror's Haki earlier.
"So this is Rayleigh..."
Gaya's eyes widened slightly as she curiously studied the old man.
She had only ever heard of him in "stories." She wondered if he was truly as unreliable as Scopper Gaban* had claimed.
"Dark King Rayleigh."
Lafitte grinned, his attention fixed intently on the living legend before him.
"D-Dark King Rayleigh???"
Udyr and his subordinates were utterly stunned.
Dark King Rayleigh?
Wasn't he the right-hand man of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger?
Why was he here?
And why did he seem so familiar with Maude's crew?
Udyr looked at Maude in disbelief.
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