Shakky's words were not unfounded—drawing too much attention would inevitably attract firepower.
The other Supernovas on the Sabaody Archipelago indeed saw Maude as a stepping stone—one that could catapult them into the New World in the most dazzling fashion.
For this reason, they were even willing to take the risk of lingering on Sabaody, waiting for Maude's arrival.
And now, Maude had arrived.
Upon receiving the news, they began to mobilize.
...
Grove 9.
In a damp clearing laced with bubbles, dozens of corpses lay strewn across the ground. Though their bodies remained intact, blood oozed from their eyes, ears, noses, and mouths.
"Gah-gah, gah-gah-gah...!"
Amidst the pile of bodies, a gaunt man with long hair covering his eyes let out a chilling laugh.
The laughter was shrill and grating, reminiscent of a duck being strangled.
Before him, a dark-skinned man sat collapsed on the ground, his face contorted in terror.
"You... You're Borsy the Fanged Sword, with a bounty of 200 million! We have no quarrel with you—why did you ambush us?!" The dark-skinned man lifted his head, his fearful gaze locked onto the laughing Borsy.
"Why, you ask? The reason is simple..."
Borsy's eerie laughter gradually subsided. He lowered his head slightly, his long bangs falling like tangled vines, partially revealing a pair of sinister, lifeless eyes.
"To warm myself up."
"W-Warm up...?"
The dark-skinned man's eyes widened in confusion, unable to grasp Borsy's meaning.
Suddenly, Borsy swung his arm.
A thin, icy-cold gleam flashed like lightning across the man's throat.
"I spelled it out so clearly, yet you still pretend not to understand?"
Borsy withdrew his blade and turned away.
A slender red line appeared on the dark-skinned man's neck.
It seemed that Borsy's slash had merely grazed his skin.
Feeling only a faint chill against his throat and sensing no immediate pain, the man's pupils quivered.
Seeing Borsy turn his back, he made a swift decision. In one motion, he pulled a flintlock pistol from his boot and aimed it at Borsy's back.
"Die!"
Murderous intent flashed in his eyes as his mind gave the command to pull the trigger.
Yet his finger wouldn't move.
"Huh? I... can't move?"
Bewilderment filled his gaze.
Not just his fingers—he couldn't even blink.
The last thing he saw was Borsy's retreating figure, as his vision blurred and darkness consumed him.
Thud.
He collapsed.
A few moments later, blood slowly seeped from beneath his body.
Without glancing back, Borsy strode toward his waiting crew. As he passed by his first mate, he looked up at the massive Yarukiman Mangrove labeled Grove 9.
The first mate glanced at their captain and corrected, "Captain, it's called warming up, not warming yourself."
"What's the difference?" Borsy smirked coldly before asking, "They're at Grove 13?"
The first mate nodded emphatically.
Borsy grinned viciously and took the lead, striding toward Grove 13.
...
Grove 14.
A lively tavern, bustling with business.
"Interesting."
A bearded man in a black fur coat glanced toward a nearby table where patrons were discussing Maude.
Crack.
Without warning, he crushed a glass bottle in his bare hand and abruptly stood up.
The force of his movement sent his chair flying backward, crashing into a neighboring table.
"You bastard, you looking for a fight?!"
The man struck by the chair leaped to his feet, face twisted in fury.
In lawless zones, hot-headed individuals were a dime a dozen.
Being struck out of nowhere—who would simply let it slide?
Hearing the enraged shout, the bearded man casually flicked his palm, sending glass shards flying.
Squelch!
The razor-sharp fragments pierced straight through the other man's eye.
He fell dead without a sound.
The tavern, once filled with chatter, fell into stunned silence.
All eyes locked onto the ruthless bearded man, filled with fear and apprehension.
He, however, remained expressionless as he turned and strode toward the door, trailed by more than a dozen burly men.
Once they had left, someone whispered cautiously, "That's Jeff the Ripper, a Supernova with a 160-million bounty. Just like the rumors say—he's completely unhinged."
"Brazen as ever..."
"Poor bastard..."
Many cast sympathetic glances at the unfortunate man lying lifeless on the floor, his skull pierced by glass shards.
"By the way, the Supernova who defeated Gecko Moria—Maude—is also on the island."
"Not just Maude. The other Supernovas are here, too."
"Huh? That's a bit too convenient, don't you think?"
A man let out a cold chuckle and said grimly, "Convenient? No way. They're deliberately waiting here for Bacardi Maude."
"..."
"Which grove is Maude in?"
"Grove 13. And not long ago, nearly a thousand bounty hunters went after him... only to drop dead without him even lifting a finger."
"Wait, seriously?!"
"Could it be a Devil Fruit ability?"
"Who knows... but whatever it is, he's not someone we should mess with."
"Think Jeff the Ripper is heading for Maude?"
"Most likely..."
Everyone turned toward the tavern's open doorway.
The room fell into a heavy silence.
After a few moments, someone got up and headed for the exit.
One by one, more people followed.
Their destination? Grove 13.
...
Grove 13.
On an open plain, two hundred meters from Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
Maude smiled as he looked at Lafitte, who was ready to move. He said softly, "Remember—your safety comes first."
"Hohoho."
Lafitte chuckled and nodded, spreading a pair of pure white wings from his back.
"With this extra bargaining chip, nominating you at the Seven Warlords of the Sea meeting will be even more persuasive."
Lafitte glanced toward Grove 14.
At the far end of his vision, a hulking figure clad in a black fur coat approached.
"Just icing on the cake."
Following Lafitte's gaze, Maude also looked toward the approaching figure.
"He got here fast."
His eyes turned cold.
"Hohoho... Then, I'll be going ahead."
"Mm. Go."
Maude smiled.
Lafitte took flight, ascending into the bubble-filled sky.
Standing atop the massive roots of Grove 13, Gaya and the others watched Lafitte disappear into the distance.
Then, they turned their attention toward the hulking man charging straight at Maude.
With a cigarette pinched between her fingers, Shakky exhaled a thin stream of smoke and said casually, "Jeff the Ripper, bounty: 160 million berries. He once single-handedly destroyed a Marine battleship."
"Yohohoho! Sounds quite ruthless," Brook remarked, his gaze fixed on Maude, eager for action.
Glug, glug…
Rayleigh took a long swig of liquor, then chuckled, "Things are about to get lively."
...
Maude stood calmly as the man known as "Ripper" Jeff approached.
As for the dozen or so burly men following behind Jeff, he didn't spare them even a glance.
"Bacardi Maude… I've finally found you," Jeff sneered, raising his scarred right hand.
Crack… crack…
His thick fingers flexed, emitting a series of loud, unsettling bone-cracking sounds.
"And then?" Maude asked, his expression indifferent as he met Jeff's undisguised killing intent.
Jeff's grin grew even more twisted and menacing. His voice dripped with malice. "Naturally, I'm here to take your head and make a name for myse—huh?"
In the blink of an eye, Maude vanished.
The very next moment, he reappeared behind Jeff, pressing a hand against the back of his neck.
"You? Make a name for yourself? By killing me?"
Maude let out a derisive chuckle.
Jeff's expression changed drastically. A chilling sensation ran down his spine.
"I… I can't move?!"
A nameless, suffocating terror consumed him. His body felt as if it had plunged into an icy abyss.
In that instant, he finally understood the sheer magnitude of Maude's strength—
For the first time.
And likely the last.
How… how could there be such a gap?
"Boss!"
At that moment, Jeff's crew finally snapped out of their daze.
They stared in shock at Maude, who had somehow appeared behind their captain without anyone noticing.
And beyond the shock—
Confusion.
Why isn't Boss fighting back?
-------
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