Vice Admiral Dalmatian's fate remained uncertain.
Meanwhile, the dismissive and contemptuous words from Maude instantly enraged every Marine present.
They glared at him, their fighting spirit surging.
Maude, however, remained unfazed. He cast a glance at the gravely injured Perona and Urouge, his eyes turning cold.
His gaze lingered momentarily on Hawkins before swiftly shifting back to the surrounding Marines.
"You dare lay a hand on my people… Have you thought about how you're going to die?"
Maude's voice was calm, yet chilling.
He was aware of Aokiji's ongoing battle with Shakky.
But so what?
Before Aokiji could intervene, Maude was absolutely confident he could take care of every Marine present.
"Arrogant…"
Hearing Maude's words, the Marines' expressions darkened.
Onigumo spoke in a grave tone, "What can you do alone?"
His confidence stemmed from Aokiji's presence.
"Alone?"
Maude chuckled.
Just then, several imposing figures descended from the sky.
"Yohohoho…!"
Brook's distinctive laughter echoed across the Sabaody Archipelago.
Hearing the commotion, the Marines instinctively looked up.
"Hm?"
Lafitte, Brook, Gaya, Jim, and Philo all descended one after another.
As they neared the ground, Lafitte unfurled his wings, reducing his momentum and landing gracefully beside Maude.
Brook, Jim, and Philo simultaneously used Moonwalk, their landings accompanied by dull bursts of compressed air as they took their positions by Maude's side.
Gaya, resembling a drifting balloon, floated down gently and landed on the other side.
"They're the long-missing members of the Maude Pirates…!!!"
The Marines were visibly shocked as they watched Lafitte and the others land effortlessly beside Maude.
After an extended period apart, the Maude Pirates had finally gathered, standing at the threshold of the New World.
One more step, and they would make their official debut in the New World's turbulent seas.
Hawkins, too, observed Maude's crew descending from above, a rare glimmer of light flashing through his eyes before quickly fading.
"Fate… is something you never truly know until the very last second."
He pulled the last remaining straw doll from his collar, black smoke curling from it, his heart filled with indescribable emotions.
Had Maude arrived just one second later—
No.
Even a fraction of a second later, Hawkins would have perished.
He had already steeled himself for death, never expecting Maude to appear at the very last moment.
In that instant, not only had Maude pulled him back from the gates of death, but he had also given him a chance—
A chance to board the ship that would ride the waves of this new era!
"Boss…"
Urouge, his mouth stained with blood, forced out a grin and used the last of his strength to call out to Maude before losing consciousness.
For someone so gravely injured, it was a miracle he had held on this long.
Maude heard Urouge's voice but didn't look back. Instead, he stepped forward toward the Marines.
As his foot touched the ground, ripples of shadow spread out beneath him, like gentle waves on water.
Calm. Orderly.
But in the next instant, the ripples transformed into a tidal wave of shadows, surging toward the nearest Marines.
"Watch out!"
Two Marines reacted quickly, instantly using Soru to retreat, narrowly avoiding the encroaching shadows.
Two others, however, were a split second too slow. Just as they tried to leap back, the shadow wave ensnared them.
"Huh?"
Caught in the shadows, their hearts pounded with alarm. Without hesitation, they infused their blades with Armament Haki and slashed at the shadows constraining them.
Clang!
The blackened blades struck the shadows but bounced off, sparks flying from the impact.
"The shadows… are coated with extremely advanced Armament Haki!!!"
As their blades recoiled, the Haki covering them faded like receding tides.
The gleaming steel of their weapons now reflected the terror in their eyes.
Shadow Snare.
Maude didn't stop moving. The shadows binding the two Marines suddenly recoiled, dragging them toward him.
Shing—!
In a swift motion, Maude unsheathed Shusui.
As the two Marines were pulled past him, twin flashes of light swept across their shadows.
The moment his blade returned to its sheath, Maude casually spun it once before continuing his steady advance.
At the same time, the shadow tendrils loosened their grip, allowing the two seemingly unharmed Marines to collapse to the ground.
"I… wasn't cut?"
They had clearly seen the deadly arcs of Maude's slashes, yet they felt no pain.
What was going on?
Confused, they hurried to rise and reengage.
But—
Just as they got up, their once tightly gripped blades inexplicably slipped from their hands.
Clang.
The swords clattered to the ground.
Their eyes widened in shock as they looked down—
Their hands were crumbling into dust, as if ancient stone sculptures eroded by harsh winds, disintegrating bit by bit.
"What… what is this…?!"
Horrified, they watched their bodies rapidly decay into dust.
By the time the crumbling reached their necks, they turned their terror-stricken gazes toward Maude's retreating figure.
Shhh—
Before the eyes of the stunned Marines, the two soldiers who had been struck by Maude's blade…
Turned to dust and scattered into the wind.
And Maude was still walking forward.
From ensnaring his foes to cutting them down to nothingness, his stride had never faltered.
"If we retreat now, how can we ever face our fallen comrades?!"
Vice Admiral Bastille roared, dragging his Shark Cutter blade as he fearlessly charged toward Maude.
His courage immediately reignited the Marines' fighting spirit.
Yet, Maude paid him no heed.
His eyes remained locked on Aokiji's position.
Seeing Maude dismiss him, Bastille's rage erupted. He swung his massive blade down upon him.
Clang!
A single-handed axe intercepted the attack, stopping Bastille in his tracks.
"Hm?"
Bastille's eyes narrowed as he locked onto Gaya, who had stepped in to block him.
At the same time, Onigumo lunged at Maude with his swords poised to strike.
However—
Just like Bastille, his attack was halted by another weapon.
This time, it was a cane sword.
Lafitte had blocked his strike.
"Hoho… You think you can go straight for my captain? You're not worthy."
A dangerous gleam flickered in Lafitte's eyes.
It had been far too long since he had indulged in bloodshed.
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