With that icy gaze came an overwhelming pressure—
A terrifying presence that transcended the very concept of life itself!
Maude's heart trembled slightly.
The sheer oppressive force contained within that gaze felt like an instinctive response to a difference in levels.
Even when he had faced Whitebeard, he had never experienced such a sensation.
Who could it be?!
Could it be…?
A grave expression involuntarily surfaced on Maude's face.
To stand at the pinnacle of authority—not by bloodline alone, but by sheer strength…
This starkly contradicted what he had always believed.
Deeply perceiving the immense power of the one behind that gaze, Maude quickly adjusted his thoughts and leapt into the air.
There was no time to dwell on the identity of this individual—his priority remained creating chaos.
Once airborne, Maude swung his blade, sending out several weaker Hakoku slashes toward the surrounding estates.
From start to finish, he did not even spare a glance at the Five Elders blocking his attacks.
This act of destruction served only to intensify the disorder.
The elder clad in a white robe frowned at Maude's reckless actions.
Before pursuing Maude, he momentarily turned his gaze in the direction of that mysterious presence, a flicker of reverence in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Maude continued his rampant destruction within Pangaea Castle.
Even as the guards and the elder closed in on him, his mind remained preoccupied with the owner of that gaze.
However, his attempt to sow chaos was soon met with resistance.
Guards descended from the sky one after another, regrouping with those stationed on the ground—who, despite lacking Moonwalk, were formidable in their own right.
Coordinating seamlessly, they encircled Maude, who was wreaking havoc upon the Holy Land.
The white-robed elder, exuding an intimidating aura, stepped forward from the crowd, locking his cold gaze onto the surrounded Maude.
The guards, their expressions stern, were already itching to strike.
In their eyes, there was no way Maude could escape.
As he endured their cold, unwavering stares, Maude activated his ability to sense Lafitte's location.
Already back aboard the Thriller Bark?
Smoother than expected.
Maude's lips curled into a smile.
"You dare to smile?"
The guards' gazes grew even colder upon seeing Maude's expression.
The white-robed elder's eyes narrowed slightly. "Bacardi—hmm?"
Before he could finish, Maude suddenly vanished, leaving only a wisp of shadow in his place.
The abrupt shift caused his voice to halt mid-sentence.
"He tricked us…"
A sharp fury flickered in the elder's eyes. With a powerful stomp, he propelled himself into the air and swung his blade, slicing through the shadow.
The surrounding guards, meanwhile, were left in stunned silence.
...
10,000 meters above ground.
The Thriller Bark sailed with the wind.
Maude appeared on the ship's edge out of thin air.
Before him stood Lafitte, Brook, and the five abducted Celestial Dragons.
The shadow ropes that had once bound Charlos' family had vanished.
Moments ago, Maude had swapped places with the shadow rope, instantaneously covering the vast distance to appear before Lafitte and Brook.
"Hohoho."
Despite having unwavering faith in Maude's abilities, Lafitte couldn't help but smile upon seeing him return unscathed.
With Maude's safe return, their swift operation against the Celestial Dragons had concluded perfectly.
Maude exchanged a glance with Lafitte and Brook before lowering his gaze, peering through the semi-transparent water barrier at the blue sky and white clouds below.
Using his Observation Haki, he sensed the guards still in pursuit from the Holy Land, tirelessly chasing them with Moonwalk.
However—
Unless their stamina was limitless, continuing their pursuit at this altitude would only lead to a tragic end.
Confirming the futility of their chase, Maude quickly withdrew his gaze.
"Back to the castle."
Striding past the unconscious Celestial Dragons, he made his way toward the fortress.
Lafitte and Brook nodded, each grabbing a captive before following Maude.
"Captain, you're injured?"
Brook suddenly noticed the trail of blood droplets Maude left in his wake.
"A minor wound."
Maude waved dismissively.
Seeing this, Brook and Lafitte relaxed slightly.
Inside the castle hall.
Gaya's crew had gathered.
When they saw Lafitte and Brook dragging in five Celestial Dragons, their expressions varied.
Members of the Hawkins Pirates and the Fallen Monk Pirates stared in utter disbelief, as if they had just seen a ghost.
Even their captains, Hawkins and Urouge, were unable to conceal their shock at Maude's triumphant return.
"He actually abducted five Celestial Dragons…
"He really did it."
Hawkins and Urouge were astounded by Maude's audacity.
The gazes of those present slowly shifted from Maude to the unconscious Celestial Dragons.
Despite appearing weak enough to be crushed with a single finger, these individuals wielded the authority to summon Admirals at will and held unparalleled status above the world.
Jim's eyes locked onto the Celestial Dragons like a wolf eyeing prey.
His fingers twitched impatiently, betraying his urge to crush them.
"Law, take out their hearts."
Maude glanced at Law, whose face bore a solemn expression.
Law nodded slowly and raised his hand, expanding his Room to envelop the five unconscious Celestial Dragons.
"Hm?"
Just as Law was about to extract their hearts, he noticed something unusual—their bodies were structurally different from ordinary humans.
He let out a small sound of surprise.
"Law, what is it?"
Maude immediately caught his reaction.
Law hesitated for a moment, glancing at those present before shaking his head.
"Nothing."
With that, he efficiently extracted five hearts.
As everyone's attention turned toward the floating organs, Law subtly exchanged a glance with Maude.
Maude raised an eyebrow and, seemingly understanding, gave Law a barely perceptible nod.
Law did not dispel his Room.
Instead, he used his ability to conduct a deeper scan of the Celestial Dragons' internal structure.
Five minutes later.
Maude and Law gathered in a separate room.
To avoid suspicion from Hawkins and Urouge, Maude had left Lafitte and the others downstairs to prepare a celebratory feast.
"What exactly did you find that required all this secrecy?"
Seated on a sofa, Maude looked at Law in puzzlement.
At that moment—
Law's expression was strange. Rather than answering immediately, he spoke in an odd tone:
"The Celestial Dragons have always claimed to be the descendants of the world's creators. Over time, the world accepted this as truth."
"So?"
"When I extracted their hearts, I discovered that their bodies weren't like those of normal humans. That's why I conducted a deeper scan."
"And?"
"What I found… is that within the very structure of the so-called 'descendants of the creators'—there are remnants of artificial modifications!"
"Huh? Are you saying… the Celestial Dragons are artificial beings?"
Maude was taken aback.
Law shook his head.
"That wouldn't be entirely accurate."
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