By some unknown means, Maude caused two Celestial Dragons to explode from within and even sent Admiral Kizaru flying with a single slash.
In the span of just one minute, Maude's actions shook every Marine present to their core.
Their hearts pounded like war drums, their growing sense of dread palpable.
Every Marine watching turned pale with unease.
That imposing figure standing tall exuded an overwhelming presence, as if an immovable mountain had descended upon their chests, suffocating them with its sheer weight.
And when the island itself rose into the sky with an unstoppable force, before Kizaru could even issue an order, all they could do was stand frozen, watching helplessly as the Maude Pirates made their escape.
...
Aboard the battleship.
The Celestial Dragons' chests had burst open, scattering grotesque remnants of blood and flesh across the deck.
Smoker's eyes darkened under the shadow cast by his furrowed brow. He tilted his head up, staring coldly at the unchallenged Maude, gripping his Jitte tightly as his legs turned to smoke.
Just as he was about to launch himself skyward in pursuit, Hina placed a firm hand on his shoulder, pinning him to the deck.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed, Smoker?"
Her gaze was heavy with concern.
"..."
Smoker turned to her, his expression unreadable. "That remains to be seen… But standing by and doing nothing? That's not an option."
He pressed the tip of his Jitte against Hina's hand, the embedded Sea-Prism Stone radiating its suppressive energy, forcing her to withdraw as her strength faded.
"Smoker…!"
Hina's face darkened slightly.
"She's right, though. You shouldn't be rushing to your death."
At that moment, Kizaru's voice drifted out from the ruins of the ship's cabin.
His voice came first, followed by his figure emerging from the lingering smoke and dust.
Hands in his pockets, he appeared unscathed, though his yellow-and-white-striped suit and the Admiral's cloak draped over his shoulders were speckled with debris.
Hearing him speak, every Marine present, including Smoker, turned their attention to Kizaru.
"For now, we should focus on explaining this… to 'those people.'"
Kizaru stepped forward, his boots leaving crimson footprints as he crossed the blood-soaked deck, making his way to the remains of the Celestial Dragons. The other three, who had miraculously survived, had fainted from the sheer agony of their injuries.
Seeing that Kizaru had no intention of pursuing Maude, the Marines aboard the ship clenched their fists in frustration.
Smoker frowned deeply. "Are we really just going to do nothing?"
"Then tell me—what exactly can we do right now?"
Kizaru gazed up at the distant figure of Maude disappearing into the sky.
Just how long would it take before the seas were no longer plagued by dangerous pirates like him?
Watching the island ascend beyond the clouds, Kizaru's estimation of Maude's strength rose yet another level.
And the question he had posed left the deck engulfed in dead silence.
"What can we even do now?"
That question was like a dagger to the soul.
The Marines fell silent, their heads lowered in bitter resignation.
Amidst this suffocating quiet, they could only watch as Raijin Island vanished into the dense cloud cover, disappearing completely from sight.
"We just finished dealing with the Whitebeard Pirates, and now we have to contend with the Maude Pirates…"
Kizaru pulled his hand from his pocket and absentmindedly stroked his chin.
"Engrave this defeat in your memory. It won't be long before the Maude Pirates establish themselves as a dominant force in the New World."
As he spoke, his eyes drooped slightly, as though recalling something.
The prisoners who had escaped from Level 6 of Impel Down—those infamous figures capable of toppling entire nations single-handedly—
The Blackbeard Pirates, whose ambitions burned brightly, their every move laced with intent—
The remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, who had yet to be completely crushed—
And the restless, shifting tides of the world.
The Summit War had not crushed the Great Pirate Era. If anything, it had only made the seas more tumultuous than ever before.
This was merely the overture to something far greater.
Kizaru's thoughts drifted as he glanced down at the gruesome remains of Saint Charlos.
To many, this was likely a sight worth celebrating.
So even Celestial Dragons… could die, huh?
Such were Kizaru's idle musings.
...
The weather of the Grand Line was unpredictable.
One moment, the sea was calm. The next, towering waves began to rise.
The sails, which had been slack just seconds before, billowed to life as the winds shifted dramatically.
In a distant, inconspicuous section of the sea, a periscope emerged from the water, silently observing the events unfolding around Raijin Island.
As the floating island disappeared into the sky, the periscope adjusted its angle, shifting its focus toward the departing fleet of Marine battleships.
Only when the ships had sailed far enough did the periscope slowly retract beneath the waves.
...
Above the clouds, the Thriller Bark remained motionless in the air.
Beside it hovered a small, scorched island—Raijin Island—lifted into the sky by Gaya's abilities.
Given enough time and mastery of the Float-Float Fruit, Gaya could theoretically piece together multiple islands, creating an entire landmass.
But such a feat would require an immense amount of time and energy.
And unless absolutely necessary, no one would bother with something that seemed so utterly pointless.
"Maude, why did you bring this island along?"
Standing atop the outer walls of Thriller Bark, Gaya gestured toward Raijin Island.
Maude responded with a slight smile before turning to look back at the island, his eyes scanning its charred landscape.
"This island has withstood relentless lightning strikes, day and night, without being reduced to ash. There must be something unique about it."
"Oh?"
The crew was momentarily taken aback by this insight.
Indeed—
Even with a comrade like Gaya, who had only recently obtained the Float-Float Fruit, there was no reason to randomly think of lifting an entire island into the sky.
Maude's decision to have Gaya carry Raijin Island wasn't for mere spectacle.
He wanted to see if the island possessed any special properties.
And if not? Well, he could always just put it back. No big deal.
Without the perpetual storm looming over the island, Maude made his way to its center with ease.
Unlike the rest of the island, which was pockmarked with craters, the very center had been struck the hardest, forming a massive depression.
As he walked down the slightly sloped terrain, Maude noticed that the ground beneath his feet felt different—
Harder. Denser.
The rest of the crew followed him down, noticing the same thing.
Maude stopped, exerting slight pressure with his foot, brushing away a thick layer of scorched earth to reveal a patch of dark gray-black minerals beneath.
"It's a mineral…"
"Wait a minute."
The crew crouched down to inspect the find.
"This looks similar to the material used for the Thunderproof Umbrellas…"
"No, not just similar. It's the same."
"Seriously?"
"So the material for Thunderproof Umbrellas came from Thunder God Island?!"
"Captain, it looks like we can use these 'ores' to reinforce the bottom of the Thriller Bark."
"That's possible," Maude nodded, then smiled. "But if we're talking about the base of Thriller Bark… what I need even more is gold."
"Gold?"
Everyone was visibly surprised.
"How much gold would that even take?!"
Perona's eyes widened in shock.
Seeing her reaction, Bailey smirked and quipped, "Hey, Perona, you might wanna stop widening your eyes. At this rate, your whole face is just gonna turn into one big eyeball."
"!!!"
Hiss—!
"In my next life… I wanna be a pile of poop."
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