The King of Ryugu Kingdom descended from the sky and, in front of countless citizens of Fish-Man Island, personally extended an invitation to Maude.
With this, the final piece of Maude's strategy for Fish-Man Island slotted perfectly into place.
"Alright."
Maude looked at Neptune and accepted the invitation.
Neptune gave a slight nod before shifting his gaze toward the square, where the bodies of pirates lay strewn across the ground.
Even though he had already witnessed the entire event through the live broadcast of the Den Den Mushi, seeing it with his own eyes gave him a completely different feeling.
Over ten thousand lives, wiped out in an instant.
As Neptune silently observed the corpses of the pirates, Maude considered for a moment before offering a suggestion:
"Neptune, just toss these bodies into the sea to feed the fish. However, these weapons are still in excellent condition—you could use them to arm an elite force."
In the world of One Piece, weapons were a crucial resource.
For a kingdom, they were even more vital.
A well-stocked arsenal was a testament to military strength and could determine the outcome of a war.
Many nations in turmoil had fallen precisely because they lacked sufficient weaponry, leading to catastrophic defeats and even annihilation.
This alone highlighted the immense value of weapons in this chaotic world.
The original owners of the scattered weapons had been pirates from the open seas, and given their strength, their weapons were naturally of high quality.
Yet, Maude casually offered these valuable spoils of war as a gift.
Neptune was visibly surprised.
"Maude, are you truly giving us these weapons?"
"If you want to see it that way, sure."
Maude's expression remained indifferent.
Neptune, hearing this, turned to glance at the fine firearms lying beside the bodies.
Compared to melee weapons, these high-quality firearms could quickly form the backbone of a formidable force within his kingdom.
Recalling the brutal attack on Ryugu Palace, Neptune found no reason to refuse this offering.
"Lead the way to Ryugu Palace."
Maude's voice interrupted Neptune's thoughts.
More and more Fish-Man Island residents were gathering, and Maude had no interest in being the center of attention.
Neptune hesitated momentarily but ultimately took the lead in silence.
Maude's decision to let Neptune guide them first was simply to avoid overshadowing him in front of his people.
Before heading to Ryugu Palace, Maude instructed Jim to bring along the gravely injured and unconscious Smoothie and Vander Decken.
After all, that was two Devil Fruits, and one of them was a Sweet Commander-level bounty of experience.
Upon arrival at Ryugu Palace, Maude's first priority was securing a room where he could extract the experience from Smoothie and have Law retrieve the Wring-Wring Fruit and the Mark-Mark Fruit.
...
Back at Ryugu Palace.
Law and Philo worked together to treat the injured palace guards with astonishing efficiency.
Watching them work, Neptune murmured in awe, "I've never seen such skilled doctors before…"
Maude remained silent.
Anyone he considered a comrade would naturally be no weakling.
As they walked toward the throne room, the rest of the crew assisted Law and Philo in tending to the wounded.
Upon reaching the palace, Neptune did not take his seat upon the throne. Instead, he stood on the red carpet leading up the long steps, positioning himself at eye level with Maude.
"Once again… I extend my deepest gratitude."
Speaking as the King of Ryugu Kingdom, Neptune bowed slightly in a gesture of respect.
His attitude was humble, devoid of any arrogance befitting a monarch.
After all, if not for Maude, Ryugu Palace would have undoubtedly fallen to the invading pirates, and there was also the lurking threat of Hody Jones and his rebellious faction.
Just imagining the consequences sent a chill down Neptune's spine.
Thankfully, the arrival of the Maude Pirates had saved the imperiled Fish-Man Island.
"There's no need to thank me. If you must thank someone…"
Maude paused mid-sentence, realizing he didn't even know the name of the red-haired mermaid.
Noticing his hesitation, Neptune's expression grew slightly complicated as he supplied the answer, "Her name is Luna."
"Oh, Luna, is it? Then you should be thanking her. If not for her, I wouldn't have changed course to come to Fish-Man Island."
"..."
Neptune was momentarily speechless, feeling as if he couldn't fully comprehend Maude.
This was a man who showed complete disregard for life, a warrior of overwhelming strength.
Yet, he had agreed to the request of a mermaid whose name he didn't even know.
Not only that, but he had specifically altered his course from the New World to Fish-Man Island, completing the request without expecting any form of compensation.
Just what kind of human was he…?
Neptune's thoughts swirled in confusion.
Maude had little interest in Ryugu Palace's gratitude or any potential rewards.
After a few brief exchanges, he asked Neptune to arrange a room for him.
Neptune took this matter seriously, ensuring that every member of the Maude Pirates received accommodations.
With a place to rest secured, Maude chose not to interfere with Law's ongoing treatment efforts. Instead, he carried the gravely injured and unconscious Smoothie and Vander Decken to his room.
To be cautious, Maude always carried a device that could generate protective bubble membranes.
Previously, he had also insisted that every member of his crew, including non-Devil Fruit users, carry one as well.
After all, this was Ryugu Palace, not Fish-Man Island.
Unlike the island itself, the palace was much smaller and, in theory, could be fully submerged underwater at any time.
If some unforeseen event caused the palace to sink entirely, Maude and his crew would face total annihilation.
He had no choice but to be careful.
Inside the room, Maude sat calmly, gazing at the unconscious figures of Smoothie and Vander Decken lying haphazardly on the floor.
Although he was eager to absorb Smoothie's experience, treating Ryugu Palace's wounded took precedence. For now, he had no choice but to wait patiently for Law to finish his work.
"Ugh…"
As he waited, Smoothie groaned and slowly opened her eyes.
The severe pain from her wounds made it impossible for her to focus her Haki.
Not that it mattered.
Because the moment she opened her eyes, she saw Maude sitting cross-legged right in front of her.
Seeing him, Smoothie did not display any emotions like rage or unwillingness. Instead, she was calm—almost indifferent.
"Your reaction surprises me."
Maude wiped the blade of his sword, Shusui, with a cloth, casting a sidelong glance at Smoothie's expressionless face.
Smoothie remained silent, enduring the pain radiating from her wounds.
She had already accepted the reality of her situation. As a warrior, she would not disgrace herself with an emotional outburst.
Seeing that Smoothie remained silent, Maude was unbothered and continued meticulously wiping down the blade of his sword, Shusui.
Smoothie silently observed the man who had defeated her.
The room fell into an eerie silence, with only the sound of their breathing breaking the stillness.
Time passed slowly.
Finally, unable to suppress herself any longer, Smoothie spoke with difficulty. "Bacardi Maude, if you plan to use me as a bargaining chip to threaten Mama... you'd best give up. Mama will never bow to threats."
"Why do you assume I'm holding you as a hostage to threaten Big Mom?"
Maude set down the cloth he was using and looked at Smoothie calmly.
Before she could respond, he continued, "Oh, is it because I let you live? So you think I intend to use you against Big Mom?"
Smoothie hesitated for a moment, then replied coldly, "Isn't that the case?"
If it were anyone else, she might have thought they simply feared the might of the Big Mom Pirates and didn't dare to kill her outright.
But the man sitting before her was someone crazy enough to kill a Celestial Dragon. How could he possibly be afraid of Mama's reputation?
"Heh."
Maude casually raised Shusui, resting its tip against Smoothie's neck as he said indifferently, "You're on the verge of death. Stop overthinking."
"...Huh?"
Smoothie's expression shifted slightly. She realized that Maude was serious—he hadn't spared her to use her as leverage against Mama.
Then what was this man's true goal…?
Tap. Tap.
A series of crisp footsteps from outside the room interrupted her thoughts.
The door swung open.
Lafitte strode in, exuding his usual air of composure.
Maude glanced at him and smiled. "Perfect timing."
"Hoho."
Lafitte performed a gentlemanly bow and said earnestly, "A crew member should always be present when the captain has a need."
"Mm. Let's begin."
Maude nodded at him.
"Understood."
Lafitte approached Smoothie, his body subtly shifting with each step.
By the time he had taken five or six steps, he had already entered his Siren Zoan hybrid form.
Smoothie looked up at him and murmured, "Mythical Zoan..."
Stopping before her, Lafitte prepared to use his hypnosis. Even though she was severely wounded, a warrior of Smoothie's caliber wouldn't be easily subdued.
Of course, Luffy was an exception.
To maximize his chances of success, Lafitte fully activated his human-beast transformation.
However, he had always disliked the feminized aspects of his Mythical Siren form, so hybrid transformation was his personal limit.
With the enhanced power of his Mythical Zoan ability, Lafitte unleashed his hypnosis on Smoothie.
Smoothie outwardly appeared composed, but the battle in the plaza had all but shattered her fighting spirit.
Even so, it took Lafitte considerable effort to successfully put her under.
"Good work."
Maude raised his hand and summoned the long-unseen Hunter's Notebook.
On this vast sea, pirates—his prey—were as numerous as the stars in the sky.
Yet after the Summit War, there were fewer and fewer worthy of being recorded in his Hunter's Notebook.
Smoothie, one of the Three Sweet Commanders, was an exception.
Lafitte glanced at the notebook in Maude's hand, gave a slight smile, and began extracting information about Smoothie's abilities through hypnosis.
Maude carefully recorded each detail onto the pages.
Smoothie was significant enough to merit an entry in his notebook.
Moments later, he finished writing.
Closing the notebook, Maude willed it to dissolve into motes of light, vanishing into the air.
Lafitte, having reverted to his normal form, glanced at the unconscious Vander Decken and asked, "Shall I wake him up?"
"No need. He's not worth it."
Maude's response was indifferent.
Lafitte chuckled lightly and nodded, saying nothing further.
"Now, we just wait for Law to arrive."
Maude turned his gaze toward Smoothie, her eyes now devoid of will, trapped in hypnosis.
Since the end of the Summit War, all four of his major attributes had reached eight and a half stars (ninth stars are unfilled).
Among them, Physique was the first attribute he had ever marked in his Hunter's Notebook. After countless battles, the ninth Physique star frame was now nearly full.
In other words, if he could absorb the experience from this woman, he would most likely attain his first nine-star attribute!
"What will change once my Physique reaches nine stars?"
Maude was filled with anticipation.
Nine stars signified the third stage—aligning with the highest combat standards of "every world."
Each stage brought qualitative changes.
The more he thought about it, the more impatient he became to see what awaited him.
Two hours passed as he waited patiently in the room.
At last, Law finished his medical work.
Rather than resting, he immediately hurried to Maude's chamber.
"They're still alive, right?"
Law entered the room and glanced at Smoothie and Vander Decken.
Extracting Devil Fruits was a process he had become quite familiar with.
He already knew why Maude had deliberately spared them.
Truthfully, he could have taken the Devil Fruits first before tending to the wounded soldiers of Ryugu Kingdom.
But Maude had insisted he prioritize saving the Ryugu soldiers instead.
It was as if he wasn't the least bit worried that Smoothie and Vander Decken might die while waiting.
If that happened, they wouldn't be able to retrieve the Devil Fruits.
Ironically, it was Law who had been more anxious than Maude, rushing over immediately after finishing his treatment.
"No rush. Just waiting for you."
Maude smiled.
Law nodded slightly and examined their conditions with his eyes.
"That Fish-Man is on the brink. I'll start with him."
His gaze settled on the barely breathing Vander Decken.
"Go ahead."
Maude had no objections to Law's decision.
Without hesitation, Law activated his Room, extracting Vander Decken's heart before placing a prepared fruit inside the membrane surrounding it.
With the necessary preparations complete, Law tossed Vander Decken's heart to Maude, then turned his attention to Smoothie.
At that moment, Maude had already raised his foot—without hesitation, he stomped down and crushed Vander Decken's neck.
As Decken took his final breath, the fruit within the protective membrane began to change. Strange, bullseye-like patterns slowly surfaced on its skin.
"The fourth one."
Maude casually placed the freshly-formed Mark-Mark Fruit on the table beside him, then took Smoothie's heart from Law's hand.
"But this… this is the real prize."
Gazing at Smoothie's heart, Maude repeated his previous method—raising his foot and snapping her neck without hesitation.
A member of the Three Sweet Commanders under Big Mom, a pirate with a bounty approaching one billion… had just breathed her last.
The moment Smoothie died, a surge of power flooded into Maude's body.
"Oh?"
It was as if he had been struck by an invisible force—his body staggered back two steps, drawing the attention of Lafitte and Law.
Crack, crack…
A crisp, continuous cracking sound resonated from within his bones.
Maude immediately closed his eyes.
Within the darkness of his mind, the ethereal glow of the Hunter's Notebook hovered silently before him.
The ninth star—representing his physique—had officially ascended to a full-fledged rank.
"This… feels incredible."
"It's vague, but… it's as if I can command all things in this world."
His muscles, bones, and even his veins were strengthening at an imperceptible rate.
Maude couldn't see it, but he could sense, with absolute clarity, the transformation taking place in every corner of his body.
Growth. Expansion.
Under the astonished gazes of Lafitte and Law, Maude's body continued to grow taller—
From just over three meters, he shot up to four meters… five meters… six meters!
Only when he reached about six and a half meters did the growth finally stop.
It was then that Maude opened his eyes, taking a moment to acclimate to his new form before turning toward Lafitte.
"Lafitte, strike me with everything you've got."
"Hohoho…"
Hearing Maude's command, Lafitte didn't hesitate. He drew his sword and thrust forward with full force.
Law's expression changed slightly. He barely had time to react—let alone stop it—before the blade had already pierced toward Maude's waist.
Schiiik—
The razor-sharp tip of the blade pressed firmly against Maude's abdomen.
A few drops of blood seeped out.
Beyond that—nothing.
Lafitte stared in shock at the point of impact.
Without using Armament Haki… Maude had nearly nullified the attack entirely.
The captain… had grown even stronger!
Surprise flickered in Lafitte's eyes before giving way to excitement and exhilaration.
Meanwhile, Law stood frozen, his gaze locked onto Maude in sheer disbelief.
This… how is this even possible!?
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