One gives the order, and the other obeys.
Before Law could stop him, he could only watch as Lafitte, without hesitation, thrust his sword with full force into Maude's abdomen.
The result, however, was completely unexpected.
"It only broke the skin…?!"
Law stared in shock at the tiny wound on Maude's abdomen, where only a few drops of blood seeped out.
He had a decent understanding of Lafitte's strength.
If that attack had truly been executed with full force, it should have been more than enough to pierce through Maude's abdomen.
Yet, it had merely grazed him.
"Did Lafitte hold back?"
Law instinctively thought so, but after seeing the near-maniacal excitement on Lafitte's face, he quickly dismissed that notion.
As long as Maude gave the order, no matter how outrageous or absurd it was, this man—who prided himself as Maude's second-in-command—would always carry it out without hesitation.
Just like now.
The moment Maude commanded it, he thrust his sword without a second thought.
"That means… Lafitte really did attack with full force. In other words, Maude's 'physical durability' has—"
"Law, use 'Room' and cut me with your sword."
Maude's words interrupted Law's train of thought.
"It won't work anyway. What's the point?"
Law deadpanned, but inwardly, he was frustrated.
Maude stroked his chin and nodded. "True. That just means you need to work harder. Within a year or two, you should aim to reach the level where you can sever my body using the power of your Ope Ope no Mi."
"That's… probably impossible."
Law sighed, unsure if Maude was mocking him or motivating him.
Maude wiped the blood from his abdomen with his thumb and said seriously, "Have you forgotten what I told you? The Ope Ope no Mi has limitless potential. The question isn't whether you can do it—it's whether you want to do it."
"Got it."
Law turned his head away arrogantly, showing Maude the back of his head.
A year or two, huh…? Just wait.
He silently resolved himself when he suddenly heard Maude mutter:
"I really want to fight someone…"
"…"
Hearing those words, Law's mouth twitched.
Meanwhile, Maude closed his eyes and once again looked at the cover of his Hunter's Notebook.
[Physique: ★★★★★★★★★]
[Swordsmanship: ★★★★★★★★☆]
[Haki: ★★★★★★★★☆]
[Devil Fruit: ★★★★★★★★☆]
The nine solid stars representing physique flickered with an orange glow, like a pulsating light.
The other three stats, meanwhile, glowed in deep purple.
When he had first formed the ninth star frame, the purple light had been faint.
Now, each star was halfway filled, and the purple glow had deepened significantly.
"What will it feel like when all four stats reach nine stars?"
Maude could hardly wait.
His physique had just reached nine stars, and he was already eager to find a worthy opponent to test its effects.
If all four stats reached nine stars… he might immediately storm into a Yonko's territory.
Law and Lafitte watched as Maude sat in silence with his eyes closed, feeling the undeniable surge of battle lust radiating from him.
"What's gotten into Maude?"
Law had never seen him so eager for battle before.
Lafitte, who was aware of the existence of the Hunter's Notebook, merely smiled knowingly.
The stronger Maude became, the closer he got to claiming a Yonko's throne.
With Whitebeard's death, one of the Four Emperor seats remained vacant.
The remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates, Edward Weevil—the self-proclaimed son of Whitebeard who had recently risen to fame—and the ever-ambitious Blackbeard Teach were all vying for the position, as well as the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, which could shake the world itself.
Who would ultimately claim victory was still uncertain.
But Lafitte was eagerly looking forward to Maude stepping into the fray—staking his claim in the battle for dominance, and under the world's watchful gaze, seizing the throne of the Yonko!
"Brrr… Brrr…"
The sudden ringing of a Den Den Mushi shattered the silence in the room.
Maude opened his eyes and looked at his vibrating pocket, from which the ringing was coming.
Lafitte and Law also turned to look at him immediately.
Under their watchful gazes, Maude reached into his pocket and pulled out the Den Den Mushi.
"Big Mom's Den Den Mushi…"
Seeing the caller, both Law and Lafitte's expressions sharpened.
Still high on the adrenaline of his newly attained strength, Maude answered the call without hesitation.
"Big Mom."
"Hmm!? That's not Smoothie's voice. Who are you?"
The Den Den Mushi mimicked Big Mom's exaggerated features—its bright red lips stood out prominently, and as it spoke, it revealed a row of large, sturdy teeth.
Suppressing the slight surge of excitement from his physique's breakthrough, Maude calmly introduced himself.
"Bacardi Maude."
"!!!"
The Den Den Mushi's enormous eyes suddenly filled with red veins, locking onto Maude.
"So, it's you… you little brat. Why do you have Smoothie's Den Den Mushi?"
"Why do you think? Isn't it obvious?"
"…"
A moment of silence followed. Then, the Den Den Mushi's expression grew sharp like a drawn blade, and more blood vessels spread through its gaze. A cold, murderous intent seeped through the line.
"You killed Smoothie?"
"Why ask if you already know the answer? She was one of your Sweet Commanders, wasn't she? Not that strong, but she had guts. She actually dared to attack me first, so I had no choice but to take her down."
Maude's gaze turned sharp as he stared directly into the Den Den Mushi's eyes, his voice calm yet commanding.
"Got a problem with that, Big Mom?"
His tone was steady, but to Law and Lafitte, it carried overwhelming dominance.
"Ma, Ma, Ma, Ma…!"
Charlotte Linlin's laughter rang out, full of barely contained fury. Through the Den Den Mushi, the killing intent intensified.
"Bacardi Maude, have you thought about how you want to die?"
"Who's going to die? That remains to be seen, Big Mom."
Maude emanated an overwhelming fighting spirit.
His surging presence swept through Ryugu Palace in an instant.
Even those within the palace who lacked Observation Haki could clearly sense the intensity of his aura.
Unaware of the situation, many felt a shudder run through their hearts.
Inside the room—
Law's expression grew heavy as he watched Maude openly provoke the Yonko, Big Mom.
Lafitte, on the other hand, seemed more excited than concerned.
"Ma, Ma, Ma...! You insolent brat! Just because you defeated that decrepit Whitebeard, you think you can act with impunity?!"
Charlotte Linlin's enraged voice echoed through the room via the Den Den Mushi.
"No matter where you are, I will find you—and I will kill you!"
"No need to trouble yourself."
Maude's eyes were as sharp as blades. "Because... I'll be coming for you."
"..."
A brief silence fell on the other end of the line before Big Mom's voice rang out once more.
"Interesting... Very interesting...! Then come! I'll be waiting for you in Whole Cake Island!"
"Wait for me."
Maude stared intently at the Den Den Mushi, his voice calm and unwavering. "The day I set foot in Whole Cake Island will be the day you fall from your throne as an Emperor."
"Enough talk! If you've got the guts, then just try it, brat...!"
With that, Big Mom ended the call with a decisive click.
Maude glanced at the now-silent Den Den Mushi and smirked coldly. "Surprisingly cooperative, aren't you, Big Mom?"
"Hoho, with our current lineup, we're not yet strong enough to challenge the Big Mom Pirates head-on."
Lafitte stepped beside Maude, offering a subtle reminder.
"I know."
Maude casually tossed the Den Den Mushi onto Smoothie's corpse and remarked indifferently,
"Before that woman loses her patience, I have more important 'business' to take care of. Either way, when the time is right, it won't matter whether she comes for me or I go for her—the result will be the same."
"Are you referring to... the Pirate Festival?"
Lafitte's eyes gleamed with intrigue.
Maude chuckled, his tone serious. "That's part of it. But first, I need to eliminate what's left of Doflamingo's forces. That takes priority. Besides, I still haven't found the perfect 'stage' for the festival. And..."
As he spoke, Maude raised a hand, releasing a wave of shadow energy that pulled in two freshly acquired Devil Fruits—the Mark-Mark Fruit and the Wring-Wring Fruit.
At the same time, with a mere thought, he opened his Shadow Casket and retrieved the Devil Fruits stored inside.
"The lure of these five Devil Fruits alone isn't nearly enough. At the very least, I need to add a Golden City... and the highly contested Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
Like dark ribbons, Maude's shadow energy wrapped around the Bomb-Bomb Fruit, Tone-Tone Fruit, String-String Fruit, Mark-Mark Fruit, and Wring-Wring Fruit, suspending them in midair around him.
As Maude detailed his plan, both Lafitte and Law displayed unconcealed shock.
A Golden City, along with nearly ten Devil Fruits, including the Tremor-Tremor Fruit?!
They had heard Maude mention his idea for a grand Pirate Festival before, but they never imagined he intended to take it this far!
For the countless pirates scattered across the seas, a Golden City and nearly ten Devil Fruits would undoubtedly be more tempting than the elusive 'One Piece.'
When the time came, just what kind of chaos would erupt?
Neither Lafitte nor Law could fathom the scale of what Maude was planning.
It was madness.
Law took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his mind, before shifting the conversation to a different matter. With a heavy tone, he cautioned,
"Maude, killing Doflamingo at Marineford has undoubtedly enraged Kaido, who had vested interests in him. And now, by declaring war on Big Mom today, you've essentially made enemies of two Emperors simultaneously!"
"Hoho, not just two Emperors... Don't forget, Whitebeard may be dead, but the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates are still out there. The ones who survived that war are certainly no pushovers."
Lafitte added fuel to the fire.
His words made Law's expression darken even further.
Antagonizing two of the New World's ruling Emperors while also provoking Whitebeard's remaining forces?
It painted a grim picture for their future.
Maude looked at Law, ever cautious and strategic, and spoke seriously. "Once we enter the New World, clashing with the Emperors is inevitable. Whether it's declaring war now or later, we have the strength to back it up."
"Strength...?"
Law was momentarily stunned before realizing what Maude meant—
A mobile fortress, untethered to any land, floating high above the seas.
"That may be true, but fighting two Emperors at once is still a losing proposition."
"A losing proposition..."
Maude chuckled as he stored all the Devil Fruits back into the Shadow Casket. He then patted Law on the shoulder and, with a serious expression, said,
"What I want most is for Big Mom and Kaido to keep sending their forces after me—Sweet Commanders, Calamities, Tobiroppo—I'd love to get my hands on them."
"W-What do you mean?"
Law was baffled.
Most people would avoid such a situation at all costs, yet Maude seemed to welcome it.
Maude withdrew his hand, unwilling to elaborate further, and instead shifted the topic to Smoothie's corpse.
"This 'Sweet Commander's corpse' is in excellent condition. I'll leave the restoration to you, Law."
"..."
Seeing how decisively Maude changed the subject, Law could only nod silently and accept the task.
"Hoho, during that call, Big Mom didn't mention anything about retrieving Smoothie's corpse. It seems, to her, it's nothing more than a discarded piece."
As he discussed corpse restoration, Lafitte cast a glance at Smoothie's lifeless body.
Turning corpses into warriors was one of the most prominent features of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's abilities.
However, Maude had always prioritized quality over quantity.
If he was going to create a zombie army, he would be meticulous about the quality of both the corpse and the shadow.
And as a Sweet Commander of the Big Mom Pirates, Smoothie certainly qualified.
"Unlike Big Mom's indifference, the Whitebeard Pirates would surely want to reclaim Whitebeard's body..."
Maude's gaze shifted to the legendary corpse still stored within his Shadow Casket.
Since Whitebeard's body was already in a severely deteriorated state, Maude had never considered turning it into a zombie warrior.
As long as Whitebeard's corpse remained in his possession, Ace and his crew would eventually come looking for him.
Even without the body, they would likely seek vengeance for Whitebeard and come to challenge him.
Lafitte chuckled darkly and said coldly, "The Whitebeard Pirates are barely holding themselves together. How could they have the strength to reclaim Whitebeard's body?"
Maude nodded. "Let's hope they don't collapse too soon."
In the original timeline, after suffering heavy losses in the Summit War, the Whitebeard Pirates took the initiative to attack the Blackbeard Pirates—only to be utterly defeated.
Furthermore, the subordinate pirate crews under Whitebeard's banner in the New World were systematically wiped out by Edward Weevil, the self-proclaimed Whitebeard Jr., who annihilated 16 divisions in succession shortly after the war's end.
Under these dual blows, it took less than two years for the Whitebeard Pirates to completely disappear from the stage.
Now, however, while Whitebeard was still dead, Ace—the man carrying the Pirate King's bloodline—had survived.
If the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates chose to let Ace inherit Whitebeard's position as captain...
Then, as long as Ace issued a call under the banner of the Pirate King's bloodline, he could quickly rally a formidable force.
Moreover, Blackbeard had been set up by Maude, failing to obtain the Tremor-Tremor Fruit at Marineford. On top of that, more than half of the elite core members he had recently recruited had already been wiped out.
With this turn of events, the Whitebeard Pirates under Ace's leadership might not necessarily fall to the Blackbeard Pirates.
They could even leverage the influence of the Pirate King's bloodline to rapidly expand into a formidable power, one capable of crushing both Blackbeard and Weevil in succession.
That is, if Ace was willing to take up the mantle…
"No matter what the 'future' holds…"
Maude's gaze remained calm.
"I will ride the waves forward!"
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