The dramatic arrival of Maude and Aokiji sent shockwaves through the three thousand people present.
Almost everyone was either shocked or terrified as they stared at Maude and Aokiji.
For the Donquixote Family and the Beasts Pirates, there was no doubt—these two powerhouses were enemies.
But the Navy, currently caught in a dire situation, found themselves hesitating.
From their perspective, Maude and Aokiji had not only rescued Hina upon arrival but had also restrained Vergo.
More importantly, Aokiji had only recently been an Admiral of the Navy…
Perhaps, out of old loyalties, he might lend them a hand!
It wasn't unreasonable for the gathered Marines to think this way.
After all, with the overwhelming gap in power between the two sides, they could see no other way out of their predicament—unless Aokiji aided them.
"Quite the lively scene, huh?"
Under the watchful gazes of the surrounding crowd, Maude loosened his grip, letting small fragments of the shattered Demon Bamboo scatter to the ground.
He could clearly sense the killing intent radiating from the Beasts Pirates, yet he ignored it entirely and walked toward the ice-sculpted Vergo.
Crack—
At that moment, fissures rapidly spread across the ice encasing Vergo.
"Arara, almost forgot… You can't freeze vibrations."
Standing nearby, Aokiji casually formed an ice blade in his hand with a simple motion of his fingers.
Then, without hesitation, he thrust it toward the frozen Vergo.
Crash—!
The ice shattered into fragments.
Freed, Vergo retreated swiftly, barely avoiding Aokiji's sword strike.
As soon as he broke free, he reacted as if Maude and Aokiji were terrifying natural disasters, frantically putting as much distance between them as possible.
Only when he felt he had reached a safe distance did Vergo finally stop, panting slightly, gritting his teeth as he glared at the two uninvited intruders.
"Damn it…"
That brief clash had left Vergo shaken to his core—whether it was Maude or Aokiji, both had given him an overwhelming sense of dread that he hadn't felt in years.
The confidence he had gained after acquiring the Tremor-Tremor Fruit had been utterly shattered.
If not for the fruit's unique abilities, he would have been killed the moment Aokiji froze him…
Maude glanced at the retreating Vergo before shifting his gaze to Aokiji.
"Kuzan, were you holding back just now?"
"Arara, I never hold back."
Aokiji casually melted the ice blade in his hand, scratching his cheek in an unconcerned manner.
"…"
Hearing this, Maude paused for a moment before letting the matter drop. Instead, he turned his attention toward his true target for this operation—Vergo, the new wielder of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"Didn't expect the Beasts Pirates to be here too."
From the corner of his eye, he noticed Jack and the others.
A Calamity and two of the Tobiroppo.
A lineup like this could easily bring a nation to ruin.
But for Maude, it was nothing short of an unexpected delight.
"Hina doesn't understand…"
Supporting herself on her injured leg, Hina struggled to stand as she stared fixedly at Maude's back.
Hearing her words, Maude turned to face her.
"Why did you save me?"
Meeting Maude's gaze, Hina voiced her question directly.
"Correction."
Maude raised his index finger to his lips. "It was Kuzan who wanted to save you. Not me."
"…"
Hina's heart trembled as she instinctively looked toward Aokiji—only to see the back of his head, deliberately turned away from her.
"However…"
Recalling memories of the war at Marineford, Maude studied Hina's slightly sharper features before saying in a calm tone:
"It would be a shame for a Marine like you to die here."
With that, he didn't wait for her response and strode toward Vergo.
Hina hesitated slightly, biting her lip as she gazed at Maude's back with a complicated expression.
Unbothered by her reaction, Maude set his sights on Vergo, who was still panting in the distance.
His purpose in coming to Dressrosa was to eradicate the Donquixote Family.
But more importantly, it was to claim the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
"Small fry, just stay down for now."
His voice resonated across the entire port.
The Donquixote Family officers and members, along with the Marines fighting them, were momentarily stunned upon hearing his words.
Jack and Ulti of the Beasts Pirates seemed to realize something, their eyes narrowing slightly.
As everyone's attention converged on him, Maude took a single step forward.
His footfall landed heavily, like the rumbling of distant thunder.
As the sound faded into the sky above the port, a muted black shockwave rippled outward from Maude's body, sweeping across the battlefield in an instant.
"Huh?"
Hina, Trebol, Diamante, and Vergo—along with the more distant Chaton and Jack—were the first to be hit by the expanding black wave, their bodies instinctively shuddering upon impact.
The subdued black wave surged forward like an unrelenting wildfire, enveloping the scattered Donquixote Family members and the hundreds of Marines disembarking from the warships.
Whoosh—!
The wave passed through them all, sweeping toward the horizon.
Before they even realized what was happening, the Donquixote Family members collapsed unconscious, whites of their eyes rolling back.
Thud, thud…!
In a single instant, over two thousand Donquixote Family members were taken out.
Only about a hundred remained standing.
The Marines fared little better—over half of them were down, leaving just two hundred conscious.
"Damn it, that's Conqueror's Haki!!!"
The Donquixote Family officers who had withstood the shockwave scowled at the sight of their fallen subordinates.
The Marines, meanwhile, stared at Maude in astonishment, fully grasping the dominance he had just displayed.
This man had carried out his words with sheer force of will.
Even the Beasts Pirates weren't unaffected by Maude's Conqueror's Haki.
However, since Jack's crew was composed of battle-hardened warriors, most of them endured it. Only a handful of the weaker ones collapsed, falling like the small fry they were.
"Bacardi Maude!"
Jack's veins bulged in fury, his gaze filled with murderous intent.
As one of Kaido's three Calamities, Jack was among the most loyal and relentless of Kaido's officers.
For him, any order from Kaido—or any enemy Kaido wanted dead—was an absolute command.
Now, having run into the man Kaido wanted eliminated most, Jack wasn't thinking about retreat.
All he wanted was to kill Maude.
"Things just got interesting."
Ulti took a few steps forward, eyes narrowing as she scrutinized Maude and Aokiji.
Meanwhile, Drake remained expressionless, though his mind was in turmoil.
As Jack's attention was drawn toward Maude, Chaton took the opportunity to withdraw from the battle and head toward his comrades.
When he passed by Aokiji, Chaton came to a halt.
"Kuzan, what exactly is your position now?"
"Hmm..."
Aokiji tilted his head slightly and looked at Chaton. "My position... Didn't the morning paper make it clear enough a while ago?"
"You... I didn't want to believe it at first, but why, Kuzan? Why did you choose to become a pirate, and why, of all crews, did you join the Maude Pirates?"
Chaton's gaze was filled with deep disappointment as he stared at Aokiji's calm face.
Aokiji slowly shoved his hands into his pockets and said coolly, "Instead of lecturing me, you'd better focus on treating Smoker. He doesn't look too good."
"..."
Chaton fell silent for a moment before shifting his gaze toward Maude.
Noticing Chaton's stare, Maude's expression remained indifferent as he responded with a dangerous smile that carried a silent warning.
Chaton instinctively clenched his fists before swiftly stepping out of Maude's sight and moving toward Smoker.
"Where's the ship's doctor? Get over here and tend to Smoker's wounds!"
Choosing to trust Kuzan's words, Chaton immediately called for medical aid.
Hearing the command, the ship's doctor abandoned any preparations for battle and rushed over to Smoker's side, immediately beginning treatment.
Maude glanced at the steadily regrouping Marines before turning his attention back to Aokiji. "Satisfied?"
"Arara... I really can't figure you out anymore."
Aokiji studied Maude intently before pausing for a moment and adding, "Captain."
"There will be plenty more things you won't understand going forward."
Maude chuckled before shifting his focus ahead once more. His gaze fell upon Vergo and the Beasts Pirates, and he raised his hand, curling his fingers in a taunting gesture.
As he made this motion, the sky suddenly darkened.
A colossal floating island ship emerged from the clouds, casting a vast shadow over the harbor.
"Hmm?"
The sudden appearance of the island ship once again drew everyone's attention.
As all eyes instinctively turned to the massive vessel overhead, several figures leaped from its deck.
Simultaneously, a spherical domain expanded in midair, enveloping the falling figures.
"Room!"
Law's voice rang out from above.
Swoosh—
The instant the domain unfolded, those who had been descending suddenly appeared at Maude's side.
These figures, of course, were the key members of the Maude Pirates.
"Phew—"
Having used his ability to transport himself and his comrades to the ground, Law let out a long exhale and muttered, "Would it kill you all to just fall normally? Now I've wasted my energy on this…"
"Ever heard of 'dramatic flair'? You utterly unromantic man."
Perona floated in the air with her signature parasol, casting Law a disdainful look.
"Why do I have to take this from you?"
A cross-shaped vein bulged on Law's forehead.
Bailey hopped onto Maude's shoulder and, with an air of aged wisdom, lectured, "Young Law, being cool is a lifelong commitment."
Law's mouth twitched, and another vein popped up on his forehead.
"Yohohoho."
Brook tipped his hat with a laugh. "Teleporting is certainly more convenient than floating down."
Law sighed inwardly, deciding it wasn't worth the effort to argue with this lot.
"Oo-oo-oo..."
Philo, with her crow mask resting on the back of her head, approached Urouge and tilted her head, staring at the wings on his back.
"???"
Urouge scratched his head, confused by Philo's interest.
"U-Urouge..."
Philo finally spoke in full sentences and pointed at his tiny wings. "Are you too heavy? Is that why you can't fly?"
"Hah?"
Urouge was momentarily stunned, but he soon smiled and began to respond—
"Sky Islanders' wings are purely decorative. In other words, they don't grant flight capability."
Before Urouge could agree with Philo's assumption, Hawkins bluntly stated the truth.
"..."
Urouge was speechless at Hawkins' lack of tact, and the ever-present smile on his face stiffened slightly.
Meanwhile, Philo nodded in understanding.
"Hoho... Marines and the Beasts Pirates, huh? Quite the unexpected lineup."
Lafitte stepped forward, stopping at Maude's right side. He lifted his finger to his hat's brim, smiling at their well-prepared opponents.
Gaya stood on Maude's left, saying nothing as she unsheathed her battle axe and ran her fingers lightly along the blade.
Surrounded by his crew, Maude smiled at Jack and the others ahead. His beckoning gesture did not cease as he asked calmly, "Not planning to make a move?"
"!!!"
Jack's face darkened as he suddenly strode forward.
However, a figure moved even faster, dashing past Jack straight toward Maude.
"I can't just stand here and watch!"
The figure was none other than Ulti.
Her eyes burned with fury as she sprinted, her body gradually shifting into her Pachycephalosaurus hybrid form.
Jim's gaze sharpened at the sight of Ulti's Ancient Zoan transformation, and he prepared to intercept her.
Yet, before he could act, Gaya moved even faster, appearing directly in Ulti's path.
"Huh!? Get out of my way!"
Seeing Gaya blocking her, Ulti's hardened skull instantly turned black with Armament Haki.
Ulti Head Spear!
She aimed a ferocious headbutt at Gaya's vital points.
Gaya's amber eyes gleamed slightly as she lifted her arm, bringing her axe down onto Ulti's head.
Clang!
The clash froze both combatants in place.
Armament Haki flared where the axe met Ulti's skull, sending crackling black lightning outward.
"This woman...!!!"
Ulti gritted her teeth, staring past the sparks into Gaya's unwavering amber eyes, devoid of emotion.
Gaya exerted more strength into her axe.
Unable to withstand the force, Ulti was sent flying backward over ten meters.
Steadying herself, she shot Gaya a sharp glare.
At the same time, Drake, now in his Allosaurus hybrid form, received orders from Jack. Wielding an axe in one hand and a sword in the other, he charged past the fallen Ulti toward Maude's crew.
"Captain, leave the small fry to us."
Lafitte chuckled as he drew his cane-sword, intercepting Drake effortlessly.
"Small fry?"
Drake locked his weapons against Lafitte's, his eyes ice-cold.
Lafitte smirked. "Any objections?"
With a mere partial transformation, Lafitte knocked Drake back with ease.
Maude watched as Lafitte and Gaya each blocked a Tobiroppo and smiled.
"Then, I'll leave the small fry to you."
He strode forward, reaffirming Lafitte's words.
Hearing themselves dismissed as "small fry," Ulti, a Beast Pirates officer, burned with rage.
Drake's expression darkened as well.
Both glared furiously at Maude.
"You... Huh?"
Just as they were about to speak, Maude suddenly vanished from their sight.
"!?"
A chill ran through them. Realizing something was off, they turned in unison—
Only to see Maude already behind them, walking calmly toward Vergo and Jack.
"Even our Observation Haki couldn't keep up? Impossible!"
Ulti's eyes widened in shock.
Ignoring them completely, Maude looked at Vergo and spoke calmly.
"The Donquixote Family... will disappear today."
"!!!"
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