Eliminating potential threats at the root.
That was always Maude's way of doing things.
Ignoring the guards, the soldiers, and even the strange gaze from Sharlia, Maude raised his blade against Belloc's subordinates.
A single stroke per person.
One after another, Belloc's men collapsed, their blood staining the ground red.
After several fell, the remaining ones—far from being mere lambs awaiting slaughter—grabbed their weapons and sprang to their feet.
With death closing in, there was no time for useless formalities.
If they were going to die anyway, they would rather go down fighting.
"Kill him!"
One of them roared.
Maude's gaze flicked toward him, and before the words fully left his mouth, a flash of steel silenced him permanently.
Perhaps feeling that one-by-one was too inefficient, Maude swept his blade outward, sending waves of sword energy slicing through the air.
Like a farmer harvesting wheat, he cut down dozens in an instant.
"This…"
The rest of Belloc's subordinates, who had hoped to mount a desperate struggle, froze in terror.
Dozens of comrades had fallen in the blink of an eye.
How were they supposed to fight against something like this?
Their will to resist shattered on the spot.
But Maude showed no mercy. Another series of slashes tore through their ranks, leaving a gaping wound in their formation.
In an instant, severed limbs and bodies littered the ground, blood pooling like a scene from hell itself.
Before Maude's overwhelming power, more than half of Belloc's forces perished immediately, and their so-called numerical advantage collapsed.
The entire slaughter took less than five seconds.
Yet the massacre was far from over.
Since the Human Auctioning House had dared to target Brook, Maude had no intention of letting it exist any longer.
Killing these people was merely the beginning.
Meanwhile, the bodyguards assigned to eliminate Maude weren't standing idly by. As soon as they reloaded, they raised their rifles and opened fire.
However, despite their precise marksmanship, two full rounds of bullets flew past Maude without so much as grazing him—instead, they only succeeded in killing more of Belloc's own men.
Indifferent to collateral damage, the bodyguards reloaded again, preparing for a third volley.
Their sheer disregard for life was evident.
Outside the battlefield, Sharlia's eyes widened in horror as she watched Maude's ruthless slaughter. The anger that had flushed her face red drained away, replaced by a stark paleness.
What a terrifying man…
Her heartbeat quickened dramatically.
Logic told her that, as a Celestial Dragon, she had nothing to fear from some lowly commoner.
And yet, an undeniable sense of dread gripped her heart.
Every "lesser being" she had ever encountered had always knelt before her, only daring to rise after she had left.
But this man…
He dared to act this way in her very presence, as if she were nothing at all.
Forcing herself to look away from Maude's bloodstained figure, Sharlia clung to the hope that her guards and soldiers would eliminate this intolerable man.
But half a minute passed.
Maude stood unscathed.
And the last of Belloc's men lay dead at his feet.
With the entire slaver crew wiped out, Maude flicked his wrist, shaking the blood from his blade, Shusui.
Then, his gaze turned coldly toward the Celestial Dragon's bodyguards—the same ones who had been firing at him moments ago.
Under his chilling stare, the reloading bodyguards stiffened, their expressions growing increasingly tense.
The armored guards wielding knightly spears hesitated, unwilling to step into Maude's striking range.
His overwhelming presence alone had frozen them in place.
Oblivious to the situation, Sharlia shrieked, "What are you waiting for?! Attack him, now!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
With no other choice, the bodyguards and soldiers charged forward, gritting their teeth.
Maude spared them a single indifferent glance—then turned his gaze toward Sharlia, standing in the distance.
Their eyes met.
Sharlia's body instinctively trembled, but she quickly straightened herself.
She was a Celestial Dragon.
How could she possibly cower before some lowly commoner?
Unaware of her internal struggle, Maude thought for a moment, then left an inconspicuous shadow in place before vanishing into thin air using Stealth Walk.
"Where did he go?!"
"Did he run away?"
The guards and soldiers' faces twitched.
Maude's sudden disappearance had spared them a bloody battle.
Yet, rather than feeling relieved, they were even more on edge.
If Sharlia were to take out her frustration on them, their fates would be far worse than mere death—she could have their families punished as well.
"You useless fools!"
Sharlia fumed, glaring at the spot where Maude had vanished.
And at that moment—
Without warning, the pug wearing a Celestial Dragon's bubble helmet lunged at Sharlia.
"Huh?"
Completely unprepared, Sharlia was knocked to the ground, letting out a high-pitched scream.
The sudden attack sent shockwaves through both the guards and the surrounding spectators.
Before their disbelieving eyes, the dignified pug—an animal of far higher status than any of them—seemed to have lost its mind. It repeatedly rammed its head against Sharlia's body.
Fortunately, the cushioning effect of the bubble helmet, combined with the pug's small size, meant that Sharlia wasn't actually hurt.
But the sheer unexpectedness of the attack left her in a state of pure panic, her mind going blank as she screamed uncontrollably.
"A Celestial Dragon is under attack!"
Panicked cries spread among the terrified onlookers—residents and tourists alike.
Far in the distance, atop a building, Maude sat cross-legged, elbow resting against his knee, calmly watching the chaos unfold below.
At this stage, he couldn't afford to lay a hand on a Celestial Dragon.
Even against their bodyguards and soldiers, he had chosen restraint.
But that didn't mean he couldn't teach Sharlia a lesson in his own way.
Watching the shopping district descend into utter turmoil, Maude murmured to himself, "She's wandering around with only a bunch of nobodies protecting her… In a way, this idiotic woman has no sense of self-preservation at all."
To him, those so-called bodyguards and soldiers were nothing but decorations.
If someone truly intended to kill Sharlia, it wouldn't even be difficult.
Of course, this whole encounter was nothing more than a meaningless interlude for him.
Just as he was about to leave—
"Hmm?"
His brow furrowed slightly as he nudged Shusui's hilt with his thumb, making a faint but deliberate clicking sound.
The subtle footsteps approaching from behind abruptly stopped.
Ten meters away stood a woman in a long coat with dark green patterns.
She had been the one making those quiet steps.
"You're not afraid the Celestial Dragons will come after you?"
Her voice carried a hint of curiosity as she gazed at Maude's seated figure.
This woman—forced to accompany Crocodile to Sabaody Archipelago—was none other than Nico Robin.
She had witnessed the entire incident unfold from beginning to end.
Without turning around, Maude's crimson eyes flickered as he recognized her instantly. His voice was calm and cold.
"Whether I fear them or not… What does that have to do with you, Nico Robin?"
Hearing her name spoken so directly, Robin's heart skipped a beat.
A flicker of unease crossed her face as she instinctively took several cautious steps back, widening the distance between them.
She was certain she had never crossed paths with Maude before.
And yet, without even looking at her, he had recognized her immediately.
This unexpected turn of events threw her off balance.
"…How do you know my name?"
"I have no obligation to answer that," Maude replied indifferently. "And I have no interest in getting involved with you."
Then, he stood up and turned to face her.
Robin hesitated—then spoke before he could leave.
"I came to give you some bad news."
"Oh? Let's hear it."
"Half an hour ago, Vice Admiral Gion's warship docked at Grove 66. I believe she's here for you."
Maude sighed.
"That crazy woman just doesn't know when to quit…"
Robin's eyes flickered.
"You don't seem concerned at all."
"Why should I be?"
Maude countered with a question.
Robin was momentarily speechless.
After a brief pause, she continued, "Besides Gion, the Marines coming this way also include Vice Admiral Tokikake."
"Oh?"
A subtle shift flickered in Maude's gaze.
The presence of Tokikake was unexpected.
However, he remained completely unfazed.
"It doesn't matter."
The brief glimmer in Maude's eyes faded, replaced by an expression as calm as still water.
Setting aside his imminent appointment as a Warlord of the Sea, the presence of Rayleigh alone was enough to ensure that Gion and Tokikake would leave empty-handed.
"It doesn't matter?"
Robin was slightly taken aback.
From Maude's subtle change in expression, she couldn't detect the slightest hint of worry or unease.
This left her somewhat disappointed.
It meant that the "bad news" she had voluntarily shared did not carry the weight she had assumed.
And if it wasn't significant enough, then she likely wouldn't be able to extract an equivalent favor from Maude in return.
Maude keenly noticed the fleeting disappointment in Robin's eyes.
He had initially found it odd that she had sought him out so suddenly, voluntarily offering up intelligence…
Was she trying to make him owe her a favor?
In an instant, he pieced together her intent, his gaze toward Nico Robin tinged with a hint of surprise.
Moreover, her confidence suggested that she had done her research on him.
However, as he had stated earlier—considering Aokiji's keen interest in her, he had no desire to be entangled with Nico Robin in any way.
"Nico Robin, I may not know your exact motives for trying to sell me a favor, but—"
Mid-sentence, Maude suddenly sensed something.
He abruptly stopped speaking, his eyes narrowing as he turned toward the direction where Brook had retreated earlier.
Robin's heart skipped a beat at Maude's unfinished words. Just as confusion set in over his sudden silence, she saw him shift his attention elsewhere.
With a single thought, Maude recalled his shadow, and with a light push of his foot against the ground, his figure vanished in an instant.
The next second, he reappeared dozens of meters away on the street, walking away without so much as a backward glance.
"….."
From the rooftop, Robin stood in a daze, watching Maude's departing figure, utterly bewildered.
Did he just leave in the middle of a conversation?
What was that supposed to mean?
And more importantly…
"He saw right through me…"
Robin lowered her head, absentmindedly biting her thumb, her eyes flickering with uncertainty.
For her, approaching Maude to strike a deal was a calculated risk.
But Maude had the kind of potential that made it worth the gamble.
Furthermore, from the intelligence she had gathered, she had a rough understanding of Maude's way of doing things—he always repaid his debts, whether in vengeance or gratitude.
So before making her decision, she had never been concerned about her safety. She was at least seventy to eighty percent confident in her approach.
And yet…
The moment Maude uttered her name…
That seventy to eighty percent certainty crumbled instantly.
"Bacardi Maude…"
Robin lowered her thumb, murmuring his name softly.
In their brief exchange, she had felt an inexplicable pressure.
And that pressure had nothing to do with life or death.
Rather, it was something more abstract—an overwhelming sense of insignificance and helplessness in his presence.
A feeling she couldn't quite put into words.
It sent a chill down her spine.
"No, this is an opportunity—I can't let it slip away."
Robin gave a slight shake of her head, forcibly quelling the hesitation that had just surfaced.
Working with Crocodile was already like making a deal with a tiger.
She had always been aware of the risks involved in their partnership, but she was confident in handling them.
However, this upcoming Warlord meeting—Crocodile's decision to bring her to the Sabaody Archipelago, despite the risk of exposing himself—made her more acutely aware of the danger he posed.
Realizing that Crocodile was different from the "allies" he had betrayed in the past, Robin began to consider securing an alternative escape route.
That was why she had tried to use the intelligence about Gion's arrival at Sabaody as leverage to carve out a potential path with Maude.
But in the end…
Robin gazed in the direction Maude had disappeared, feeling a tightness in her chest.
This man… he was different.
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