If Maude truly assumed the position of a Warlord of the Sea—
Then not only would it mean that Gion could no longer take action against him, but it would also signify that this trip had been a wasted effort.
However, what truly made Gion's expression darken was not that Maude had escaped unscathed once again.
It was that his new status as a Warlord stripped her, as a Marine, of the rightful authority to hunt down a notorious pirate.
"He actually became… a Warlord of the Sea!?"
Wolfrat stared at Maude in shock, as if he had just heard something utterly unbelievable.
This young man, whom he was quite familiar with, had only recently entered the Grand Line as a rookie. He had yet to even set foot in the far more perilous New World—
And yet, he had already gained recognition from the highest echelons of the World Government?
Such a thing was unheard of.
Wolfrat felt numb.
Ever since he had met Maude, things that defied his understanding had kept happening one after another.
Sentomaru glanced at the dumbfounded Wolfrat beside him and frowned. "If this guy really became a Warlord, does that mean we can't lay a hand on him anymore?"
"Yeah."
Wolfrat nodded heavily.
Without proper justification, the Marines had no right to attack a Warlord of the Sea.
That was an indisputable fact.
Sentomaru pursed his lips, looking annoyed. "But we haven't received any 'official word' yet. Who knows if he's telling the truth?"
That was indeed a valid point, but—
Wolfrat glanced at Sentomaru before shifting his gaze to Gion's back.
Verifying the truth of Maude's claim was as simple as having the communications officer contact headquarters. In just five seconds, they could confirm everything.
It wouldn't take much time or effort at all.
And yet, Gion had not immediately issued the order to confirm this information.
What did that imply?
Wolfrat had a vague guess about Gion's intentions.
As Sentomaru had just pointed out, they had received no reports about Maude's appointment as a Warlord during their journey from headquarters to the Sabaody Archipelago.
In other words, as long as they didn't actively seek confirmation, they could continue their hunt for Maude under the pretense of being 'unaware.'
Even if they were held accountable afterward, they could simply insist that they couldn't blindly trust the words of a pirate.
That said, this still involved the position of a Warlord of the Sea…
Wolfrat silently watched Gion's back, his emotions—stirred by Maude—gradually settling.
Ultimately, as her subordinate, it wasn't his place to question her decisions. Whatever she chose, he would simply follow suit.
And Wolfrat's guess was mostly correct.
Deep down, Gion was inclined to believe Maude was telling the truth, but she had no intention of backing down just yet.
Whether Maude had truly become a Warlord or not—
As long as she didn't 'confirm' it, it didn't matter.
Gion's grim expression gradually turned cold.
The pressure that had momentarily stalled due to Maude's words now surged back with renewed intensity.
"This may be one of the few remaining chances…"
A fleeting thought passed through Gion's mind.
Allowing Maude to continue growing unchecked was not in the best interests of the Marines' future.
Her fixation on Maude stemmed precisely from her unwillingness to watch him rise like a storm, sweeping through the seas unchallenged.
Seeing Gion first fall silent, only to then radiate an overwhelming aura, Maude narrowed his eyes. Without hesitation, he placed a hand on Brook's light shoulder bone.
Brook looked at Maude in confusion at this sudden gesture.
However, Maude paid him no mind. Instead, he kept his gaze locked on Gion, who was exuding a steadily intensifying killing intent, and coolly remarked, "Old hag, you're not planning on eliminating all witnesses, are you?"
"..."
Gion remained silent and took a step forward toward Maude.
With each step, her aura surged ever higher, making her intentions abundantly clear.
Observing her actions, Wolfrat immediately understood. He discreetly signaled his comrades behind him, instructing them to prepare for battle.
Meanwhile, Sentomaru was momentarily stunned before excitement lit up his face. He hoisted his massive double-edged axe, eager to find an opening to land a strike on Maude.
As for matters of 'justice'—
What justice needed to be shown to a pirate?
Maude frowned as he watched Gion advance, her aura accumulating with each step. He sighed lightly. "I really underestimated you, crazy woman…"
With that, he withdrew his hand from Brook's shoulder.
That gesture just now had been a test—to see if he could swap positions between his main body and his shadow while keeping Brook close.
The result was a failure.
Maude wasn't surprised.
It wasn't that the Shadow-Shadow Fruit was incapable of such a feat, but rather that he had possessed the fruit for too short a time. The fact that he could already manipulate its basic properties so creatively was impressive in itself.
"Brook, you go first."
As long as his shadow remained outside the battlefield, Maude could retreat at any time—but he couldn't bring Brook along in an instant escape.
Thus, having Brook leave first would significantly lighten his burden.
Hearing Maude repeat the same words from earlier, Brook fell silent.
When they encountered the Celestial Dragons, Brook had left without hesitation due to the potential threat they posed.
But this time, the danger was real and present.
Leaving Maude alone to face the Marines felt far too risky.
As Brook hesitated, a slightly slurred voice echoed across the battlefield: "Not bad, you actually managed to 'sneak attack' me!"
The speaker was none other than Chaton, whom Maude had kicked away earlier.
"But if that's the extent of your 'sneak attack,' you could hit me a hundred more times, and it still wouldn't matter."
Chaton strolled casually back into the battle circle, hands in his pockets.
His clothes were tattered and covered in dust, yet his tone suggested he was completely unfazed.
"Impressive, Chat—huh???"
Sentomaru and the Marines initially felt reassured by Chaton's words, but upon seeing his face, they were immediately dumbfounded.
A massive, basketball-sized lump had swollen on Chaton's right cheek, squashing his right eye into a mere slit.
This hardly looked like someone 'unscathed.'
If he took another hundred hits—no, even ten—he might actually drop dead on the spot.
Ignoring the stunned stares from his comrades, Chaton stepped into Maude's attack range ahead of Gion.
Then, with his swollen face held high, he said with a straight face, "Tch, a kick that doesn't even hurt."
"..."
Maude silently glanced at the swollen lump on Chaton's face.
Having reached the peak of her gathered momentum, Gion nearly lost her composure at Chaton's blatant lie.
Shave!
Gion abandoned further thought. With rapid footwork, she vanished and reappeared in front of Maude.
A terrifying pressure crashed toward him.
Unaffected, Maude's eyes flashed red. The moment Gion appeared, he preemptively slashed a flying blade of compressed air toward the ground before her.
This move was clearly intended as a deterrent rather than a direct attack.
The sword energy struck the ground first, erupting on impact.
The ensuing shockwave sent up a thick cloud of dust, engulfing Gion.
Chaton had originally considered informing Gion before making his move, but he halted when he saw Maude anticipate her attack with Observation Haki. Maude preemptively unleashed a slash to disrupt her offensive.
If the slash had been aimed directly at Gion, it would have had little to no effect in interfering with her assault.
However, by striking the ground in front of her, the outcome was immediately apparent.
The crumbling terrain and the dust explosion that followed both served to hinder Gion's swift advance.
This response was precise and decisively executed, yet it also revealed Maude's clear intent to avoid direct confrontation.
"That kick earlier didn't do much damage, but this guy is definitely no ordinary opponent."
Fixated on the "harmless kick," Chaton suddenly lunged at Maude, as if eager to seize the opportunity.
He had no interest in the glory of taking down Maude.
However, Maude's very existence had become the root cause of Gion's tarnished reputation within the Marines.
As the Vice Admiral most deserving of Gion's favor, it was only fitting that he be the one to eliminate Maude. Perhaps, by doing so, he might even win her admiration.
This fleeting thought ignited within Chaton like a shot of adrenaline. With an aggressive burst of speed, he closed in on Maude's right flank and, in a sudden pivot, swung a powerful whip kick toward Maude's face.
Maude immediately sensed the incoming strike, a flicker of surprise flashing in his eyes.
At this range, a punch would have been faster and more forceful—yet this guy opted for a kick instead.
There was no time to ponder the reasoning behind it. Seizing the slight opening created by Chaton's spinning motion, Maude reacted with lightning speed. He grabbed Brook by the collar and immediately propelled himself into the air using Moonwalk.
Chaton's devastating whip kick struck only empty space.
His plan to fight fire with fire had collapsed in an instant.
"Huh? Isn't that Moonwalk?"
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