Chaton's whip kick missed its target. He swiftly adjusted his stance, steadying himself as he looked up in surprise at Maude, who had propelled himself into the air by stepping on thin air.
Moonwalk?
Chaton, who knew little about Maude's abilities, couldn't help but entertain an absurd thought upon witnessing this technique.
Don't tell me this guy is actually a Marine undercover?
Suspended in midair, Maude had no time to worry about the threat posed by Chaton and Gion below. His left arm, which held Brook by the collar, suddenly bulged slightly, his thin sleeve straining against the veins that surfaced like writhing earthworms.
In the next instant, Maude swung his arm forcefully and hurled Brook away.
It all happened in a flash.
With the urgency of the situation, Maude didn't have the luxury to warn Brook beforehand, let alone issue any instructions.
Brook, only processing what had happened after being flung through the air, felt a suffocating frustration settle deep within his boneless chest cavity.
As a newcomer to the crew, he was eager to prove himself.
Yet, from the moment they arrived on this island, he had done nothing but experience an overwhelming sense of helplessness.
With my current strength… do I really deserve to be a member of the Maude Pirates?
Brook couldn't help but question himself, his doubts fueled by the seemingly insurmountable barrier of Haki that loomed over his understanding like an unbridgeable chasm.
This… is the difference in power.
Outside the battlefield, Sentomaru and Wolfrat immediately pursued Brook the moment Maude flung him away.
When hunting pirates, the Marines always aimed to eliminate every last one of them. Allowing Brook to escape wouldn't just be negligence—it would be disgraceful to Gion's side.
Sentomaru and Wolfrat moved first. A second or two later, the rest of the Marines snapped out of their daze. They quickly glanced at Maude, who was being attacked by Chaton and Gion. Given the strength of the two vice admirals, they assumed taking Maude down was only a matter of time. With that confidence, they hurried to join Sentomaru and Wolfrat in their pursuit of Brook.
From midair, Maude saw them chasing after Brook, his brows knitting together.
Under the combined pressure from Chaton and Gion, he couldn't even spare a single shot to assist Brook.
No choice, then.
With a flicker of thought, Maude commanded his shadow, which had been waiting outside the battle zone, to glide across the ground in Brook's direction.
Just then, a deep crimson slash tore through the air, cutting the dust cloud below in half as it shot straight toward Maude.
Maude glanced downward and quickly swung Shusui to intercept the incoming sword energy.
Boom!
The impact sent a powerful shockwave through the air. With no solid ground to stabilize himself, Maude lost his balance.
Whoosh!
Gion kicked off the ground, launching herself into the air. Her Konpira, clad in Armament Haki, slashed upward, targeting Maude's unguarded chest.
This strike was meant to end it.
Anticipating Maude's imminent fall, Chaton executed a series of Shave movements, positioning himself precisely where he expected Maude to land.
The moment Maude came crashing down, Chaton planned to unleash all his strength and punt him straight into the ground like a football.
He tilted his head up, eagerly awaiting the outcome.
In the air.
Gion's eyes gleamed sharply.
Her strike carried lethal intent, aimed directly at Maude's chest.
At this moment, no matter how well Maude had mastered Moonwalk, he had no way to change direction and evade.
With his balance lost in midair, it was impossible for him to dodge.
But—
Maude was a Shadow-Shadow Fruit user!
Shadow Blink!
Just as Gion's Haki-infused Konpira was about to cut into Maude's chest, he instantaneously swapped places with his shadow that had been speeding along the ground.
Whoosh!
Maude vanished into thin air, replaced by a barely visible shadow occupying the space he had just left.
Gion's decisive strike hit nothing but air.
An instant later—
The formless sword energy from her missed attack cleaved through a massive Yarukiman Mangrove tree in the distance, splitting it cleanly in two.
Creak… creak…
The towering tree, now severed, slowly tilted, its lush canopy beginning its inevitable descent toward the ground.
The people near its base, hearing the ominous sound, looked up in horror. Their faces turned deathly pale at the sight of the massive tree crown about to crush them.
"I must be dreaming…"
Some stood frozen in shock, while most screamed and fled in terror.
In the Sabaody Archipelago, buildings were typically constructed next to the Yarukiman Mangroves—densely populated areas.
It was clear that once this tree came crashing down, anyone within range would be doomed.
Gion realized this immediately.
So, instead of attempting to strike at the shadow that had swapped places with Maude, she focused on stopping the falling tree crown.
This split-second shift in priorities not only cost her a crucial opportunity to attack but also left her open to a counter.
At that moment, Maude used Shadow Blink again, swapping places with his shadow once more, reappearing right in front of Gion.
Without hesitation, he slashed at her as she fell.
If this strike landed, she would be seriously injured—if not killed outright.
Given the circumstances, Gion, emotionally distracted and at risk of losing her Observation Haki, was unlikely to evade this counterattack.
However—
Maude was a Devil Fruit user.
And so was Gion.
Part 1: Tranquility.
This was an aroma that enabled Gion to maintain an unwavering calm under any circumstance.
The effectiveness of Observation Haki was directly linked to one's emotional state.
If a user became agitated, lost rationality, or succumbed to pain-induced distress, their Observation Haki would instantly fail.
Only by maintaining composure could one ensure consistent use of Observation Haki.
This meant that as long as Gion remained under the effects of her Tranquility fragrance, she could maintain her Observation Haki at all times—without interruption.
A continuous, unbroken Observation Haki.
This was a unique application of the Paramecia-type Aroma-Aroma Fruit, tailored to Gion's combat needs.
Thus, despite her concern for the innocent civilians she might have inadvertently endangered, her Observation Haki never faltered.
As Maude's blade swung down, Gion reacted instantly, raising her sword to block the attack.
But—
Maude was above, and Gion was below.
Even though she managed to block in time, the position gave Maude a clear advantage.
Clang!
Shusui and Konpira clashed violently.
Sparks erupted where their blades met.
With no foothold to brace against, Gion was sent plummeting downward by the force of Maude's strike, her body hurtling toward the ground like a cannonball.
And as fate would have it, she was headed straight for Chaton's carefully chosen landing spot.
"...Huh?"
Chaton was dumbfounded.
He had positioned himself there expecting to kick Maude into the earth.
But instead of Maude—
The one falling toward him was his goddess.
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