"Boom…!"
Seconds after Pica fell, the shattered rock fragments that had been crushed and sent flying by Maude rained down one by one, triggering a series of loud crashes.
The resulting shockwave carried a thick cloud of dust, sweeping through the area and lingering in the air.
The sheer force of the event left the Straw Hat crew momentarily dazed, their tense nerves finally relaxing. Then, with expressions ranging from awe to admiration, they turned their gazes toward Maude.
Hovering in midair with her umbrella, Perona glanced at the Straw Hat crew before floating forward to Maude's side.
She then adjusted her cute little parasol, angling it slightly over Maude's head.
Maude didn't mind Perona's considerate gesture and instead strode toward the Straw Hat crew.
Perona followed closely, ensuring that the shadow cast by her parasol continued to cover Maude.
"Idol!!!"
As Maude approached, Bartolomeo was the first to react. He lunged forward, stars sparkling in his eyes.
"..."
Maude looked down in surprise at Bartolomeo, who was now lying in the sand before him, his face filled with excitement.
His eyes swept over Bartolomeo's distinctive rooster-head hairstyle, triggering a flash of memories in his mind.
He quickly recognized the man but struggled to recall his rather lengthy name.
Wait a minute…
The Bartolomeo mentioned in intelligence reports—was it really this rooster-headed guy?
As Maude pondered, Bartolomeo fumbled in his pocket, pulling out a pen with trembling hands and extending it toward Maude, his voice shaking with excitement.
"Idol, I-I finally get to meet you! C-could you sign…"
"Wham."
Before Bartolomeo could finish, Luffy appeared behind him, pressing him face-first into the sand.
"You're super strong."
Luffy, now half-kneeling on Bartolomeo's back, looked up at Maude with bright, unwavering eyes.
Maude didn't respond immediately, instead taking the opportunity to study the young man before him—the "Child of Destiny," Monkey D. Luffy.
Luffy stood up, seemingly unaware that he was still stepping on Bartolomeo.
Even standing on Bartolomeo's back, the height difference was still apparent, forcing him to look up at Maude.
"How did you do that teleporting thing?"
Luffy asked curiously, more intrigued by Maude's apparent teleportation than his earth-shattering slashes.
"You idiot, who just outright asks that kind of question? Who would actually answer you?"
Perona pouted, thinking to herself.
"I'm the user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. I can freely swap positions with my shadow. That teleportation you saw was just me switching places with it."
A second later, Perona's eyes widened in disbelief as Maude answered Luffy's question without hesitation.
"Huh?"
She was utterly dumbfounded.
What the hell? Is he one of yours too?
Perona tilted her head, eyeing Maude's profile as she silently complained in her mind.
Hearing Maude's response, Luffy immediately turned to look at Maude's shadow, tilting his head in confusion as several question marks seemed to float above his straw hat.
At the same time, his mind conjured an image—Maude lying flat on the ground while his shadow stood in front of him.
Instantly, even more question marks appeared over his head.
"You still don't get it?!" Perona looked at Luffy in disbelief as he furrowed his brows in deep thought.
"Heh."
Maude chuckled. With a simple thought, his shadow detached from his body, gradually solidifying into a physical form beside him.
"My shadow can move freely and reshape itself like clay into anything I want, such as…"
As Maude spoke, his fully materialized shadow morphed rapidly into a figure identical to Luffy.
"Whoa! That's amazing!"
Luffy's eyes sparkled as he looked at the shadow version of himself, completely forgetting his earlier confusion.
"Whoa! It looks exactly like Luffy!"
"Whoa! So this is Master's ability!"
Chopper, who had just woken up, and an ecstatic Usopp rushed to Luffy's side, their eyes shining as they gazed at Maude's animated shadow.
Nami and the others also stepped closer.
Zoro, however, stood apart, quietly gazing at the countless shattered red rock fragments in the distance—remnants of Maude's devastating slashes.
With all eyes now on him, Maude smiled and continued manipulating his shadow.
"A shadow isn't limited to just mimicking human shapes."
He then reshaped his shadow into a massive Tyrannosaurus rex, its body stretching twenty meters long.
"Whoa…"
Luffy and the others gasped in amazement at the sight of the shadowy dinosaur.
"And it works just as well for weapons."
The enormous shadow dinosaur rippled like water, transforming into a forty-meter-long shadow blade, which Maude grasped in his hand.
Seeing the gigantic sword, another round of gasps erupted from the group.
Even Zoro, who had initially shown no interest in the shadow's tricks, couldn't help but glance at the massive black blade in Maude's hand.
"If it can turn into a weapon, it can also transform into tools."
With a smirk, Maude manipulated the forty-meter shadow sword into an equally long shadow chain.
"For example, a practical tool like a chain."
As he spoke, he appeared to be demonstrating the chain's effectiveness. Controlling the shadow, he swiftly wrapped it around Luffy's waist.
The shadow chain coiled around Luffy like a python, binding him tightly in an instant.
"Whoa, this feels even stronger than a real chain! I can't move at all!"
Luffy struggled against the chains, but the immense restraining force held him completely still.
"What an incredible ability."
Watching Luffy wrapped up like a cocoon, the rest of the crew couldn't help but marvel.
Luffy, however, simply grinned and kept wriggling, unintentionally demonstrating the strength and durability of the shadow chains.
Maude chuckled slightly before saying seriously, "Yeah, it's quite useful."
As he finished speaking, under the puzzled gazes of everyone present, Maude slowly raised his hand.
Luffy, who was bound tightly by shadow chains, suddenly floated through the air toward Maude, who effortlessly lifted him up with one hand.
"Alright, let's head to Marine Headquarters together."
Maude smiled as he looked at Luffy, who was wrapped up like a rice dumpling.
Luffy blinked in confusion, staring blankly at Maude, struggling to process what was happening.
"Eh!?"
Maude's sudden action left Usopp and the others stunned, their eyes widening as they stared at him holding Luffy in his grasp.
"Master, what are you…?"
"Well, I am a Warlord of the Sea, after all. I should at least do something within my 'official duties'—like capturing a few pirates, for instance."
Maude casually tossed Luffy up and down in his hand.
"Eh!!! I've been caught!?"
It was only at that moment that Luffy finally registered the situation, his face filled with shock as he looked at Maude mid-air.
"How did this happen…?"
The Straw Hat crew watched Maude in alarm.
Shing—
The sound of a blade being drawn rang out.
Even though the opponent was as monstrous as they came, Zoro—this swordsman with limitless potential—showed no hesitation.
"He's my captain. If you think you can take him to Marine Headquarters… I won't just stand by and let it happen."
Just as Zoro finished drawing his sword, a firm and unquestionable voice rang out from within the lingering dust and smoke in the distance.
At the same time, a lone figure carrying a satchel on his back slowly emerged from the haze.
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