Becoming a Warlord of the Sea. Eating the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. Defeating Dorry and Brogy.
These were all preparations Maude had made in anticipation of the upcoming Paramount War.
Before that, his priority was to sharpen his blade as much as possible.
After putting away the Eternal Pose, Maude cast a glance at the hundred or so bounty hunters lying unconscious, knocked out by Cavendish.
Even the smallest gain was still a gain.
However, that logic didn't apply to the mechanism of the Hunter's Notebook.
So, despite the group of defenseless prey lying before him, Maude had no interest in them whatsoever.
Gaya and Philo soon approached Maude.
The former wanted to try making a dish with dinosaur meat as a nutritional supplement. After notifying Maude, she headed into the forest alone.
The latter intended to study the ancient plants on Little Garden, so with Cavendish accompanying her, she also ventured into the forest.
Moments later, only Maude, the unconscious bounty hunters, and the corpses of Dorry and Brogy remained.
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Maude casually instructed his shadow clone to gather some firewood from the forest's edge.
The shadow clone's ability to freely shape itself and move made it incredibly convenient to command.
Initially, Maude had chosen to consume the Shadow-Shadow Fruit solely to rapidly enhance his abilities, thereby increasing his margin for error in the Paramount War.
However, after some time developing and using its powers, Maude found himself increasingly satisfied with the fruit. Many of his techniques were now centered around its unique properties.
To him, the Shadow-Shadow Fruit was practically the perfect support-type Devil Fruit.
Whether augmenting swordsmanship or marksmanship, it allowed his attacks to become unpredictable and ever-changing.
This was precisely why he had managed to defeat Brogy so effortlessly—Brogy had no knowledge of his abilities beforehand.
Before long, the shadow clone returned with a pile of dry firewood.
Under Maude's watchful eye, the shadow clone stacked the firewood into a campfire and lit it.
Impatiently waiting for Gaya to bring back dinosaur meat, Bailey ran to a nearby giant tree and pried off a two-meter-long, plump white grub. He then skewered it on a wooden stick and placed it over the fire to roast.
"Gulp."
Bailey swallowed his saliva, his eyes fixed intently on the grub as the flames slowly curled its body.
Maude glanced at him and shook his head slightly, then shifted his thoughts to his upcoming plans.
Taking into account Gaya and Philo's needs, they would likely be staying on Little Garden for around twenty days.
Once their research was complete, they would return to the Thriller Bark before heading straight for the Sabaody Archipelago to ambush high-bounty pirates for experience.
And they would remain there until the Paramount War began…
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly."
Maude murmured to himself.
With his knowledge of future events, he was well aware that as long as Ace refused to give up his pursuit of Blackbeard, the Paramount War would inevitably take place.
However, beyond that point, the butterfly effect caused by his presence would make his foreknowledge increasingly unreliable.
At that stage, numerous unforeseen changes might occur.
He was already mentally prepared for this.
In fact, he even had an idea—an undeveloped plan—to make the Paramount War even more intense than in the original timeline: involving the Revolutionary Army!
As this thought crossed his mind, a glimmer flickered in Maude's eyes.
Half an hour passed.
Gaya and the others had yet to return, while the bounty hunters lying on the ground began to regain consciousness one by one.
"I… I'm still alive?!"
The moment they realized they were still breathing, the bounty hunters were first in disbelief, then overwhelmed with joy.
In their current predicament, what could be more gratifying than simply being alive?
However, they were celebrating too soon.
"W-... Warlord of the Sea Maude…!"
One bounty hunter finally noticed Maude sitting calmly by the fire, watching them with an impassive gaze.
With that one exclamation, the others who had just regained consciousness followed his line of sight and immediately turned pale with terror.
Only now did they realize that they hadn't survived by sheer luck—Maude and Cavendish had intentionally spared them.
Understanding this, the bounty hunters grew increasingly uneasy.
Maude regarded them calmly and spoke.
"I have a task for you."
"Huh?!"
The bounty hunters flinched, fear evident on their faces as they anxiously awaited Maude's next words, unsure of his intentions.
Then, they saw Maude extend his hand, pointing toward an empty patch of land nearby before stating their so-called 'task.'
"Before sunset, build a house there."
"Eh???"
The bounty hunters were utterly dumbfounded, as if their minds had short-circuited.
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford – Chaton's Office.
Click.
Chaton hung up the Den Den Mushi and let out a soft sigh.
"Giants… so stubborn."
The call had come from Little Garden.
Through it, Chaton had learned everything that had transpired there.
Upon hearing that Maude had effortlessly taken down both Brogy and Dorry, he felt a pang of regret and couldn't help but comment.
In his view, if Dorry and Brogy had worked together, even if they couldn't defeat Maude, they would have at least caused him some trouble.
But instead, they had foolishly chosen to fight him one-on-one.
And now, look what happened.
They were easily taken out without Maude even sustaining a scratch.
Shaking his head, Chaton casually picked up a pen and began writing down names.
These were none other than the names of the Marine Headquarters' Giant Vice Admirals.
Once he had written the last name, he murmured to himself.
"As soon as the relevant footage arrives, I'll have the news agencies spread this story far and wide."
Setting the pen aside, he narrowed his eyes slightly.
"In that case…"
Chaton could already imagine the consequences Maude would face.
Becoming the Giants' sworn enemy might be an exaggeration.
But at the very least, he would certainly earn the hostility of some of them.
If even the Giant Vice Admirals within the Marines bore a grudge against Maude, all the better.
That was precisely the outcome Chaton desired most.
"I can't wait to see this unfold."
He rubbed his chin with anticipation.
Knock, knock.
At that moment, a knock came from his office door.
Chaton looked up and said, "Come in."
The door swung open, revealing Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"Ah, Granny Tsuru."
Chaton instinctively stood up, somewhat surprised by her visit.
Vice Admiral Tsuru walked in and approached Chaton's desk.
With a quick glance, she immediately noticed the paper listing the names of the Giant Vice Admirals.
"So, this is your plan?"
She picked up the paper and asked knowingly.
Just from these names alone, she could already infer Chaton's intentions.
No wonder he had volunteered to handle intelligence reports regarding the Giant Warrior Pirates.
"Uh…"
Chaton scratched the back of his head.
Hearing Tsuru's question, he knew she must have already received the intel as well, so he simply nodded.
Looking at Chaton, Tsuru sighed.
"I thought you were only this invested because of what happened to Gion. Seems I was mistaken."
"Well, at first that was part of it…"
Chaton lowered his hand, his expression turning serious.
"But more than personal grievances, I want to see the abolition of the Warlord system. So long as there's even a sliver of possibility, I'll do whatever it takes to make it happen."
"…"
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