Harboring pirates is a serious crime.
Therefore,
In order to apprehend the criminals, Hina was willing to storm the palace at all costs.
But she never expected to fall to such a state.
This was perhaps the most humiliating moment in her entire military career.
"Let me go!"
Hina gritted her teeth, glaring at Maude, who had her firmly restrained.
Unmoved, Maude said indifferently, "You still haven't answered my question from earlier."
"Pirates can only board Hina's ship as criminals, even if they're a Warlord of the Sea."
Hina refused outright.
Perhaps out of anger, her attitude was exceptionally rigid.
Maude spread his hands and sighed, "Well, there's no helping it. We'll have to wait until you calm down, and then we can discuss this properly."
"No ne—"
Thud!
Just as Hina opened her mouth, the shadow restraining her delivered a sudden, heavy punch to the back of her head.
Under the forceful blow, Hina's eyes rolled back, and she passed out without resistance.
The Marines, whose spirits were still recovering from Perona's Negative Hollows, stared wide-eyed at the scene of their formidable and revered superior officer being knocked out cold by Maude.
"So... direct..."
The kingdom's royal guards watched in astonishment.
Perona, nibbling on her dessert, cast a pitying glance at Hina.
Of all the people to provoke, she just had to pick Maude.
Perona shook her head slightly, recalling her hovering ghosts and returning to her sweets.
In her opinion, if Hina had softened her stance even a little, Maude would have let her off for the sake of catching a ride.
After all, the man beside her had no concept of showing mercy to women.
But not only did Hina refuse to compromise—she doubled down with even greater defiance.
Well, now look at her.
Subdued by Maude in front of everyone.
By contrast...
Perona glanced at the dessert plate before her.
Maude had even served her this dessert himself.
Life now might not be entirely free, but at least she no longer suffered indignities.
With Hina's fate as a cautionary example, Perona felt rather lucky.
After knocking Hina out, the atmosphere in the banquet hall grew subtly tense.
But Maude wasn't finished.
He took things a step further, commanding the shadows to knock out the remaining Marines as well.
This display left everyone present utterly speechless.
What a heartless man.
King Cobra cast a deep glance at Maude.
This pirate...
Or rather,
This Warlord of the Sea gave him an entirely different impression.
Was it eccentricity or something more?
Cobra sighed inwardly and ordered the guards to remove the unconscious intruders to a quieter place.
Once the Marines were cleared out, the banquet resumed.
Two hours passed.
The banquet ended late into the night.
At Vivi's invitation, Maude stayed overnight.
In order to properly accommodate the Straw Hat Pirates in the wake of the recent turmoil, King Cobra even opened the palace's baths for them to enjoy a relaxing soak.
Maude, however, did not join in the merriment.
Instead, he chose to take a stroll through the palace gardens.
Perona, bored, followed him.
As for Bailey, after eating and drinking his fill, he had already collapsed into a deep sleep.
Maude and Perona walked slowly along the garden's pathways, one ahead and one behind.
The night sky was cloudless, with the full moon hanging high.
Moonlight bathed the garden, accompanied by the soft chorus of insects, creating a tranquil atmosphere.
As they walked, Maude suddenly stopped, gazing at a stone archway ahead.
Zoro leaned against the pillar, gripping Wado Ichimonji.
Wounded, he had skipped the bath, choosing instead to wait for Maude.
"Fight me."
Freshly awakened to Armament Haki, Zoro's battle spirit burned hot.
Despite his injuries, he couldn't wait to challenge Maude.
He worried that Maude would leave with the Marines the next day, making their next meeting uncertain.
"With your current condition, I could knock you down with one finger."
Maude glanced at the layers of bandages wrapped around Zoro.
To be walking at all in such a state was remarkable—what nerve made him think he could fight?
Honestly, Maude didn't even need to move. A shadow clone could easily defeat Zoro as he was now.
Yet, far from being angered by Maude's dismissive remark, Zoro's eyes gleamed with unwavering determination.
He knew full well the gap between them.
Maude's strength was suffocating.
But still,
Even if he would be utterly crushed, Zoro couldn't let this chance slip away.
"Then try it..."
Zoro's eyes sharpened as he slowly drew Wado Ichimonji.
Under the moonlight, black streaks flickered across the blade—ripples of unstable Armament Haki.
"Half-baked."
Maude had already seen Zoro's nascent Haki and offered an honest assessment.
Still,
He couldn't deny his surprise.
He hadn't expected Zoro to awaken Armament Haki two years ahead of schedule.
It must have been a side effect of teaching Usopp the principles of Observation and Armament Haki.
With such influence, the overall strength of the Straw Hat Pirates would likely skyrocket in the near future, cementing their place as this year's top Supernova crew.
"Half-baked... Yeah, it is."
Zoro wasn't angry—he knew the truth.
Even with his limited grasp, he could feel how unstable his technique was.
"But so what? I can feel it—the subtle rush in my blood. This... must be what people call blood boiling."
He assumed the One-Sword Style stance, lips curling into a grin as his eyes shone with razor-sharp light.
Maude glanced at Zoro's chest, his voice cool.
"You're not wrong."
"Heh."
Zoro took that as consent, his battle spirit flaring.
Maude abruptly raised his hand, pointing at Zoro's chest.
Thin streams of blood trickled from between the bandages, though Zoro remained oblivious.
Seeing Maude's gesture, Zoro's eyes sharpened, muscles tensing for action.
He thought the fight was about to begin.
But then he heard Maude speak.
"With your wound split open like that, forget boiling—you're about to turn into a fountain."
"..."
Zoro was momentarily stunned by the remark.
His entire attention had been on Maude, only now noticing the small jets of blood intermittently spurting from his wound—as if mocking his eyes.
Pain surged through his nerves like a tidal wave.
But this level of pain was something Zoro could endure.
However, as the wound tore further, the hard-won strength he had recovered began to ebb away.
"Damn it…"
Zoro gritted his teeth, frustration evident.
With his strength draining, he leaned against a stone pillar, slowly sliding down to sit on the ground.
Maude glanced at the once-enthusiastic, now disheartened Zoro and shook his head slightly.
This guy… can be pretty amusing sometimes.
"Perona, go call Chopper."
Maude turned his head toward Perona, simultaneously sending his shadow away from his body, heading toward his quarters.
Perona nodded and left without question.
In her heart, she had already categorized Zoro on the same level of airheadedness as Luffy.
Watching Perona leave, Maude looked back at Zoro.
"I'm surprised you managed to learn Armament Haki—but don't get too full of yourself."
"In the New World, there are more people who can use Armament Haki than you can imagine."
"So if you want to use me as a whetstone… you've got a long way to go."
Maude crouched down, meeting Zoro's gaze as the swordsman struggled to even hold his blade.
"But if you're really keen on understanding what despair feels like… I'll be waiting for you at Sabaody Archipelago."
"D-Deal!"
Zoro lifted his head, eyes burning.
As long as he could become stronger, he wouldn't care about condescending words.
Seeing Zoro's unwavering spirit, Maude's gaze darkened like a bottomless abyss.
"Blades are blind. They might just kill you."
"If I die, it only proves that's all I'm worth."
"Heh."
Maude stood up, casting a deep look at Zoro—as if he were a lamb waiting for the slaughter.
That single glance sent a chill through Zoro's entire body, though whether it was due to blood loss or something else, he couldn't tell.
At that moment, Maude's shadow returned to the courtyard, carrying a sword.
It was Kashu, one of the Fifty Skillful Grade swords, which Maude had found in the backstreets of the assembly hall.
Maude took Kashu from his shadow and casually tossed it to the seated Zoro.
"Hmm?"
Zoro caught Kashu, looking at Maude in confusion.
"The renowned blade, Kashu."
Maude spoke as he unfastened Chidori from his waist.
"The renowned blade, Chidori."
"These two swords—I'm giving them to you."
"If it's you, perhaps these blades… might be fortunate enough to be 'forged' into black blades."
Before the words fully settled, Maude personally handed Chidori to the stunned Zoro.
Glancing toward the garden path, Maude saw the small figure of Chopper rushing over in a hurry.
"Forget it—I'm not staying here tonight."
Maude abruptly changed his mind, turning his back to the still-dazed Zoro.
"I'll be leaving shortly. Please trouble yourself to pass the message to Usopp."
"..."
Zoro stared blankly at Maude's broad back, momentarily at a loss for words.
After handing the swords to Zoro, Maude stepped away.
Ever since acquiring Shusui, Maude had largely neglected Chidori—after all, he didn't practice Three-Sword Style.
Previously, when Brook's sword had broken, Maude had suggested giving Chidori to him, but Brook, accustomed to his rapier, declined.
Today, Maude simply entrusted Chidori to Zoro—partially to make up for Zoro's missed chance at two renowned blades in Loguetown.
"Zoro! I told you to rest!!!"
Chopper's angry voice echoed from the other end of the courtyard.
Perona, seeing Maude leave in another direction, quickly followed.
Maude's destination was the gathering place of the Marines.
Whether or not Hina agreed to let him board the ship, Maude intended to seize the initiative and haul Hina and the other Marines directly onto the warship.
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