Upon seeing the name Golden Lion, Maude's thoughts momentarily paused.
Information related to the name flashed through his mind.
Golden Lion Shiki—once a member of the Rocks Pirates.
A legendary pirate who stood on equal footing with the Pirate King Gol D. Roger and Whitebeard Edward Newgate in the past.
He was also the first pirate in history to escape from Impel Down.
Maude recalled that Golden Lion Shiki's appearance in the original story occurred roughly between the Thriller Bark Arc and the Sabaody Archipelago Arc.
Though the exact timeline was uncertain, the Straw Hat Pirates had only left Alabasta two weeks ago. By now, they should have reached Mock Town or perhaps already ascended to Skypiea.
After descending from Skypiea and traveling through Water 7 and the Florian Triangle, at least a month would pass.
Without a fixed timeline, what changes might occur?
Even as a transmigrator, Maude couldn't know everything with absolute certainty.
"Skypiea, huh..."
The thought of Skypiea instantly brought to mind a figure—the self-proclaimed god and Rumble-Rumble Fruit user, Enel.
In the original story, Crocodile's defeat at Luffy's hands could be attributed to his arrogance.
But Enel, who possessed the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, was different.
Leaving aside the speed and destructive power of lightning, Enel could even enhance his Observation Haki through his Devil Fruit ability.
For someone like Maude, who had a profound understanding of Observation Haki, he would never seek trouble with Enel lightly.
In his view, Luffy—who neither understood Haki nor had developed Gear Second—could never have defeated Enel with just his rubber body without the intervention of plot armor.
Come to think of it, Golden Lion's fate was quite similar to Enel's—both were defeated under the weight of plot armor.
Maude shook his head slightly, shifting his gaze downward to browse the contents of the letter.
The writing on the letter was sparse, containing only a few lines.
Maude quickly finished reading it.
Seeing the name Shiki, he could largely confirm the sender's identity.
The letter was essentially an invitation, asking the recipient to use the Eternal Pose to travel to Merveille Island and swear brotherhood to conspire in a grand scheme.
While it looked like an invitation, it was more akin to a summons—or perhaps more accurately—a recruitment letter.
However...
A letter without proof of identity and an Eternal Pose pointing to an unknown destination—
How could any sensible person trust it so easily?
Golden Lion likely considered this, which was why he mentioned in the letter that a world-shaking event would soon occur.
It would serve as his announcement to the world of his return, prompting those invited to eagerly anticipate his reappearance.
The letter didn't specify what the major event would be.
The so-called influential figures who received the letter and Eternal Pose could only accept them with suspicion.
Maude closed the letter and looked down at the Eternal Pose on the table.
"A second attack on Marine Headquarters, huh..."
Others might not know how Golden Lion planned to return to the seas, but Maude did.
Launching a second assault on Marine Headquarters and retreating unscathed would be the first grand act of Shiki's comeback.
He wanted to tell the world—I'm back!
"Sending out letters and Eternal Poses in advance might give invitees enough time to arrive, but it also increases the risk of the plan being exposed. Yet despite this..."
Maude picked up the Eternal Pose, murmuring, "Such confidence, Golden Lion Shiki."
Then again, with the Float-Float Fruit's ability to make entire islands float, even if the Marines discovered the plan, they would have little means to take down a floating island.
All Shiki needed to do was hover in the air and rain down berserk creatures like airborne missiles for the whole world to see.
To put it bluntly, as long as Shiki didn't court death, the Float-Float Fruit's power made him nearly invincible.
Maude set the letter and Eternal Pose aside, then controlled his shadow to swallow all the valuables in the captain's cabin into the Shadow Casket.
He wouldn't leave such spoils for the Marines.
After pocketing the loot, Maude's gaze returned to the letter and Eternal Pose.
He wasn't confident in defeating Golden Lion, but perhaps he could leverage the Marines' strength to claim Shiki's experience points.
Compared to Luffy's nebulous plot armor, the Marines' combat power felt far more reliable.
After pondering for a moment, Maude shelved the idea temporarily.
He carefully stowed away the letter and Eternal Pose, then set off to plunder the remaining two pirate ships.
There weren't many valuables, but he did find two additional sets of Golden Lion Shiki's invitation letters and Eternal Poses.
"Could this be the true reason behind the alliance of these three pirate crews?"
Maude mused, holding the three letters in hand.
After completing the looting, Maude disembarked and returned to the dock.
The sight of corpses and bloodstains painted a tragic, somber scene.
Maude glanced at Tashigi, who was consoling the townsfolk, then silently returned to the warship.
Sensing something, Tashigi turned back to look at Maude but quickly averted her gaze.
She knew exactly why Maude had boarded the pirate ships, but what could she say?
About an hour later, Hina and Smoker returned with their squads after a successful pursuit.
Those pirates who fled in fear of Maude's sharpshooting were all fed to the sea without exception.
With that, the pirates were annihilated—avenging the Marines who had sacrificed themselves to protect the town.
Maude wanted the warship to set sail quickly, but Hina decided they would stay in Dali Town for two more days.
According to her, they could only leave once a reinforcement unit from the nearby branch arrived to take over the garrison duty.
Her reasoning was sound, leaving Maude unable to argue.
That night, the Marines dined at a restaurant in town.
Maude, Smoker, Hina, Tashigi, and Perona sat at one table.
Before the food was served, Maude placed the letters and Eternal Poses on the table.
"Found these on the pirate ships."
"..."
Hina and Smoker each picked up a letter and scanned its contents.
Their faces gradually showed shock, as if they had seen something unbelievable.
"Golden Lion Shiki!?"
"Hina can't believe it."
Hina and Smoker exchanged glances.
Golden Lion Shiki's reputation echoed through the Marines like thunder.
A peer of Roger and Whitebeard.
A man who single-handedly destroyed half of Marine Headquarters.
The first pirate to ever escape from Impel Down.
Any one of these accolades was enough to shake the world.
Yet Shiki had vanished for twenty years.
Hina and Smoker stared at the letters, half in disbelief.
Maude calmly said, "With the Marines' resources, verifying this intel shouldn't be difficult, right?"
"Not difficult, but it will take time."
Smoker mused.
If this were true, the return of a legendary pirate would spell disaster for the world.
"Hina will report this information to Headquarters immediately."
Hina swiftly rose and headed for the restaurant's exit.
Maude watched her back, a faint smile on his lips.
After a while, Hina returned with a grave expression.
She had relayed the information, and now all they could do was wait for Headquarters to verify it.
Maude looked at her and suddenly said, "The legendary Golden Lion Shiki... I'm quite interested. If the Marines need 'combat assistance,' I wouldn't mind lending a hand."
"..."
Hina, Smoker, and Tashigi all gave Maude a strange look.
Resting his chin on his hand, Maude asked earnestly, "What? Don't you think I'm a very responsible Warlord of the Sea?"
The room fell silent.
They couldn't argue.
Objectively speaking, Maude was indeed more dutiful than any other Warlord of the Sea.
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