The confrontation between Maude and Law piqued the curiosity of several Supernovas.
"I've long heard of your name... Gatekeeper of the New World..."
The Magician Basil Hawkins, with a bounty as high as 300 million, barely spared a glance at Law, whose reputation and bounty were far less prominent among their contemporaries. Instead, his attention remained fixed on Maude.
"Captain Hawkins, we should leave this place!"
His crewmates, eyes filled with fear, glanced nervously between the distant Maude and their captain, urgency written all over their faces.
Every pirate who set foot on the Sabaody Archipelago knew how terrifying Maude could be.
Hawkins ignored their pleas, his gloved hands continuously shuffling through a deck of tarot cards.
Ssshh...
Thin strands of straw slithered out from Hawkins' sleeves, winding like serpents in midair.
One by one, he drew tarot cards and stuck them onto the hovering straw strands.
"Chance of battle failure, 100%."
"Chance of defense failure, 100%."
"Chance of survival failure, 100%."
Three consecutive 100% failure rates—yet Hawkins' expression remained calm.
His crewmates, however, grew even more horrified.
"I've never seen Captain Hawkins draw three 100% failure rates before..."
"He's divining for Phantom Sniper, right?"
"Obviously! Who else here could make Captain Hawkins predict such an outcome?"
"We need to get out of here, Captain Hawkins!!!"
The crew shifted uneasily, itching to flee.
Their reactions spoke volumes about the unwavering faith they placed in their captain's divinations.
Forget the battle failure rate—just the 100% survival failure rate alone was a death sentence.
Shivering, the crewmates urged their captain again, but Hawkins remained unresponsive.
Despite the ominous predictions, he showed no fear.
He knew that with his Wara Wara no Mi (Straw-Straw Fruit) ability—his protective "Straw Man" dolls—only the escape probability truly mattered.
Next step: draw the card.
With a flick of his fingers, Hawkins drew another card.
His pupils constricted sharply at the result.
"Chance of escape failure—100%."
"..."
Hawkins fell silent.
It meant that the moment he entered Maude's line of sight, death would be inevitable.
"The rumors are true."
In that instant, fear bloomed in Hawkins' heart.
Yet he did not leave. Instead, he drew another card—The Hanged Man, reversed.
Pointless death.
Ripples spread across his eyes.
"Chance of evasion failure—100%?!"
Even Hawkins himself could hardly believe it. His fingers trembled as they gripped the card.
His unusual reaction sent fresh waves of panic through his crew.
Another 100%.
For the first time, they saw their always-calm, machine-like captain... shivering.
Even someone as formidable as Captain Hawkins would crumble before that man from the rumors.
"Captain..."
The crewmates tried to persuade him again, but Hawkins abruptly stood, sweeping the tarot cards from the straw strands into his palm.
Chilling dread seeped into his heart as he fixed his gaze on the distant Maude.
A 100% battle failure rate.
It signified an absolute disparity in strength.
A 100% defense failure rate.
It meant he couldn't block even a single attack.
A 100% survival failure rate.
It meant death would follow any failed defense.
A 100% escape failure rate.
It meant there would be no chance to flee once the fight began.
These results alone didn't unsettle Hawkins—he had expected as much. Maude's fearsome reputation, both in power and methods, was well known.
Losing to such a monster was no disgrace.
What truly shook Hawkins was the final prediction—the 100% evasion failure rate.
It meant Maude could bypass his Straw Man dolls, which transferred fatal wounds to others in his place.
"How... is this possible?"
Hawkins couldn't comprehend it.
To him, the Straw Man dolls were like resurrection coins.
Yet the divination foretold that Maude could nullify this very ability—erasing even the last shred of hope granted by his Devil Fruit powers.
It was the first time in his life that Hawkins had ever seen such a result.
Without exaggeration—
Even against the Three Admirals, he could always count on a 30–50% chance of surviving.
But against Maude... there was nothing.
No hope at all.
Hawkins truly couldn't comprehend it.
What kind of secret lay hidden within all of this?
Surely, it couldn't be because Maude's strength had already surpassed that of an Admiral?
A burning curiosity welled up within Hawkins, giving rise to an impulse to risk his life just to glimpse the truth.
But in the blink of an eye, he calmed himself down.
Not worth it.
Silently, Hawkins tucked away his tarot cards and strode away from the scene.
"Not even qualified to be a mere spectator?"
"What a terrifying man."
Hawkins quietly offered Maude a sincere evaluation in his heart, then quickened his pace to distance himself from the grim reaper.
His crewmates, seeing this, finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to follow.
Hawkins' departure was observed by three other Supernova.
"Oh, oh! Magician Basil Hawkins!"
The Roar of the Sea Apoo flailed his limbs animatedly, staring in surprise at Hawkins, who had left without even watching the spectacle.
"This is a rare show—leaving without even taking a look?"
"Strange, strange, truly strange. Could it be... he was scared off?"
"Hey, hey, what am I saying? He's a man worth three hundred million, far above me... If he ran away just like that, wouldn't I, with a lower bounty, be even more pathetic?"
Apoo quickly dismissed his own speculation—completely unaware that he'd guessed correctly.
Though Maude and Law had yet to make a move, the man worth three hundred million in his eyes had indeed been scared away.
Elsewhere—
The Sky Island native, the Mad Monk Urouge, was a towering, broad-shouldered man with a rugged face, scars, and a perpetual smile.
"Truly extraordinary... just watching from afar sends chills down my spine... Heh..."
Urouge fixed his gaze on the tall, striking figure in the distance—Maude, whose looks were undoubtedly among the finest in the pirate world.
"That handsome shell... how could it possibly match your imposing spirit, Bacardi Maude!"
"..."
His crewmates exchanged uneasy glances.
At this distance, they couldn't sense anything from Maude.
However, thanks to Maude's fearsome reputation, they figured that retreating another hundred meters might be the wiser choice.
Less than three hundred meters from Urouge's position—
"Not bad-looking... but I wonder..."
The Big Eater, Jewelry Bonney, with a bounty of 190 million, stuffed food into her mouth as she intently watched Maude from afar.
"Is his strength really as despair-inducing as the rumors say?"
Her mouth full, her words were muffled.
At that moment—
Under the watchful eyes of these three Supernova, Law was the first to launch his attack on Maude.
"Room!"
A vast spherical space expanded in an instant!
"What kind of ability is this..."
Apoo, Urouge, and Bonney's eyes all narrowed.
As fellow Supernova, they were all Devil Fruit users—
Moreover, each of their abilities leaned toward the rare and unconventional.
Now, seeing Law display the powers of the Op-Op Fruit, their interest was undeniably piqued.
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