A punch from the legendary Marine hero—Garp—had been caught firmly by Maude.
The numerous Marines rushing back from the central battlefield of the plaza stared in disbelief at the sight before them.
They had seen it with their own eyes.
When Maude caught Garp's attack, he didn't take a single step back. His entire body didn't even tremble in the slightest.
Did this mean—
That Maude, in terms of sheer strength and Armament Haki, was now on par with Garp?
The very thought sent shockwaves through the gathered Marines.
In other words…
The Warlord Maude, who had been overwhelmingly active throughout the battle, had actually been holding back his true power this whole time!?
Unbelievable!
Strictly speaking, their assessment wasn't wrong.
With six hundred prisoner shadows in his grasp, Maude had enhanced his strength through Shadow's Asgard, making this his true full power.
The effects of five hundred consolidated prisoner shadows had pushed Maude's physical strength and Armament Haki to a completely new level.
A rough estimate would place his physique and Haki at around 8.5 to 9 stars.
The half-star variance was due to the instability of Shadow's Asgard.
Even so, in theory, if Maude's combat prowess could reach ten stars with this ability, it wasn't out of the question for him to break past eleven or even twelve stars.
This was one of the reasons Maude had chosen to consume the Shadow-Shadow Fruit in the first place.
Through the explosive enhancements of Shadow's Asgard, Maude had temporarily gained the capital to contend with martial artists of Garp's caliber.
However, the reason he had managed to withstand Garp's full-force punch without budging wasn't solely due to his physical strength being able to endure the attack. It was also due to the stabilizing effect of his shadows shifting forms.
Thus, the shocking scene unfolded—Maude taking Garp's attack head-on without flinching.
Similarly, the reason Luffy's arm had suddenly suffered severe fractures moments ago was also the result of Maude manipulating his shadows.
These seamless applications of abilities showcased the unparalleled allure of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
However—
While Shadow's Asgard could drastically enhance Maude's power for a short time, it came with unavoidable drawbacks.
One issue was that inserting too many shadows made it impossible to maintain a stable mental state, which meant he lost the ability to use Observation Haki.
Another was the limited duration of Shadow's Asgard. Additionally, sustaining heavy blows would force Maude to expel shadows, causing his augmented strength to steadily diminish in real-time.
These restrictive conditions were akin to how Law's use of the Op-Op Fruit's abilities consumed his stamina—it was a natural balance.
Otherwise—
Moria would have dominated the seas long ago.
With the immense boost from Shadow's Asgard, Maude remained evenly matched in his contest of strength with Garp and even had enough leeway to throw in some taunts.
But his words were completely ignored by Garp.
"You used the prisoners of Level 5 to create a zombie army for this war… But in truth, wasn't your real intention to reserve their shadows to enhance your own strength at the opportune moment?"
Feeling the immense force continuously pressing against his fist, Garp's expression was grave as he locked eyes with Maude.
"Not entirely wrong," Maude replied calmly, his words sharp as a blade. "But rather than dwelling on trivialities, let me ask—why is a Marine hero like you disregarding the bigger picture just to aid a pirate?"
His voice was as keen as a knife.
"Open your eyes and take a good look at what the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates is doing."
"Hmm?"
From the corner of his eye, Garp caught sight of Marco's movements.
With him no longer being restrained, Marco had immediately spread his wings and taken flight, heading straight for the execution platform.
Damn…!
A flicker of realization flashed through Garp's mind.
The slight opening he unintentionally revealed was all Maude needed to launch a counterattack.
Releasing his grip.
Maude suddenly let go and took a step back.
Garp, caught off guard, found his forward-driving fist striking nothing but air, causing his body to lurch forward.
Seizing the moment, Maude sidestepped and swiftly twisted his wrist, delivering a heavy palm strike to Garp's back.
Boom!
A muffled impact rang out.
It was as if a massive boulder had slammed into Garp's body. His forward-leaning figure abruptly crashed to the ground with force, creating a stark contrast to Luffy beside him.
Grandfather and grandson.
One lay face down, the other sprawled on his back.
Having floored Garp, Maude didn't bother to intercept Marco. Instead, he strode purposefully toward the center of the plaza.
He had to take Whitebeard's head within the stable duration of Shadow's Asgard.
As for the possibility of Ace being rescued first—
If, despite Maude having severely injured Luffy and subduing the Straw Hats, Sengoku still allowed Sabo and Marco to rescue Ace…
Then—
Maude had nothing more to say.
...
On the Execution Platform.
"He actually overpowered Garp…"
Sengoku watched Maude's departing figure, both astonished and relieved.
If Garp had been allowed to continue his rampage, the consequences would have been catastrophic.
However—
The scene of Garp aiding Luffy, followed by Maude denouncing Garp for neglecting the bigger picture, had already been transmitted across the world via the visual Den Den Mushi.
A Marine hero disregarding the greater good to help a pirate.
This one cutting remark sent ripples through the hearts of civilians watching across the globe.
In such a high-stakes situation, if an ordinary, unknown Marine had helped a pirate, people would have merely voiced their disapproval.
But the one who did it was the legendary Marine hero…
A subtle shift in perception began to take root.
At the heart of the battlefield, Sengoku had no time to consider how Maude's words would impact the image of the Marines.
At this moment—
Marco was closing in on the execution platform.
Sengoku dared not be careless. At once, he transformed into his imposing golden Buddha form.
Golden light, resounding with an almost divine hum, formed a radiant barrier to keep Marco away from the platform.
"Ace, I'm getting you out of here!"
With his extraordinary regenerative abilities giving him the confidence to charge forward fearlessly, Marco became a blazing blue comet, soaring straight toward the Buddha-form Sengoku.
Meanwhile—
Maude stepped into the heart of the battlefield where the rampaging beasts ran wild.
All around him, the ground was littered with the corpses of both humans and beasts, pools of blood, and countless shattered ice sculptures.
"The Warlord Maude…"
The Marines struggling against the berserk creatures noticed his arrival.
Even the usually passive Aokiji took note of Maude the moment he arrived from the execution platform.
He had seen it all—how Maude had directly faced Garp and slammed him to the ground.
"You've been hiding your strength well, Maude…"
A glint flashed in Aokiji's eyes.
Leading a unit in a wedge formation to clear out the rampaging creatures, Gion sliced down a massive praying mantis before turning to Maude with a serious expression.
Chaton, standing beside her, gazed at Maude with a complex look.
None of them had ever imagined they would one day see Garp being taken down by Maude.
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