Maude failed to obtain the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, but he would not allow Blackbeard to claim it either.
When Blackbeard, in his pursuit of Whitebeard's corpse, ran into the Pacifistas and Sentomaru, his fate was sealed—he would not obtain the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit in this war.
In that instant, the destiny of the D Clan took an entirely different course.
What would happen next?
Even Maude, armed with foreknowledge of various prophetic events, could no longer predict the future.
But none of that mattered anymore.
His plan had begun in Mad Hat Town and was destined to conclude here, at the Paramount War of Marineford.
From the moment he claimed Whitebeard's head, he had secured the capital to dominate the world.
But it still wasn't enough.
Or rather, he could still reap greater benefits from the remnants of this battlefield.
With all his specialties breaking through to eight-star mastery, if he continued hunting at an intensified pace, he might even forge a ninth star.
Doflamingo was naturally the next prime target.
And then—
There was the persistent entanglement of Gion, the Pink Rabbit.
On the battlefield—
After using Whitebeard's corpse to divert the unpredictable threat of the Blackbeard Pirates elsewhere—
Maude, gripping his blade single-handedly, strode toward Doflamingo.
"Fuffuffuffu…"
Doflamingo, as usual, wore his infuriating smirk, completely unbothered by the imminent danger.
Raising his right hand, his fingers twitched, and the Parasite Strings tethered to Diamond Jozu shimmered briefly in the light.
"Damn it…"
Under Doflamingo's control, Jozu took heavy steps, advancing straight toward Maude.
Though he desperately wanted to avenge Pops and his fallen comrades, he refused to do so as a puppet of Doflamingo.
It was an utter humiliation.
Jozu's face twisted with rage and frustration, but it was soon concealed beneath his gleaming diamond exterior.
He had to find a way to break free from Doflamingo's control.
Until then, he needed to keep his entire body in a constant state of diamondization to ensure his own safety, no matter what reckless actions Doflamingo forced upon him.
"As long as there's no interference from the Shadow Ability, Bacardi Maude… I can block every one of your attacks with ease!"
Jozu forcibly calmed himself, his fierce gaze locking onto the approaching Maude.
"If I can make him realize that attacking me is a waste of effort, then he'll have no choice but to redirect his 'firepower' toward that bastard Doflamingo."
"And when that happens… that will be my chance."
"I'll make you both pay the price you deserve!!!"
Jozu thought to himself, his strategy clear.
He would push his defense to the absolute limit, leaving Maude with no viable means of attack.
At that point, Maude would naturally shift his focus to Doflamingo.
Then, once Maude pressured Doflamingo into breaking his control—
Jozu would be free.
With this realization, he grew even more composed.
Maude gazed at Jozu, now a pawn of Doflamingo, and said seriously, "I never expected that the famed Third Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, Diamond Jozu, would one day be reduced to someone else's puppet."
"..."
Jozu, fully encased in diamond, remained expressionless.
"Fuffuffu."
Doflamingo's fingers twitched as he forced Jozu into a charge, sneering, "Without that sneaky shadow ability of yours, do you really think your swordplay can have any effect on my 'toy'?"
He was convinced that Maude's stamina and Haki were running low.
And right now, he had the perfect tool in Jozu—
A durable, high-quality instrument to drain Maude of his last reserves.
The odds were in his favor…
Doflamingo grinned coldly.
Maude said nothing. He simply raised his blade and unleashed a full-powered Hakoku Slash.
The crescent-shaped shockwave, crackling with dangerous energy, carved a deep fissure in the ground as it raced toward Doflamingo.
"Fuffuffu…"
Doflamingo flicked his pinky.
Under his control, Jozu moved to intercept.
Boom!
The immense power of the Hakoku Slash crashed into Jozu's armored form, but it failed to pierce the diamond-reinforced Armament Haki.
Moments later—
Jozu employed his usual method, deflecting the attack into the sky and dispersing its force.
Armament Haki, combined with diamondization.
Even the world's greatest swordsman had failed to cut through him.
With Maude's swordsmanship having just broken into the eight-star level—and without his shadow assisting him—there was no way he could breach Jozu's defense.
"Commander Jozu!"
"We'll back you up!"
The surrounding Whitebeard Pirates clenched their weapons, pushing past their grief to charge at Doflamingo.
"Stay back."
Jozu's voice, steady with confidence, halted them in their tracks.
The pirates hesitated, uncertain.
But witnessing how easily Jozu had blocked Maude's attack filled them with reassurance.
"With Jozu's defense, there's no way he'll lose."
They convinced themselves to trust their commander's judgment.
Neither Maude nor Doflamingo paid them any attention.
After using Jozu to block the Hakoku Slash, Doflamingo sneered, making Jozu reposition himself with his shoulder raised, poised for a tackle.
"This is that move you used on me before, right? What was it called… Shining Charge? Fuffuffu…"
With a wave of his hand, Doflamingo's Parasite Strings sent Jozu barreling forward, mimicking the powerful charge he had once executed himself.
"Even if my swordsmanship advanced to the nine-star level in its third stage, I doubt I could cut through his nearly awakened-level diamond hardness."
Maude watched the oncoming charge, his expression calm.
With a single light step, he shifted his body effortlessly, dodging the attack.
In the end, it was still just control—
Even if Doflamingo copied the technique, its speed and power were subpar.
That was the fundamental limitation of the Parasite Strings.
"But…"
Effortlessly avoiding a few more of Jozu's tackles, Maude suddenly employed Stealth Walk, vanishing like a phantom before reappearing behind Jozu.
Though controlled, Jozu could still utilize both Observation and Armament Haki.
Sensing Maude's movement, he immediately reinforced his back with Haki.
When it came to his own survival, he reacted even faster than Doflamingo.
Maude observed Jozu's flawless, Haki-coated diamond armor and smirked.
With a swift slash, he severed Jozu's shadow.
At the same time—
His idle left hand reached forward, absorbing the severed shadow into his palm.
"In the face of my Shadow-Shadow Fruit, hardness is meaningless."
Maude smiled as he clenched his fist around the shadow.
"Hm?"
Jozu was confused.
Then, bathed in sunlight—
Like a vampire exposed to daylight, his diamond-encased limbs slowly began to disintegrate into dust.
A chill ran down his spine as his eyes widened in horror.
Not far away—
Doflamingo's grin froze.
Further away—
The Whitebeard Pirates, who had just decided against aiding Jozu, stared in utter shock.
"What the hell…?!"
"Jozu's diamond body… it's turning to dust?!"
Their faces paled in terror.
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