As an ally, the strength and achievements Bacardi Maude had demonstrated since joining the battle had completely won over the Marines fighting alongside him.
To them, setting aside the fact that Maude was a pirate, his power and sense of responsibility were worthy of admiration and respect.
Conversely, now that Maude had become their enemy—
The more they had respected him before, the more they feared him now.
"What kind of Marines are you, cowering like this?"
Seeing his comrades' hesitation, Vice Admiral Momonga's expression darkened.
"The justice we have upheld until now is not so cheap."
"Vice Admiral Momonga..."
Hearing his words, the surrounding Marines took a deep breath and quickly adjusted their mindsets.
As an enemy, Maude was indeed terrifying, but they were the last line of defense for world order—there was no room for retreat!
After chastising his fellow Marines, Vice Admiral Momonga turned his solemn gaze to Maude.
Thud… Thud…
Heavy footsteps echoed behind him.
The giant Vice Admiral, Lacroix, strode forward and joined the ranks of the Marines. He raised his massive longsword and pointed it directly at Maude.
"Bacardi Maude, since you have voluntarily relinquished your position as a Warlord of the Sea, I assume you are prepared to be hunted down!"
The events in Little Garden had left a lasting impression on the few giant Vice Admirals at Marine Headquarters.
Previously, due to Maude's status as a Warlord, the giant Vice Admirals had no justification to take action against him.
But now, seeing Maude willingly discard that title, Lacroix, upholding the honor of Elbaf, could not turn a blind eye.
By pointing his sword at Maude, his intent was clear.
"Lacroix."
Before Maude could respond, Vice Admiral Momonga stepped in front of Lacroix, speaking in a grave tone, "More important than hunting down Maude right now is executing Fire Fist Ace and the Devil Child, Nico Robin, on the spot!"
"Momonga, you wouldn't understand."
Lacroix remained unmoved. Taking a few steps past Momonga and the gathered Marines, he declared firmly, "Besides, hunting down Maude is also part of our duty. You have no reason to stop me."
"Lacroix, you—"
Seeing the determination in Lacroix's eyes, Momonga frowned deeply.
In his view, although Maude had willingly given up his Warlord status, his demeanor showed no signs of aggression.
Moreover, reinforcements were needed elsewhere, and under these circumstances, it would be wiser not to provoke Maude.
From Momonga's standpoint, this was a perfectly reasonable conclusion.
However, the deeply ingrained honor culture of Elbaf often made giants rigid in certain matters.
Like Lacroix now.
For him, justice ultimately came second to the honor of Elbaf.
"Momonga, the rear lines need reinforcements. You don't need to stay here."
Lacroix was not incapable of adaptability, but the beliefs instilled in him since birth left him no choice in this situation.
Hearing Lacroix's words, Momonga hesitated.
During their brief exchange, Maude had already carried Doflamingo over to Law's side.
With the battlefield still tense, Maude paid no attention to the nearby Marines.
Law, enduring his pain, straightened up and looked at Maude with a complex expression.
Up until now, he had been blaming himself.
If he had just stayed on the sidelines and continued applying pressure on Doflamingo with his abilities, he could have made a difference.
But he had been arrogant enough to believe he had secured the perfect opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to Doflamingo. He had launched a reckless attack, only to be impaled through the chest—turning himself into nothing but a burden.
The outcome left Law overwhelmed with regret.
Fortunately, Maude had successfully defeated Doflamingo…
However—
Law had not expected the battle to end so quickly.
Looking at the barely conscious Doflamingo, his emotions grew even more complicated.
Meeting Law's conflicted gaze, Maude casually tossed Doflamingo aside before checking Law's wounds.
"What, you could only stop the bleeding?"
"My ability isn't omnipotent. With an injury of this extent, stabilizing my vitals without medical equipment is already difficult enough."
Law let out a bitter chuckle, his brow furrowing slightly from the pain.
The greatest strength of the Op-Op Fruit was its ability to freely dissect and treat a patient's body, making it unparalleled in removing viruses, bacteria, toxins, and foreign substances.
However, for a penetrating wound like his, even the Op-Op Fruit required proper medical tools for systematic treatment.
"I overestimated it."
Hearing Law's explanation, Maude nodded slightly before asking, "Can you move?"
Law shook his head.
Maude rubbed his chin and sighed. "That's troublesome. This is a battlefield, after all."
"…"
After a moment of silence, Law glanced at the barely breathing Doflamingo and said calmly, "My 'life' and 'purpose' existed for this moment. Now that it's done, dying here doesn't matter."
He then looked up at Maude, speaking in a tone of relief, as if he had finally crossed the finish line: "Our 'partnership' ends here."
After pausing, he added sincerely, "Thanks, Maude."
"Saying something like a final farewell doesn't suit you, Law."
Maude deactivated Twin Fish Circulation, causing the shadowy patterns across his body to fade and return to his form.
"Besides, I already see you as one of my own. There's no way I'd leave you behind, regardless of how you feel about it."
"…"
Law stared at Maude in stunned silence.
Maude raised his right hand, black shadow energy flowing across his palm as he said seriously, "More importantly… this is a rare opportunity to test the 'special restoration' ability of my awakened Shadow-Shadow Fruit."
"Huh?"
Hearing Maude's words, Law barely had time to process the strange emotions welling up inside him before reacting in surprise. "That restoration ability… can be used on others?!"
"Only one way to find out."
Maude glanced at Law's shadow, noticing his curiosity as a doctor, and took the initiative to explain:
"The principle is essentially stretching a different part of the shadow to patch the 'gap'—like robbing Peter to pay Paul. In other words…"
He changed his tone slightly.
"This method isn't truly 'healing.' If I'm not mistaken, the cost is likely a reduction in lifespan… assuming it even works."
"A cost in lifespan…"
Law's expression turned peculiar.
Maude chuckled. "Between losing some lifespan and staying alive, which is more important?"
Law nodded silently.
"Then let's begin."
Eager to test his newly awakened ability, Maude's excitement was evident.
"Shadow Curtain."
Before starting, he waved his arm, summoning a black shadowy barrier to block out the surrounding gazes.
Then, he moved behind Law.
Pressing his shadow-infused hand onto Law's shadow, he activated his ability.
Without a sound, flesh and blood suddenly grew across Law's wound, rapidly filling the hole left by the Holy Bullet before their eyes.
"It worked."
Maude grinned.
As they say, 'the body follows the shadow.'
A fundamental truth of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's power.
Law looked down at his fully healed chest, unable to put his shock into words.
Maude patted his shoulder.
"Don't just stand there. While it's still quiet, extract the String-String Fruit from Doflamingo's body."
—————————
Want to read waaaay ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon —— patreon(.)com/EmperorGarus [remove the parentheses ( )]
NOTE: This fanfic has been fully translated and is available on my Patreon!