After returning from the harbor, Blackbeard's actions were limited to slaughtering Marines on the outskirts.
This way, he avoided attracting the attention of the Marine's top combat forces while simultaneously building a ruthless and powerful image to enhance his notoriety.
It was a strategy designed to achieve maximum gains with minimal risk.
Even when some of his crew expressed interest in testing their strength against Warlords like Hancock and Bartholomew Kuma, Blackbeard remained indifferent.
After all, their position allowed them to reach the island's coastal perimeter from the flanks.
If things went south, they could simply seize a battleship from the outer coastline and make their escape.
More importantly, the Marine's main forces were quite a distance away, posing no immediate threat to them.
In other words, they were in a perfect position of control.
Yet, despite all his meticulous calculations, Blackbeard had never accounted for the possibility that Maude would be insane enough to directly transport them into the heart of the Marine's encirclement.
The worst part? Blackbeard couldn't recall ever provoking Maude.
Not only had Maude foiled his plan to seize the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, but now he was also setting him up for absolute ruin!
And as if that weren't enough—
They had already made it out of the encirclement, yet Maude chose to throw bystanders right back into the trap?
There was simply no reasoning with such madness.
"Maude, you son of a—"
Bang! Bang!
Before Blackbeard could finish cursing, a volley of gunfire from the Marines cut him off.
Bullets, charged with searing heat, rained down upon the Blackbeard Pirates.
Despite their initial shock at Maude's unexpected maneuver, the Marines quickly regained their composure.
They recognized that the Blackbeard Pirates were an exceptionally dangerous crew, so they seized this opportunity to eliminate them once and for all.
In an instant, all attacks that had originally been directed at Maude were now fully redirected toward Blackbeard and his men.
Having been unceremoniously thrown into this disaster, the Blackbeard Pirates were understandably furious. However, they had no choice but to suppress their anger and fight back against the onslaught.
"Captain, this is bad!"
"We need to get out of here—now!"
Blackbeard's eyes darkened.
Faced with such peril, he had no intention of holding back. Black mist surged from beneath his feet, rippling outward like waves before engulfing the surrounding Marines.
The first Marines to be touched by the black mist found themselves trapped as if they had stepped into quicksand, their legs bound by an immensely powerful suction force emanating from the darkness.
"What?! This ability...?!"
The Marines were shaken.
Just by looking at the dark mist, they couldn't help but associate it with Maude's Shadow-Shadow Fruit abilities.
Could it be? Were their abilities that similar...?
As Blackbeard unleashed his deadly technique, his crew followed suit, launching a full-force counterattack in an attempt to carve a path through the encirclement.
They knew all too well—if they couldn't break free in one decisive push, they would be beaten to death on the spot.
Realizing the stakes, the Blackbeard Pirates fought with every ounce of strength they had.
The Marines suffered heavy casualties in mere seconds.
Yet, just as they had done against Maude, they refused to back down.
Now that Blackbeard's crew had been forcefully relocated, they had become the primary target of the Marine's relentless assault.
As for Luffy—
Luckily, he had been dragged into a one-on-one showdown with his grandfather, ensuring that his life wasn't in immediate danger.
At the outskirts of the Plaza.
Watching the Blackbeard Pirates locked in a brutal battle with the Marines, Maude's lips curled into a subtle smile.
Beside him, Law was panting slightly.
Every time he expanded his Room beyond his limits, he drained a significant amount of stamina at the cost of his lifespan.
If not for such deadly limitations, the Op-Op Fruit's power would truly be as Maude had described—an ability that could manipulate everything, akin to a godlike force beyond counterplay.
"Huff… Huff…"
Law steadied his breathing before shifting his gaze to the embattled Blackbeard Pirates.
One thought struck him with clarity—
Maude is a truly unreasonable and dangerous man.
As an ally, he was undeniably reassuring.
As an enemy, he was a waking nightmare.
"We're not done yet, are we?"
"Heh, you really get me, Law."
Maude looked at Law in mild surprise, noting the calm expression on his still-weary face.
Simply throwing the Blackbeard Pirates into the Marine's encirclement wasn't enough to satisfy him.
His true goal was to deliver Blackbeard directly to Akainu, Aokiji, and even Sengoku, who was gathering his strength.
Only by doing so could he fully exploit the Blackbeard Pirates as cannon fodder.
Law understood Maude's methods all too well, making it easy for him to deduce his final objective.
While he was curious about Maude's insistence on staying behind, he saw no reason to question it.
Fulfilling Maude's requests without question was his way of repaying a debt.
...
From afar.
Hancock, her body bearing a few minor wounds, furrowed her brows as she scrutinized Maude and Law.
Just moments ago, she had been fending off attacks from Crescent Moon Hunter Devon and the Corrupt King Pizarro, all while facing the predatory gazes of Blackbeard's other crew members.
As powerful as she was, even she struggled when surrounded by multiple high-caliber foes.
If not for Maude and Law's unexpected intervention, the outcome of her battle could have been disastrous.
Still—
Hancock was fully aware that they hadn't acted out of any intention to assist her.
But the reality remained: they had helped her.
Maude and Law sensed her gaze and turned to glance at her.
"?"
Both raised a questioning brow before simultaneously looking away, shifting their attention back to the execution platform.
Throughout the entire Blackbeard maneuver, Maude had only been concerned about Kuma, while Law had been solely focused on carrying out Maude's orders.
Neither had spared a single thought for Hancock.
So when they suddenly noticed her staring at them, their reaction was simple confusion.
"I was… ignored?!"
Seeing their complete lack of response, Hancock took two stunned steps backward, her deep blue eyes brimming with disbelief.
Her self-adoration triggered instantly.
Naturally, Maude had already turned away, missing the scene entirely.
He rubbed his chin, gazing at Blackbeard, who was still fighting tooth and nail against the Marines, and mused aloud:
"Should I send you to Akainu or Aokiji?"
After a brief pause, he smirked and said decisively:
"The more I think about it, Akainu is the better choice."
In mere seconds, Maude had chosen Blackbeard's opponent for him.
Now, all that remained was shortening the Room's teleportation distance and having Law execute two quick swaps.
"Let's go."
Smiling, Maude strode forward toward the battlefield.
Step one: Swap Blackbeard's crew with Sabo and the others fighting against Akainu and Aokiji.
Step two: Use a few stones to bring Sabo's group out.
Suddenly, everything was falling neatly into place.
"…"
Law followed in silence, inwardly mourning for the Blackbeard Pirates.
He could already picture the sheer terror on their faces when they realized who they were up against.
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