At the center of everyone's attention, the moment Maude vanished into thin air, countless jaws dropped in shock.
After swatting Maude away, Kuma followed up with another effortless backhand, lightly tapping Law.
Pa—!
Another crisp sound echoed.
Like Maude, Law also disappeared without a trace, leaving only a spiraling gust of wind on the ground.
With his pre-programmed task completed, Kuma slowly donned his gloves and tucked his book under his arm.
His targeting system momentarily disengaged, causing him to raise his head slightly, his gaze unfocused, as though staring into the unknown.
The enormous figure stood silently in place, bearing the weight of countless astonished gazes from all directions.
The war was far from over.
But having obtained everything he needed, Maude had successfully withdrawn from the battlefield.
And yet—
The way he exited the stage was beyond everyone's expectations.
"I really underestimated you~~"
Struck by Maude's unexpected maneuver, Kizaru, for once, showed a rare look of seriousness.
He first frowned at the empty sky, then shifted his gaze to the expressionless Bartholomew Kuma.
From what he knew, Kuma had been completely modified into a living weapon, acting only according to his pre-set programming. There was no way he should have autonomously decided to send Maude and Law flying.
Yet the reality was undeniable.
That begged the question—
What had prompted the mindless Kuma to make such a move?
Unless…
Kizaru's thoughts instantly turned to Dr. Vegapunk.
As the one responsible for Kuma's transformation, only Vegapunk could have inserted such a command into Kuma's programming.
But that led to another question.
What was Vegapunk's motivation for doing so?
Even if it had been a request from Kuma himself, there was no logical reason for Vegapunk to comply.
Kizaru stroked his chin, his mind clouded with even more questions.
Watching Maude and Law escape in such an unforeseen manner, Sengoku's expression turned grim, his fingers pressing hard against his temple in frustration, an unusual lapse in composure.
"Did he plan this from the very beginning… Bacardi Maude!"
Before this moment, who could have predicted that Maude had already arranged such a backup escape route for himself?
His final words before leaving echoed in the air above Marineford, lingering for all to hear.
"Zehahaha!!! You Marines… were completely played by that guy!"
Blackbeard's arrogant laughter abruptly replaced Maude's fading voice in the sky over Marineford.
"..."
Sengoku immediately turned a cold gaze toward Blackbeard.
But Blackbeard, oblivious to the growing danger of his situation, only laughed more wildly.
Despite his deep dislike for Maude, he couldn't help but admire what the man had pulled off.
...
Sabaody Archipelago.
Beneath the massive floating screen, a sea of spectators stood in silence, so still that one could hear a pin drop.
Journalists clutching their notepads and pens stared up at the screen in shock.
Maude's final words, coupled with his sudden disappearance, set their minds racing with speculation.
And yet—
Despite having pen and paper in hand, they had no idea where to start.
In the distance.
Perched atop a tree root, Perona, who had once been sent flying to Alabasta by Kuma's ability, let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Maude and Law also get launched away.
"Hmph, made me worry for nothing."
She muttered softly, then suddenly considered the possibility that Maude might have set his destination to the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Since we're so close to Marineford, it shouldn't take three whole days to get here, right?"
Perona spoke to herself.
Nearby, Urouge hesitated before asking, "Big Sis Perona, do you know what that 'ability' was? Do you think Boss will be alright?"
Having joined Maude's crew later, Urouge had been forced—under Perona's insistence—to address her as "Big Sis Perona."
He had protested before, but a lesson from her Negative Hollows quickly corrected his attitude.
Since then, he had obediently added "Big Sis" whenever he spoke to her.
"He's fine. It's just a free plane ride."
Perona glanced at Urouge, giving a vague and dismissive explanation.
"A… plane ride???"
Urouge was left completely baffled.
Perona chose not to elaborate further.
Terms like "plane ride" and "plane ticket" were things she had picked up from Maude.
She wasn't entirely sure what they meant either—only that Maude used them to describe Kuma's ability to send people flying to distant locations.
...
Elsewhere.
Shakky chuckled softly, snuffing out her cigarette.
Newgate, Shiki…
Lowering her head slightly, her gaze turned profound as she silently repeated the names of Whitebeard and Golden Lion in her mind.
Then, she sighed.
People who had once emerged from that utterly ruthless pirate crew—
Some still roamed the seas, their names resounding across the world.
But far more had been fading from the stage, one by one, in different ways.
As a former crewmate, she couldn't help but feel sorrow at the passing of Newgate and Shiki.
...
New World – Whole Cake Island.
A bizarre island made entirely of cakes and cream—
This was the base of operations for the Big Mom Pirates, ruled by one of the Four Emperors, Charlotte Linlin.
"Talking about reaching the pinnacle… What an arrogant little brat!!!"
In a dimly lit room, the enormous figure of Charlotte Linlin lounged on her bed, her bloated form sprawling across the mattress.
A Den Den Mushi sat quietly beside her bed, its eyes emitting a projection onto the wall—a live broadcast of the events at Marineford.
The flickering light from the projection cast a chilling gleam in her eyes.
Tap, tap—
The soft sound of approaching footsteps echoed from the doorway.
"Mama."
The visitor was her eldest son, the lanky, candy-cane-wielding Lick-Lick Fruit user, Charlotte Perospero.
Charlotte Linlin's gaze shifted from the screen to Perospero.
Even as she looked at her own son, she made no effort to restrain her menacing aura.
Her oppressive stare bore down on him.
Perospero slightly lowered his head, beads of sweat forming on his back beneath his clothing.
Whenever Charlotte Linlin was angry, familial ties did nothing to reassure him.
"Mama, just moments ago, Red-Hair and Kaido declared a truce."
"Oh?"
Charlotte Linlin sneered. "After fighting for three days and three nights, they finally called it quits…"
A glint of malice flickered in her eyes.
"That Red-Hair bastard, he really will do anything to stop Kaido."
Her tone dripped with disdain.
From her perspective, had the battle-hungry Kaido joined the Marineford war, she could have taken advantage of the chaos to seize more New World territory.
The greater the losses among the other Emperors, the happier she would be.
"Prepare to claim Whitebeard's territory."
"Understood, Mama."
Perospero nodded.
Charlotte Linlin grinned, baring her large, jagged teeth.
As if recalling something, saliva trickled from the gaps between her teeth.
Unlike Shakky, who mourned the deaths of Whitebeard and Shiki as former comrades—
Charlotte Linlin felt nothing at all.
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