Collecting every Devil Fruit recorded in the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia—such a feat sounded like sheer fantasy.
And yet, Law, usually the most rational one, couldn't entirely dismiss the idea.
Only because the one who said it was Maude.
"Why bring this up all of a sudden?"
Law shook his head slightly and walked over to Arthur, looking at the unconscious Donquixote Family officers, who were tightly bound with fine strings.
His gaze swept over their limbs, and with his doctor's eye, he immediately noticed the fractures.
Arthur caught the change in Law's expression and took the initiative to explain, "I broke their bones. Just to be safe."
Hearing this, Law nodded slightly, then unsheathed Kikoku and expanded his Room.
Shing! Shing! Shing!
Like slicing fruit, Law effortlessly dismembered the Donquixote Family officers into dozens of pieces from a distance.
Arthur's eyes widened in shock at the sight of the scattered limbs.
Law slowly sheathed Kikoku and said indifferently, "This is even safer."
"..."
Arthur opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.
After cutting them into pieces, Law methodically extracted each officer's heart and turned to leave.
Arthur watched his departing figure with apprehension and instinctively asked, "What... should I do with these?"
"With what?"
Law paused and turned back, looking at Arthur with a puzzled expression.
Arthur's mouth twitched as he pointed at the scattered body parts on the ground.
"Oh."
Law glanced at the dismembered officers and said calmly, "If you think it's too messy, just pile them up. If you find it disgusting, put them in a bag. Just don't kill them."
Without waiting for Arthur's reaction, Law leaped onto the warehouse rooftop at the port and surveyed the battlefield.
Under Brook and the others' frenzied assault, the last remaining Donquixote officer, Dellinger, collapsed in under two seconds.
Shifting his gaze, Law observed Gaya versus Ulti, Lafitte versus Drake, and Urouge and Hawkins battling over two hundred Beast Pirates. Finally, his eyes settled on Jack the Drought.
"One of the Three Calamities, huh..."
Law pressed his thumb against his chin, his expression tinged with pity.
Even a renowned Calamity of the Beasts Pirates was powerless before the combined might of Maude and Aokiji.
"Room."
Law, with no need to conserve stamina given the battle's outcome, lavishly expanded his spatial domain and instantly teleported next to the gravely injured and unconscious Vergo.
Looking down at Vergo's unmoving body, fragments of unwanted memories surfaced in Law's mind.
"This ends here, Vergo."
His voice was ice-cold as he extracted Vergo's heart with his ability.
With that, every fallen officer of the Donquixote Family had their hearts in Law's possession.
Not far away, in the ongoing battle—
Faced with the combined threat of Maude and Aokiji, Jack the Drought found himself in the most dire situation he had ever encountered.
Huff... huff...
His breath came in heavy gasps, each exhalation visible as white mist in the frigid air.
His body bore multiple frost-covered wounds, and the ground around him had been transformed into a frozen wasteland by Aokiji's abilities.
Were it not for the inherent cold resistance of his Ancient Zoan Mammoth Devil Fruit, he would have long been encased in ice.
Though he had barely endured Aokiji's successive assaults, the situation remained dire.
One-on-one, he couldn't defeat either Aokiji or Maude.
And now, he was facing both at once.
Perhaps it was Aokiji's relentless "Ice Bath" attacks, or perhaps Jack had finally realized the gravity of his predicament.
He had calmed down.
He now understood just how foolish his earlier thoughts of killing Maude had been.
Yet, even if he had chosen to retreat from the start...
With the terrifying Thriller Bark hovering over the port and Aokiji's ability to freeze an entire fleet in an instant, escape had never been an option.
From the very beginning, they had only one choice—
Fight to the death!
Jack quickly regulated his breathing and, without hesitation, shifted from his hybrid form into his full mammoth form.
Crack, crack—
As his massive frame expanded, the ice encasing him fractured and fell away.
In mere seconds, Jack had transformed into a towering, thickly furred Ancient Mammoth.
His long trunk drooped close to the ground, and his massive, curved ivory tusks—each at least four to five meters long—exuded an air of raw power.
"Seeing an Ancient Zoan's resilience firsthand... this is quite something. Truly troublesome."
Aokiji looked up slightly at Jack's colossal form, his hands still in his pockets, his breath condensing into frost as it silently crystallized into ice.
Not far away, Maude, observing from the sidelines, glanced at Aokiji's perpetually pocketed hands.
"If it's really that troublesome, why don't you take your hands out?"
Was Kuzan showing off his nonchalance? How "humble-braggy" of him.
Just as Maude had this thought, Aokiji suddenly removed his hands from his pockets.
"!!!"
Jack, noticing the motion, realized with horror that Aokiji had been fighting him this whole time with his hands in his pockets.
A surge of humiliation flooded him, his mammoth face darkening in fury.
Unfazed, Aokiji simply gazed at the now red-faced Jack in mild confusion.
He had merely intended to get a little serious. It hadn't occurred to him that this simple action would deal such a devastating psychological blow to Jack.
Without further thought, Aokiji crossed his arms and conjured frozen spears in midair.
"Kuzan, hold on."
Just as he was about to finish off Jack, Maude's voice rang out.
Hearing Maude, Aokiji didn't turn but let the ice spears dissolve into shards that scattered to the ground.
Though Aokiji halted his attack, Jack had no reason to comply. He swung his Haki-clad trunk toward Aokiji with immense force.
"Arara..."
Aokiji easily evaded, stepping back as the trunk lashed past, its sheer force cracking the frozen ground beneath them.
Jack recoiled his trunk and prepared another strike.
But then—
Sching!
A gleaming arc of light flashed through the air.
Jack's massive tusk fell to the ground.
"Hmm... I wonder how much this will fetch?" Maude mused, gripping his sword in one hand and holding the severed tusk in the other. "With the regenerative abilities of an Ancient Zoan, it should grow back, right?"
Jack's rage surged to a breaking point as Maude's words chilled him to the bone.
Even Aokiji, watching from the side, found himself at a loss for words.
This captain of theirs... was truly one of a kind.
Though Maude lacked no wealth, that didn't stop him from seizing immediate opportunities for profit.
The moment Jack transformed into his full mammoth form, Maude's eyes were immediately drawn to the beast's imposing tusks.
In that instant, instead of considering Jack's bounty or the Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit he was about to extract, Maude's first thought was... the immense value of those tusks.
After posing the question, Maude didn't immediately strike Jack down. Instead, he attentively observed the jagged remains of the mammoth's tusk near its trunk.
If these tusks could regenerate in a short time, he could turn them into a renewable resource.
Not only could he keep some for personal use, but he could also sell them to the world's aristocrats who had a penchant for ivory-crafted artifacts.
"Get lost!"
Realizing Maude's intent, Jack flew into a rage. He stomped forward, dragging his massive frame as he charged furiously at Maude.
"No need for you to answer—I'll confirm it myself."
Maude grinned nonchalantly, pivoting on his toes.
Shadow Ladle.
Moving fluidly like a swirling spoon, Maude evaded Jack's charge with an uncanny agility, subtly planting a Shadow Mark on the massive beast as he passed.
Clang!
With a swift motion, Maude slashed downward, cleanly severing Jack's other tusk.
Jack's enormous body barreled forward uncontrollably, but his tusks remained where they had fallen.
Maude watched Jack's retreating form, chuckling as he conjured Shadow Wave in his palm, storing both large tusks into his Shadow Casket, which barely managed to contain them.
Jack steadied himself and turned back, only to see Maude pocketing his tusks with shadowy energy. His body trembled with fury.
Being hunted like a mere beast—this humiliation was unbearable.
His growing agitation caused his Observation Haki to fluctuate, the red glint in his eyes flickering unstably.
"His aura's erratic..."
Maude immediately detected Jack's disarray. His eyes narrowed, and without hesitation, he swapped places with the Shadow Mark.
Swish!
In an instant, Maude vanished.
The next moment, he reappeared beside Jack, blade sweeping forth in a fluid motion.
Without the support of Observation Haki, Jack's reaction lagged. As he turned his head, his pupils shrank in horror, catching the glint of Maude's sword just before—
Slash!
A flash of crimson erupted.
Maude's blade sliced cleanly through Jack's trunk. Without pause, he activated his ability once more, instantly teleporting back to his original position.
Jack's severed trunk, gushing blood, spun through the air.
Jack roared in agony, his four legs stomping furiously, kicking up clouds of dust.
Yet the physical pain was nothing compared to the utter humiliation of being toyed with by Maude.
Never before had he imagined that his Ancient Zoan mammoth form—a source of immense pride—could become such a liability.
Maude regarded Jack's frenzied state with an impassive gaze. He flicked his wrist, shaking the blood off Shusui's blade.
Ancient Zoans boasted overwhelming durability and strength, especially in their full-beast forms, making them vastly superior to ordinary Zoans.
But such immense size came with an undeniable weakness—cumbersome movement.
In most battles, the mammoth's bulk was compensated by its formidable defense.
But against an opponent like Maude—who was not only swift but also capable of piercing through that defense—the sluggishness of the Ancient Zoan form became a fatal flaw.
After losing both tusks and now his trunk, Jack's frustration was palpable. Even through his agony, he fully grasped Maude's terrifying strength.
Enduring the pain, Jack reverted to his hybrid form. His face was a bloodied mess, crimson rivulets streaming from his wounds.
Maude looked at the blood-soaked Jack and sighed in disappointment. "So it doesn't grow back after all."
With that, he calmly sheathed Shusui.
"I'm done playing. I'll leave the rest to you, Kuzan."
"…"
Aokiji sighed helplessly.
"Playing...?"
Jack's mind snapped.
Since becoming one of the Three Calamities of the Beasts Pirates, he had never suffered such humiliation.
But Maude paid him no heed. After entrusting the cleanup to Aokiji, he flickered away, heading towards the town.
Though most of the Donquixote Family's main forces had been eliminated, remnants still occupied key strongholds within the city.
Since he intended to uproot them completely, he would ensure the job was thorough.
On the way to the town, Maude gestured towards Law.
Law understood immediately, clutching the hearts of the fallen officers as he swiftly followed Maude.
Side by side, the two moved towards the town's entrance.
...
At the harbor.
The Marines, led by Chaton, had withdrawn from the battle, silently watching the one-sided massacre unfold.
"The Maude Pirates… they're terrifyingly strong."
One Marine muttered under his breath.
No one refuted him. The thought echoed in all their minds.
Their crew alone had both Maude and Aokiji—two monstrous forces.
How could they not be strong?
Though the battle at the harbor continued, the outcome was all but decided.
Meanwhile, Maude and Law traversed the main street of Dressrosa.
There were no dancing women in the streets, no lively toys coexisting with humans.
The city was eerily silent, devoid of any signs of life.
Most likely, the civilians had hidden away, frightened by the sounds of battle from the harbor.
"First, we need to extract the Devil Fruit."
Before dealing with the Donquixote Family's remaining forces, securing the Devil Fruit was the priority.
Maude's eyes gleamed red as he sensed multiple life signatures hiding within the buildings on either side of the street.
Most of these were likely frightened civilians taking refuge.
Ignoring them, Maude quickly located an unoccupied building.
"Follow me."
Without hesitation, he stepped inside.
Law followed closely behind.
The two disappeared into the shadows of the abandoned structure.
...
At the heart of Dressrosa, near the Royal Plateau.
In the spacious plaza stood a colorful, whimsical castle—the famed Toys House.
On the surface, it served as a resting place for Dressrosa's toys after nightfall.
But in reality, it concealed the passage to the underground factory.
Deep within the Toys House, at the entrance to the underground passage, stood Viola, her Glare-Glare Fruit active as she scrutinized the battlefield.
Beside her, a small green-haired girl in a red hooded cape nibbled on grapes.
This girl was none other than Sugar, the Hobby-Hobby Fruit user whom Doflamingo valued above all others.
Her ability allowed her to turn anyone she touched into a toy.
And once transformed, all memories of them vanished from existence.
A terrifyingly absolute power.
"What's the situation, Violet?"
Sugar swallowed her grape, her gaze fixed on the woman.
Violet didn't respond immediately.
Through her ability, she had seen the overwhelming defeat of the Donquixote Family at the harbor. She had also seen Maude and Law entering an abandoned building.
And she had seen an unidentified group with ill intentions landing from the mushroom-shaped rock formations on the island's edge.
Among them was a giant who, with effortless ease, dug a passage through the rock using a shovel—likely a Devil Fruit user.
However, Violet's attention was no longer on this discovery. Instead, she was entirely focused on the battle at the harbor.
The Donquixote Family was finished…
Seeing the utter defeat of the Donquixote Family's officers, Violet trembled with excitement.
She had waited far too long for this day.
Sugar observed Violet's unusual reaction, a glint of coldness flashing deep in her eyes.
Realizing her slip, Violet tried to force herself to remain calm, but it was futile.
Thinking quickly, she decided to mask her uncontrollable excitement by speaking in a trembling voice:
"The Marines only sent a little over three hundred men—they won't be able to hold back the family's forces. Plus, the Beasts Pirates have also intervened to help. Right now, there are barely a dozen Marines still resisting."
"Oh?"
Sugar, expressionless, popped another grape into her mouth.
Violet continued her report: "Additionally, five minutes ago, a seventeen-man team landed from the western side of the island, using the mushroom rock formations. Among them is a giant, likely a Devil Fruit user, who can easily tunnel through the ground with a shovel."
She deliberately omitted any mention of Maude and Law.
"A tunnel?"
Sugar frowned slightly.
The ability to dig tunnels immediately brought to mind a potential threat to the underground factory and harbor hidden beneath the Toys House.
"This is bad. We need to contact Trebol immediately."
Sugar feigned urgency while secretly observing Violet's reaction.
Hearing this, Violet's expression shifted ever so slightly.
Noticing the change, Sugar's eyes flickered as she discreetly reached out toward Violet.
Slap!
Before Violet could react, she was turned into a stuffed doll and dropped onto the ground.
"I hate liars."
Sugar's voice was cold as she gazed down at the transformed Violet.
...
Underground Harbor.
In a corner stacked with empty wooden crates, the ground suddenly bulged before cracking open.
A pair of massive hands emerged from the gap, pulling it wider to create an entrance.
Seconds later, the Revolutionary Army's commander, Morley, poked her head through, her eyes glowing red as she used Observation Haki to scan the harbor.
Confirming the absence of any threats, a hint of delight crossed her face.
Even though the harbor seemed deserted, Morley remained cautious, carefully squeezing out of the tunnel and curling up behind a stack of crates.
"It's clear—come out."
Morley kept her voice low as she called toward the tunnel.
A second later, Sunny and the others climbed out.
They took in the eerily silent harbor, exchanging looks of both joy and suspicion.
"Are you sure?"
Everyone turned to Morley.
Morley nodded. "Mhm, I already confirmed it with 'Observation Haki.'"
"Why is no one here?"
Koala frowned.
Tatamu whispered a guess: "Maybe because of the chaos at the eastern port? And the toys only return to the Toys House at night."
"We don't have time to waste. Let's start moving the 'cargo' now."
Sunny urged.
"Right."
Everyone nodded and moved toward the mountain of wooden crates stacked by the shore.
"Sniff… sniff… uuuuh…"
They had barely walked a few dozen meters when the faint sound of a young girl crying reached their ears, causing them to stop in their tracks.
Following the sound, they spotted a small figure slowly emerging from the shadowy passageway in the distance, her soft sobs filled with fear.
"Mommy, where are you…? sniff… Candy is scared… sniff…"
Sugar clutched the stuffed-doll version of Violet in her arms, crying pitifully.
"A little girl?"
The revolutionaries were momentarily stunned upon seeing Sugar's tear-streaked face.
Despite her seemingly harmless appearance, Morley remained cautious, activating Observation Haki to sense her aura.
Weak. Extremely weak, even.
"Anything suspicious?"
Koala asked.
Morley shook her head. "No, nothing."
"Hmm."
Koala nodded.
Sunny suggested, "We can't let her keep crying—just knock her out."
"Huh?"
Everyone was taken aback.
They understood the risk of letting the girl continue crying—she could attract the Donquixote Family's attention—but knocking out a child seemed excessive.
Someone hesitated. "Maybe… we can just calm her down?"
"Fine."
Sunny didn't insist.
They approached Sugar.
Koala crouched slightly, speaking softly, "Hey there, little one. What are you doing here?"
"Sniff…"
Seeing the group approach, Sugar suddenly stopped crying, shrinking back as though frightened, taking a few cautious steps away.
"It's okay, we're not bad people."
Wanting to reassure her, Morley leaned in with a warm smile.
"Waaahhhh!!!"
Sugar instantly burst into louder sobs.
"Morley, you scared her!"
"I didn't mean to…" Morley pouted.
Koala waved for Morley to back off before continuing, "Don't be scared, sweetie. We're really not bad people."
"Sniff… Really? Candy wants her mommy…"
Sugar rubbed her swollen eyes, looking up at them pitifully.
Koala smiled gently. "Don't worry, we'll help you find your mommy."
"Thank you, big sis."
Sugar ran into Koala's arms, burying her face against her shoulder—an unmistakable glint of malice flashing across her hidden expression.
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