The target they were supposed to capture was the captain of the Ceramics Pirates, whose bounty was 42 million berries.
Yet, the person who had just leaped off the ship was none other than the recent talk of the seas—Bacardi Maude, with a staggering bounty of 500 million berries.
The entire slave-hunting crew collapsed to the ground, their faces drained of color, their bodies ice-cold with fear.
How had such rotten luck befallen them?
If only they had stepped on a pile of Bubble Dog's dung this morning, slipped, broken a leg, and ended up in the hospital instead!
Clatter—
Guns, swords—everything was tossed aside in an instant.
"We're sorry!!!"
Driven by an overwhelming desire to survive, the usually arrogant leader of the slave hunters prostrated himself on the ground, limbs neatly pressed to the floor, praying that Maude, who was walking toward them, would show mercy.
Even though they hadn't even made a move yet…
"We're sorry!!!"
"We're sorry!!!"
Seeing their leader take the lead, the rest of the slave-hunting crew immediately followed suit without hesitation.
They were only used to dealing with pirate captains who had bounties around 50 million berries.
But the monstrous figure standing before them? He was in a completely different league—a bounty with an extra zero attached. Forget fighting him; even looking at him too long felt like tempting fate.
Yet, despite their best efforts to avoid trouble, they had still managed to run headfirst into it.
Maude glanced at the group, who were now groveling on the ground, looking as if they were ready to wave a white flag at any moment.
He hadn't even said anything yet, and they were already kneeling?
Raising an eyebrow, he turned to look at the pirate flag fluttering atop the mast of the ship behind him. In an instant, he understood.
Since he hadn't arrived aboard the Underworld Ferry, these poor fools had mistakenly assumed he was just another pirate captain—a grave misunderstanding that had led them straight into disaster.
It was true that pirate captains were a common and highly sought-after commodity in the slave markets of the Sabaody Archipelago.
After all, the Sabaody Archipelago was the final stop of the first half of the Grand Line and the gateway to the New World.
Thus, every pirate crew following the natural course of the Grand Line would eventually reach Sabaody, making them prime targets for bounty hunters and slave traders.
Whether or not a pirate crew could make it to Fish-Man Island, 10,000 meters beneath the sea, was another matter entirely. The moment they set foot on Sabaody, they faced the looming threat of bounty hunters and slave traders lurking in the shadows.
It was because of these bounty hunters and slave traders that many pirate crews met their end before even setting sail for the New World.
To them, wanted pirates weren't people—they were walking stacks of berries.
Thanks to their presence, the Marines stationed at Grove 60-69 found their workload significantly reduced.
Their main duties were simply patrolling the islands and maintaining order, as long as it wasn't in the lawless zones.
As long as arriving pirate crews kept a low profile, the Marines generally turned a blind eye.
That was the reality of Sabaody Archipelago.
Maude had a rough understanding of this.
This time, however, he had come with a significant haul of treasure and gold looted from Moria's castle.
Before paying Rayleigh a visit, he planned to cash in the treasure and then make a trip to the slave market to see if any captured pirate captains were worth acquiring.
After all, buying bounties for experience points was just another routine move for him.
Maude snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at the group of trembling slave hunters, a smile forming on his lips.
"Why are you apologizing?"
"..."
The group was stunned.
Right—why were they apologizing?
They hadn't actually done anything.
No, wait… They hadn't even intended to target Maude in the first place!
Realizing this, the slave hunters felt a deep sense of injustice welling up inside them.
But even if they were technically in the right, standing their ground before a pirate—especially a fearsome figure like Maude—was simply not an option.
"B-because… we have offended you."
The leader forced himself to look up at Maude, his lips trembling uncontrollably, his face drained of all color.
Maude glanced at the man's thick hair and smirked. "I wouldn't say 'offended' exactly. But since you've already thrown down your weapons, you might as well do it properly. Don't forget the flintlock hidden in your hair. And the rest of you…"
His gaze swept over the other members of the slave-hunting crew.
The leader instantly felt a chill run down his spine, moving mechanically as he reached into his hair, pulled out the flintlock pistol, and tossed it aside.
The rest of the crew, following suit, produced various concealed firearms and dropped them to the ground.
"Usopp Style, is it?"
Maude casually glanced at the discarded firearms.
"We're sorry! We didn't mean to! We were just—just too scared…"
The leader was on the verge of tears.
Under the immense pressure of a 500 million bounty, his nerves were stretched to the breaking point. He had completely forgotten about the pistol in his hair.
And then it hit him—the founder of Usopp Style… was standing right in front of him.
Of all the places, why did he have to showcase Usopp Style in front of its creator?!
But the real question was… would Maude believe him?
Despair filled the leader's heart.
If only they had the ability to read emotions with Observation Haki, they wouldn't be so terrified.
Because, truthfully, Maude had no intention of doing anything to them.
"Relax. I don't plan on harming you," Maude said flatly. "It's just that we're new here and could use a little help. You wouldn't refuse, would you?"
"Not at all! Absolutely not!"
The leader shot upright, looking at Maude with desperate enthusiasm. He pounded his chest and vowed, "Say the word, Lord Maude, and I'll climb mountains and cross fire for you!"
"Good. Answer me this first."
"Anything!"
"Is there a bar around here with 'Bamboo' in the name?"
"Uh…"
The leader hesitated before cautiously asking, "You wouldn't be referring to Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, would you?"
Maude's eyes lit up. "Yes. Do you know where it is?"
The leader hesitated. "I do, but… the owner is a dangerous woman. And there's an old man who drinks there frequently… he's unfathomably strong. Are you—"
"Just take us there."
Maude cut him off.
Of course, he knew about Shakky and Rayleigh's strength. But the leader's willingness to divulge these details had inadvertently bought himself a sliver of hope.
"Understood!"
The leader nodded eagerly, completely unaware that his slip of the tongue had just saved his life.
At that moment, Lafitte and the others arrived behind Maude.
Udyr shifted his gaze and immediately took notice of Brook, his eyes widening in shock. "A walking skeleton?!"
"How rude!"
A cross-shaped vein popped up on Brook's forehead.
Udyr stared in astonishment at the talking skeleton, and the rest of the slave hunters were equally dumbfounded, their faces filled with disbelief.
Brook had already braced himself for such reactions. Though momentarily irritated, he quickly composed himself.
"Um, forgive me for being blunt, but in all my years, I've never seen a skeleton that can walk and talk—"
"It's 'skeleton'!"
Brook corrected him.
"Oh, right, skeleton!"
Udyr laughed awkwardly before continuing, "Someone as rare as you would undoubtedly attract the attention of other slave-hunting crews. So, uh… perhaps you should consider disguising yourself?"
"Eh?"
Brook was taken aback before exclaiming, "I never realized I was so popular!"
"No, that's clearly not what I meant."
A look of resignation flashed in Udyr's eyes as he waved his hands emphatically, denying Brook's interpretation.
"Yohohoho."
Brook, however, casually pulled a mirror from his skull and began admiring his reflection with great self-satisfaction.
Seeing this, Udyr simply gave up.
Maude spoke calmly, "If any slave hunters dare come after us, I'll make sure they never leave."
Udyr's heart tightened, and he forced a bitter smile. "Lord Maude, I wouldn't dare question your strength, but… what if the Celestial Dragons take an interest in your companion?"
At the mention of the Celestial Dragons, both Lafitte and Gaya's eyes flickered subtly, while Brook remained absorbed in his mirror.
"..."
Maude fell silent, raising an eyebrow.
The Celestial Dragons, huh…
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