Life Return is a skill that allows one to freely control their body.
According to Shakky, it involves channeling one's consciousness into a specific part of the body to achieve precise control.
It could be a single strand of hair or, in Perona's case, her… well, her chest.
Even certain, highly aggressive parts of a man's body could be enhanced through the application of Life Return, increasing their size and toughness to maximize offensive capability.
For instance:
The arms, legs, fists, feet—any part of the body.
To gain even a basic grasp of this skill, one must not only possess exceptional bodily coordination but also an unyielding spirit.
In other words, unlike Armament Haki, which corresponds to physical strength and stamina, or Observation Haki, which relies on mental focus and perception, Life Return is a highly advanced technique that requires both body and mind to progress in tandem.
Mastering it is no easy feat.
Maude was mentally prepared for a long-term training regimen.
"Big Sis Shakky, can I learn it too?"
Bailey stood on the bar counter, looking up at Shakky with eager eyes.
Shakky thought for a moment before teasing, "Well, there's no precedent, but with your talent, little Bailey, I'm sure you can learn it."
"Haha!"
Bailey didn't catch the teasing undertone in Shakky's words at all and laughed triumphantly.
"After all, I'm the world's strongest weasel!"
"..."
Perona glanced at the small bumps on Bailey's head—welts that hadn't yet fully healed, courtesy of her own handiwork.
Idiot weasel.
She insulted him in her mind.
As if sensing Perona's hostility, Bailey suddenly turned his head sharply toward her, making her jump in surprise.
"W-What?"
Perona stammered, slightly flustered.
Bailey narrowed his eyes at her and snorted. "I can feel it."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Perona's heart skipped a beat. Had this dumb weasel already mastered the advanced form of Observation Haki that Gaya had once mentioned?
The thought unsettled her. Worried that he might read her mind again, she instinctively turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.
Her reaction only confirmed Bailey's suspicions.
"I knew it."
Bailey let out a few more snorts before pointing a paw at Perona like a detective who had just cracked a case. "You're jealous of me!"
"?"
Perona was dumbfounded.
"Hmph, jealousy won't get you anywhere. You should just accept reality and stop letting your envy be so obvious to me."
Bailey shook his head, his little shoulders shrugging, his expression one of an insufferably smug brat.
"..."
Perona stared at Bailey in silence.
I'm such an idiot.
For actually thinking this dumb weasel had mastered advanced Observation Haki.
She sighed inwardly.
Meanwhile, Bailey gazed at Perona's dejected expression and thought to himself—
The existence of geniuses inevitably makes ordinary people feel inferior.
...
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, a month had gone by.
During this period, Shakky diligently taught Maude and Perona the principles and techniques of Life Return, even temporarily closing the bar to focus on their training.
Yet, despite a month of intense instruction, the results were underwhelming.
Maude had only just begun to grasp the basics, while Perona and Bailey were still completely lost.
It was clear—Life Return was an exceptionally difficult skill to learn.
Throughout their training, Shakky often praised them, saying they were doing well.
Of course…
Whether or not that was just to comfort them was another question entirely.
That evening, as night fell…
After finishing his day's training, Maude suddenly pushed open the bar's doors and stepped outside.
"..."
Without a word, his eyes locked onto a thick root of the Yarukiman Mangrove not far away.
Moments ago, while inside the bar, he had sensed a fleeting presence.
Shakky had likely noticed it as well, but she didn't seem concerned.
Maude, however, was not one to be so dismissive. He immediately walked toward the spot where the presence had vanished.
After crossing several dozen meters, he arrived at the exposed root of the Yarukiman Mangrove.
There, in a conspicuous spot, was a folded piece of paper nailed to the root.
"Oh?"
Maude's eyes immediately landed on the note, his brows raising slightly.
He activated his Observation Haki but detected no lingering presence.
After pausing for a moment, he stepped forward and picked up the folded paper.
Unfolding it, he saw that it contained a report—a response to his earlier request for Sabo to investigate the whereabouts of the Straw Hat Pirates.
"How unnecessarily dramatic."
Seeing the contents of the note, Maude first felt a sense of realization, then let out a soft chuckle.
He had thought it was some kind of secretive message, but it turned out to be from the Revolutionary Army.
It made sense. In a way, this method was more secure than using a Den Den Mushi.
However…
The reason Maude had asked Sabo to investigate the Straw Hat Pirates' movements was not simply for intelligence gathering.
Rather, he hoped that by making Sabo interact with Luffy, he could gradually awaken the deeply buried memories within Sabo's subconscious.
Given Sabo's current status and influence in the Revolutionary Army, tasks like intelligence gathering were usually delegated to subordinates.
But if Maude personally made the request, Sabo would definitely handle it himself.
And with his master-disciple connection to Usopp, Maude had a perfectly reasonable excuse for making such a request.
"I just wonder if it'll have any real effect. Compared to the shock of Ace's death, simply investigating Luffy may not be enough of a trigger."
Maude murmured to himself as he refocused on the information in the note.
"They've already reached Alabasta?"
"So they did end up meeting Vivi…"
"Fate is such an interesting thing."
"Hmm? Bartolomeo?"
Seeing Bartolomeo's name, Maude was slightly taken aback.
He was absolutely certain—Bartolomeo had never been part of the Straw Hat Pirates in the original timeline.
And he had no memory of encountering him before.
"Is this the result of the butterfly effect?"
Maude pondered for a moment before dismissing the thought and continuing to read.
Soon, he came across another familiar name—Chopper.
"This…"
Maude's expression changed slightly.
He had already dealt with the Red Ogre and Blue Ogre at Little Garden.
With that major change, did Nami still end up contracting a deadly illness there?
If that were the case, then the Straw Hat Pirates would naturally have sought out a doctor, which would have led them to Drum Island—and ultimately to Chopper joining their crew.
But Chopper still ended up joining them anyway.
Maude was rather surprised. It felt as if some unknown force was manipulating the course of "history" that was meant to unfold in the future.
In reality, though—
The reason the Straw Hat Pirates met Chopper wasn't because Nami had fallen ill. It was because Bartolomeo had eaten several bats.
To prevent the foolhardy Bartolomeo from dying miserably at sea, the Straw Hat Pirates altered their course at the last minute. Guided by fate, they arrived at Drum Island, where Chopper's eventual recruitment took place.
And as for why Bartolomeo had clung to the Straw Hat Pirates' ship in the first place—the true reason was his relentless desire to meet his idol—Maude.
Even the Straw Hat Pirates' encounter with Vivi, in a way, was tied to Maude.
It all started when Nico Robin took notice of the master-disciple bond between Maude and Usopp. From the shadows, she orchestrated Vivi's infiltration of Baroque Works—an undercover princess who believed herself undiscovered—so that she would cross paths with the Straw Hats.
Everything…
Was it fate? Or the butterfly effect?
There was no definitive answer.
Then, in the final few lines of the note—
Maude saw a name that made his eyes narrow ever so slightly—
The Donquixote Family!
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