Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 9.
Out on the nearby sea, a pirate ship was slowly making its way toward the shore.
At the bow stood a man wearing a captain's hat, gripping a drawn longsword tightly in his hand. His expression was grim as he gazed at the approaching coastline.
Even though there wasn't a single figure in sight on land, this man—presumably the captain of the pirate crew—remained on high alert.
The same went for the rest of the crew on deck, each of them tense as if anticipating the arrival of a terrifying enemy at any moment.
More precisely, they were on edge about a deadly Ghost Bullet that could come flying from any direction, at any time.
As the brigantine finally docked, the pirates on deck exchanged silent glances. The only sounds that filled the air were their heavy breaths.
The atmosphere was unnervingly eerie.
"Drop anchor."
After a brief silence, the man at the bow swung his longsword, breaking the unsettling quiet on deck.
Upon hearing the order, two crew members carefully tossed the heavy anchor into the sea.
With a deep splash, water erupted from the surface.
Once the anchor was secured, the jittery crew members turned to their captain.
Letting out a long sigh, the captain grumbled angrily, "Which brainless idiot spread those exaggerated stories about the Phantom Sniper and the Gatekeeper of the New World?! Now I can't even dock without being paranoid!"
"Exactly!"
The crew members exhaled in relief.
Just as their nerves finally began to ease, an urgent voice rang out from the lookout.
"Bad news, Captain Gurid! A group of Marines is coming from the south, heading straight for us!!!"
"What?! Isn't this a lawless zone?! Why the hell are the Marines here?!"
Captain Gurid's expression changed drastically, clearly shocked by the Marines' swift response.
Onshore.
Leading the charge from the Marine base in the Sabaody Archipelago was Commodore Aiden. He was at the front, barking orders at the top of his lungs.
"Move it! Faster, damn it!!!"
"This time, I won't let that bastard steal my credit again!!!"
Aiden, who was missing half an eyebrow, had bloodshot eyes, glaring at the pirate ship anchored at Grove 9's coast like a starving wolf.
Since being stationed at Sabaody, he had never been this motivated before.
And the reason boiled down to one man—Bacardi Maude.
"Yes, sir!!!"
The Marines following Aiden seemed as if they had been injected with adrenaline, sprinting forward with all their might.
On the pirate ship, the crew was left stunned, watching as over a hundred Marines closed the distance in mere moments.
Perhaps it was just their imagination, but they swore they could see a green glint in the Marines' eyes.
"I haven't even set foot on land yet…!"
"I've never seen Marines this damn eager before…"
In their not-so-lengthy careers as pirates, this was the first time they had encountered such an aggressive pursuit.
The first to arrive was Commodore Aiden, who tilted his head up to look at the pirates aboard the ship. His eyes welled up with emotion, and he nearly broke into tears.
"Thank goodness… You're still alive!"
"???"
Hearing Aiden's words, the pirates—who had been bracing themselves for battle—were left utterly baffled.
Was this Marine officer… mentally unstable?
Just as the confrontation was about to erupt, a towering man suddenly appeared on the shore out of thin air.
The moment he materialized, a swirl of dust rose around his feet, lingering in the air.
"Huh?! The Tyrant, Bartholomew Kuma… Why is he here…?"
Seeing the newcomer, Commodore Aiden's face instantly twisted in shock.
It was none other than Bartholomew Kuma, one of the current Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Ignoring the stunned Marines, Kuma calmly turned and placed a massive paw-shaped hand on the pirate ship beside him.
Pa—
A soft popping sound echoed.
In an instant, the once-intact pirate ship and everyone aboard it vanished into thin air.
"NO—!!!"
Aiden let out a heart-wrenching cry, reaching out in vain, grasping at nothing but air—an undeniable symbol of his sheer helplessness.
After casually swatting away the bothersome pirates, Kuma never once spared a glance at the Marines.
Without a word, he turned and strode away, heading straight toward Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
The Marines could only watch in dismay as Kuma's massive figure disappeared into the distance.
Yet again, a Warlord had interfered…
And yet—
Wasn't it supposed to be a good thing when a Warlord took down pirates?
As they gazed at the silently weeping Commodore Aiden, a deep sorrow settled over the Marines.
Ten minutes later.
Kuma arrived at the base of the Grove 13 roots, lifting his head slightly. Reflected in the glass-like lenses of his sunglasses was the silhouette of Shakky's Rip-off Bar.
Fwip—
A soft rustling sound.
Like a shadow flickering in the wind, Maude suddenly appeared, looking at Kuma with surprise.
"Kuma, I was just about to head to Marine Headquarters to find you…"
"You reaching out to me first must mean it's something urgent," Kuma responded in his usual calm and refined tone.
"Yeah."
Maude nodded.
Kuma remained composed. "If it's urgent, then Marine Headquarters isn't exactly the best place for a conversation… Even if we are both Warlords."
He was referring to Marineford.
"True."
Maude chuckled, casually brushing past the topic. He then pointed upward.
"Let's talk up there."
"Alright."
Kuma nodded.
Moments later—
The two stood atop the Yarukiman Mangrove, towering over the archipelago.
"I need to get somewhere immediately."
Once at the treetop, Maude got straight to the point.
Kuma gazed at him steadily. "Where?"
"Alabasta. More specifically, wherever the Straw Hat Pirates are."
"…"
Kuma fell silent at the mention of that name.
Seeing his reaction, Maude felt a tinge of unease, suspecting that Alabasta might not be included in Kuma's flight route.
If that were the case…
"Can you do it?"
Maude's eyes sharpened as he pressed for an answer.
"I can."
Kuma nodded.
That firm response made the heaviness in Maude's eyes dissipate like receding tides.
That had given him quite the scare.
Kuma, however, had observed Maude's reaction in its entirety.
His earlier silence wasn't due to the difficulty of Maude's request, but rather because he had heard the words Straw Hat Pirates.
Within the Revolutionary Army, only a handful of people knew that Luffy was the son of their leader, Dragon.
Even high-ranking officers like Ivankov, who was deeply connected to Dragon, remained completely unaware of this fact.
But Kuma—he was one of the few who knew everything.
"Why are you in such a hurry to find the Straw Hat Pirates?"
It was precisely because of this hidden connection that Kuma felt compelled to ask.
If Maude intended to harm the Straw Hat Pirates, Kuma would never lend a hand.
Meeting Kuma's questioning gaze head-on, Maude replied openly, "Because of me, Doflamingo is targeting the Straw Hat Pirates."
Kuma's expression remained as unreadable as ever, but his eyes now carried a hint of doubt.
"Their sniper, Usopp, is my disciple," Maude explained.
Kuma was momentarily stunned.
For some time now, he had been assisting Dr. Vegapunk with the Pacifista research, leaving him largely cut off from outside news.
However, he was well aware of the deep-seated grudge between Maude and Doflamingo. That alone was enough for him to immediately grasp why Doflamingo would set his sights on the Straw Hat Pirates.
Now that he understood the reasoning, Kuma silently removed his gloves and got straight to the point.
"Maude, my 'time' is running out. If you need to leave immediately, it's best to go now."
"..."
But Maude seemed to pick up on a deeper meaning behind those words.
In truth, he knew exactly what awaited Kuma in the near future.
"…Kuma, do you want to leave yourself a sliver of hope? With my ability, I might… be able to make it happen."
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