From the moment Doflamingo manipulated Atmos into attacking his own comrades to the instant Maude arrived with his shadow at his side and swiftly executed Atmos with a single strike, the entire sequence concluded in less than ten seconds.
In a certain sense, perhaps dying at Maude's hands was a preferable fate compared to being forced to slaughter his own crewmates under Doflamingo's control.
Standing atop Atmos' corpse, Maude carefully sensed the subtle changes within his own body.
As expected of a division commander, the benefits reaped from absorbing him far exceeded those gained from the prisoners on Level 5 of Impel Down.
Roughly speaking—
The essence of one commander was equivalent to around fifty Level 5 prisoners.
However, compared to the physical boost obtained from Little Oars Jr., the gains felt rather insignificant.
Even so, Maude was quite satisfied.
Doflamingo's smile gradually faded, his expression turning cold as he silently stared at Maude.
The killing intent in his eyes surged like a tidal wave, and his slightly curled fingers were poised to strike at any moment.
Yet—
The last shred of rationality barely kept his murderous urge in check.
Without a justifiable reason, if he were to kill Maude here, it would certainly be satisfying.
But the consequences would likely lead to accountability, potentially costing him his position as a Warlord of the Sea.
Losing the privileges that came with that title would inevitably impact his dealings with Kaido of the Beasts.
As that thought crossed his mind, an image of Kaido flashed in Doflamingo's head. His raised index finger slowly lowered once more.
It wasn't Maude he feared—it was that overwhelmingly powerful man, a being with near-invincible endurance and unfathomable resilience: Kaido of the Beasts.
Reason triumphed over impulse.
But even so, Doflamingo made no effort to hide his intent to kill, as if he could strike Maude down at any given moment.
Maude observed Doflamingo, who had yet to make a move, and slowly unsheathed Shusui. With a flick of his wrist, the blade vibrated slightly.
The blood coating the blade splattered onto the icy ground beside him, forming a crimson plum blossom pattern.
Behind him, the Whitebeard Pirates' crewmates seethed with anger and hatred.
Before him, Doflamingo's murderous intent burned with an intensity that suggested he longed to flay Maude alive.
Between the two, the greater threat was not the enraged pirates closing in from behind—but the wild and unpredictable man standing before him.
"What's wrong? Just striking a pose? Or are you actually planning to make a move?"
Maude pointed his sword at Doflamingo.
Doflamingo's forehead twitched with bulging veins, yet he only let out a low, sinister chuckle.
"You arrogant brat. You're only acting tough because you think you understand the situation."
"Understand the situation?"
Maude casually swung his blade backward, sending a flying slash that instantly cut down several pirates attempting to ambush him.
"Hah."
As the sounds of screams and bodies collapsing to the ground echoed behind him, Maude sneered at Doflamingo.
You have no idea what you're about to face…
Doflamingo…
Without another word, Maude turned away, ready to face the enraged Whitebeard Pirates.
Doflamingo coldly watched Maude's retreating figure.
His earlier enthusiasm for toying with enemies had vanished due to this unexpected development.
Seeing Maude kill Atmos firsthand, the members of Whitebeard's Thirteenth Division roared with fury and charged at him.
"Take down that damn Warlord!!"
Breaking through Maude was essential for both storming the plaza and avenging their fallen commander.
The two objectives were not in conflict.
"I have no interest in you lot, so… if you want to play, then play with my shadow instead."
Maude calmly observed the furious Whitebeard Pirates before separating his pitch-black shadow from his body, sending it forward to attack them.
"You bastard!"
"Don't underestimate us!"
The charging pirates were incensed upon seeing Maude send only his shadow to fight them.
However—
As the shadow clone weaved through their ranks, cutting down foes left and right, they finally understood the weight of Maude's words.
"I… I can't even block an attack from a shadow…"
A pirate, mortally wounded by the shadow clone's blade, stared blankly at its retreating form before collapsing to the ground.
"How… how is the gap this wide…?"
As his strength drained alongside his blood, the pirate's eyelids grew unbearably heavy.
Darkness swallowed him.
His eyes, filled with unwillingness, closed forever.
Thud—
His lifeless body hit the ground.
And the shadow clone pressed on.
With fluid movements and an impenetrable body—
The shadow clone tore through the hundred-plus pirates like a predator in a flock of sheep.
Every few seconds, another Thirteenth Division member fell to its blade.
Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates were utterly incapable of breaching the shadow clone's defense. Their formation quickly crumbled.
Although they were part of the Whitebeard Pirates, their individual strengths fell far short of the top-tier combatants in this war.
Thinking they could defeat Maude with such numbers was nothing short of wishful thinking.
"Even his shadow… is as monstrous as he is…"
"This… this is unbearable…"
As they watched their comrades fall one after another, the remaining Thirteenth Division members were consumed by sorrow and frustration.
But frustration meant nothing in a world governed by survival of the fittest, where strength dictated the only truth.
As his shadow clone continued its rampage, Maude paid no attention to the battlefield. Maintaining his Observation Haki, he looked toward Whitebeard, who was confronting Aokiji and Kizaru in the distance.
His gaze lowered slightly, settling on the glowing rings of energy coalescing around Whitebeard's fist.
"Hmm?"
Maude's pupils shrank as he watched Whitebeard slam his fist into the air.
Cracks instantly spread through the atmosphere at the point of impact.
A seismic shockwave, capable of summoning massive tsunamis and surpassing even the Hakoku in power, erupted and surged across the icy battlefield, heading straight for the plaza.
Wherever the shockwave passed, the ice and ground shattered.
The devastating force tore through the Marines' defensive line, blasting open a massive gap before continuing its advance toward the execution platform.
"Waaahhh!!"
Countless Marines were sent flying by the direct impact of the shockwave.
Even the towering Giant Vice Admirals were hurled aside in an instant.
Rumble—
All of Marineford tilted, with one side rising high and the other sinking low.
On the execution platform, Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and Garp all wore solemn expressions as they watched the approaching, cataclysmic shockwave.
This was the power that made Whitebeard a threat capable of destroying the world.
Yet, despite their grave expressions, there was no fear in their eyes.
As the shockwave neared the execution platform, Akainu, who had been sitting quietly throughout the battle, finally rose from his chair.
At the same time—
Aokiji and Kizaru, having momentarily disengaged from Whitebeard, rushed back to the execution platform, reforming their bodies beside Akainu.
Without exchanging a single word, the three Admirals raised their hands in unison, palms facing the incoming shockwave.
Sizzling…
Their advanced Armament Haki surged forth, forming a semi-spherical barrier that enveloped the execution platform.
The shockwave collided against the barrier like a blade striking smooth glass, deflecting to the side.
Boom!
The redirected force obliterated an entire section of Marineford's townscape.
As the dust settled, the execution platform remained untouched.
Sengoku glanced at the Admirals below.
It was expected that they could block Whitebeard's attack.
"No more waiting."
Sengoku turned to Tsuru and issued the command.
Along the bay's perimeter, colossal steel walls began to rise.
With the Admirals neutralizing Whitebeard's latest attack, the battle plan for the encirclement wall was finally set into motion.