Ace, who had been in a constant state of tension against Maude, unexpectedly awakened his ability at the most critical moment through sheer willpower.
This development caught Maude by surprise.
When a Logia ability awakens, its already formidable destructive power becomes even more terrifying.
The most significant sign of this is the ability to alter the environment effortlessly.
For example, with Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit, awakening meant that he no longer needed to rely on his body to generate flames. This improvement directly enhanced the speed, power, and range of his attacks.
As a result, turning the ground beneath him into scorched earth became an easy feat.
However, awakening amplifies elemental potency, not physical durability.
The shadow pillar, impervious to high temperatures—
Or rather, in the face of conventional attacks, the shadow pillar, capable of infinite regeneration to maintain its form, slithered through the flames like a crocodile beneath the water's surface, silently approaching Ace and opening its gaping maw.
In the next moment, Maude teleported in.
There was no particularly intricate technique—just a simple strike delivered before Ace could react. With a superior physique and Armament Haki, Maude drove his knee into Ace, shattering both his body and spirit.
The raw force that tore through Ace's body left him grievously wounded. He coughed up large mouthfuls of blood as his consciousness wavered between clarity and oblivion.
The raging flames that had been clawing at the sky, as well as the fire burning on Ace's own body, visibly dissipated at an alarming speed.
"Expanding your flames indiscriminately… at best, it's just good for wiping out small fry."
Maude gazed at Ace's unfocused eyes with an expressionless face. He then released his grip on Ace's shoulders, allowing his body to collapse weakly to the ground.
Rustle—
The shadows enveloping Maude slowly receded, gathering into a mass on the ground like a lump of pitch-black clay.
Then, like tendrils sprouting from the inky substance, Armament Haki-clad shadow pillars extended, binding Ace's barely-conscious body.
With that task complete, Maude shifted his attention to the battle on Aokiji's side.
Perhaps due to Vista and Ace being critically injured by Maude, Marco, who was fighting Aokiji, started showing numerous openings.
Aokiji capitalized on those openings.
However, thanks to the extraordinary resilience of the Phoenix Fruit, Aokiji's strikes failed to deal any decisive damage.
The battle raged on.
But anyone with a keen eye could see that Marco was completely on the defensive.
Without dwelling too much on Marco and Aokiji's fight, Maude turned his gaze to other battlefields.
On Blackbeard's side, aside from Shiryu of the Rain and Crescent Moon Hunter Devon, the besieged Doc Q and Van Augur were on the verge of collapse.
"Is that guy… out of bullets?"
Maude's eyes landed on Van Augur, who was being attacked by Hawkins and Urouge.
To his disbelief, the sniper was wielding his rifle like a club!
Had his Armament Haki not been strong enough, the gun's delicate structure would have shattered after just a few strikes from Urouge's massive weapon.
"He really is out of bullets…"
After observing for a few moments, Maude confirmed his suspicion—Van Augur had several chances to fire but never pulled the trigger.
A sniper running out of bullets while his enemies were still standing…
How miserable.
Watching Van Augur resort to using his rifle as a melee weapon against Hawkins and Urouge, Maude couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy.
Fortunately, with Bailey's Arms-Arms Fruit ability, Maude never had to worry about running out of ammunition.
Even without Bailey, he had the Shadow Casket to store an abundance of bullets.
And in the worst-case scenario, he could create shadow bullets from inanimate objects.
As long as he drew breath, he would never run out of ammo.
But honestly, in this world, there wasn't a second sniper who could say the same.
"Watching you struggle like this… I should put you out of your misery."
Raising his flintlock rifle, transformed from Bailey, Maude's pupils gleamed red as he locked onto Van Augur, who was on the brink of defeat.
Judging by the situation, it wouldn't be long before Urouge crushed Van Augur with his massive pillar, or Hawkins impaled him with his nails.
Maude figured that a sniper reduced to such a state, with no means of escape, might as well die cleanly.
Aiming his rifle, Maude didn't fire immediately. Instead, he patiently waited for the right moment.
Seconds ticked by.
When the opportunity arrived, Maude decisively pulled the trigger.
Bang—!
A Haki-infused lead bullet tore through the gun barrel, soaring toward its mark.
Van Augur, though struggling against his attackers, sensed something.
But it was too late—he had no way to react.
"So this is the end…?"
The thought flashed through Van Augur's mind before Maude's bullet pierced his heart.
"Huh?"
Watching blood blossom from Van Augur's chest, both Urouge, who had been attacking fervently, and the ever-expressionless Hawkins, instinctively halted their assault.
Thud.
Under their astonished gazes, Van Augur collapsed lifelessly, his sniper rifle still clenched in his hands.
"What just happened?"
Urouge scanned his surroundings before spotting Maude in the distance, rifle in hand.
"The captain took the shot…?"
Maude, noticing Urouge's glance, gave him a slight nod.
Urouge scratched his head. Since the captain had acted, there was no need to overthink it—he turned to help their other crewmates instead.
Hawkins, on the other hand, had already shifted his focus, joining the assault on Doc Q.
Seeing this, Urouge, prioritizing efficiency, also jumped in.
With their combined assault, the already outnumbered Doc Q fell into deeper peril.
Soon, Perona seized an opportunity, launching a Negative Hollow straight through Doc Q's body, effectively deciding the battle.
Doc Q collapsed, muttering something in a low, despondent voice.
At this point, he knew he wouldn't escape death.
Philo approached Doc Q, holding a small glass vial filled with an unknown liquid.
Everyone turned to look at Philo.
Due to his raven mask, they couldn't see her eyes, which were burning with hatred.
If they could, they would have been surprised.
"..."
Doc Q weakly lifted his head, looking at Philo.
"Cough… My body is frail. I should've died long ago. At least I won't waste food anymore…"
Still in his negative state, Doc Q spoke words of self-deprecation.
"Yes, you should've died long ago."
Philo pulled the cork from the vial and, in an uncharacteristically cold voice, said, "For everything you've done… this is your price!"
Under Doc Q's subtle change in expression, Philo poured the liquid over him.
Sizzle…!
The mysterious liquid, corrosive as strong acid, rapidly ate away at Doc Q's body, releasing a pungent, acrid stench.
"AAAAAHHHH…!!!"
Doc Q let out a sudden, agonized scream, writhing on the ground.
Seconds later, his cries were cut short.
Moments after that, his body dissolved into a pool of liquid.
Watching Doc Q perish in despair, Philo collapsed onto the ground in exhaustion, remaining silent for a long time.
Everyone exchanged glances.
Though Philo said nothing, it was clear he had some unknown grudge against Doc Q.
"Philo, are you alright?"
Perona walked up to Philo and crouched down beside her, a look of concern on her face.
Philo didn't say a word—she simply nodded at Perona, signaling that she was fine.
With Van Augur and Doc Q defeated, all the pressure now fell upon Catarina Devon and Shiryu.
In battles between pirate crews, there was no room for honor or fair play.
Aside from Philo, who was still steadying her emotions, the ones who had taken down Doc Q and Van Augur—Jim, Perona, Hawkins, and Urouge—quickly joined the fray against Shiryu and Catarina Devon.
However, Shiryu of the Rain and Catarina Devon were formidable opponents.
One had once been the head jailer of Impel Down, a monster even before consuming the Venom-Venom Fruit.
The other was a ruthless prisoner from the legendary Level Six of Impel Down, a criminal so dangerous that the World Government had erased their existence from history.
Compared to them, Doc Q and Van Augur were hardly in the same league.
Even with Hawkins and the others joining in, Shiryu and Catarina Devon showed no signs of faltering just yet.
All of this unfolded before Maude's watchful eyes.
From his perspective, even though Shiryu and Catarina Devon could still fight, their downfall was only a matter of time given the overwhelming difference in strength.
"The next issue to deal with is…"
Maude turned his gaze toward the Marines stationed at the entrance of Dressrosa.
Their numbers had been reduced by about two-thirds, likely because Fujitora had sent troops into the city to quell the chaos—even one of their key officers, Chaton, had been dispatched.
"Not much of an issue, really. Once this is all over, we'll just leave. As long as we don't pose a threat to Dressrosa, Old Man Issho probably won't make a move against us."
"Sunny's side… should be finishing up soon, too."
"Let's just hope they don't run headfirst into Marine gunfire."
Maude mused to himself.
He was far less concerned about any trouble Fujitora might cause than he was about Sunny's situation.
"Captain."
Arthur approached Maude.
"What should we do with these three?"
Arthur gestured toward the prisoners—Jack, Ulti, and Blackbeard—bound tightly with strings.
He had wanted to prove himself in battle, but somehow ended up fishing people out of the sea for Law.
That was frustrating enough, but then he was also tasked with guarding prisoners.
He had been an undertaker (someone who took 'care' of the corpses) in the past, but how did he end up naturally falling into this kind of work?
With only Shiryu and the Catarina Devon left to fight, Arthur could barely contain himself.
Wanting to finally see some action, he mustered his courage and brought the prisoners before Maude.
Maude glanced at the unconscious forms of Jack, Ulti, and Blackbeard, then turned to Arthur with a small nod and a smile. "Good work."
Arthur blinked in surprise, about to say something, but then Maude unsheathed his sword, Shusui.
Without acknowledging Arthur's reaction, Maude first cast his gaze upon the dark, overcast sky before swiftly slicing through the shadows of Jack, Ulti, and Blackbeard.
After all, these three were Devil Fruit users. Simply restraining them with Arthur's strings wasn't enough.
By cutting away their shadows, Maude ensured their unconscious state would last longer while placing their very lives in his control.
He sealed the extracted shadows into the Shadow Casket.
Now, all that was left was for the battle to conclude perfectly. Then, they could return to the Thriller Bark and extract the Devil Fruits from Jack, Ulti, Shiryu, and Catarina Devon, tallying up their spoils.
As for Blackbeard…
Law would have to examine his body before they decided how to deal with him.
At the entrance to Dressrosa—
Fujitora silently observed the battle's progress.
Though blind, he had already foreseen the ultimate fate of both the Blackbeard Pirates and the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates.
This battle was, without a doubt, a resounding victory for the Maude Pirates.
His thoughts shifted as he slightly inclined his head, "gazing" toward Maude's position.
In the distance—
Maude, sensing something, turned toward Dressrosa's entrance.
"Old Man Issho…"
Feeling Fujitora's unseen gaze, Maude remained calm.
He didn't know what Fujitora was planning, but he wasn't worried.
Even if the Admiral decided to intervene recklessly, with both him and Aokiji present, they could retreat without sustaining any fatal losses.
The battle's outcome was already set in stone.
There was nothing more to say.
"Captain."
Arthur spoke softly as he watched Maude lock gazes with Fujitora.
"What?"
Maude withdrew his gaze and turned toward Arthur.
Arthur hesitated briefly before saying, "I want to join the fight. But what about these guys?"
He motioned toward the ongoing battle, where Lafitte and the others were still locked in combat.
Maude was mildly surprised by Arthur's eagerness.
"Go ahead, just be caref—"
Before he could finish speaking, Arthur had already charged into the fray.
"That guy…?"
Maude watched, bewildered, as Arthur rushed in with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.
He hadn't taken Arthur for the battle-hungry type.
"Finally! I get to prove myself!"
Arthur was beyond excited as he dove into the fight.
And then…
Arthur charged in.
Arthur was carried back out.
"Philo! Quick, treat Arthur!"
Urouge dragged Arthur, who was now gravely injured, out of the battlefield, calling for Philo's aid.
Hearing the call, Philo, who had only just calmed herself down, hurried over to treat Arthur's wounds.
Outside the battlefield—
Maude rubbed his forehead in exasperation as he watched Arthur get launched out of the fight by Catarina Devon.
Meanwhile—
Perched atop a hidden outcrop of mushroom-shaped rock—
A middle-aged man wearing a sailor's cap peered through a telescope, closely observing the battle at the port.
"Donquixote Family's Vergo, the rogue Marine who ate the Gura Gura no Mi…"
"Beasts Pirates' Calamity Jack and Tobiroppo's Ulti…"
"Blackbeard Pirates, who stole the spotlight in the Marineford War…"
"And the once-feared captains of the Whitebeard Pirates—Phoenix Marco, Fire Fist Ace, and Flower Sword Vista…"
"These infamous pirates… are about to become Maude Pirates' defeated foes!!"
"This is big news!"
The man's breathing grew rapid, his chest rising and falling with excitement.
"But why not just kill them outright?"
He adjusted the telescope, focusing on the captured Blackbeard, Jack, and Ulti.
"The boss always says that dead men make the best headlines."
"If we can't confirm these big-name pirates' deaths on the spot, the news won't generate as much hype."
"But even so…"
"Just with the explosive details we already have, this story will shake the world!"
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