After teasing Aokiji a little, Maude stepped forward and pressed his palm against the Poneglyph.
The moment his hand made contact with the stone, a cool sensation surged into his palm, flowing through his skin, into his veins, and all the way down to his bones.
That sensation made Maude keenly aware of the Poneglyph's unique texture—something far beyond ordinary stone.
As a vessel of history, it seemed to be a stone that defied destruction.
Shadow waves poured from Maude's palm, coating the surface of the Poneglyph.
He was preparing to store the Poneglyph inside the Shadow Casket, but a sudden thought made him pause. Instead, he turned to glance at Aokiji, who was silently observing the stone.
"Kuzan, the World Government's always wanted to destroy these Poneglyphs, right?"
"Ara ara… that's right."
Aokiji raised a hand to scratch the back of his head. Just seeing the Poneglyph in front of him inevitably reminded him of the Ohara tragedy.
It was in that moment that his concept of justice had changed forever.
Maude asked with curiosity, "They say these Poneglyphs are made of an indestructible stone—impervious to man and nature?"
"That's true."
Aokiji nodded but eyed Maude with suspicion.
Sching—
Suddenly, Maude drew Shusui.
The sound of the blade drew Aokiji's attention. He raised his brows, instantly realizing what Maude intended.
As he suspected, Maude infused Shusui with high-grade Armament Haki, coating the blade completely before swinging it with full force at the side of the Poneglyph.
CLANG!
Sparks flew, but the fully hardened Shusui was repelled on impact—bouncing back without leaving even the faintest mark on the stone's surface.
"As expected… tough stuff."
Maude caught the rebounding blade, scrutinized the Poneglyph for a moment, then calmly sheathed Shusui.
The loud clash drew everyone's attention.
Taking advantage of the group's gaze, Maude raised his hand and declared, "From now on, this stone's our training dummy for Armament Haki!"
"..."
Silence fell across the group.
Aokiji stared at Maude like he'd seen a ghost.
Training Armament Haki… on a Poneglyph?
Unheard of.
Law lowered his gaze and sighed inwardly: That's so like you.
Facing everyone's stunned expressions, Maude smiled and added, "There's only one for now, so take turns and plan accordingly. Make sure everyone gets to hit the 'training dummy.' Once we collect a few more, you won't have to wait in line."
"..."
Everyone looked at one another in speechless disbelief.
Maude, unfazed by their reactions, continued seriously, "Let's test it outside first."
—A few minutes later—
The Poneglyph was set down in an open field.
Those proficient in Armament Haki took turns striking it.
Whether fists or blades, each attack was delivered at full strength, just as Maude had instructed—coated in Armament Haki until their stamina and Haki were completely drained.
One round in, the participants were all exhausted… but the Poneglyph remained pristine.
The outcome satisfied Maude, who nodded with approval before glancing at Aokiji.
"Kuzan, why don't you join in?"
Aokiji twitched a corner of his mouth and shook his head. "I'll pass."
"Suit yourself."
Maude turned to Law, who hadn't stepped forward either. "Law, try it with your Room."
"..."
Law paused, then silently drew Kikoku and approached the Poneglyph. Raising his hand, he activated his spatial domain and, with all his might, brought down a slash.
Shhhh—!
To everyone's shock, the blade sliced off a corner of the stone.
Even Aokiji's eyes widened.
Maude stared at the severed edge, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I think I'm starting to understand… why the World Government covets the Op-Op Fruit so much."
Perhaps… it wasn't just for the Immortality Surgery.
Since there was no rush to leave, Maude decided to spend the night on the island.
—Evening, sunset—
A bonfire crackled high on the open ground.
Everyone sat around it, clinking cups and sharing laughter.
Maude was near the fire, holding a freshly poured drink.
Tap tap—
Lafitte walked over and sat cross-legged beside him.
"This island would make a good base," Lafitte suddenly said.
"Yeah, it would."
Maude glanced at Lafitte and handed him his cup.
The waters around the island were filled with whirlpools and chaotic currents—easy to defend, hard to invade.
If they weren't planning to build a sky base, this would be one of the best options on the surface.
Lafitte took the cup and downed it in one gulp, then asked, "So, Captain… are you considering it?"
"Heh."
Maude's lips curled in a grin. "We'll worry about a base later. We've got a permanent log pose, so we won't lose track of this place."
Lafitte nodded in silence.
Maude tossed away the skewer stick he'd used for meat, eyes fixed on the fire. "Rather than a base, I'd like to find a good island for the Pirate Festival. This one's nice… just a bit too small."
"Hoho…"
Lafitte smiled faintly.
As someone in the know, he understood exactly why Maude was eager to host a festival.
"Captain, are we heading straight to Skypiea next?"
"No rush. First, we're going to see an old friend."
In Maude's eyes, the flickering flames danced endlessly.
—Next Day—
The Thriller Bark left the unnamed island that had hidden both treasure and a Poneglyph, and rose steadily into the sky.
Lafitte looked up at the dense clouds above, confirmed the weather was clear, then slowly lowered his gaze.
Maude walked up and tossed Lafitte a solid-black permanent log pose with no glass dome in its framework.
"What's this?"
Lafitte caught it mid-air, puzzled by the device.
Maude explained, "A Shadow Pose. Made using my shadow. It points directly to where a Shadow Mark was planted. Functions like a normal log pose, but unaffected by magnetic fields—no more worrying about needle drift."
"Didn't expect the shadow ability to be this versatile…"
Lafitte couldn't hide his surprise.
Planting a Shadow Mark, then crafting a Shadow Pose keyed to it…
In a world where navigators rely solely on log poses, this was the dream tool—especially in the chaotic magnetic fields of the New World.
A pose immune to magnetism? Invaluable.
"Any wild idea humans have… can become reality, don't you think?"
Maude smiled, quoting one of the world's most iconic scientists.
Lafitte's expression turned complicated.
With sailing matters settled, Maude returned to his room and stepped out onto the balcony to observe the crew's training on the deck.
After watching for a while, his gaze locked onto Brook.
Brook's rapier, with every swing, was releasing a faint trail of visible mist.
Maude already knew Brook had found a well-suited weapon at the treasure site… but seeing this special effect in action piqued his curiosity.
Swish!
Maude shunpo'd beside Brook.
Startled by the sudden appearance, Brook nearly lashed out instinctively.
"My heart nearly flew out—though I don't have one! Yohohoho!"
"Brook, let me see your sword."
Maude looked at the ethereal blue rapier in Brook's right hand.
Without hesitation, Brook handed him the Soul Mourner.
Maude reached out and took the weapon.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, an intense pain shot through his entire hand—like countless ice-forged needles stabbing into his palm all at once.
"…Hm?"
Maude's eyelids twitched. He didn't let go. Instead, he lowered his head, surprised as he stared at the Soul Mourner, which now seemed to possess a will of its own, resisting him.
Despite the pain, Maude released his shadow, wrapping it tightly around the hilt of Soul Mourner. Only then did the searing pain vanish, blocked by the shadow's insulation.
He switched the sword to his left hand and examined his right.
That level of pain… it was no less than what one would feel from a sharp blade severing a finger.
Yet, there wasn't a single wound. Not even the slightest swelling or redness.
"This sword…"
Maude's gaze darkened as he looked over the blade of Soul Mourner.
He quickly realized—this was a sword that hadn't appeared in the original story, a weapon that possessed some kind of unique ability.
In the world of One Piece, where even mysterious entities like Klabautermann exist, it wouldn't be surprising if certain weapons harbored hidden spirits akin to ship sprites—entities unseen, yet sentient.
A blade choosing its wielder… that's one of the most common signs.
There were also weapons known to autonomously draw out the user's Armament Haki, bring misfortune and death to their wielder, or awaken their bloodlust—anomalies all hinting at the unusual nature of this world's armament systems.
"Brook. Did you feel any pain when you held this sword?"
Maude turned to Brook, who was standing before him.
Brook blinked in surprise at the question, then shook his head. "No, not at all. The grip actually feels quite nice."
"I see. Then, when you swung it, did you feel anything unusual?"
"Hmm…"
Brook tilted his skull slightly in thought. A moment later, as if something had dawned on him, he nodded seriously.
"At first, the Soul Mourner felt light and very easy to use."
"But… I don't know if it's just my imagination, but whenever I use a sword technique, I get this strange feeling that Soul Mourner is… trying to guide me. No, more precisely—it's trying to guide my Revive-Revive Fruit abilities!"
As he spoke, Brook looked at the sword now resting in Maude's left hand.
"Yohohoho… in any case, I can tell—it's a very special sword."
"You're not mistaken. It is a very special sword," Maude replied, returning the blade to Brook with a serious expression.
"Try to follow its guidance. With its help, it won't be long before you fully master the cold of the underworld—and the concept of directly harming the soul."
"Yohohoho! I'm constantly working hard to fulfill the captain's expectations!"
Brook beamed with enthusiasm.
"Keep it up."
Maude smiled at him.
Time passed.
The Grand Line — an unnamed island.
Ever since the Summit War ended, the Straw Hat Pirates had remained on this island, undergoing intense training.
To help them grow stronger, Sabo, a key figure in the Revolutionary Army, hadn't hesitated to step away from his post to stay on the island and teach the crew how to wield Haki.
After several months, the Straw Hats had made impressive progress.
But it still wasn't enough…
After what they'd witnessed during the Summit War, they now had firsthand knowledge of the terrifying power wielded by the New World's elite—monsters like Maude, Hawk Eyes, Whitebeard, and the Admirals, who stood at the apex of the world.
They had felt, in their bones, the vast gap between them and the New World.
Even Luffy, stubborn as ever, understood that if they entered the New World now, without closing that gap, it would likely end in complete annihilation.
"With the power I have now…"
Whenever the night grew quiet, Luffy would often find himself staring intently at his own clenched fist.
The overwhelming sense of helplessness he felt when Maude crushed him at Sabaody Archipelago.
The soul-deep despair of standing powerless in the face of death during the Summit War.
All those moments, teetering on the edge of absolute defeat, had become the fuel behind Luffy's unshakable resolve to grow stronger—fast.
Gear 2, Gear 3…
Still not enough.
Nowhere near enough.
Those moves were laughably inadequate compared to the titans on the battlefield at Marineford…
As his mastery of Haki improved, a new concept began taking root in Luffy's mind—Gear 4.
In truth, he already had some rough ideas forming.
"Luffy! Luffy!!!"
Chopper came charging over, face lit up with excitement.
His loud shouts tore Luffy out of his rare moment of deep thought.
"Is it time to eat?" Luffy asked, glancing up at the small reindeer as he ran toward him.
Chopper tripped mid-sprint and nearly fell flat on his face.
"We just ate lunch half an hour ago!!!"
"Did we?"
Luffy rubbed his chin, squinting slightly, as if struggling to recall.
"Luffy, don't tell me… you already forgot that we ate thirty minutes ago?!"
"My stomach's hungry."
"Stop changing the subject!!!"
"How long until dinner, then?"
"..."
Chopper clutched his head in exasperation, feeling like there was no way to continue this conversation. He turned around and started walking off.
"No, wait… I didn't come here to talk about food!" Chopper suddenly stopped in his tracks, realization hitting him like a lightning bolt.
He spun around and looked at Luffy, shouting with glee, "Luffy! Come check out Usopp's new weapon—it's super cool!"
"Usopp's got a new weapon? Now that's exciting."
But the one who replied to Chopper wasn't Luffy.
A figure appeared out of thin air beside Luffy, speaking in a voice that was all too familiar.
Luffy's eyes went wide, his pupils shrinking as his body tensed instinctively.
As for Chopper—when he saw Maude suddenly materialize right beside Luffy, the sheer shock overwhelmed his senses. His eyes rolled back and he collapsed onto the ground, completely unconscious.
"…Am I really that scary?"
Maude stared at the fainted Chopper, speechless.
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