Moonwalk is an incredibly practical technique.
With ease, Maude carried Law atop the leviathan whale's head on Leviathan Island using this skill.
At the entrance to the human-powered elevator—where the stone pillar reached skyward—a straight path of deep green slate led directly to the royal capital of the Kingdom of Ahab.
On either side of the stone path grew countless strands of Suspended Lantern Vine roots, thriving under the blazing sun.
Each root was as thick as a baby's arm, its surface covered with faint purple barbs that gleamed under sunlight, radiating a peculiar beauty.
"So these are the roots of the Suspended Lantern Vine..."
Maude surveyed his surroundings. Beyond the green slate path beneath his feet and the royal capital buildings standing not far ahead, all he could see were these exposed roots basking in the sun.
Before ascending, Maude had only heard that the Suspended Lantern Vine was the national treasure of the Kingdom of Ahab. He assumed it would be well-protected.
Yet,
It turned out there wasn't any substantial protection—just roots, everywhere.
What was unique about these roots was that, unlike ordinary plants, they didn't need to be rooted in the ground. Instead, they grew faster under direct exposure to sunlight.
"Maude, the barbs on the roots are highly toxic," Law reminded him as he approached the roots lining the stone path.
Maude chuckled lightly, showing little concern. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the royal capital at the end of the slate path.
His role here was merely as an "assistant" bringing Law to this location. He had no interest in these so-called national treasures scattered all over the ground.
Rather, the royal capital at the end of the path stirred some thoughts in him.
"I hadn't considered this before..."
A gleam sparkled in Maude's eyes.
For a country so obsessed with amassing wealth, how much hidden treasure could it possibly possess?
The thought alone made Maude imagine money flying everywhere.
"Law, I'm going ahead to take a look."
Without waiting for Law's response, Maude strode down the slate path toward the royal capital.
"Maude...?"
Law turned to look at Maude's departing figure and sighed softly.
It didn't take much thought to figure out what Maude meant by "going ahead to take a look."
Suppressing the urge to tell Maude to hurry up and finish the task, Law turned his attention back to the Suspended Lantern Vine roots and activated the domain of his Op-Op Fruit.
Harvesting or moving the Hanging Lantern Vine roots was both troublesome and dangerous.
But with the powers of the Op-Op Fruit, gathering a sufficient amount of the roots took less than ten seconds.
The question was, how long would he have to wait here?
What happened to just collecting the Suspended Lantern Vine roots...?
Feeling helpless, Law controlled the roots, making them float one by one to his side.
With the help of his ability, it didn't take long for Law to gather an ample supply of roots.
By then, Maude had only walked a hundred meters away.
Watching Maude's retreating back, Law hesitated.
He wanted to call out to Maude, letting him know the task was done.
But that felt like it would ruin Maude's mood.
Taking that into consideration, Law chose silence, quietly watching as Maude walked further away.
Suddenly,
Law's senses sharpened, and he turned abruptly to the entrance of the manual elevator on the stone pillar.
"Who's there...? Hm?"
Without hesitation, Law placed his right hand on the hilt of Kikoku.
At the same time, he kept his gaze locked on the entrance, retreating rapidly.
After moving back several dozen meters, a tall figure emerged from the entrance, stepping lightly through the air before landing steadily on the ground.
When Law saw who it was—Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Momousagi (Gion)—his expression changed drastically.
Any pirate navigating the Grand Line made it a priority to familiarize themselves with notable Marines.
It wasn't necessary to know every detail, but remembering the Vice Admirals and Admirals could buy precious seconds when encountering them on the seas.
"That woman... What's she doing here?"
Recognizing her identity, Law's heart grew heavy.
Gion landed gracefully and, like Law, her right hand instinctively rested on the hilt of her katana, Konpira.
Her serene eyes scanned Law's face before she spoke calmly:
"Trafalgar Law, bounty: 72 million berries."
Law used his thumb to push Kikoku's blade slightly out of its scabbard, his gaze full of caution. He responded coolly, "For someone as insignificant as me, it's an honor to be remembered by a Vice Admiral from Headquarters."
Gion remained silent.
Suddenly, Konpira was drawn.
"Sand Heaven Gate!"
Gion unleashed a flurry of slashes toward Law.
Law couldn't even see her blade's trajectory before a crimson cross-shaped slash came hurtling toward him.
"Tch..."
Law's eyes narrowed sharply.
"Room!"
A hemispherical space instantly unfolded.
Law's figure vanished, teleporting out of the slash's range and avoiding the attack.
However,
Whether due to her familiarity with the powers of the Op-Op Fruit, sheer reflexes, or the aid of Observation Haki, Gion appeared at Law's new location in an instant.
Swish!
Gion delivered a precise strike aimed directly at Law's vital points.
Gritting his teeth, Law narrowly managed to draw his blade to block.
Clang!
Sparks flew as their blades collided.
The force of Gion's strike sent Law stumbling backward.
Not giving him a moment to recover, Gion closed the distance and slashed at him again.
Law barely managed to block the attack, but her blade, coated with Armament Haki, overwhelmed his defenses, sending him reeling once more.
This time, Gion followed up with a swift kick.
Boom!
Her powerful kick landed squarely on Law's abdomen, making him cough up blood as his body curled like a shrimp and was sent flying.
Coldly observing Law's airborne figure, Gion swung her blade, unleashing another crimson slash.
"Room, ugh..."
Still mid-air, Law hastily glanced at the incoming attack. Just as he was about to activate his powers to evade, Maude appeared in front of him, using Moonwalk to intercept.
Gripping Chidori, Maude swung his blade diagonally, shattering the crimson slash coming his way.
"This slash..."
Lowering his blade, Maude landed gently, holding it horizontally before his nose. His sharp eyes glinted along the edge.
"Was meant for me, wasn't it, you old hag?"
"..."
Gion remained calm, her serene gaze unwavering despite Maude's provocative tone and insult.
Law landed shortly after, clutching his abdomen as he stood behind Maude. He glanced past Gion toward the four Marine officers—led by Wolfrat—emerging from the elevator.
"Maude, we should retreat," Law suggested cautiously.
From his perspective, fighting here was meaningless. If it could be avoided, it should.
"..."
Maude didn't respond immediately, his gaze briefly landing on Wolfrat before returning to Gion.
"Law, this old hag and I have unfinished business. There's no way I'm running. Either we kill them all here, or we fight to the death."
"Maude..."
Law's expression shifted, alarmed.
A fight to the death...
Facing a powerful opponent like Gion, such a declaration wasn't rational.
"Hm?"
Just as Law began to grow anxious, he noticed Maude's left hand, resting behind his back, subtly forming a two-fingered gesture—a signal to run.
"???"
Law's eyelid twitched slightly at the gesture.
What happened to fight to the death...?
Hearing Maude's proclamation, a faint smile unexpectedly appeared on Gion's otherwise composed and elegant face.
"A fight to the death? That's how it should be..."
With her sword pointed at Maude, Gion spoke calmly, "In terms of resolve, you're far better than that trickster who only knows how to run."
Bang!
Maude, who had been holding his left hand behind his back, suddenly drew Dark Crow and pulled the trigger, aiming straight at Gion.
A lead bullet wrapped in Armament Haki traversed the short distance in an instant, heading directly for Gion.
Slash!
Gion effortlessly swung her blade, cutting the Haki-imbued bullet cleanly in two.
"Tsk, tsk."
Seeing this, a flicker of wariness flashed deep in Maude's eyes. He immediately holstered Dark Crow.
This old woman's strength...
Her Haki, swordsmanship, and physical abilities...
If judged on a star scale, each attribute likely exceeded six stars.
"Old woman, don't tell me you came all this way just to capture me?"
"Capture?"
Gion raised an eyebrow, her eyes gleaming with a murderous intent that she made no effort to hide.
"You're strong enough that the safest course of action is to eliminate you outright. That way, I don't have to take on unnecessary risks."
"Well, I really appreciate your recognition," Maude replied, gripping his sword with both hands.
In previous battles, Maude would often wield his sword one-handed to leave room for Usopp-style trickery.
But this time, his opponent was Gion. There was no margin for error.
Gion stopped wasting words. With a powerful push-off, she charged at Maude with her blade.
To buy Law some breathing room, Maude didn't retreat—instead, he advanced, meeting Gion head-on.
Their blades clashed, and the Armament Haki of both combatants collided at the point of impact, unleashing a fierce shockwave that severed the hanging roots of the Suspended Lantern Vine lining the stone path.
"As expected, I'm still being overpowered…"
Maude struggled to withstand Gion's overwhelming strength.
Even after grinding through two major battles, he was still no match for her.
After all…
In the span of over a year, he wasn't the only one to make rapid progress.
As a high-ranking Marine stationed in the Grand Line, Gion constantly dealt with lawless pirates, ensuring her growth as a combatant never stagnated.
Though Maude wasn't sure how much stronger she had gotten over this period, just one close exchange was enough to confirm that he couldn't defeat her.
Taking advantage of her dominant position, Gion swiftly withdrew her sword, Konpira, and unleashed a storm of sword slashes at Maude.
The strikes were sharp and brimming with killing intent.
Maude's expression changed slightly as he heightened his Observation Haki to the limit, barely managing to block the attacks with his sword.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of dazzling sparks erupted between the two.
Maude was retreating, while Gion pressed forward.
The disparity in their strengths was clear.
Amid their intense clash, they passed by Law.
Watching Maude lead Gion away, Law turned his focus to the four Marine officers approaching from the passage ahead, his mind racing.
It seems the Suspended Lantern Vine roots will have to be abandoned.
As Law thought this, he saw the group of Marines, led by Wolfrat, charge toward him.
"Right on time," Law muttered, a glint flashing in his eyes as he retreated slowly toward the edge of Maude and Gion's battle zone.
Wolfrat fixed his gaze on Law and signaled for his comrades to spread out.
The three officers immediately used Moonwalk, leaping into the air and circling around to flank Law in a cross formation.
Law quickly discerned their plan but dismissed it, continuing to retreat while maintaining a safe distance from Maude and Gion's fight.
Before long, the three officers positioned themselves behind and on either side of Law, while Wolfrat approached head-on.
The first to attack was the officer behind Law, who charged at him with a raised blade.
"Thanks for your effort," Law said, raising a middle finger without turning around.
"Room."
A spherical domain expanded in an instant, encompassing everyone present.
Forcing the domain to cover such a wide area drained Law's stamina significantly.
"Shambles."
Law smirked coldly.
The officer who had been aiming for Law's back suddenly vanished, replaced by Maude, who had taken a defensive stance with his sword.
Through the powers of the Op-Op Fruit, their positions had been swapped in an instant.
On the other side, the displaced officer narrowly avoided being struck down by Gion's blade.
"Nicely done," Maude said with a faint smile. Without glancing back, he reached out and grabbed the collar of Law's coat.
"Huh???"
Law blinked, caught off guard.
Maude didn't bother explaining. Hoisting Law, he activated Stealth Walk and swiftly maneuvered past Wolfrat.
"You're not getting away!"
Wolfrat's eyes flashed red as he vanished from sight, using Shave to intercept Maude.
In the moment Wolfrat reappeared, he had already shifted into his hybrid form.
"Finger Pistol: Wolf Fang!"
Wolfrat thrust his clawed fingers toward the barely visible Maude.
"Observation Haki, huh…"
Maude paused mid-step, his form becoming fully visible.
But this halt wasn't out of hesitation.
Stealth Walk: Phantom Shadow!
Twisting his foot against the ground, Maude unleashed a flowing slash toward Wolfrat, his blade trailing a rippling wave of Haki.
"Stop right there!"
Wolfrat's eyes widened.
His attack phased through the slash, striking Maude square in the chest.
"What?!"
Wolfrat watched in disbelief as Maude's body dissolved into a fleeting shadow.
A cold, mocking voice rang from behind him.
"Wolfrat, not all Observation Haki is created equal. Yours… is embarrassingly weak."
Before the voice fully registered, Wolfrat was already struck down. Maude's blade cut through him in one swift motion, sending him crashing to the ground.
Without sparing Wolfrat another glance, Maude showed no interest in lingering. He immediately leaped into the passage below, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
"Wolfrat!"
The sudden turn of events froze Gion's expression. With her sharp instincts, she dashed to Wolfrat's side in an instant.
After confirming that Wolfrat's life was not in immediate danger, her cold gaze shifted toward the passage ahead.
They'd been played...
Gritting her teeth, Gion's anger flared across her face. Without hesitation, she jumped into the passage to pursue the fleeing Maude.
When she landed, however…
"You useless idiots! Save me already!!!"
Degarth, now a captive in Maude's grasp, screamed for help, his face frozen in disbelief yet frantic with his cries.
"Your Majesty!!!"
The soldiers and guards were just as bewildered, staring in shock at the sight before them.
Just a moment ago, Degarth had been under their tight protection. How, in the blink of an eye, had he ended up as Maude's hostage?
Nearby, Law leaned against Maude, his head lowered as he gasped for breath.
The repeated overexertion of his Op-Op Fruit powers had nearly drained him completely.
"Maude... I..."
"I know."
"?"
Law looked at Maude, confused.
He had intended to explain that his stamina was depleted and that he could no longer support their escape with his abilities. But before he could get the words out, Maude had already cut him off.
"Law, your stamina's pathetic. Two uses, and you're done?"
"..."
Law's confusion only deepened. Lacking the energy to argue, he let his weight rest on Maude and tried to regulate his breathing.
Maude pressed the flat of his blade, Chidori, against Degarth's neck, then turned his gaze toward Gion, who had just landed before him.
"Hey, old hag. This guy here is the king of a World Government allied nation. He's good enough as a bargaining chip, don't you think?"
"Bacardi Maude," Gion replied coldly, enunciating each syllable with precision.
Maude's expression carried an easy smirk, but his eyes were colder than ice.
"Don't worry. Even if I escape today, it won't be long before we meet again. And when we do, things might get... interesting."
"..."
Gion remained silent, her face a mask of steel.
Degarth, however, continued his desperate shouting.
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