Ordinary Den Den Mushi are not particularly rare. However, wristwatch-style Den Den Mushi are much less common.
That's why Maude specifically requested one from Foot on Leviathan Island.
Few people knew this number—only those from the Revolutionary Army.
When the Den Den Mushi rang, Maude could already guess who the caller was.
"Maude."
As soon as the call connected, Sabo's cheerful voice came through.
Unlike regular Den Den Mushi, the wristwatch-style ones didn't mimic the caller's appearance. Compact and portable, they relied solely on sound.
Even so, Maude immediately recognized Sabo's voice.
"Oh, it's you, Sabo. I thought it might be Sunny calling."
Maude sounded slightly surprised.
Sabo laughed heartily and replied, "Sunny's here with me."
As soon as he finished speaking, a slightly sharp, teasing voice followed from the Den Den Mushi.
It was the voice of Morley, an Army Commander of the Revolutionary Army.
"Little Maude, I've missed you sooo much~~~"
"…"
Hearing Morley's exaggerated tone, Maude's eyelid twitched. Keeping his composure, he replied, "It's you, Morley. I've missed you too."
"Really? I'm so happy!"
On the other end of the line, Sabo, Koala, Sunny, and Tatamu watched Morley's joyful antics in silence.
Just a few words, and Maude had Morley dancing with glee. It was so typical of him.
Shaking his head slightly, Sabo turned serious. "Maude, I called not only to catch up and thank you for helping Foot and Catherine on Leviathan Island but also to share some important information with you."
"Oh?"
Detecting the gravity in Sabo's tone, Maude's expression shifted subtly. He responded calmly, "Go on."
"Your underground bounty has been increased to 600 million berries. In the short term, you're likely to attract a lot of trouble from bounty hunters."
Sabo spoke into the receiver, his face stern.
"I see…"
Maude's tone remained steady, as though the news didn't concern him. To him, an underground bounty increase was a trivial matter.
He didn't mind being targeted by bounty hunters. If anything, it might bring some valuable combat experience his way.
Sabo could tell from Maude's indifferent reaction that he wasn't worried. Chuckling, Sabo continued, "Also, you're on Lorre Island now, aren't you?"
"Yes. How did you know?"
"We intercepted some intelligence from the Navy."
"Oh? So the Navy knows we're on Lorre Island too…"
"That's right. Given your recent activities, the Navy is likely to dispatch forces to eliminate you."
"That's troublesome…"
Maude's gaze instinctively shifted toward the room where Law was training.
If the Navy intervened, Law's training to enhance his mastery of the Op-Op Fruit on Lorre Island might be jeopardized.
Sabo's call served as a timely warning, relaying both gratitude and critical information.
After finishing his explanation, Sabo handed the receiver to Sunny.
"Maude."
Sunny's familiar voice came through. Behind her, Sabo and the others quietly exited the room.
On the other end, Maude smiled at the sound of her voice.
"Sunny, how have you been?"
"Pretty good."
"That's good to hear."
After a brief pause, Sunny asked, "Maude, what are you doing on Lorre Island?"
"Dealing with a plague."
"Is it dangerous?"
"Not too bad. We have a skilled doctor here. Even if something happens, it's manageable."
"Oh? Is the doctor a man or a woman?"
"A man."
"I see."
Another short silence followed before Sunny said, "Stay safe. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."
"Alright."
"Beep beep beep…"
The call ended. Sunny calmly set down the receiver.
Outside the room, Sabo and the others, who had been eavesdropping, looked bewildered.
"That's it???"
Koala shook her head, disappointed. She had hoped for something more exciting.
"Speaking of Lorre Island and the plague, I think someone mentioned it before…"
"Now that you mention it, it does sound familiar," Morley said, frowning as she tried to recall.
"I can't remember."
After a moment, Morley gave up.
Koala scratched her cheek, unable to recall either. "So Maude and his crew went to Lorre Island specifically to deal with the plague…"
"Solving the plague is good, but staying too long on the island might not be ideal for them," Tatamu said, a hint of concern in his eyes.
"Don't worry. Maude is strong enough," Sabo assured.
"Yeah."
On Lorre Island, Maude closed the cover of his wristwatch Den Den Mushi.
With Sabo and Koala supporting Sunny, he wasn't too worried about her situation within the Revolutionary Army.
"The Navy, huh…"
Maude muttered. Sabo's intelligence forced them to make a choice: either let Law continue his training on the island or leave preemptively to avoid danger.
That night, after a day of intense surgery training, Law collapsed onto his bed from exhaustion. It wasn't until Bepo fed him a bowl of nourishing broth that he began to recover. Still, he chose to remain lying down to maximize his rest time.
Not far away, the rest of the crew gathered for dinner. As the meal wound down, Maude shared Sabo's intelligence with the group.
"Should we stay or leave?" Maude asked, glancing at the others.
Lafitte glanced at the resting Law and reminded, "One reason we came to Lorre Island was to rendezvous with the rest of the Heart Pirates. But they haven't arrived yet."
"I almost forgot about that…"
Maude rubbed his forehead. If they left before meeting up with the Heart Pirates, they'd have to decide on a new rendezvous point.
The issue was that Lorre Island was the only location their Log Pose had locked onto.
Law turned his head toward Maude and calmly said, "It's fine if we don't wait. If that woman from Leviathan Island tracks us here, it'll be a bigger problem."
"True."
Maude nodded.
If it were just regular Marines, they could handle them easily. But if it was someone like Gion, they'd have no choice but to retreat.
"That female Marine…"
Gaya, while serving Bailey a bowl of soup, opened her eyes slightly and calmly said, "If it's her, I'll handle it."
"( ⊙ o ⊙ ) …"
Maude and Law stared at Gaya in surprise, while Lafitte remained silent, his lips pressed tightly together.
Her words implied one thing: Gaya preferred for the crew to stay on Lorre Island.
As for the reason…
Maude didn't need to think hard to figure it out.
"That female Marine is strong, but I don't think I'd lose to her."
Gaya wanted the crew to help the residents of Lorre Island deal with the plague.
For that, if any Marines showed up to interfere, she wouldn't hesitate to take action.
Philo, watching Maude and the others discuss the Marines, looked conflicted beneath her crow mask.
She hadn't yet told Maude and the others… that she had hitched a ride to Lorre Island on Commodore Servis's ship.
What's more, Servis regularly delivered supplies to Lorre Island.
"Everyone, actually, I…"
Philo finally decided to speak up.
A few minutes later, after hearing Philo's account, everyone fell silent.
"Commodore Servis is a Marine with a strong sense of justice. If he knows you're helping the residents of Lorre Island fight the plague, he absolutely wouldn't attack you!"
"…"
Maude shook his head helplessly.
What they were concerned about wasn't this Commodore named Servis.
After about an hour of discussion, they ultimately decided to stay on Lorre Island and wait for the Heart Pirates to arrive.
If Gion really caught up with them, the maneuverability of the Underworld Ferry would make escaping no problem.
However, what Maude and his crew didn't know was that the Marines weren't the only ones aware of their location.
The Heavenly Yaksha, who had set out from Dressrosa, also had this information.
And besides him, a powerful figure responding to Servis's request was also on their way to Lorre Island.
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