The human stepped out of the park.
This could only mean that those inside the park had already been...
On the ground, Arlong staggered as he forced himself to his feet.
Those two kicks just now had not only knocked him unconscious for a brief moment but also inflicted serious internal injuries.
If not for his exceptional physical resilience, he wouldn't have been able to stand at all.
"Haki...!"
Arlong's gaze at Maude was filled with nothing but terror.
The superior attitude he once flaunted was utterly shattered in this moment.
"Oh, you know about Haki, huh."
Maude stepped toward Arlong, speaking indifferently, "Well, it makes sense. You used to be a member of the Sun Pirates. Knowing about Haki is only natural."
He knew Arlong was already at his limit. The only thing left was to claim the experience points with a single slash.
Arlong's terror deepened as he rasped, "You're... a human from the Grand Line!"
Maude didn't respond.
Breathing heavily, Arlong struggled to speak, "Why... why would someone as strong as you come to the East Blue!?"
Still, Maude didn't answer.
"What will it take for you to spare me?"
Arlong, who was barely standing, no longer had the strength to challenge this formidable human.
Realizing his predicament, all that remained in Arlong was the will to survive.
As long as he could keep his life, he could start over again.
For that, he was even willing to lower his head to Maude.
The Arlong who once regarded humans as mere insects... was now begging for his life!
Nami and the others watched Arlong with an expression of utter disbelief.
This was something they never could have imagined, not even in their wildest dreams.
Maude abruptly stopped.
At this point, he was only about ten paces away from Arlong.
Seeing Maude halt, a glimmer of hope flickered in Arlong's eyes. Enduring the pain, he said, "If you spare me, name your price!"
But Maude ignored him, instead gazing up at the sky.
From above, Lafitte descended with Bailey in hand, landing beside Maude.
"You said this was about money, and then you took down the entire Arlong Pirates yourself?"
Lafitte glanced at the heavily wounded Arlong.
From the air earlier, he had already seen the fishmen corpses strewn across Arlong's territory.
It was clear the Arlong Pirates were as good as finished.
"Haha, I'll tell you later. For now, deal with the Sea Beasts near the coast. As for that fishman, leave him to me."
Maude cast a brief glance toward the coastline about a hundred meters away before resuming his approach toward Arlong.
Though slightly exasperated, Lafitte complied with the order and headed for the coast.
With their Observation Haki, they had already sensed two presences moving closer from the sea.
Bailey, lacking Observation Haki, could only look toward the calm coastline in confusion as he listened to Maude and Lafitte's exchange.
A few seconds later—
Boom!
A splash erupted from the sea near the shore.
When the water settled, a massive sea beast with the body of a fish and the head of a bull emerged.
At the same time, a fishman with six arms surfaced, none other than Hatchan, the last officer of the Arlong Pirates.
"Arlong, what happened!?"
Hatchan climbed onto the shore. Upon seeing Arlong's sorry state, his six octopus arms flailed about in panic.
Seeing the Sea Beast and Hatchan, Arlong and Nami's group reacted differently.
For Arlong, it was as though he had seen a glimmer of hope, while for Nami and her companions, their hearts sank.
Without hesitation, Arlong bolted toward Hatchan and Momoo on the shore.
But with a single step, Maude intercepted Arlong's escape route effortlessly.
"You asked me why I came here just now?"
As he spoke, Maude drove his blade straight into Arlong's mouth, pinning him to the ground.
Arlong's fish-like eyes widened as he stared at Maude's emotionless face.
He could feel the presence of death.
Summoning all his strength despite the agony, he clamped his jaws down in a desperate attempt to bite through Maude's sword.
It was futile.
"This is your answer."
Maude dragged the blade downward, swiftly and decisively ending Arlong's life.
As Arlong's life slipped away, an imperceptible transformation took place within Maude's body. A faint grinding sound of bones shifting could be heard.
Though there was no tangible proof, Maude had the distinct feeling he'd grown a little taller.
At 17 years old, Maude's height had already surpassed 1.9 meters.
He wondered just how tall he'd become if his physical stats reached the six-star level, crossing into the second phase.
Shaking his head to dismiss the thought, Maude closed his eyes and checked the Hunter's Notebook's progress.
[Physique: ★★★☆][Swordsmanship: ★]
[Haki: ★★]
After slaughtering over a dozen fishmen in Arlong's domain, the fourth star frame for Physique had been unlocked.
With Arlong's experience absorbed, the frame was already one-third full.
Opening his eyes, Maude glanced at Arlong's corpse.
The tangible gains made him entertain the absurd thought of reviving Arlong just to kill him again.
Smirking at his own ridiculous idea, Maude dismissed it and turned his attention toward the coast.
By this point, Lafitte had already subdued the Sea Beast with a single slash, leaving it gravely wounded and floating near the shore.
As for Hatchan, per Maude's instructions, Lafitte hadn't harmed him but had immobilized him with hypnosis.
Ignoring Nami and the others, Maude approached Lafitte.
He first observed the stupefied Hatchan, then glanced at the severely injured Momoo.
Squatting by the shore, Bailey scrutinized Momoo before grinning. "This thing's eaten quite a few people."
Maude raised a brow. "Oh? You can tell?"
"Must be a talent," Bailey replied smugly.
Chuckling softly, Maude shifted his gaze to Hatchan.
Without needing instructions, Lafitte lifted the hypnosis.
Such attentiveness made Maude cast an approving glance at Lafitte.
In their time together, he had to admit, Lafitte was an impeccable subordinate.
Snapping out of the hypnosis, Hatchan's first reaction was to look toward Arlong.
Upon seeing Arlong's lifeless body, Hatchan wailed in anguish, his six arms flailing uncontrollably.
"I'll kill you all!"
"Hatchan, you know Rayleigh, don't you?"
Maude's words immediately shattered Hatchan's rising fury.
"W-What? How do you know?"
Hatchan stared at Maude in shock.
This was something he had never mentioned, not even to his comrades in the Arlong Pirates.
"Don't bother asking how I know. For Rayleigh's sake, I won't kill you."
"Who are you?"
Hatchan's limited reasoning abilities were thrown into disarray.
"Phantom Gun."
Maude spoke his title calmly. "Now go."
He had considered sending Hatchan to deliver a message to Rayleigh but decided against it.
If Hatchan ever crossed paths with Rayleigh again, he would likely bring up Maude's name regardless.
Moments later, Hatchan dived into the sea and disappeared.
After Hatchan's departure, Maude turned to the gravely wounded Momoo.
Summoning the Hunter's Notebook out of thin air, he began to assess the Sea Beast.
Noticing this, Lafitte's pale, almost sickly face showed a trace of surprise.
"A Devil Fruit...?"
He had never known Maude to possess such an ability.
"This isn't a Devil Fruit," Maude said.
"Hmm?"
Lafitte's surprise deepened. "If it's not a Devil Fruit, then what is it?"
Fixing his gaze on Momoo, Maude spoke with calm determination:
"Lafitte, you once said you wanted to follow me to the top and witness extraordinary sights.
"Then come along."
Lafitte stared at Maude's composed yet intense expression. Slowly, a light sparked in his eyes.
"Hoho... Finally... I see what I've been waiting for in you!"
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