When Brook was first entangled with the slave-hunting crew, Udyr had no intention of getting involved.
Fortunately, Maude was perceptive enough to give him ample room to decide for himself.
Without hesitation, Udyr made what he believed to be the right choice—swiftly distancing himself from this vortex of danger.
However, as he watched Maude walk away alone, a vague sense of loss stirred within him, as if he had just let something important slip through his fingers.
Even so, considering the lives of his comrades under his command, he knew that even if given another chance, he would still choose to withdraw without hesitation.
That being said, Udyr did not leave without taking action.
After watching Maude depart, he immediately rushed to Shakky's Rip-Off Bar on Grove 13 and informed those present—Rayleigh, Shakky, Gaya, and others—about what had transpired.
This was why, just as Sentomaru intercepted Maude and Lafitte, Gaya arrived on the scene.
In truth, Rayleigh had also come.
However, given his sensitive identity, he chose not to reveal himself. Instead, he sat on the roots of a distant Yarukiman Mangrove, casually sipping his drink while observing the situation from afar.
From his vantage point, it was clear that Maude had already taken care of the trouble.
Otherwise, this old man would have had to get up and stretch his bones a bit.
"A Warlord of the Sea, huh..."
Rayleigh put down his empty bottle and picked up a newspaper that had conveniently landed nearby.
Though he was curious about Maude's insistence on claiming a position among the Seven Warlords, he had no intention of prying for an explanation.
After all, this was the younger generation's journey.
As a senior, his role was merely to offer support from behind the scenes.
On the battlefield.
Gaya's amber eyes gleamed with a crimson hue, and the battle-axe in her hand was coated in an impressive layer of Armament Haki.
Despite the smile on her face, the sheer presence radiating from her, combined with her mastery of both Haki types, sent a chill down Sentomaru's spine.
This woman was no ordinary opponent.
Sentomaru thought to himself.
Not far behind Maude and Lafitte, Tokikake (Chaton), Gion (Momousagi), and a group of Marines were also observing Gaya closely.
Unlike Sentomaru, they immediately recognized her identity—having memorized countless bounty posters.
"That aura and Haki... there's no way she's only worth 30 million."
Chaton looked at Gaya in surprise.
He clearly remembered that her bounty under Maude's Pirate Crew was only 30 million berries.
But seeing her now, based on pure instinct alone, he would have believed it if someone told him she was worth 300 million.
And that guy, Lafitte…
Chaton furrowed his brows, shifting his gaze from Gaya to Lafitte.
Even this somewhat eerie man didn't feel like someone who should be valued at only 120 million.
These two were clearly fighters whose true strength far exceeded their bounties, which in turn elevated the overall power ceiling of Maude's crew.
And individuals like them had always been a nightmare for bounty hunters.
"Maude's crew..."
Chaton murmured, feeling an uncanny sense of déjà vu.
For a fleeting moment, he saw in Maude's crew a reflection of the early Red-Haired Pirates.
Having enlisted in the Marines years ago, he had personally witnessed the Red-Haired Pirates' rise to the status of an Emperor's crew.
He still remembered when, before entering the New World, the Red-Haired Pirates were a small crew of fewer than ten members.
Yet despite their size, they displayed overwhelming strength in the first half of the Grand Line, cutting their way forward until they stormed into the New World and quickly gained a foothold.
Now, looking at Maude's crew, Chaton couldn't help but recall the same formidable aura the Red-Haired Pirates once carried.
"Sentomaru, stand down."
Without further hesitation, Chaton spoke up to stop Sentomaru from escalating the fight.
His timely intervention gave Sentomaru a way out of the situation.
Against just Maude and Lafitte, Sentomaru had some confidence.
But with the addition of the unfathomably strong Gaya, he was outmatched.
"Well, since Uncle Chaton says so, then..."
"Wait, wait! You're so eager to fight, and Sister Gaya also happens to be a master with the axe. Wouldn't it be a shame if you didn't take this chance to test your skills?"
Maude interrupted with a lighthearted grin, effortlessly cutting off the retreat route Chaton had provided.
Sentomaru's expression stiffened.
Pretending not to hear Maude's words, he forcefully continued from where he had been interrupted.
"Then I'll let you off this time."
Having thickened his own skin to say this, Sentomaru decisively turned and walked toward Chaton.
"This isn't running away! It's a strategic retreat!"
"Yeah, that's right!"
"A strategic retreat!"
Feeling the mocking gazes directed at his back, Sentomaru braced himself, repeating the phrase internally to comfort himself.
However, he didn't realize he had accidentally spoken it out loud.
Hearing his words, the onlookers' expressions became somewhat peculiar.
This was a textbook example of someone trying to act tough but failing miserably.
Watching Sentomaru's rather hasty retreat, Maude smirked.
In terms of raw strength, Sentomaru and Gaya were quite similar—both possessing high-level Haki but lacking real life-or-death combat experience.
Gaya had undergone training from Gaban, a warrior of the old era, and had mastered advanced Haki before the age of twenty.
However, for two decades, she had remained on Monmon Island.
Though she had slain at least a thousand pirates over the years, they were mostly small-time raiders hoping to plunder the island. Such battles did little to hone her real combat instincts.
As for Sentomaru, his Haki was formidable, but his battle experience was just as lacking as Gaya's.
Perhaps his upbringing was similar—years of sheltered training under a powerful mentor.
If the situation allowed, Maude wouldn't have minded letting Gaya use Sentomaru as a training dummy.
However, more and more bystanders were gathering, and with Brook's condition uncertain, Maude had no interest in lingering any longer.
"Brook should be fine, right?"
Using Observation Haki, Maude sensed that Brook's life force was stable. The only concern was whether his shattered ribcage could recover properly.
"My chest has a huge hole in it—oh wait, I don't have a chest! Yohohoho!"
Just as Maude was contemplating, Brook's signature laugh echoed.
Turning toward the sound, he saw Brook sprinting toward them, his feet moving like spinning wheels.
His black suit was in tatters, revealing a large gap in his ribcage.
On closer inspection, it really did look like a gaping hole.
But since Brook was still in high spirits, his injuries were probably manageable.
Gaya withdrew her gaze from Sentomaru, dispelling her dual-layered Haki before stowing away her axe. She then turned her attention to the approaching Brook, furrowing her brows.
"How did Brook end up this badly injured? Was it the Marines?"
"Yohoho! Is Gaya-nee worried about me?"
Before Maude could respond, Brook, resilient as ever, hurriedly shuffled up to Gaya and earnestly declared, "Truthfully, I'm gravely wounded. I can barely stand... but if I could just take a quick peek at your—"
Gaya narrowed her eyes with a smile, reaching for the axe she had just put away.
Brook instantly changed his tune. "Ah, I meant to say—I'm starving!"
Nearby, Maude shook his head with an amused smirk. "We'll deal with it once we're back."
"Yohohoho!"
Brook spun in place a few times.
Crack—
"Ah! My back!"
Having twisted his back, Brook collapsed onto the ground.
Maude, Lafitte, and Gaya were momentarily speechless.
Ultimately, under Brook's expectant gaze toward Gaya, it was Lafitte who ended up hoisting his severely injured body.
With all eyes on them, the four made their way toward Grove 13.
However, they had barely walked a few dozen meters when a figure stepped in their path.
That figure was none other than the Warlord of the Sea, Jinbe.
"You need something?"
Maude looked at Jinbei, mildly surprised.
"I want to have a word with you," Jinbe stated directly, getting straight to the point.
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