Cavendish, visibly overreacting, stared at Maude with a complicated expression.
Just seeing Maude's utterly perplexed face made Cavendish feel as though he had been struck by a gale-force slap.
Once again, he had lost face.
He wanted to die from the embarrassment.
Maude, puzzled by Cavendish's reaction, glanced at his own right hand, which had just been resting on Cavendish's shoulder, and hesitated. "Did I scare you?"
He thought to himself, I only pressed his shoulder a little. That shouldn't have been enough to startle him... right?
Cavendish instantly froze.
Acknowledging it would be humiliating, but denying it wasn't an option either. So, he chose silence.
Maude didn't dwell on it and got straight to the point. "Cavendish, use a Den Den Mushi to contact your crew and have them prepare for departure as soon as possible."
He paused before continuing, "As for the departure time, let's set it for three days from now."
Cavendish broke into a cold sweat and asked, "I… I don't quite understand what you mean."
Maude replied amicably, "Simply put, you and your crew are coming with me."
Cavendish's expression changed dramatically. He took a deep breath and gritted his teeth. "What exactly are you planning?"
If he was to be humiliated, he would rather die.
"Nothing much. I just find your 'body' interesting. As long as you cooperate, I guarantee you'll all be free afterward."
"M-My body?!"
Cavendish's face turned deathly pale.
In that instant, he finally understood why Maude had mercilessly eliminated the other Supernovas but spared him.
Seeing Cavendish's reaction, Maude knew he had misunderstood but couldn't be bothered to explain. Instead, he returned to the bar and sat down.
"Aunt Shakky, do you happen to know—"
Mid-sentence, Maude suddenly stopped.
He had originally intended to ask Shakky for information on the two Giant captains from Little Garden.
But then he remembered that he was now a Warlord of the Sea, officially recognized by the World Government. That meant he could use his status to request intelligence from the Marines for free.
"What's wrong?"
Shakky looked at him with curiosity.
"It's nothing. I was about to ask if you had any information on the Giant Warrior Pirates, but now that I'm a Warlord, I can just have the Marines handle it."
Maude smiled.
Shakky nodded, then fell into thought.
"The Giant Warrior Pirates, huh? I vaguely remember hearing about them. I think they were a pirate crew formed by Giants over a hundred years ago. Their reputation wasn't great, and they disappeared a long time ago."
"Well, considering they were founded over a century ago, a lot of details have probably been lost to time."
Maude stroked his chin. "But the Marines should still have some records on them."
"Of course."
Shakky took out a cigarette, skillfully tapped it against the case, and placed it between her lips.
Given the age of the Giant Warrior Pirates, it made more sense for Maude to retrieve information through his Warlord privileges.
The best part? It wouldn't cost him a single berry.
Otherwise, intelligence on ancient pirate crews like that would fetch a high price on the black market.
After deciding to request information from the Marines, another thought crossed Maude's mind.
"Aunt Shakky, can you get me the materials needed to make a Vivre Card?"
"I can, but it'll take some time."
Shakky exhaled a puff of smoke, unfazed by Maude's request.
What she didn't realize was that Maude planned to use the Vivre Cards as a tracking system for the Florian Triangle.
"How long will it take?"
"Ten days, maybe two weeks."
"Alright. I'll need ten of them."
"This stuff isn't cheap. Are you sure you want that many?"
Shakky smiled at Maude.
Without hesitation, Maude nodded.
Vivre Cards were essentially a specialty of the New World, and since he wasn't heading there anytime soon, it was best to secure them now, even if it meant paying for them.
"Alright, I'll start making arrangements."
"Thanks, Aunt Shakky."
"No need to be so polite. It's not like I'm doing it for free."
Shakky winked at him.
Maude chuckled.
It was hard to believe that the youthful-looking woman before him was about the same age as Rayleigh.
Ten Vivre Cards should be enough...
As for the process of making them, Shakky and Rayleigh undoubtedly knew how, so that wouldn't be a problem.
"Cavendish, the departure is now on hold."
"..."
Cavendish, who had just set down the Den Den Mushi, had no words.
While waiting for the Vivre Cards, Maude and his crew remained on Sabaody Archipelago.
That evening, Maude sent Lafitte to contact the Marines responsible for liaising with the Warlords and requested detailed information on the captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates.
The response was that it would take some time.
As long as the information was accurate, Maude was willing to wait.
Over the next few days, Gaya occasionally took Bailey for strolls around town.
Brook, wary of getting into trouble, stayed at Shakky's bar, using the opportunity to learn Haki techniques from Shakky and Rayleigh.
As for Maude and Lafitte, they spent their days roaming the lawless areas of Sabaody.
Whenever they encountered pirate crews with some notoriety, they would swiftly eliminate them.
Then, they would sell the loot and bounties in the slave market.
Using large sums of money, Maude specifically targeted infamous pirate captains, buying them outright and giving them a chance to fight him.
But these captains—now reduced to mere slaves—were no match for Maude and ultimately became experience points for him.
Whenever Maude purchased a pirate captain, he would often demand the seller include a few regular human slaves as a bonus.
Faced with such lucrative deals, the slave traders usually agreed.
As for those enslaved humans, Maude would take them to a safer area outside the lawless zone and set them free.
Whether they were grateful or not, he didn't care.
To Lafitte, who understood Maude's motives, this behavior wasn't strange.
But to outsiders, it was baffling.
Could this be a peculiar hobby of the strong?
Many simply couldn't comprehend it.
Moreover, due to Maude's fearsome reputation, no one dared to lay a hand on the freed slaves.
What if it was a trap?
If it was, they wouldn't even have time to regret it.
Apart from using the slave market for 'experience farming,' Maude and Lafitte also visited the human auctioning house.
On the day they set sail for the Florian Triangle, Maude planned to wipe out the auction house that had dared to target Brook.
Time passed quickly.
Three days later, the topic dominating Sabaody's taverns was Maude's meteoric rise to the Warlord position.
But on this day, a new, malicious rumor emerged.
Someone, without any evidence, pinned the blame on Maude for an incident three days ago where a Celestial Dragon was attacked by their own pet.
At the same time, news agencies and the World Government officially announced Maude's appointment as a Warlord.
The entire world was shaken.
From nobility to common merchants, everyone was talking about it.
So young… and already a Warlord?
Many found it unbelievable.
But then they recalled that Maude had killed former Warlord Gecko Moria.
That made it easier to accept.
Even so, the news still shocked countless people.
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