Months of hellish training finally bore the long-awaited fruit of success.
Under the butterfly effect sparked by Maude's actions, Law had glimpsed new possibilities for the Op-Op Fruit. He had grown significantly stronger.
The Soul Swap Surgery, something he was supposed to master years later, was now a technique he could wield with ease.
But it still wasn't enough...
To Maude, Law, who had only improved his mastery of the Op-Op Fruit, was still weak.
The reason was simple—Law had yet to master Haki.
But such matters couldn't be rushed, and Maude had no intention of taking on Doflamingo anytime soon.
When that day came, it would likely be after the tides of the "Old Era" had ebbed away.
Time passed.
The sun dipped below the horizon, and the last rays of twilight vanished into the sea's edge.
The members of the Maude Pirates gathered on the shore where the Underworld Ferry rested at anchor.
They weren't alone. Members of the Heart Pirates, Fujitora, Philo, and even Kuma were present.
"Why are they loading so much salt onto the ship?"
Gaya frowned, watching the Heart Pirates haul bag after bag of salt aboard the Underworld Ferry.
"I'll explain later," Maude replied with a small smile. Before Gaya could respond, he turned and walked toward Fujitora.
"Uncle Issho…"
Maude stopped mid-sentence.
He had intended to thank Fujitora for his support during this time but suddenly felt it unnecessary to voice such sentiments.
"Until we meet again," he said, condensing everything he wanted to express into four simple words.
Fujitora smiled warmly and nodded. "Take care."
"Mm."
Maude grinned, then turned toward Philo, standing a short distance away.
Noticing his gaze, Philo, despite wearing her signature crow mask, instinctively looked down, avoiding eye contact.
Her flustered reaction seemed uncharacteristic of the usually composed Philo behind the mask.
"Join us, Philo," Maude said, extending his hand toward her.
"H-Huh?"
Philo froze, her eyes lowering again.
Maude smiled gently. "Come aboard my ship."
Philo remained silent for a moment.
Around them, Gaya and the other crew members turned their attention toward her.
All eyes were on Philo.
Seeing her hesitation, Maude spoke earnestly: "Over this time, we've witnessed firsthand the horrors of plagues. It's made me realize just how important a skilled doctor is."
"…"
Philo slowly raised her head, meeting Maude's gaze.
The reflective lenses of her mask concealed her emotions.
Looking at the mask he had grown fond of, Maude continued sincerely, "We need you, Philo."
Philo paused before replying seriously, "With you being so sincere, it'd be hard for me to say no. Besides, I haven't decided on my next destination yet, so joining your crew doesn't sound too bad."
Just as she finished speaking, a white blur darted over and swiped the crow mask off her face.
Of course, the culprit was none other than Bailey.
Snatching the mask, Bailey grinned mischievously, clearly eager to see Philo's reaction.
Without the mask to hide her face, a deep blush spread across Philo's cheeks.
Surrounded by so many eyes, she let out a soft gasp and lowered her head, covering her burning face with her hands. She stammered, "T-Thank you for inviting me. I-I'll do my best!"
Over the past few weeks, she had grown fond of this group.
As a wandering doctor specializing in plagues, joining a pirate crew wasn't out of the question.
Maude chuckled helplessly. Compared to the unmasked Philo, he preferred the masked version—at least her personality behind the mask was more assertive.
Gaya strode over to stand behind Bailey.
A looming shadow fell over him.
Bailey froze, slowly turning to look at Gaya, who smiled with narrowed eyes but said nothing.
"Sister Gaya... did I do something wrong?"
"The mask," she said, pointing at the crow mask in his hands.
Realizing his mistake, Bailey hurriedly handed the mask to Gaya while thinking, I didn't expect Gaya to share Maude's fondness for this mask.
The veins on Gaya's forehead twitched.
Sensing danger, Bailey backed away but quickly returned the mask to Philo, who quietly accepted it.
Off to the side, Bepo laughed uproariously, rolling on the ground as though it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. His antics made Bailey's face darken as if someone had smeared it with soot.
After Philo's recruitment, the loading of supplies was almost complete.
The crew boarded the Underworld Ferry, while Law and his group returned to the resurfaced Polar Tang.
Standing at the railing, Maude looked down at Kuma and smiled. "Thank you, Kuma."
Kuma didn't respond with words but instead removed his gloves.
"Safe travels."
With that, he pressed his palm against the ship's hull.
Smack!
In an instant, the Underworld Ferry vanished, leaving behind only a swirling ripple on the water's surface.
On the Polar Tang's deck, the Heart Pirates stared wide-eyed.
"Are we going to leave the same way?"
"Can't we just sail there normally?"
"This is terrifying!"
"You fools clearly didn't understand what Maude meant by a plane ticket!"
Bepo crossed his arms, looking at his crewmates as if they were uneducated.
Everyone turned to him.
"Then explain it to us!"
"We should head inside now," Bepo said, swiftly following Law into the cabin.
"Don't change the subject!"
The Heart Pirates chased after him but were cut off when Bepo shut the door with a resounding thud.
"Hey, wait! We're not in yet—"
Before they could finish, a soft pop echoed, and the Polar Tang vanished as well.
The shoreline grew quiet.
"Impressive," Fujitora said, breaking the silence.
Kuma calmly put his gloves back on and turned to Fujitora with an impassive expression.
"Do you need me to send you somewhere?"
"No need," Fujitora replied, waving his hand.
Kuma nodded slightly, then gazed in the direction where the Underworld Ferry had disappeared.
"Where did you send them?" Fujitora asked curiously.
"To Thriller Bark."
"Oh? That place?"
Fujitora's brows rose slightly in surprise.
Kuma looked down at him. "You know of it?"
"I don't."
"…"
Kuma fell silent.
Fujitora "looked" at Kuma, his curiosity piqued. "From the name, it sounds like a ship?"
"It is."
"Ships aren't islands… Your ability is truly remarkable."
"I won't deny that."
Kuma continued to stare into the distance and said in an indifferent tone, "That destination isn't a place you can simply stumble upon, yet Maude seems to have a precise understanding of my abilities."
His voice carried a faint, indescribable emotion.
Fujitora's eyes widened slightly, revealing a hint of white. He smiled and said, "I know that feeling all too well…"
-------
Want to read waaaay ahead of schedule?
Join here: patreon.com / emperorgarus
There are more than 200 advance chapters available for you!