Maude wasted no time once he made his decision—he left without hesitation.
Two days later.
The Sleeping Forest White Steed, flagship of the Beautiful Pirates, slowly sailed out of the Thriller Bark waters.
All they needed was for Maude to hitch one last round trip, and the Beautiful Pirates would regain their freedom.
Because of this, not only were the crew members fully dedicated to the task, but even Cavendish himself was determined to provide top-tier service—there was no way they could afford to disappoint Maude!
In less than half a day, the Sleeping Forest White Steed successfully left the Florian Triangle and, guided by a Log Pose, set course straight for Little Garden.
For this journey, Maude only brought along Bailey, Gaya, and Philo.
He had previously promised to take Gaya to Little Garden, so this was a commitment he intended to fulfill.
Otherwise, he would have preferred for Gaya to stay behind on Thriller Bark to assist Lafitte in training Brook and the others in Haki.
As for Philo, bringing her along was purely unavoidable.
Initially, Maude had no intention of letting Philo accompany them. However, her reasoning was so compelling that he couldn't refuse.
For a plague doctor whose expertise leaned heavily towards toxins, a place like Little Garden—teeming with ancient flora and fauna—was undeniably a treasure trove of resources.
Beyond the research value of these prehistoric creatures, simply gathering some of their venomous substances could significantly enhance Philo's combat capabilities.
Thus, Maude ultimately agreed to let her come along.
Several days later.
A News Coo flew over the Sleeping Forest White Steed and dropped off a newspaper.
Due to the isolated nature of the Florian Triangle, Maude and his crew had gone three months without receiving any news from the outside world.
Who knew what major events had transpired during that time?
Lying back on a sun lounger, Maude picked up the newspaper and began reading.
"Oh?"
With just a glance, he found something surprising.
"To hunt down the former captains of the Giant Warrior Pirates, 'Blue Ogre' Dorry and 'Red Ogre' Brogy, a team of 300 professional bounty hunters ventured to Little Garden. In the end, they were no match for the giants, and none survived."
"The Habakak Pirates and the Red Axe Pirates joined forces but were single-handedly defeated by 'Blue Ogre' Dorry."
"Habakak, with a bounty of 96 million berries, barely escaped with his life but lost both legs and his right arm."
"The Red Axe Pirates, including their 70-million-berry captain, were completely annihilated."
Lowering the newspaper, Maude couldn't help but feel surprised and puzzled.
Even when an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit—the Triceratops Model—was discovered on Little Garden before, it didn't trigger such an uproar.
So what was the cause this time?
Were all these people heading to Little Garden simply for the million-beri bounties on the two giant warriors?
Something didn't add up.
Still…
Maude narrowed his eyes and murmured to himself, "Since it's already so lively, why not stir things up even more?"
With that thought, he glanced down at the wristwatch-style Den Den Mushi on his arm.
Relying on the Marines to fan the flames wasn't a viable option.
Instead, the best candidate for the job was Dada and the Revolutionary Army.
After a moment of consideration, Maude decided to contact Dada.
One week later.
Across the Underworld, as well as in pirate dens and bounty hunter taverns, everyone was buzzing about the latest hot topic concerning Little Garden.
"Hey, did you hear? 'Captain John's' treasure is rumored to be hidden on Little Garden!"
"For real?"
"Who the hell is Captain John?"
"They say he was a ruthless, treasure-obsessed pirate who would do anything to claim riches. Back in his time, his greed and infamy spread across the world."
"Exactly. A guy like that, obsessed with treasure until the very end, must have left behind a fortune beyond imagination!"
"Gulp."
Just the thought of it made a few pirates swallow hard in anticipation.
Treasure naturally had an irresistible allure to pirates.
Every year, countless pirates lost their lives chasing after fake treasure maps and false rumors.
Yet, despite the risks, their thirst for riches never wavered.
"Hey, I heard someone found an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit on Little Garden!"
"What?! That's insane!"
"No kidding!"
"Little Garden… isn't that the island where those two giant warriors were recently discovered?"
"Yeah, that's the one."
"I heard that place is completely uninhabited, filled with ferocious beasts, deadly insects, and dinosaurs. Most who land there either get eaten or starve to death."
"But the real monsters on that island aren't the dinosaurs—it's those two giants."
"No kidding. Over the past few weeks, the death toll from those two alone must be over a thousand."
"At least."
"An Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit, though… that's as rare as a Logia. And on an island full of dinosaurs, who's to say there aren't even more of those fruits waiting to be found?"
"Should we take our chances and go?"
"Are you crazy? If you want to die, don't drag us into it!"
"Fortune favors the bold! And we're not looking to fight those giants. As for the dinosaurs, we should be able to handle them."
The pirate who suggested the idea spoke in a persuasive tone.
"Think about it—if we're lucky enough to find another Ancient Zoan fruit…"
"Quit dreaming."
Someone scoffed. "I get wanting to test your luck, but can you even afford a Log Pose to Little Garden?"
"…"
The pirate had been so caught up in his fantasy that he hadn't considered that issue. He was momentarily speechless.
"How much does a Log Pose to Little Garden cost these days?" another pirate asked curiously.
"Don't bother asking. You can't afford it."
"Screw you!"
Due to the influx of people heading to Little Garden, the price of its Log Pose had skyrocketed.
Despite a wave of opportunists venturing out to obtain and resell them, supply still couldn't keep up with demand.
In this peculiar kind of 'gold rush,' no matter how chaotic things became or how dubious the rumors were, there would always be fearless souls chasing the dream.
At the same time, others simply sneered at their stupidity from the sidelines.
But in this vast ocean, while some pirates died chasing fake treasure maps, others did manage to find fortunes beyond their wildest dreams.
Risk and reward went hand in hand.
Wasn't that the very essence of the Grand Line's allure?
Marine Headquarters.
Vice Admiral Chaton sat at his desk, staring at the latest report on Little Garden, lost in thought.
Recently, rumors about Little Garden had been spreading like wildfire.
First, treasure.
Then, Devil Fruits.
And strangely enough, there was some truth to these rumors.
Especially the claims about the Ancient Zoan fruits…
Over six months ago, someone really did find one on that island.
"…Who the hell is behind this?"
Chaton scratched his forehead.
He had thought he was the one who started the fire.
But someone had just dumped an entire barrel of gasoline on it.
"Vice Admiral Chaton."
A Marine Captain entered his office.
Chaton looked up. "Any updates?"
"Yes, sir."
Standing at attention, the captain reported, "The Warlord Maude is currently aboard the Beautiful Pirates' ship, but their destination is still unconfirmed."
"Oh?"
Chaton stroked his chin, eyes narrowing slightly.
The captain suggested, "Should we dispatch a surveillance vessel for further confirmation?"
"No need. It's nothing serious."
Chaton smirked.
"Besides… I already know where they're headed."
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