Two days later.
A Marine warship arrived at the coastline of Lorre Island.
As soon as the warship docked, a tall figure leaped off the ship, landing gracefully on the pebbled shore.
Sitting on a nearby rock, not far from the shoreline, Kuzan (Aokiji) calmly watched the figure disembark.
The tall figure was Vice Admiral Gion, also known as "Momousagi" (Pink Rabbit).
"Gion, you're late."
"Did they already escape…?"
Gion first glanced at the languid Kuzan before turning her eyes to the dozens of ships near the shoreline. Her brows furrowed slightly.
"Kuzan, why did you choose to do nothing?"
"Well, it's a long story," Kuzan said, scratching his forehead lazily.
"Then there's no need to explain. I'll go ask Vice Admiral Momonga for a Log Pose."
Seeing Kuzan's reluctance to elaborate, Gion didn't press him. Instead, she strode purposefully toward Momonga's ship. She assumed Maude would follow the magnetic field to the next island, and since she had just arrived, she couldn't afford to wait for the Log Pose to set its magnetic course.
Kuzan watched Gion's back and said lazily, "Even if you get a Log Pose from Momonga, you won't catch up with them."
"What do you mean?"
Gion stopped and turned to look at Kuzan, who was still seated on the rock.
Looking up at the blue sky and white clouds, Kuzan replied, "The way they left Lorre Island… was rather unique. By now, they might already be far, far away. Or they could still be flying through the sky."
"???"
The lack of information left Gion completely puzzled.
Kuzan didn't acknowledge her confusion. Instead, he hopped off the rock, patted the dust off his pants, and casually stuffed his hands into his pockets.
"In any case, even the Intelligence Division of Marine Headquarters will have trouble tracking the Maude Pirates' movements for a while."
"Hmm? The Maude Pirates slipped away right under your nose, and now you're telling me this?"
Gion's sharp gaze fixed on Kuzan, her brows tightly knit.
Kuzan shrugged and spread his hands. "That's why I'm saying their method of escape was… unique."
"Then explain it clearly!"
Gion's smooth, pale forehead now sported faint veins of irritation.
"Alright, alright."
Kuzan lowered his arms and took on a more serious tone. "Before you arrived, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Bartholomew Kuma, was also on the island."
"Bartholomew Kuma? The only Warlord completely obedient to the World Government?"
"That's right. And you know his ability, don't you?"
"Hmm? You mean to say…"
Gion's eyes narrowed as she connected the dots. "Kuma used his powers on the Maude Pirates?"
Kuzan remained silent at her remark.
Noticing his unusual demeanor, Gion pressed further. "What is it?"
"Nothing," Kuzan replied, scratching the back of his head. "Kuma did indeed use his powers on the Maude Pirates."
As he spoke, Kuzan pulled a bicycle out from behind a nearby rock.
Clack.
He flipped up the kickstand, then glanced at Gion as he adjusted the bike. "If you need more intel, talk to Momonga. While you're at it, take over the situation here on the island."
"Situation? Don't tell me you're leaving me with a mess."
"Ah la la, it's just a small matter."
Pushing his bike toward the water, Kuzan paused and, with his back to Gion, said lightly, "Take your time to understand what happened here over the past few days."
"…"
Gion sighed, watching Kuzan leave.
If you're going to say something, just say it straight. Why all the roundabout talk?
Ring-ring~
As Gion watched, Kuzan rang the bike's bell and pedaled away across the sea.
Leaving the rest to Gion… truly lucky, Kuzan thought.
By the way, where did the Maude Pirates go?
...
The Florian Triangle is a region in the Grand Line perpetually shrouded in thick fog. Every year, more than a hundred ships vanish within its mysterious expanse.
Without a Log Pose to guide them, no one would willingly enter this treacherous area. The poor visibility amplified every danger, and even with a Log Pose pointing to the next island, the risk of disaster remained high.
Amidst this perilous sea lay a massive ship-island capable of roaming freely: the Thriller Bark, the pirate ship of Warlord Gecko Moria, said to be the largest ship in the world.
Thriller Bark was surrounded by towering walls, with a massive gate at its front, shaped like a pair of enormous red lips, used to capture unsuspecting prey. Inside the walls, the central feature was an eerie Gothic castle situated on an island, while the rest of the area consisted of calm seas.
Three colossal masts rose behind the walls and castle, each draped with sails so massive they dwarfed the island itself. These sails enabled the enormous vessel to move across the sea.
Late at night, Thriller Bark was not hunting ships but was instead anchored on the sea.
Suddenly, a mid-sized ship plummeted from the sky, crashing into the calm waters within Thriller Bark's walls.
Boom!
The once-still sea erupted into a towering spray of water that, upon closer inspection, resembled the shape of a bear's paw.
The ship was none other than the Underworld Ferry, launched into the air by Kuma's Paw-Paw Fruit ability.
"Finally, we've arrived."
Standing on the deck, Maude gazed toward the looming castle visible through the fog.
After being sent flying by Kuma, they, along with their ship, had been airborne for three days and nights. At last, they had reached their destination: the Florian Triangle and Thriller Bark.
Shrouded in perpetual fog, Thriller Bark was an island-ship with no magnetic properties, meaning it could not be located using a Log Pose. Without Kuma's assistance, finding Thriller Bark would have required wandering the Florian Triangle and hoping to stumble upon one of its baited traps.
Thanks to Kuma, they had avoided considerable trouble.
"Where are Law and the others?"
Maude turned his gaze skyward, watching the direction from which the Graveyard had flown.
Moments later, the Polar Tang came hurtling through the air, splashing heavily into the water before swiftly diving beneath the surface.
Maude chuckled as he watched the submarine disappear, then turned to Lafitte.
"Take us closer to the island."
"Understood."
Lafitte instructed Jim to lower the sails and switch to steam propulsion, steering the Graveyard toward the shoreline of the eerie island.
Before long, the ship docked. However, Maude did not disembark immediately. Instead, he stood calmly at the railing, as if waiting for something.
Minutes passed quietly.
Absalom, the Invisible Man and user of the Clear-Clear Fruit, arrived at the shore where the Underworld Ferry had docked. Tasked with reconnaissance, he had been drawn by the noise of the ships' arrival.
"That flag…"
Still invisible, Absalom tilted his head to look at the flag atop the Underworld Ferry's mast, a trace of apprehension flashing through his eyes.
"The Maude Pirates!"
Recognizing the identity of the crew, Absalom's mind was suddenly flooded with the images of wanted posters.
It didn't take long for his thoughts to automatically filter through the bounties of Maude and his crew, leaving only Gaya's poster in focus.
"Heh heh, here I come, beauty!"
Absalom licked his lips and stealthily stepped aboard the Underworld Ferry. Once on deck, his gaze shifted toward Maude and the others.
"Tch, she looks even better in person than on the wanted poster!"
Under the cover of his invisibility, Absalom brazenly ogled Gaya.
"Eh? There's another one."
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a figure without the raven mask, her snow-white hair cascading down her shoulders, and her sapphire-blue eyes gleaming like gemstones. Absalom froze momentarily before hearts filled his eyes.
The delicate and gentle demeanor of Philo completely ignited Absalom's lust.
"This woman… is mine!"
Howling in his mind like a wolf, Absalom crept closer to Philo.
Not far away, Maude, Lafitte, and Gaya silently observed Absalom, who had activated the power of the Clear-Clear Fruit.
Their eyes glowed faintly red, their gazes following Absalom's every move.
Absalom had only taken a few steps before he began to sense something was wrong.
"Is it just my imagination?"
Seeing Maude and the others staring directly at him, Absalom felt his heart tighten.
"It must be my imagination!"
Reassuring himself, Absalom resumed his approach toward Philo.
"…"
Then, Absalom froze, his expression blank as he realized the three were still staring directly at him.
"They… can see me???"
In that moment, Absalom began to question his entire existence.
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