A man and a woman, both appearing to be in their twenties.
Young.
That was the first impression they gave to Maude.
The second was their air of competence.
After their abrupt visit, they wasted no time introducing themselves.
Due to Sunny and Sabo's connection, Maude didn't turn them away.
"Why are you here?"
Maude calmly regarded the two Revolutionary Army members who had come directly to his door.
He skipped the formal introductions and asked them directly about their intentions.
Maude's indifferent demeanor caused the male Revolutionary, Foot, and the female Revolutionary, Catherine, to exchange glances.
A few moments later, Foot, who bore a scar near his brow, answered.
"Mr. Maude, we hope to seek your assistance."
"…"
A glimmer of intrigue flashed in Maude's eyes as he asked, "Who sent you?"
Foot hesitated briefly before replying, "We acted on our own because… we know of your relationship with Sabo, and, well… Sunny."
Hearing this, Maude frowned slightly.
He had indeed considered establishing a mutually beneficial relationship with the Revolutionary Army, but he didn't want any potential cooperation to become public knowledge.
Such exposure would only jeopardize his plans to secure a position as a Warlord of the Sea.
Catherine, her flowing hair concealed beneath a sailor's cap, quickly noticed Maude's reaction to the mention of "public ties."
This was to be expected. After all, the Revolutionary Army was a thorn in the World Government's side, and no one would want to openly associate with them.
"Rest assured, we won't put you in a difficult position," Catherine said politely, her tone respectful.
Their politeness stemmed from their close ties to Sabo and Koala; otherwise, they would never have known about Maude, let alone approached him.
Maude was silent for a moment before asking, "Can you contact Sabo or Sunny right now?"
Although they had mentioned both names, Maude maintained some skepticism.
He had been planning to find a way to contact Sunny in the near future, and these two showing up was a timely coincidence.
Among the two, Foot seemed to hold decision-making authority.
After a brief pause, Foot nodded and said, "We can, but… we don't have a secure white Den Den Mushi to prevent eavesdropping. Unless absolutely necessary, we avoid contacting our comrades."
"I see…"
Maude rested his chin on his hand, his skepticism not entirely dispelled. However, the details they provided were enough to indicate their Revolutionary Army affiliation.
"Let's hear it, then. What do you want from me?"
"It's like this," Foot began, his expression brightening slightly. He briefly explained the situation in the Kingdom of Ahab.
As expected, it was the familiar story of slavery under a noble class.
When Foot spoke of these conditions, Maude could already guess their motive for operating in Dick City.
"We want to liberate the slaves within the city," Foot declared.
Just as Maude had surmised, the Revolutionary Army's operations across the globe were largely focused on freeing slaves.
Beyond that, they bided their time in the shadows, waiting for opportunities to overthrow allied nations under the World Government.
Liberating slaves was merely the first step—a means to strengthen their forces and incite resentment among the oppressed, sowing the seeds of rebellion against allied nations.
"But our resources are limited…" Foot sighed deeply.
Maude watched him calmly, waiting for him to continue.
Regaining his composure, Foot said solemnly, "So, we hope you can create a diversion in Dick City before you leave."
"Oh?"
Maude raised an eyebrow, immediately understanding Foot's intent.
They wanted him to draw attention and absorb the brunt of the authorities' focus, thereby reducing the Revolutionary Army's risk during their rescue operation.
Foot and Catherine looked at Maude expectantly.
Whether he agreed or not, they planned to leave immediately, ensuring they wouldn't inconvenience him further.
"Lafitte, what do you think?"
Maude turned to Lafitte, who had been silently observing.
Lafitte's eyes narrowed slightly. "If we're creating chaos before leaving the island, it's not entirely unreasonable. However… nothing comes free. If they want something, they'll have to pay for it."
Hearing this, Maude smiled faintly and turned back to Foot and Catherine.
His intentions were clear: no payment, no help.
Foot didn't hesitate. "Please name your price. As long as it's within our power, we'll do everything we can."
"Information," Maude replied immediately.
"Information…?"
Foot looked surprised.
Before coming here, they had investigated Maude and learned that he had commissioned an exorbitantly priced ship made from Treasure Tree Adam at the Thomas Shipyard.
They had assumed Maude would ask for money as compensation—but instead, he wanted information?
Seeing Foot's surprise, Maude's smile deepened.
What he sought was information on the "hunters" drawn to the island by the gladiator tournament.
Ten minutes later—
After reaching an agreement with Maude, Foot and Catherine promptly left the hotel to gather the intelligence he requested.
In the room, Maude leaned back on the sofa, chuckling. "With the Revolutionary Army's capabilities, I expect they'll surprise me."
"Hohoho," Lafitte chuckled softly.
If the Revolutionary Army could provide suitable information on potential targets, Maude and his crew would have caused chaos before leaving anyway.
"Let's go. It's time for the arena," Maude said as he stood, picking up the standard Den Den Mushi Foot had left behind.
In addition to intelligence, Maude had made two additional requests: confirming the current black market price for Treasure Tree Adam and obtaining a standard Den Den Mushi from Foot.
To secure Maude's help, Foot had readily agreed.
The group left the hotel and headed to the arena.
By the time they arrived, Bepo had already finished his match.
His opponent had been a massive tusked elephant, one of the victors from the preliminary rounds.
The elephant had caused Bepo considerable trouble with its sheer size and strength. Fortunately, Bepo's abilities were no joke. Despite sustaining injuries, he managed to defeat the beast.
"Bepo, well done!"
Maude showered praise on Bepo, who had just finished having his wounds tended to.
Hearing Maude's unreserved compliments, Bepo forgot about his ongoing spat with Shachi and Penguin, overjoyed to the point of wanting to roll on the ground.
Neither the blushing Bepo nor the indifferent Law could have guessed the true reason behind Maude's enthusiastic praise.
"Twenty million won," Maude thought, his heart leaping with joy.
Thanks to Bepo's seemingly harmless demeanor, the odds had been heavily skewed against him in the match against the tusked elephant.
With just one more million to cover the remaining balance on the ship—
The next bet would depend on Bailey's performance.
However, claiming the Devil Fruit prize for the tournament…
Would be no easy feat.
At that moment, Maude's attention was fixed on a figure stepping into the arena—a human with a suspected Zoan-type Devil Fruit ability.
"This is going to be interesting."
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