A soft, gentle voice suddenly broke the silence.
The group of underworld criminals, led by the bald man, instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.
Their gazes landed on a towering figure nearly seven meters tall, wearing a spotted hat with bear ears and holding a thick, leather-bound book.
When they realized who it was, their eyes widened in sheer terror, and the color drained from their faces like a receding tide.
"You… you're… the Warlord of the Sea, Bartholomew Kuma!"
"How is this possible?!"
"Why would someone like him be here?!"
Panic rippled through the crowd. Several of the more cowardly men were so overcome with fear that their legs gave out beneath them, dropping their weapons to the ground with a clatter.
"Damn it! He even destroyed our ship…"
The bald man gripped the hilt of his blade tightly, his fingers turning white from the pressure. His usual bravado was nowhere to be seen. Standing before Kuma, he was as docile as a cornered prey animal, not daring to let even a single curse slip from his lips.
Kuma stood silently, his expression unreadable as he looked down at the hundred or so terrified men. Slowly, he raised his bare palm after removing his glove.
The moment they saw his movement, the already demoralized group erupted into screams and turned to flee in all directions.
After all, they knew what Kuma's powers could do.
The ability to make an entire ship, along with the 400 people on board, vanish without a trace in an instant—this monstrous power had thoroughly crushed their will to fight.
"You cowards!!!"
The bald man roared in fury as he watched his subordinates scatter like startled rabbits.
He knew that running away individually was the stupidest possible choice in this situation. Their only chance was to stand together and fight with everything they had.
Kuma's gaze, however, passed over the bald man and settled on the fleeing group.
Whoosh—
The bald man blinked, and suddenly, Kuma was gone—vanishing without a sound, without a trace.
"What… what the hell?!"
His face turned ghostly pale, and his lips trembled as his body froze in place.
Several seconds later, a calm voice sounded from directly behind him.
"What is your purpose here on Lorre Island?"
"Behind me?!"
The bald man turned stiffly, as though his neck had rusted.
When he looked, all he saw was Kuma's imposing figure. His subordinates—the ones who had fled so frantically just seconds ago—were gone.
Three seconds.
In barely three seconds, all of them had disappeared without a sound.
This was the strength of a Warlord of the Sea!
The bald man stood in a daze, unable to answer Kuma's question.
Kuma patiently raised his palm again, his tone unchanged. "What is your purpose here on Lorre Island?"
"To… to claim Bacardi Maude's head…"
The bald man finally regained some composure and stammered out a response, his eyes fixed on Kuma's terrifying palm.
"I see…" Kuma muttered softly.
In the blink of an eye, Kuma appeared directly in front of the bald man. Before the man could even react, Kuma gently slapped him with his open palm.
Snap!
With a faint sound, the bald man vanished, leaving behind only a small swirl of dust on the ground.
After disposing of the last man, Kuma calmly put his gloves back on, holding his book once more. Without another word, he began walking inland.
His towering frame made each step resonate with a heavy thud, a stark contrast to the eerie silence of his earlier teleportation.
Behind him lay an empty shoreline, utterly devoid of life.
It was hard to imagine that just moments ago, this place had been the scene of chaos, with a ship carrying 500 people anchored nearby.
Koom… koom…
The dull sound of Kuma's footsteps echoed as he left the coast and stepped onto the plains.
Ahead of him lay a desolate expanse of land, littered with upturned earth and countless craters of varying sizes. Not a single blade of grass remained in sight.
"…"
Kuma paused, silently surveying the battlefield left in the wake of an intense battle.
But it wasn't the devastation that caught his attention.
Kuma's gaze shifted to a figure approaching him from the distance—Issho.
As Kuma slowly removed his gloves once more, his first impression of the man before him crystallized in his mind: powerful.
Issho stopped in his tracks, sensing the gesture. He held his wooden staff horizontally, readying himself.
Though blind, Issho's Observation Haki allowed him to perceive Kuma's strength. It was a strength on par with someone like Doflamingo.
"What brings you here?"
Issho "looked" at Kuma, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.
He didn't ask for a name—only a reason.
After a moment of silence, Kuma replied in his steady, emotionless tone: "The plague."
"Oh?"
Issho raised an eyebrow in surprise.
That was not the answer he had expected. He thought Kuma had come for Maude and his pirate crew.
Still, Issho didn't lower his guard.
Meanwhile, Maude arrived at the scene. The sight of the nearly seven-meter-tall Bartholomew Kuma left him momentarily stunned.
That attire, that face—it was unmistakably Kuma.
"Barroso… something Kuma…"
Maude hesitated, trying to recall the full name, but only managed a mangled version.
Hearing this, Kuma turned his gaze to Maude and corrected him, expressionless: "It's Bartholomew Kuma."
"Ah, my bad…"
Maude felt a bit awkward about the mistake.
At the same time, Issho finally pieced together Kuma's identity from the name.
Another Warlord of the Sea…
Issho said nothing, but Kuma's attention remained fixed on Maude.
"Bacardi Maude."
Kuma softly repeated Maude's name, drawing his gaze.
"Hm?"
Maude looked up at Kuma, sensing an unsettling feeling of being targeted.
However, he quickly dismissed the idea.
After all, Maude knew Kuma's true background. Officially, Kuma was a Warlord, but in reality, he was a high-ranking officer in the Revolutionary Army.
Logically speaking, there was no reason for Kuma to attack him.
Still, Maude couldn't help but wonder why Sabo hadn't mentioned anything about Kuma coming to Lorre Island during their recent conversations.
Kuma finally broke the silence. "I heard you've been treating the plague on this island."
Maude's eyes flickered.
"Heard?"
That implied Kuma had likely been in contact with the Revolutionary Army before arriving here.
Suppressing his doubts, Maude nodded. "That's correct."
Kuma paused briefly before replying, "I'd like to see it for myself."
"You're welcome to."
Although Maude couldn't discern Kuma's true intentions, he was certain of one thing: Kuma was not an enemy.
And for now, that was enough.
Even so, Maude made a mental note to call Sabo later to clarify the situation.
Issho, sensing no hostility from Kuma, lowered his wooden staff.
He had been prepared for a fierce battle, but the outcome had been entirely unexpected.
If he'd known it would turn out like this, he would've stayed in the village and had another two bowls of noodles.
He was still thinking about the vegetarian noodles from earlier.
Maude, who had come expecting a fight, ended up playing the guide instead, leading Kuma back toward the village.
The trio had barely walked a few hundred meters when the sound of heavy, rapid footsteps echoed from the south.
A group of bounty hunters armed with swords and guns appeared in the distance, numbering around two to three hundred.
"I see Bacardi Maude!"
One of them shouted excitedly, his voice brimming with glee as if he'd just stumbled upon a fortune.
Maude, Issho, and Kuma all turned toward the source of the commotion.
"Uh…???"
The bounty hunters froze in place, their eyes locked on Kuma.
This wasn't a lucky jackpot—this was a disaster waiting to happen.
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