In order to prepare for the great tide that would come a year later, Maude must secure a position as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Only by becoming one of the Seven Warlords could he enter the massive storm known as the Battle of Marineford with the most efficient and reasonable identity.
The Seven Warlords are the only position that allows for involvement in the war while maintaining a near-neutral stance, without drawing excessive hatred.
It was the only choice!
To achieve this, Maude first needed to take down one of the Seven Warlords.
Among the Seven Warlords, figures like the strongest swordsman Mihawk, Bartholomew Kuma, and Jinbe—their personal strength was extraordinary, and from the outset, they were not considered targets by Maude.
Next, there was Boa Hancock, who, positioned in the Calm Belt, not only had the advantage of location but also possessed remarkable strength. She too was beyond Maude's reach.
Then, there was Donquixote Doflamingo, situated in the New World in Dressrosa, a man who dominated both the underworld and the world of politics, with his vast family power. He was another target Maude could not challenge.
After eliminating these five from consideration, only Crocodile, the Sand Crocodile, and Gecko Moria remained.
Both of them, with their [prophetic] intelligence, had weaknesses that Maude was fully aware of.
Initially, Maude had set his sights on Gecko Moria.
However, Moria's ship, the Thriller Bark, constantly moved and was located in the foggy and perilous Devil's Triangle.
So, Maude shared the information with Lafitte, and ultimately decided to target Crocodile, whose location was relatively more stable in comparison.
Originally, Maude had planned to set sail to the Ancient Island Little Garden after the plague incident on Lorre Island, with the aim of gathering the experience from defeating two giants.
Then, he would follow the magnetic field to Alabasta, where Crocodile resided.
But Maude never expected to encounter Kuma, who had come to Lorre Island due to the plague.
This unexpected meeting caused Maude to shift his plans, taking advantage of Kuma's "free flight tickets" to quickly reach Thriller Bark.
If this battle ended in a complete victory...
It could only be said that Moria deserved this fate.
After all, had Kuma not come to Lorre Island, Maude wouldn't have sought trouble with him.
The group disembarked, carrying bags of salt, and walked toward the misty forest ahead, which exuded a chilling atmosphere.
All the information Maude had gathered to deal with Moria had already been shared with his companions.
Once Lafitte and the others learned of the crucial intelligence, they finally understood why Maude had brought so much salt.
However, what puzzled them was the source of this information.
Such detailed and targeted intelligence was not something one could acquire easily.
In response, Maude casually placed the blame on his "friendly collaborator" the Revolutionary Army, offering a quick excuse.
Even Lafitte didn't suspect a thing.
In their original plan, the link they had with the Revolutionary Army was meant to serve the purpose of gathering intelligence.
After disembarking, the group moved toward a conspicuous fork in the path at the entrance of the forest.
Philo, wearing a crow-like plague mask, seemed to have noticed something and quickly approached a withered tree. She squatted down and curiously observed a few mushrooms growing under the tree, each marked with purple diamond-shaped spots.
"What's going on?"
Maude, seeing Philo suddenly squat before the tree, asked.
The others followed his gaze.
"There are five mushrooms," Philo said without looking up, plucking one from the ground. "From the appearance, I can preliminarily judge that they contain toxins, but they may also have medicinal value."
Just as Philo finished speaking, the group watched in astonishment as she stuffed the mushroom beneath her mask.
Then, they clearly saw her throat move a few times, as if she had swallowed the mushroom.
"You ate something poisonous?" Maude asked, shocked.
Philo glanced up at him, replying seriously, "Mm, this is the fastest and most direct way to test it."
Before the words were even out of her mouth, Philo collapsed flat on the ground.
"???"
This action left everyone dumbfounded.
"Law."
Maude immediately looked at Law, who was not far from him.
But Law made no move. With his arms crossed, he calmly said, "Footsteps of 'traveling doctors' from that island are generally of this nature. Testing poisons on themselves is as normal as eating and drinking. Even if this guy usually seems out of sorts, there's no way she would have just eaten the poisonous mushroom without preparation, so there's no need to panic."
"Is that so..."
Maude was slightly surprised and then turned his gaze back to Philo.
As everyone stared, Philo suddenly straightened up, muttering to herself, "Such a strong paralysis effect, but it has no medicinal value."
She then stood up and placed the remaining four mushrooms into a cloth bag.
She intended to use the mushrooms to concoct a potent paralyzing poison.
And poison was her method of combat.
Law glanced at Philo and said indifferently, "Testing poisons on yourself is an outdated method, and it's really foolish. It'll only make you fall ill until the point that, not even death will matter—you won't even be able to walk."
"When I can't walk, I'll get a horse to carry me. That's how we do it in our place."
Philo didn't mind Law's words.
The tradition of testing medicinal effects on oneself had been passed down by her ancestors, and it wasn't something she could easily change.
Law didn't say anything further. After all, whether Philo aged prematurely or died from illness was none of his concern.
As Maude listened to their conversation, an image of a figure suddenly appeared in his mind—the ship doctor of the Blackbeard Pirates, Doc Q.
"Philo, do you know Doc Q?"
"..."
Philo froze for a moment before looking directly at Maude. After pausing for a second, she shook her head and replied, "I don't know him."
"Oh."
A strange glint appeared in Maude's eyes.
From Philo's reaction after hearing Doc Q's name, it was clear she knew him.
Though Maude didn't understand why Philo was hiding this fact, he didn't press the matter. Instead, he looked toward the end of the dense fog, changing the topic back to the task at hand.
"Let's split up here."
"Alright."
Law nodded, then promptly led Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin toward the left path.
This time, he only brought three officers, including Bepo, leaving the remaining crew members behind to guard the Polar Tang.
As for Maude, he left Gaya behind to watch the ship.
If it were a normal island, Gaya would usually disembark to scavenge for edible resources.
But the Thriller Bark was far from a normal island.
So, Gaya took the initiative to stay behind and guard the ship.
Watching as Law's group left, Maude turned to Lafitte and the others.
"Lafitte, you and Jim go to the right."
"Understood..."
Lafitte replied with a smile, placing his cane behind him, and walked toward the right path.
Jim, carrying several bags of salt, nodded to Maude and followed Lafitte.
After a short while, Lafitte and Jim disappeared into the dense fog.
All that remained was Maude, Philo, and the tired Bailey, who had collapsed on Maude's shoulder.
"Maude, actually, I..."
Philo looked up at Maude.
"If you don't want to talk, that's fine. Everyone has their secrets, and I'm no exception..."
Maude interrupted her with a smile.
Without waiting for Philo's response, he gently patted Bailey, who was resting on his shoulder.
Bailey, understanding the cue, yawned and immediately activated his Devil Fruit ability, transforming his body into a shining white long sword.
Maude took the sword, eyeing it with a smirk. "The legendary sword, White Weasel."
"..."
Bailey wanted to refute but hesitated.
He didn't dare.
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