After taking down five Supernovas and capturing Cavendish, Maude had exerted a bit of effort.
If it weren't for using them to refine his mastery of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, he could have ended the battle much faster.
After all, the level of Haki he possessed was an insurmountable wall for these Supernovas.
"There's still one more…"
Maude casually scanned the crowd.
Since these Supernovas had remained on Sabaody Archipelago just to wait for him, then the last one was likely here as well.
"If I remember correctly, the last Supernova should be Black Robe Libis, with a bounty of… 220 million berries?"
As Maude pondered, an image of Black Robe Libis from a wanted poster flashed through his mind, and his gaze once again swept over the crowd.
This time, he focused on anyone dressed in a black robe.
However, after scanning the area, while there were a few people wearing cloaks, none of them were black.
Somewhat disappointed, Maude utilized his Observation Haki to take a closer look at those in cloaked attire.
"Hm?"
When his eyes landed on a figure draped in a green cloak, Maude sensed something unusual and instinctively paused, locking eyes with the person.
"A woman… looks familiar."
He slightly raised an eyebrow. The only visible features beneath the hood were her eyebrows and complexion, while everything below her nose was obscured by a raised collar.
Even so, with just a glance, Maude felt a strong sense of familiarity.
As their eyes met, the woman in the green cloak quickly lowered her gaze, avoiding Maude's sharp and invasive stare.
She then took a few light steps back and swiftly disappeared into the crowd, as if she had done this countless times before.
Maude watched her leave with a calm expression, trying to recall why she felt so familiar.
Soon, based on her complexion, an image of a mature and graceful woman surfaced in his mind.
Nico Robin?
Unlikely.
At this time, she should still be in Alabasta.
Wait…
Maude suddenly remembered that Crocodile was still a Warlord of the Sea.
Which meant that Crocodile was likely to attend the Shichibukai meeting in Mary Geoise.
With that in mind, bringing Nico Robin along wasn't entirely out of the question.
"Could it really be Nico Robin…?"
Maude glanced in the direction the green-cloaked woman had vanished.
Even if she was Nico Robin, he had no intention of interacting with her.
To him, Robin was like a ticking time bomb, especially in a place like Sabaody Archipelago, just a step away from Marine Headquarters.
If he got involved with Nico Robin here, it was highly likely that even the usually indifferent Aokiji wouldn't mind making a trip to Sabaody.
Maude shook his head slightly.
If that really was Nico Robin, then Crocodile was being awfully reckless for bringing her to a place like this.
Dismissing these thoughts, Maude withdrew his gaze from the crowd and strode toward the roots of Sabaody's Grove 13.
After a few steps, he suddenly halted and turned to look at the corpses of Haus and Gant.
"No, no, no!"
Seeing Maude's movement, the bounty hunters and slave traders observing from the shadows tensed up instantly.
In their eyes, Maude was a pirate, and it was normal for pirates to kill their peers for notoriety, but it was highly unlikely he'd deal with their corpses.
As long as Maude left, they could swoop in, snatch up these Supernovas' bodies, and exchange them for bounties at the Marine outpost on Sabaody.
It would be like picking up free money!
But as Maude turned toward the corpses of Haus and Gant, it was as if the berry notes they were reaching for were suddenly flying away.
"Hey, hey, you're a seasoned pirate! Don't do this!"
"My bounty…"
"Stop it!"
"Just walk away already!"
The bounty hunters internally screamed in desperation.
Under their nervous gazes, Maude walked toward the bodies of Haus and Gant.
"Gone…"
The bounty hunters' faces instantly filled with despair.
The popping sound of bubbles drifting through Sabaody Archipelago mirrored their shattered hopes.
If any of them had the strength to take down Maude, they would have swarmed him by now.
Unaware of the many broken hearts he had left behind, Maude crouched down and picked up the bodies of Haus and Gant.
As a pirate, he couldn't exchange these Supernovas' bodies for bounties with the Marines, but Shakky, who had been on Sabaody for years, might have some connections.
Not one to waste an opportunity, Maude naturally wouldn't ignore the potential value in these corpses.
With the bodies in tow, Maude made his way back to Grove 13, but not before checking on the corpse of the Supernova sniper, Oliver.
However, when he arrived at the scene, Oliver's head had already been taken.
"..."
Staring at the headless body, Maude was momentarily speechless.
Shaking his head, he resumed his journey to Grove 13.
With Rayleigh and Shakky watching over the area, the bodies of Jeff the Ripper and Borsy the Fanged Sword remained untouched.
On the tree root, Rayleigh and Shakky saw Maude approaching with the corpses and immediately understood his intention.
"That kid Maude…"
Rayleigh shook his head with a wry smile.
Shakky, on the other hand, smirked knowingly.
She didn't find it odd at all.
Plundering was simply part of being a pirate.
In her era, and even later with renowned crews like the Whitebeard Pirates and Roger Pirates, looting was essential for sustaining long voyages.
Trading the corpses of Supernovas who had come looking for trouble was just another form of piracy.
Unbothered by the curious gazes from all around, Maude brought the bodies of Jeff the Ripper, Sharp Eye Oliver, White Fist Haus, and Flying Axe Gaunt into Shakky's bar.
Together, these corpses were worth around 600 million berries.
"Aunt Shakky, got any connections?"
Maude gestured to the bodies, making his intentions clear in one sentence.
Shakky smiled knowingly. "I do, but they'll take a cut. Also, since the Marines will know you were the one who took down these Supernovas, they might refuse to honor the bounties if someone else tries to cash them in."
Maude nodded, smiling. "Worth a try. If it doesn't work, no big deal."
He had already secured the reputation boost from eliminating these Supernovas. Whether he could squeeze some extra value out of them was just a bonus.
"If it works, you'll only get about thirty percent."
Shakky extinguished her cigarette and spoke seriously.
Marine-issued bounties generally stated "dead or alive," but when redeeming bodies, the payout was usually docked by 10-30%.
Some places were even greedier and would slash it by half.
This was likely one reason why bounty hunters were far outnumbered by pirates.
"That's fine."
Maude chuckled.
Even at 30%, he'd still get nearly 200 million—a hefty sum.
If Sabaody's slave market had any giant or fish-man slaves, this money might come in handy.
On the floor nearby, Cavendish quietly regained consciousness, just in time to overhear Maude and Shakky's conversation.
He glanced at the corpses of his fellow Supernovas and exclaimed in disbelief, "Bacardi Maude, you… you're selling our heads to the Marines for money?!"
Maude turned to Cavendish, his expression mocking. "And what were you after when you came for me?"
"..."
Cavendish was instantly at a loss for words.
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