To prepare for the great upheaval a year from now, Maud had to obtain the position of Shichibukai.
Only by becoming a Shichibukai could he appear in the enormous upheaval known as the Summit War with the least effort and in the most reasonable identity.
And only the Shichibukai... occupied a position that could intervene in that war while remaining close to neutral and avoiding too much hatred.
The one and only choice!
For this reason, Maud first had to pull one of the Shichibukai from his position.
Among the Shichibukai, individuals with extraordinary personal strength, such as the world's strongest swordsman Hawk Eyes Mihawk, the tyrant Bartholomew Kuma, and Sea Knight Jinbe, were never within Maud's considerations to begin with.
After that, Hancock, who was located in the Calm Belt, possessed a geographical advantage, and also had exceptional personal strength, was likewise someone Maud could not contend with.
The same went for Donquixote Doflamingo, who was based in Dressrosa in the New World, had influence in both the underworld and the legitimate world, and possessed a massive family power.
After directly eliminating these five Shichibukai, only Sand Crocodile Crocodile and Gecko Moria remained.
Whether the former or the latter, Maud knew both their weaknesses like the back of his hand, thanks to his Prophetic Nature intelligence.
Originally, Maud's chosen target had been Gecko Moria.
However, since Thriller Bark, where Gecko Moria resided, moved frequently and was located in the Devil's Triangle, which was covered in dense fog all year round,
after sharing the information with Lafitte, Maud ultimately decided to attack Sand Crocodile Crocodile, whose location was relatively stable.
Originally, he had planned to set out for Ancient Island Little Garden after the plague incident on Lor Island ended, then try to claim the experience points of the two