Maud's contemptuous remarks angered Luffy and the others to some extent.
After Zoro struck first, they realized this was a rare opportunity for a fight.
Strength,
by its very nature, continued to grow through battle.
This powerful Shichibukai before them was undoubtedly a very suitable opponent for actual combat practice.
When Luffy also assumed an attacking stance, the atmosphere in the arena suddenly changed, taking on the air of a fight about to break out.
With the three main fighters of their crew all making their positions clear, Usopp and Bartholomew hesitated for a moment before deciding that taking this opportunity to "seek Maud's guidance" through a fight was not necessarily a bad thing.
But how could they know...
Luffy genuinely wanted to send Maud flying.
Zoro genuinely wanted to cut Maud down.
Sanji genuinely wanted to kick Maud over.
If they did not fight with such determination, perhaps they would already fall before even touching this mountain called Maud.
Let alone climb over it.
"Clang, clang—"
Franky knocked his iron-forged fists together a few times.
Seeing his companions' attitudes, he naturally had to keep pace with the group.
Nami looked at the muscle-bound idiots eager to fight with a deeply troubled expression. Without a second thought, she picked up the unconscious Chopper and retreated to the upper deck, putting herself far away from this dispute.
"Heh."
Robin glanced at Nami's decisive action and smiled faintly with her lips pressed together.
She could actually tell that these reliable companions were not simply trying to overturn Maud's contempt by having a fierce fight with him.
Their truest thought was to treat Maud as a sparring partner.
For them, now that they were only one step away from the New World, being able to fight Maud, whose strength rivaled that of the