Ten thousand meters above the ground.
Thriller Bark hovered over a cluster of white clouds. From a distance, it looked just like a sky island built atop the clouds.
Maud held the blue-and-white standard-issue Den Den Mushi left behind by Aokiji as he casually straddled the balcony of the room.
The cold wind lifted his coat and hair. His sharply defined profile radiated a charm that made it impossible to look away for a while.
Not far from him stood the group of crew members led by Lafitte.
Urouge, who had regained consciousness, and Hawkins, who had only recently officially joined Maud's command, were there as well.
As newcomers to the crew, Urouge and Hawkins both stared at the Den Den Mushi in Maud's hand with strange looks in their eyes.
On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Marine Fleet Admiral Buddha Sengoku was facing them.
"Kidnapping a Celestial Dragon..."
After learning the final plan, the two men who had burst into the public eye as Supernovas felt a chill run down their backs after merely imagining the consequences.
Yet the man they were watching remained as calm and unconcerned as ever.
It was as though the thing they were about to do was as ordinary as eating or drinking water.
The Den Den Mushi in Maud's hand slowly transformed into Sengoku's likeness.
Through the Den Den Mushi's expression, they could observe the other party's emotions in real time.
At this moment, the Den Den Mushi displaying several aspects of Sengoku's appearance wore a composed expression.
"Bagard Maud."
Faced with Maud's thoroughly mocking opening, Sengoku remained completely unaffected, both outwardly and inwardly.
"If it's you, then even without any special explanation, you should be able to guess why we acted against the Heart Pirates."
The Den Den Mushi