Thriller Bark.
At noon, the sky stretched clear and cloudless as far as the eye could see.
Maud sat at the dining table with his cheek propped on one hand, looking at the morning paper spread across the table with an amused smile.
"Dada, that guy..."
As expected, the front page featured the photograph Lafitte had taken of Maud from the perfect angle.
But the article itself was Dada's vivid account, written as though he had been there in person.
Anyone who did not know the truth would have thought Dada had been present and witnessed with his own eyes how Maud abducted the Celestial Dragon with a wave of his hand, then casually destroyed the streets of Pangu City.
"The World Economic News..."
His gaze slowly swept across the various reports in the newspaper, and the image of an albatross flashed through his mind.
"Not bad. Quite bold."
Maud muttered to himself.
Tap, tap—
Lafitte came to the dining table and placed the standard Navy Den Den Mushi Aokiji had left behind in front of Maud.
"Hoho, the Navy is about to 'call of its own accord.'"
"I'm waiting."
Maud slowly raised his lowered gaze, passing through the window to fix on the blue sky and white clouds in a certain direction.
"I hope this time, they'll understand one principle."
"If they don't provoke me, we can all live in peace."
"Hoho..."
The Summit War, which had shocked the entire world, had drawn open the curtain on a new era atop mountains of corpses.
Maud, who had achieved dazzling results in the war, became famous throughout the world.
And in less than ten days after the Summit War ended, the name Bagard Maud once again burst into the public eye with overwhelming force.
Grand Line, on a certain island.