After the shadows entered his body, Maud's physique changed slightly. His skin gradually turned pale, and a ring of deep red eyeshadow appeared around his eyes.
These shadows belonging to the officers of the BIG.MOM Pirates could enhance Maud's strength.
Moreover, once the duration of Shadows' Gathering Ground ended, Maud only needed to harvest the shadows to gain the officers' experience, replenishing the stamina and Haki he had expended in battle.
In Maud's original plan, he had intended to collect more shadows, but plans never kept up with changes.
However, the purpose of this trip had been to rescue Rayleigh in the first place.
Now that the rescue mission was complete, Maud cared more about Saul and Gaban's whereabouts and safety than staying in Whole Cake Island to fight the BIG.MOM Pirates to the bitter end.
If circumstances had allowed it, Maud would have asked Rayleigh for an explanation on the spot.
For now, he could only wait for Rayleigh to return safely to Thriller Bark, then leave with Aokiji and return to Thriller Bark to get a clear answer.
They would decide whether to advance or retreat then.
Before Rayleigh returned to Thriller Bark, however, Maud had no intention of simply patting his backside and leaving without doing anything.
Although this matter involved the Navy, since he had already come, he would sink his teeth into the BIG.MOM Pirates and tear off a huge chunk of flesh.
If circumstances permitted, he intended to "snatch" Cracker's Biscuit-Biscuit Fruit. As for the other Devil Fruits, he would "snatch" as many as he could!
Maud still remembered that the BIG.MOM Pirates had an ability user who was quite old and seemed able to directly turn all kinds of things into edible ingredients.
That ability could display extraordinary value in certain environments.
Boom,