Thus, I Decided

Fujitora and Kizaru joined forces to fight Maud.

In the end, Kizaru died.

Since two Admirals had been unable to stop Maud, one Admiral was even less likely to do so.

In the eyes of the world, Fujitora, facing Maud alone, probably could not hold out for long.

The enormous boulder and seawater that had engulfed Fujitora from above seemed to confirm the world's judgment.

But...

As the boulder and seawater came crashing down, Maud, having seized the initiative, did not press his advantage.

This scene left the viewers watching the live broadcast baffled.

After all, Maud's decisiveness in killing had already been deeply ingrained in their understanding of him.

On the live broadcast.

Maud stood motionless.

A boiling tide of shadows clustered around him, as though it were surrounding a king.

The boulder shattered upon hitting the ground, and seawater flowed in all directions.

White foam rolled over the rubble-strewn ground.

Fujitora, who had taken the attack head-on, was not seriously hurt. He was merely drenched from head to toe.

The instant the seawater covered his head, a feeling of powerlessness eroded his body like a rising tide.

But as the seawater receded, the powerlessness plaguing his body vanished with it.

Those few short seconds had undoubtedly been Fujitora's most dangerous moment.

However...

Maud had held back.

Fujitora silently "looked" toward Maud, who had not moved an inch from his original position.

Drip, drip—

Droplets fell from his body and cane-sword into the puddles on the ground, splashing out ring after ring of ripples.

Fujitora's feelings were complicated.

On a battlefield, when two people fought for their respective positions, the outcome was not only victory or defeat, but also life or death.

If one lost and died because they were weaker, there was no one to blame.

Maud's mercy,