If it were merely a matter of giving the Maude Pirates a ride, the members of the Beautiful Pirates could still accept it.
What they feared most was never regaining their freedom from Maude's grasp.
Compared to that, everything else seemed secondary.
"Just endure it for a while," Cavendish thought to himself.
Though his time interacting with Maude wasn't long, it was enough for him to notice some characteristics that set Maude apart from typical pirates.
He chose to believe in Maude's promise.
But in the end, it wasn't as if he had a choice.
White Horse Farul sensed his master's emotions and gently nuzzled Cavendish's side with its head in an attempt to comfort him.
Under the watchful eyes of Cavendish and the other pirates, Maude and his crew boarded the Beautiful Pirates' ship—Sleeping Forest White Steed.
This ship was of medium-to-large size, classified as a three-masted vessel.
Its dimensions were slightly larger than Maude's Underworld Ferry, and its design bore some resemblance to it.
The difference lay in the figureheads—Underworld Ferry had a dragon's head at the bow and a dragon's tail at the stern, while Sleeping Forest White Steed featured a rearing white horse at the bow and a horse's tail at the stern.
One could say the ship truly lived up to its name, reflecting Cavendish's deep attachment to White Horse Farul.
Upon stepping onto the deck of the White Horse, Maude glanced at Cavendish, whose expression was clouded with gloom. His immediate plan was to bring Cavendish back to the Thriller Bark and officially begin his experiment.
Cavendish could never have imagined that what Maude needed his cooperation for was to serve as a crucial test subject.
If he knew, his mood would undoubtedly worsen.
On deck, Maude and his crew waved goodbye to Rayleigh and Shakky.
Shortly after, the ship weighed anchor and set sail, gradually leaving the shoreline behind.
Rayleigh and Shakky smiled as they watched the Sleeping Forest White Steed depart.
It wasn't until the ship became a mere speck on the horizon that Rayleigh retracted his gaze.
"I suppose it's about time I set off as well."
"Have you already found a suitable 'fat sheep'?"
Shakky smiled knowingly as she leaned on her elbow, looking at Rayleigh.
Rayleigh laughed heartily but didn't answer, instead finishing the last of his drink.
"Hey, little Cav, don't make such a grim face."
On the deck of the Sleeping Forest White Steed, Maude casually patted Cavendish's shoulder.
"It's Cavendish, not 'little Cav'!"
"That's too long. 'Little Cav' sounds better—rolls off the tongue."
"..."
Cavendish took a deep breath, clutching his chest as he repeatedly told himself to stay calm, stay calm…
"Neighhh…"
Suddenly, a distressed whinny reached his ears.
Cavendish's eyes widened as he quickly turned toward the source of the sound.
To his shock, Maude—who had just been patting his shoulder—was now sitting atop Farul's back, while Bailey had gone a step further, perching on Farul's head. This left the horse too scared to move, its body unnaturally stiff.
"Stop bullying Farul!"
Seeing his beloved horse being ridden, Cavendish could no longer keep his composure. His face contorted into a fanged snarl as he roared at Maude and Bailey.
But his protest was completely ignored.
"Captain, we're sorry!"
Around them, the helpless members of the Beautiful Pirates lowered their heads, crying out internally in silent misery.
Maude paid no heed to Cavendish's shouting and leisurely guided Farul around the deck.
Farul's stiffness made the ride a little uncomfortable, but Maude didn't mind much.
Brook approached, holding a cup of tea. Memories of galloping across battlefields on horseback some fifty to sixty years ago surfaced in his mind, and nostalgia quickly transformed into a request.
"May I have a turn at riding?"
"Go ahead."
"Yohohoho!"
"Stop! All of you, get off my horse!!!"
Cavendish gripped the hilt of his sword, barely restraining the urge to draw it.
A few minutes later…
He resigned himself to sitting on the deck, looking as if he had just been struck by Perona's ghosts.
"We're heading to the Florian Triangle!!?"
A sudden cry of alarm came from the ship's navigator at the bow.
"Is there a problem?"
Lafitte stared at the Beautiful Pirates' navigator with an emotionless expression.
"N-no, no problem at all…"
Under Lafitte's icy gaze, the navigator shuddered and quickly lowered his head, avoiding eye contact.
On deck, the rest of the Beautiful Pirates froze upon hearing the name of the infamous and treacherous sea.
"The Florian Triangle… that terrifying region where hundreds of ships vanish every year!"
"We're actually heading there…"
The crew murmured to themselves in disbelief.
Previously, Maude had only told them they'd be taking a detour, without specifying the destination.
Since they had already overcome numerous challenges to reach Sabaody Archipelago, they assumed backtracking wouldn't be too difficult.
But now that they knew this "detour" led to the most terrifying region of the first half of the Grand Line, they were utterly stunned.
"Why are we going to such a place?"
Cavendish confronted Maude, his brows furrowed deeply.
Now that Farul had been freed from its tormentors, his mood had improved somewhat.
Maude glanced at him and explained, "My ship is there."
"What?!"
The Beautiful Pirates were shocked.
Of course—this man had taken Moria's place, along with all that came with it…
Cavendish fell silent as he gazed at Maude.
The tragedy of pirates, perhaps, was how easily they could be replaced.
Whether it was their fame or their treasures, they were never truly theirs to keep.
"If I can kill Maude, then all of the fame he has now will transfer to me in no time. When that happens… what kind of scene will it be?"
The very thought thrilled Cavendish.
The radiant aura that had dulled ever since encountering Maude reignited, surrounding him in a dazzling, star-like glow.
"C-Captain…"
The Beautiful Pirates' crew looked at their captain—now literally shining—and felt like crying.
Even if you have such thoughts, could you at least not say them out loud in front of him!?
Realizing his mistake, Cavendish's expression stiffened.
Oops…
Maude, however, simply patted Cavendish's shoulder as if encouraging him.
"If you think you can do it, give it a shot."
"..."
Cavendish felt awkward.
Retracting his hand, Maude added with a meaningful smile, "By the way, keep up this narcissistic attitude. It'd be best if those 'sparkles' got even brighter."
"?"
Cavendish looked confused, completely unaware of what awaited him.
Five days later…
Marine Headquarters.
Chaton stepped out of the intelligence room, holding a stack of documents.
"So, the Giant Warrior Pirates' Blue Ogre and Red Ogre, huh…"
His expression turned contemplative as he muttered to himself.
After a brief moment, his pensive look faded, replaced by a growing excitement.
Ten minutes later…
Chaton arrived outside Gion's office.
Perhaps in an unconscious display of familiarity, he didn't bother knocking and simply pushed the door open.
"Momousagi-chan—oh, uh, Granny Tsuru."
Inside, Gion was nowhere to be seen. Instead, Vice Admiral Tsuru was sitting on the couch, leisurely preparing tea.
Chaton, having acted too casually, scratched the back of his head in mild embarrassment.
"Granny Tsuru, where's Gion?"
"She's training."
Vice Admiral Tsuru glanced at the documents in Chaton's hands.
"What's that?"
"Oh, this?"
Chaton raised the stack of documents.
"It's the intelligence Bacardi Maude requested regarding the Giant Warrior Pirates."
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