From that day on, whether it was day or night, the quiet of Little Garden was frequently shattered by sudden bursts of explosive force.
At the instant the sound rang out, all one had to do was look up to the sky to witness a dazzling shockwave piercing through the sky.
At first, the bounty hunters and pirates lingering along the coastline were terrified, unable to sleep at night for fear that one of those shockwaves would suddenly veer toward them.
But after a few days, they noticed that the blasts always shot upward into the sky. Gradually, their unease subsided.
The one responsible for all of this, Maude, had no idea that his relentless practice of "Hakoku Soveriegnty" whenever he had the energy to spare was causing such immense psychological pressure on those along the shoreline.
Even if he had known, their concerns wouldn't have mattered to him.
During this time, Maude devoted every moment outside of eating, sleeping, and other basic needs to refining his mastery of Hakoku Sovereignty.
Thanks to Gaya's nutrient-rich meals, Maude could swiftly recover his stamina after exhausting himself.
Repeating this cycle over and over, his training efficiency saw a significant boost.
The dinosaurs of Little Garden, however, were less fortunate, as Gaya continuously experimented with different ways to turn them into various dishes to support Maude's training regimen.
Inspired by Maude's example, Bailey and Cavendish also joined in on the training.
Bailey's motivation, of course, was purely the food.
Cavendish, on the other hand, fully understood the rarity and value of Gaya's specialized meals, so he pushed himself hard to make the most of the opportunity.
If the crew of the Beautiful Pirates saw how diligently their captain was training, they would likely be left in complete shock.
Meanwhile, Philo's research was also yielding significant results.
Through the blood samples she had extracted from the giants, she discovered a variety of antibodies—each corresponding to common viruses found on Little Garden.
Using this as a research direction, she explored the island's flora and fauna, identifying a wide range of lethal viruses and even several potent, previously unknown toxins.
As a plague doctor, she treated all these findings with equal importance, carefully collecting them for further study.
Given enough time, these viruses could be turned into powerful biological weapons or used to develop various serums and antibodies.
As for the toxins, they had immediate potential as lethal combat tools.
However, rather than focusing on weaponizing them, Philo was more inclined to study antiserums and antidotes that could be synthesized with the available resources.
After all, in the unpredictable future, they were bound to encounter enemies skilled in poison and biological warfare.
Moreover, the crew already had plenty of offensive power.
Given her limited time and energy, Philo made the wise decision to prioritize defensive research.
She never mentioned any of this to Maude and instead buried herself in her studies day and night.
Even with Gaya's meals boosting her stamina, she could only carve out an extra four to five hours from her sleep schedule.
And so, time passed day by day…
Somewhere on the Grand Line, inside a certain building.
This was a branch office of the World Economy News Paper.
BANG! BANG!
CRASH!
From behind the tightly shut office doors, the muffled sounds of objects crashing and the sharp shattering of glassware rang out.
Outside, several employees in formal uniforms nervously glanced at the office door.
"What's going on with Chief Editor Dada?"
The increasing intensity of the noise made them exchange uneasy glances.
They could practically imagine the scene inside, picturing Dada's furious outburst.
"Just this afternoon, he was all smiles and seemed to be in a great mood. Why is he suddenly throwing a fit now?"
"What the hell happened?"
"Who knows…"
"Since I started working here, this is the first time I've seen him lose his temper like this."
The staff murmured among themselves while staring at the office door.
At that moment, a slightly overweight man named Dale approached, walking at a leisurely pace.
In his hands was a freshly printed newspaper, still carrying the strong scent of ink.
Hearing the approaching footsteps, the employees turned their attention to Dale.
Dale, ignoring the ongoing noise from the office, swept his gaze across the room.
"You all seem to have a lot of free time."
"…"
Hearing the displeasure in his tone, the employees averted their gazes like ostriches burying their heads in the sand, lowering their heads to avoid his scrutiny.
Dale snorted, withdrew his gaze, and turned to face Dada's office door.
The loud crashes and bangs continued.
Standing at the door, he could barely make out Dada's frantic voice, ranting about how someone else had managed to get an exclusive scoop on his idol.
Sigh…
Dale let out a long sigh and glanced down at the newspaper in his hands.
It was today's issue from a rival news agency, featuring a major headline about Maude's recent feat—defeating the former Giant Warrior Pirates' captains, Red Ogre and Blue Ogre, in Little Garden.
Until now, every major piece of news regarding Maude, along with the most important photos, had always been acquired by Dada first.
As one of the most talked-about figures in recent times, any story involving Maude would instantly boost newspaper sales.
That was precisely why Morgans, the president of the World Economy News Paper, valued Dada so highly.
But this time, a rival paper had beaten them to the punch.
To Dale, this was just the nature of competition between news agencies.
However, he was well aware of how obsessed Dada was with reporting on Maude. He even dared to defy Morgans' editorial suggestions when writing about him.
"No wonder he's throwing a tantrum."
Listening to the continued destruction inside the office, Dale shook his head.
Clearly, they couldn't count on Dada to calmly write a secondary report now.
That meant the job would fall to Dale, the veteran journalist himself.
Having worked with Dada for so long, Dale had learned a thing or two about how to glorify Maude in an article.
With that in mind, he didn't even need to think too hard—he could already envision the perfect headline.
Something like, 'A Giant's Demise—Maude, the Warlord, Ends It with a Single Strike!'
Ideas flooded his mind, and a gleam of excitement flashed in Dale's eyes.
...
Somewhere on the Grand Line, a mid-sized, three-masted ship sailed across the waves.
The massive sails, billowing in the ocean wind, bore the emblem of a skull with a bright red nose.
This was the flag of the Buggy Pirates.
"Took down the former Giant Warrior Pirates' captains with a single attack…?"
On the deck, Buggy the Clown, his oversized red nose prominently displayed, skimmed through the freshly delivered newspaper.
"Why are all the headlines lately about this guy?"
His eyes shifted, landing on the bold, striking photo of Maude on the page.
Wait a second… Little Garden… Isn't that—
A realization struck him, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his face.
"Captain Buggy! We've spotted the outline of Little Garden!!"
At that moment, a loud, excited voice rang out from the ship's bow.
The crew eagerly turned to their captain.
But all they saw was Buggy, frozen stiff like a statue, his face locked in a rigid expression.
At first, they were confused, but then understanding dawned on them.
"Captain Buggy must be too excited!"
"As expected of our captain—his way of showing excitement is truly one-of-a-kind!!"
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