Chapter 110: A Sense of Crisis
Thus, merely getting Robbie's name meant the intelligence was already more than sufficient.
Now, the priority was to ensure Robbie's "experience points" were firmly in Maude's grasp.
Glancing at the dying Robbie, Maude quickly pulled out the quill hidden along the spine of his notebook and jotted down Robbie's name.
During the battle, Maude had accounted for the need to leave a brief window to record information.
Hence, the final stab aimed at Robbie had deliberately avoided a vital spot.
Even so, the attack, enhanced by Armament Haki, not only shattered Robbie's Iron Body but also inflicted severe damage on him.
As a result, although Maude had avoided a fatal blow, the strike still caused significant harm to Robbie.
Seeing that Robbie was on the brink of death, Maude felt a hint of urgency.
After all, he wanted to carefully detail the intelligence on the Rokushiki and reap the substantial rewards from Robbie's demise.
However, if Robbie were to die before Maude finished recording the information, it would be akin to letting most of the reward slip through his fingers.
Racing against the clock, Maude could only pray that Robbie would hold on a little longer while he scribbled words onto the page as quickly as possible.
Robbie, collapsed on the ground, couldn't see Maude's frantic writing.
Nor, in his final moments, could Robbie imagine that Maude was hoping he'd endure a bit longer.
As life ebbed away, Robbie was consumed with nothing but regret and resentment.
All he had needed to do was restrict Maude and Sunny's movements.
If he had stuck to that plan, there were countless low-risk methods available. Then, he wouldn't have ended up like this.
So why had he chosen the most dangerous approach?
Was it because Gion had labeled Maude as a threat?
Or was it... jealousy?
"My... future..."
Robbie's mouth opened slightly as though to speak, but no sound emerged.
Before his eyes, a white mist suddenly spread out.
In the mist, a scene appeared.
He saw himself sitting in the position of Admiral.
As though experiencing a fleeting final flashback, Robbie's lips moved once more before freezing in place.
Robbie died.
Maude closed his Hunter's Notebook.
Three seconds earlier, he had finished writing all the known intelligence—just in time.
The moment Robbie breathed his last, a surge of rich rewards flowed back to Maude.
Not only did the final gap in his second star frame, representing physical constitution, fill completely, advancing it to a full second star...
But the excess rewards directly formed a third star frame.
As the star advanced, the accompanying baptism began.
Warm currents coursed through his body, washing away all the exhaustion from repeated use of Haki.
Following this, a wave of indescribable comfort spread through him, as if he were soaking in a hot spring, with countless gentle hands massaging every part of his body.
The same process, the same feeling.
Yet Maude had no mind to enjoy the euphoria of the baptism. He briefly closed his eyes to assess the results.
[Physical Constitution: ★★☆]
[Swordsmanship: ★]
[Haki: ★]
After taking less than two seconds to confirm his gains, Maude opened his eyes.
His spirit and energy were completely rejuvenated.
"Not only did I max out the second star frame, but I also gained a third one. Robbie's experience points turned out to be unexpectedly abundant."
Maude pulled his sword, Chidori, from the ground.
With a flick, he shook off the blood on its blade before sliding it back into its sheath.
Casting a glance at Robbie's corpse, his eyes still open in death, Maude turned and ran toward Sunny.
The obstacle had been cleared, but there was still no time to waste. They had to reach the pig farm as quickly as possible.
Pirates who had been watching Maude's actions from the base of the Wall Mountain couldn't make sense of his abilities, even after observing everything from start to finish.
Nevertheless, Maude killing Robbie was a welcome outcome for them.
"Usopp, well done!"
Many pirates cheered inwardly before hurrying to squeeze through the holes in the wall.
Staying here to revel in the spectacle wasn't as important as escaping.
Reaching Sunny, Maude crouched with his back toward her.
Sunny instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
With her securely in place, Maude stood and began running toward the hole in the wall.
"What was that earlier?" Sunny asked, resting her chin on Maude's shoulder and tilting her head slightly to look at his face.
"What do you mean?"
"That black notebook."
"Oh, can we not talk about it?"
"Sure."
"Good."
The trivial conversation ended as quickly as it started. Maude glanced back at the chaotic Mad Hat Town and muttered under his breath, "I wonder how Sol's doing."
Sunny paused before replying, "Sol will be fine. His legs might be short, but he runs fast. And without a burden like me slowing him down, he can escape whenever he wants."
Looking at her, Maude remarked, "You really don't hold back, do you? Not even on yourself."
"I'm just being honest."
"…"
Maude didn't know how to respond.
Soon, they were just 300 meters from the wall's openings.
However, there were only three holes at the base of the Wall Mountain—one large and two small.
The large hole was barely adequate, but the two smaller ones were more like doorways than actual tunnels.
Moreover, the pirates and underworld figures escaping through them weren't exactly the polite, orderly type.
The result was a tightly packed crowd in front of the holes.
Though people were constantly squeezing through, more continued to arrive from the town, keeping the numbers constant.
Watching this, Maude felt a strong urge to toss a grenade into the crowd.
"This is going to be a problem," he muttered.
He considered cutting his way through the throng—it might even net him some extra experience from pirates he'd already logged in his notebook.
But doing so would make him an instant target.
Situations like this highlighted the value of Conqueror's Haki.
As Maude approached the rear of the crowd, the pirates near him couldn't help but turn to look.
It was the instinctive action of the weak in the presence of strength.
A common occurrence in pirate circles.
Ignoring the surrounding stares, Maude frowned at the densely packed crowd before him.
No way this was going to work.
Suppressing the urge to draw his sword, he instead glanced up at the Wall Mountain.
Maybe climbing was the better option.
Just as the thought crossed his mind, a sharp, grating sound pierced the air from behind, like nails scraping against glass.
It came from the direction of Mad Hat Town.
Maude instinctively turned to look.
A group of dozens of pirates fleeing the town had been cut down by a slashing wave of sword energy five or six meters long.
"Sword energy...?"
Maude's eyelid twitched.
"Who is it?"
Even though his Observation Haki wasn't particularly advanced, the overwhelming sense of danger was palpable.
It was more intense than what he'd felt even when facing Aokiji.
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