Since setting out to sea, Maude had never been the one to strike first against the Navy.
Usually, it was the Navy that acted first, and Maude simply countered as a matter of course.
When choosing targets, he primarily focused on pirates.
If there was a reason for this, it wasn't anything profound.
Between good and evil, Maude naturally leaned toward viewing evil as prey when there was no distinguishing context.
This had nothing to do with justice.
It was merely human nature.
Still, Maude had indeed killed many Navy officers.
That was an unavoidable fact.
If Issho leaned toward supporting the Navy, combined with the arrival of this group of Navy personnel who knew Issho, it might lead to a situation Maude wished to avoid.
Maude watched Servis and the group of Navy officers with an impassive expression, waiting for the situation to unfold.
"Servis."
Issho nodded slightly at Servis.
Servis turned to look at Maude's group, his expression tense and nervous.
"Mr. Issho, what are you…"
"Brother Servis."
Philo interjected in time, cutting off Servis's words.
Servis's gaze shifted to Philo, whose face was obscured by a crow mask, and a trace of joy flickered in his eyes.
"Doctor Philo, are you all right?"
"What could possibly happen to me? But that grumpy old man over there… was he called here by you?"
Philo clenched her fists and looked at Issho, who scratched his head with a finger, wondering, Am I really that old?
"Uh…"
Servis was speechless.
Nearby, Maude and his crew watched Servis's reaction and finally understood the reason Issho had come to Lore Island to trouble them.
Now… what should they do?
Maude sighed inwardly.
This group of Navy officers couldn't stop them, but if Issho refused to let them leave, they'd have no choice but to stay put.
Ironically, the Navy calling Issho here had inadvertently saved Maude and his crew.
Thinking back to the shots he'd fired at Doflamingo earlier, Maude realized the grudge between them was growing deeper and deeper.
Though he wasn't sure how close Issho's relationship was with this group of Navy officers, Maude was unwilling to remain entirely passive.
Ignoring Servis and the others, Maude looked at Issho seriously and said, "Old man, you're not planning to hand us over to these Navy officers, are you?"
"Not a chance!"
Before Issho could respond, Philo stepped in front of the Navy officers, her body tense with emotion.
Although her expression was hidden by the crow mask, her tone revealed her agitation.
Servis's expression turned slightly bitter, a deep sense of helplessness in his eyes.
With their strength, they stood no chance against the Maude Pirates.
If Issho weren't present, they wouldn't have dared to face the Maude Pirates directly.
Issho, his demeanor calm, "watched" Maude with a faint, enigmatic smile instead of answering.
"…"
Maude raised an eyebrow.
An hour later.
In the spacious central square of the village, numerous Navy officers sat or squatted, each holding a bowl of mushroom-and-meat soup.
Surrounding them were enthusiastic villagers.
This village was the one where Maude's crew was about to eliminate the last remnants of the plague.
The villagers had been freed from Lafayette's hypnotic influence.
Now, their enthusiasm stemmed purely from the Navy's presence and their promise to help rid the village of the plague.
Issho sat cross-legged on the ground, taking a large sip of the soup Gaya had prepared.
Afterward, as a connoisseur of noodles, he tilted his head slightly, exhaled a breath of hot air, and remarked, "Such a savory broth. It's truly a shame not to add some noodles to it."
Maude, having removed his protective suit, sat cross-legged across from Issho, looking down at the steaming soup in his bowl.
During the soup's preparation, Issho and Philo had explained the entire sequence of events, allowing Maude to piece together the situation.
First, Servis and the Navy officers were a group of genuine justice-driven soldiers who would aid Lorre Island even if it fell outside their official duties.
This selfless willingness to risk their lives for strangers had earned Issho's admiration during his travels.
Coincidentally, Maude's crew had arrived on Lore Island.
Due to Maude's infamous reputation as a cold-blooded butcher, Servis feared his crew might harm the villagers. Unable to confront the Maude Pirates directly, Servis had called on Issho, who was temporarily staying at the base.
Issho, being someone who detested evil, naturally accepted the request.
However, neither Servis nor Issho had expected that the infamously ruthless Maude Pirates would be helping the villagers eliminate the plague for free.
Seeing this firsthand, Issho changed his stance.
After personally confirming the situation and hearing Philo's glowing praise of the Maude Pirates' actions, Servis also began to view them in a slightly different light.
Like Issho, he prioritized resolving the plague above all else.
Once Maude understood the whole story, his main feeling was… relief.
While waiting for the Heart Pirates to arrive, had they not undertaken this "good deed" of solving the plague, Issho alone would have been enough to annihilate them—without Doflamingo even needing to act.
Thanks to this "good deed," Issho had even taken it upon himself to shield them from Doflamingo's looming threat.
Was this karma?
Maude felt a tangle of emotions.
Soon after, Issho revealed his reason for keeping them here: to continue helping the villagers eradicate the plague.
When making this request, Issho's tone was humble, devoid of the usual demeanor of a powerful figure.
He truly was a man full of admirable qualities.
In any case, Maude had no reason to refuse.
"Old man Issho, even if Servis lies to Navy HQ about us leaving Lorre Island, wouldn't the Navy already en route just turn back around if they don't hear from us?"
"No need to worry," Issho replied after finishing the last of his soup.
He added sternly, "I requested you stay to help the villagers, and during this time, I won't allow anyone to disturb you."
"Hmph, now that's more like it," Philo muttered under her breath.
Issho pretended not to hear.
At that moment, Bailey approached with a bowl of soup that had noodles added.
"Here you go, noodle soup just for you."
"Oh, this is truly…" Issho accepted the bowl, his eyes widening in surprise.
Bailey scratched his nose and grinned. "Big Sis Gaya said if it's about food, don't hold back—just ask!"
"Thank you."
Issho turned his head toward the figure near the large pot in the distance.
Indeed, seeing was believing.
Even though his eyes couldn't see, he could perceive everything clearly with his "heart's eye."
To prevent external interference from disrupting efforts to resolve the plague, Servis resorted to lying to Navy Headquarters, falsely reporting that the Maude Pirates had already departed from Lorre Island.
As a result, a battleship led by a Vice Admiral that had departed from Navy Headquarters, upon receiving this intelligence, had no choice but to remain on standby for further updates.
If new information about the Maude Pirates' movements emerged, the battleship would immediately change course. If not, it would have to return to base.
From beginning to end, Navy Headquarters never doubted the authenticity of the intelligence provided by Servis.
However, just a few days later, news of the Maude Pirates' presence on Lorre Island spread throughout the entire underworld.
The Navy, which had planted informants in the underworld, naturally caught wind of this information.
Somewhere on the open sea, Aokiji rode his bicycle leisurely across the water's surface. Behind the bike, the sea had frozen into an endless trail of ice that stretched beyond the horizon.
"Lorre Island… Tch, what a coincidence," Aokiji muttered as he gazed into the distance. One hand idly stroked his chin as he pondered.
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