He really had only moved a single finger. Just a flick—nothing more—and Moria was defeated in an instant.
What kind of joke was this?
How could someone be this overwhelmingly strong?
Crocodile simply couldn't comprehend it.
Was this a power any human should possess?
As Crocodile stood there in shock, someone else finally collapsed to their knees.
"Lord Moria!"
A girl with large round eyes and twin pink ponytails cried out as she threw herself beside Moria's fallen body.
Trembling, she lifted her head and stared at the gaping hole in Moria's chest.
"No… no, no! How could this happen!!"
Perona felt as if the world had shattered above her.
She had never known her real parents. She had drifted across the seas alone since she was young—until Moria found her, took her in, and raised her.
To her, Moria was as towering and dependable as a father.
"Please—please save him!"
Tears streaming down her face, she looked toward Redfield and Crocodile. "I'm begging you! Please save Lord Moria!"
Crocodile fell silent.
How was anyone supposed to save him?
His entire torso had been pierced through. The organs within his chest cavity had been shredded beyond recognition by overwhelming Haki.
"Perona…"
Moria's voice was barely audible. Just forcing out a few words seemed to drain the last of his strength.
He whispered softly, trying to lift his hand to touch the weeping girl beside him—but he no longer had the strength to raise his arm.
"Ian! What do you think you're doing?!"
Redfield snapped angrily, already drawing his umbrella-sword. The sharp tip pointed directly at Ian.
"Oh?"
Big Mom let out a surprised chuckle. "Are my eyes playing tricks on me? Red—are you actually getting angry over someone else's misfortune?"
Chinjao, another relic from the previous era, found the sight just as unbelievable.
Redfield's epithet was "Red the Aloof." Everyone knew that he was a true loner in every sense—someone who had never once acknowledged a companion.
He had always been solitary and proud, yet now he was actually showing anger over someone's death?
"Heh heh… Lord Ian, Moria may be useless in many ways, but for some reason he gets along surprisingly well with Redfield."
Shiryu spoke with a playful grin.
"Is that so?"
Ian chuckled. "That's not an easy feat. Moria's done pretty well then."
Like Bullet, Redfield was someone who acted aloof on the surface, yet deep down longed for genuine companionship.
But unlike Bullet, Redfield wasn't someone whose heart could be reached through brute force.
What could move him had to be real sincerity—true emotion, freely given.
Otherwise, why would people call Moria a darkened version of Luffy? He really did have his own way of doing things.
"You've misunderstood something, Redfield."
Ian continued, "Wasn't it Moria who attacked me first? I can't just treat his revenge as children's play and ignore it, can I?"
If anything, judging from age alone, Ian was the one who looked like a kid, while Moria seemed more like the adult.
"That's because you killed Lord Moria's companion!!"
Perona, her eyes red and glistening, stood protectively beside the barely-breathing Moria. Her round eyes burned with fury as she glared at Ian.
"Girl, if you insist on saying that…"
Ian let out a light laugh. "Wasn't all of this started by Moria sneaking into Wano and trying to ambush Kaido-sensei?"
Strictly speaking, the massacre back then had been self-defense.
The scene had been brutal, yes, but there wasn't anything worth condemning.
Did they not understand the concept of private property being sacred and inviolable?
Redfield pressed his lips together.
There really wasn't a counterargument to that.
But matters of friendship were different.
"Stop spouting nonsense! You bastard! I won't forgive you!"
Perona's crisp voice trembled with raw anger. Her words lost their edge, but the girl was more than ready to fight.
The next second, a swarm of translucent ghosts shot into the air, heading straight for Ian.
"Perona!"
Redfield's face tightened in alarm.
How could this girl be as reckless as her foster father? Hadn't she seen what happened to Moria?
"Redfield…"
Moria's voice was faint, barely audible, but he still tried to speak, "Protect… protect… Perona…"
"Oh?"
Seeing the sky filled with flying ghosts, Aunt Linlin raised an eyebrow. "Also a soul-manipulating ability?"
It had some similarities to her own power.
"It's a very formidable ability," Ian said with a light chuckle.
Aunt Linlin wanted to steal others' lifespans, but at the very least, she needed fear and respect in return.
Perona's Hollow Fruit, however, was different. Anyone touched by her negative ghosts would be overwhelmed by extreme negativity.
Unless that person was already deeply negative to begin with.
Or…
Ian's eyes narrowed.
Conqueror's Haki surged. The ghosts rushing toward him were immediately crushed by the overwhelming spiritual force, each one showing a look of terror before vanishing into smoke.
"Too bad it doesn't work on me."
Ian smiled lightly.
Haki was a power that could counter Devil Fruits.
If one's Haki reached a sufficient level, even the most unreasonable Devil Fruit abilities could be countered.
After all, with enough Haki, even Ian's own flames of destruction could be blocked.
"How… how is this possible?"
Perona couldn't believe it. Her invincible Devil Fruit ability… had no effect?
"Little girl! To dare attack Ian, you should have been ready for this, right?"
Aunt Linlin spoke with a playful smile.
"…"
The fear on the girl's face was unmistakable.
But the last thing she should do was show fear in front of Aunt Linlin.
"Hand over your soul to me!"
Aunt Linlin laughed heartily.
It wasn't that she was eager to be Ian's lackey and fight on his behalf. Far from it. She just wanted to vent the anger she had bottled up from that bastard Ian.
Little girl, if you're mad, just blame your own bad luck!
"Stop right there!"
A figure shot forward like a bolt of lightning.
In the nick of time, Aunt Linlin reached forward with her right hand.
Her palm collided with the sharp tip of the umbrella.
In an instant, the surging aura erupted like crackling lightning.
The entire ancient mansion trembled.
"Mama! Mama! Red!!"
Aunt Linlin laughed out loud. "Seems like you've got a problem with me!"
Redfield's expression had already turned serious, and his body instinctively began to step backward.
Such strength!
Such an overwhelming presence!
This old woman wasn't much older than him, yet at this moment, she was still at the absolute peak!
**********
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