It was precisely because of this.
Moria felt both resentment and fear toward Kaido. Over the years, he had paid close attention to the newspapers, hoping to see news of Kaido finally getting humbled.
And this time… had his wish finally come true?
"Heh, heh, heh… that idiot really suffered a huge loss this time."
As he continued reading, Moria couldn't help but grin, his eyes full of schadenfreude.
"The mighty Emperor of the Sea, personally going out to fight for the Poneglyph… and what happens? He returns empty-handed, and even loses his fortune in the process?"
Though separated by thousands of miles, Moria could already imagine Kaido's miserable return to Onigashima, and just how foul his mood must be… maybe he'd even destroy half the island in a drunken rage.
Thinking this way—
Moria almost felt like fetching a glass of red wine to celebrate. Looking at the man in the newspaper, Nao, he found the guy more and more pleasing to the eye—his strength growing at a monstrous pace.
No wonder even after all this time apart, little Perona still couldn't forget him…
Huh? Perona?
Moria's expression suddenly changed. He sharply raised his head, wincing as he spotted a little ghost girl hovering silently above him.
"Hey, hey, hey! The Ghost-Ghost Fruit isn't meant to be used like this! You didn't make a single sound—do you know you almost scared me to death?"
"Uhh…"
Little Perona quickly nodded obediently.
"Sorry, Mr. Moria. I won't do it again."
"As long as you admit your mistake and correct it, you're a good girl."
Moria's heart softened once again. But noticing that Perona kept staring at the photo in the paper, he couldn't help but feel jealous, and sourly muttered:
"You… every time you see news about that guy, this is how you act. I don't even know whether he's more important to you, or I am."
"Mr. Moria is very important, and Mr. Nao is also very important."
Perona blinked her big eyes.
"You're both Perona's favorite people."
This little rascal! Moria poked her forehead, but his finger passed right through her ghostly form. He was left speechless.
"Go on, take the newspaper back to your room. You only ate the Devil Fruit not long ago, your control is still weak. If you keep floating around in ghost form outside, it's dangerous. Go back to normal and read it slowly."
"Okay!"
Perona happily hugged the newspaper.
"Thank you, Mr. Moria. I'm heading back now!"
Watching her small figure drift away, Moria's gaze softened, and he let out a gentle sigh.
This child… so obedient, clever, and full of charm. With her on board, life wasn't so dull anymore. Taking her in by chance back in the West Blue had truly been the right choice.
But still—
Moria rubbed his chin in thought. He had no experience raising children. He'd heard that when girls hit adolescence, their personalities could completely change—going from warm, sweet "little cotton jackets" to rebellious teenagers who refused to listen to a word their fathers said.
Ugh, just thinking about it was terrifying…
No, wait. Moria smacked his forehead and curled his lips. What was he even worrying about? Could Perona really be compared to ordinary girls?
She had been obedient and sensible since childhood. When she grew up, she was sure to remain a good girl. How could she possibly become rebellious and disobedient?
That chance was obviously smaller than him personally defeating Kaido to get his revenge.
...
East Blue, Loguetown.
A little boy with grass-green hair styled like a rooster's comb was crouching on the ground, blankly watching ants fight. Suddenly, a figure rushed out of the alleyway, colliding with him and knocking him over.
"Barto!"
Not far away, a pink-haired little girl hurried over, helping the boy up.
"Are you okay?" she asked anxiously. When her friend shook his head, she turned and glared angrily at the white-haired teenager in front of them, shouting:
"And you call yourself a Marine? Hey, don't you even watch where you're going!"
"Sorry, sorry, little ones, I'll be more careful next time."
Even though the fault mostly lay with the boy crouching at the street corner, the white-haired youth still wore an apologetic smile, bowing repeatedly. Once the pink-haired girl's anger eased a little, he scratched his head and continued on his way.
At the intersection ahead, one of his dormitory roommates was already waiting, looking a bit impatient.
"Smoker!"
The young Marine with a mustache glared at him in dissatisfaction.
"I told you to go back to the base and bring dinner—did it really take you this long? Look, do you even know how much time has passed?"
"Dinner… sandwiches?"
The white-haired youth froze for a moment, then slapped his forehead, looking annoyed.
"Ah, damn… I forgot."
"Hah?!" Nezumi's eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"Then what are we supposed to eat tonight? What the hell is going on in that head of yours? What were you even doing just now?!"
"Because of this."
Smoker chuckled and handed over the newspaper he had been holding.
"I saw the News Coo selling papers and grabbed a copy. Then I completely forgot the actual task. But don't worry—once you read this report, you'll forgive me."
"Bullshit…" Nezumi started cursing, but then caught sight of the paper out of the corner of his eye. His expression instantly shifted to excitement, his eyes lighting up.
"Eh??? It's a report on Lord Nao?"
"Yeah." Smoker pulled a cheap cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and said with a smile:
"Another earth-shaking battle. I was so absorbed, I stood there reading for twenty minutes before I came back to my senses."
He knew Nezumi would react like this.
After all, even though this roommate had an annoying personality and the two of them often bickered, there was one thing they shared.
They had both been saved by Nao—and from then on, they had become his die-hard fanboys.
"Last time it was the two Calamities., and the time before that was Golden Lion."
Nezumi grew more and more ecstatic as he read, grinning from ear to ear.
"And this time, he actually fought head-on with Kaido of the Beasts… Amazing! That's exactly what you'd expect of Lord Nao!"
The pride in his voice made it sound as if he had been the one to fight Kaido face-to-face.
Smoker didn't reply. He simply exhaled a puff of smoke, his gaze drifting toward the endless blue sea in the distance.
After a long while, he suddenly spoke:
"Hey, Nezumi."
"Mm? What is it?"
The roommate—named Nezumi—was still buried in the newspaper, completely absorbed in that intoxicating feeling of shared glory.
"Let's leave this place next year." Smoker put out his cigarette, his tone turning serious.
"There's nothing left for us to learn in Loguetown. Do you remember the plan I told you about?"
"You mean… the Marine Headquarters Elite Training Camp?"
Nezumi finally lifted his head, hesitation showing on his face.
"Isn't that too soon? You might already be the strongest rookie here, but me… I'm still way behind."
Not to mention the long journey. Just the thought of the Grand Line filled him with dread. Even if he worked up the courage to go all the way to Marineford, with his current ability, the headquarters might not even accept him.
"Men should have ambitions."
Smoker patted his roommate's shoulder.
"Since I've made up my mind, I won't change it so easily. That's why, no matter what, I'll fight my way into the Elite Training Camp. As for you—don't forget, you made quite a contribution in that last battle. If you can place well in the end-of-year tournament and then go appeal to the colonel, he should be willing to write you a letter of recommendation."
"Whether it works or not is another matter, but you have to at least try!"
Seeing Nezumi still hesitating, Smoker gave him a kick and added:
"Also, don't forget—if you're training at Marine Headquarters, your chances of meeting Lord Nao go way up."
Meeting Lord Nao more often?
Right—why hadn't he thought of that!
Nezumi clenched his teeth, hardened his resolve, and stomped his foot firmly.
"Fine, let's go! Who's afraid of who?!"
"Just wait and see, Smoker! Starting today, I'll work my hardest for one hundred days. When the end-of-year tournament comes, I'll definitely take first place in Loguetown!"
Now that's more like it.
Smoker nodded in satisfaction, then took the newspaper back from Nezumi's hands and began rereading it with relish…
Neither he nor Nezumi noticed—
At some point, the little boy with the grass-green rooster comb, the same one who had been knocked over earlier, had quietly crept up behind them. On tiptoe, he peered curiously at the photo on the newspaper…