During the discussion with Moria, the Den Den Mushi in Jake's pocket suddenly rang.
Without avoiding Moria, he answered it directly.
"Gurarararara! Jake, forgive this old man for calling out of the blue, but I really want to know—how many of those damned Celestial Dragon bastards have kicked the bucket? The news won't report it, and I'm itching to find out!"
Listening to Whitebeard's words, Jake chuckled and replied.
"Only about twenty or so are left alive—the rest are dead. We did a pretty good job this time, nearly wiping out those descendants of cursed bloodlines. Given their pathetic fertility rates, this must've been a massive blow to them."
"Gurarararara! Only twenty left? Seems like I should've pushed harder—should've wiped them all out, especially that bastard Garling!"
Jake laughed helplessly at Whitebeard's words.
"Killing this many Celestial Dragons already exceeded our expectations. And honestly, quite a few of them were killed by Saint Garling himself."
"Oh? That bastard? Why would he do that?"
"The reason's simple. The rescued Celestial Dragons gathered together and blamed the whole disaster on Garling—saying it was his fault for ending Hunting Season early, which led to them encountering that super tidal wave. They even threatened to report him to the Five Elders when they got back.
To prevent that, Garling quietly killed the surviving Celestial Dragons himself and tossed their corpses into the sea. Honestly, I don't see anything special about their so-called 'noble blood'—even the Sea Kings didn't react differently when they ate them."
"Gurarararara! Best case would be those Celestial Dragon scum killing each other off—saves us the trouble. But this tsunami… it's the most satisfying one I've seen in decades! Gurarararara!"
On the other side, Gekko Moria listened to the conversation between Jake and Whitebeard, feeling a chill run down his spine.
He turned to Jake, his voice trembling with an indescribable unease.
"Did you just say... you and Whitebeard killed Celestial Dragons? And not just one or two?!"
At this point, the Den Den Mushi, which had been laughing incessantly, suddenly fell silent.
A sharp, piercing gaze seemed to cut through the Den Den Mushi's goofy exterior, and even Moria could sense the terror behind those eyes.
"Jake, seems like you've got a familiar face by your side. That voice—I still remember it. It's that little punk Gekko Moria, isn't it? A few years back, he was one of the Supernovas on the seas, but after his failed challenge against Kaido, he vanished without a trace.
I actually had high hopes for that kid back then. But later, it seemed like he quit being a Pirate, so my memory of him faded a bit.
Still, his voice is pretty distinctive—I never forgot it. Hey, bat brat, have you joined Jake's little scheme now?!"
Moria didn't bother refuting Whitebeard's words.
He nodded calmly and replied, his tone neither submissive nor arrogant.
"More or less. At the very least, when it comes to dealing with Kaido, I'll definitely help you. I need to rescue my old crewmates from Kaido's mines."
"Gurararara! I thought you were gonna say you'd keep seeking revenge on Kaido afterward. So it's just about saving your friends, huh?
But I get it. Kaido's strength nowadays has indeed reached a level where he could almost go toe-to-toe with me.
Almost—though only against this old version of me!"
Whitebeard's laughter boomed again, wild and unrestrained.
He didn't care if Moria knew this.
As long as Jake made a decision, Whitebeard—who saw himself as Jake father—would never oppose it.
For choices not yet made, he could offer advice.
But once his child had made a choice, all a parent could give was unconditional trust.
After exchanging a few more words, Jake turned to Moria with a smile and asked.
"Your castle's pretty big. If possible, could you spare a room for me and Monet? We won't be staying here regularly, but when we do visit, we'll probably be busy for two or three days straight. It'd be a hassle without a place to stay.
Also, there are a few things I need to discuss with you—strictly in private."
Hearing this, Moria turned to Perona and said.
"Perona, I've got some other matters to discuss with them. Go play with Absalom for now. And Absalom—don't get any funny ideas, or even I won't be able to save you."
Seeing the stern look on Moriah's face, Absalom immediately understood.
He didn't have many flaws, but his one weakness was his weakness for women.
If he didn't keep that in check, he'd be in for a world of trouble later.
The battle between Jake and Moria earlier completely overturned Absalom's definition of a true powerhouse.
Those terrifying scenes of natural disasters, which he had only heard of in legends, made Absalom feel utterly insignificant—so much so that he could barely lift his head in the presence of such beings.
The reason Moria had him leave with Perona now wasn't just because there were things they shouldn't know, but also because Moria was subtly hinting that he should rein himself in a little.
Jake was different from other Marines.
Most Marines could be bribed to obtain information or connections.
But so far, none of Jake's intel had been exposed to any faction.
And how many internal Marine members had he killed in the Marines's Purge Operation he led?
A man who could kill so many Marines and still remain unscathed—whether in terms of personal conduct or the backing behind him—was likely someone Moria and his crew couldn't afford to provoke.
If that bastard Absalom, tempted by Jake's female companion Monet, tried to sneak around using his Devil Fruit ability for something unsavory, even if he were killed right in front of Moria, the latter wouldn't be able to say a word.
Moreover, given Absalom's level of mastery over his Clear-Clear Fruit, he'd probably be detected by someone's Observation Haki before he could even get close.
Forget Jake—even the Observation Haki of the woman beside him was terrifying enough.
Moria had seen it himself: those ice pillars that struck the joints of every target with pinpoint accuracy in an instant.