At the same time, on Thriller Bark, Perona immediately used her ability to find Gekko Moria upon receiving the news.
"Hahahahaha~"
"Lord Moria, another group of pirates has triggered our traps," Perona said with a laugh.
"Gehihihihi!"
"More prey delivered right to our doorstep?" Moria laughed heartily. "I wonder if there are any strong ones among this batch. I'm really looking forward to seeing Oars stand again."
With powerful enough shadows, he could make this mighty corpse rise once more and become his strength!
Just imagining the combat prowess this behemoth could unleash made Moria unable to contain his excitement.
"Every year so many come, yet hardly any are truly strong."
"True enough," Moria nodded, then grinned. "Go on then, same as usual. The pirate ship will follow behind you."
"Yes!"
"Hahahahaha~"
Her body phased through the nearby wall as Perona disappeared from sight.
After Perona left, Moria leaned comfortably against the wall, apparently planning to take a quick nap.
"Whoosh—"
Suddenly, a figure appeared on the balcony, immediately catching Moria's attention.
"Well well, what a rare guest," Moria stood up, eyeing Kuma with interest. "Bartholomew Kuma, you're the Royal Seven Warlord most obedient to the World Government. What brings you here?"
"If you could travel anywhere, where would you go?"
"Hey hey, cut that out," Moria waved dismissively. "I know exactly what your Devil Fruit ability is."
He had no intention of letting this bastard use his ability to send him away—who knows if he'd be dumped into the ocean? Even with his strength, drowning would be inevitable.
"You didn't come here just to say that, did you?"
"Or are you so bored you want to pick a fight with me?"
At this, Moria made a disgusted face, clearly having no interest in fighting Kuma.
"Of course not."
Kuma studied Moria carefully. "I'm just here to inform you of certain matters."
"Speak."
"You know about the vacant position among the Royal Seven Warlords after Crocodile's defeat, correct?"
"That's old news," Moria waved his hand. "That happened ages ago."
Though news birds rarely came to sell newspapers here, ships occasionally passed by, sometimes carrying papers and such.
These were Moria's primary sources of information.
Kuma nodded. "A successor has now been chosen."
"Who?"
"Marshall D. Teach, known as Blackbeard."
"Never heard of him," Moria raised an eyebrow. "What's his background?"
"Rumored to have defected from the Whitebeard Pirates."
"Whitebeard?"
Moria looked surprised, not expecting the man to come from there.
What was the Whitebeard Pirates?
It was a "big family" led by Whitebeard himself, where everyone under his command was considered his son, and their bond was incredibly deep!
Generally, even if they made mistakes, Whitebeard wouldn't be too harsh on them.
As the old man himself would say: What father would truly stay angry at his son?
As long as they didn't violate the ironclad rules of the Whitebeard Pirates, Whitebeard would always be forgiving toward his sons.
Yet this guy called Blackbeard actually defected... Could it be that he killed one of Whitebeard's sons?
Thinking about this, Moria couldn't help but feel intrigued.
"What did he do?"
"Not sure. All we know is that Whitebeard issued an assassination order."
"Kishishishi, how interesting." Moria laughed. "Not only did he survive Whitebeard's assassination order, but he even became one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea. I'm genuinely curious about him now."
"What's his bounty?"
"Zero."
"Zero...?" Moria pondered for a moment before saying, "So that means unlimited potential, huh?"
Still, surviving Whitebeard's assassination and gaining recognition from the World Government—this guy's strength must be on par with theirs.
"Alright, I get it."
Seeing that Kuma showed no intention of leaving, Moria asked mockingly, "What, you want me to invite you for dinner?"
"Fine, just a meal. Though I wonder if you'd dare to eat what I serve you, kishishishi~"
"I have no interest in eating here."
"Then don't ruin my mood." Moria waved him off. "I've got new shadows to collect soon."
The World Government and the other Warlords were well aware of his Devil Fruit ability, so Moria didn't bother hiding it and stated it outright.
"New shadows?"
"Yeah, my men spotted a group heading this way. They'll arrive at my paradise soon." Moria grinned. "Of course, if you're in no hurry to leave, you can stick around and watch the show."
"Kishishishi~"
Hearing Moria's words, Kuma immediately thought of the Straw Hat Pirates. Judging by the timing, there was a high chance they'd show up here.
Recalling the mission the World Government had assigned him, Kuma narrowed his eyes.
"Before that, take a look at this."
Kuma placed a wanted poster and a newspaper on the table, gesturing for Moria to pick them up.
He knew about Moria's past defeat at the hands of Kaido—he just wasn't sure how Moria would react upon seeing the Blood-Eyed Ninja's bounty.
But Moria didn't bother picking them up, merely glancing at the topmost poster.
[Straw Hat Luffy, Bounty: 420,000,000 Berries.]
"Why are you showing me this?" Moria frowned.
A bounty of over 400 million was indeed a staggering amount for most people, but for the Warlords, it was nothing special.
In the New World, fighters like this were a dime a dozen.
"Crocodile was defeated by him."
"And?"
"Not long ago, the Straw Hat Pirates also wreaked havoc at the World Government's Enies Lobby, turning the place upside down." Kuma said calmly. "The World Government considers this pirate crew a significant threat..."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Moria interrupted impatiently. "Stop beating around the bush and get to the point!"
"Judging from their travel route, there's a high probability they're heading your way," Kuma stated calmly. "That's why the World Government sent me here—to see if you'll become the next Crocodile."
Moria's anger flared instantly. Now he understood why Bartholomew Kuma had come.
This wasn't about informing him of new Royal Seven Warlords business. Those bastards from the World Government were worried he might get defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates!
"Those idiots living in their ivory towers think I'd lose to some nobodies?" Moria scoffed.
"They're not nobodies," Kuma explained. "Their strength isn't—"
"So what?" Moria cut him off angrily. "If they haven't made a name for themselves in the New World, they're nothing!"
Just because they'd earned a few hundred million in bounties here didn't mean they possessed real power.
At the end of the day, any pirate who hadn't been to the New World was still just a fledgling.
"Go tell those bastards they'll soon receive news of the Straw Hat Pirates' complete annihilation," Moria said coldly. "And next time, don't bother me with this nonsense, or you'll regret it!"
Kuma remained silent, simply staring at Moria.
Moria glared back, and the two stood in tense silence.
After a moment, Kuma finally spoke: "I'll relay your message."
"Good. Now get out of my sight," Moria growled irritably.
Kuma observed Moria calmly before activating his powers without another word, vanishing instantly.
Moria paid no mind—the bastard could go wherever he pleased, as long as he stayed out of view.
"Lord Moria, there was just someone who—" A zombie minion began reporting before noticing his master's foul expression.
"Lord... Moria?"
"Enough. You're dismissed," Moria waved them away impatiently.
He knew Kuma's strength made any attempt at interception or warning futile, so he didn't blame his subordinates.
After they left, Moria picked up a nearby newspaper and skimmed the headlines.
"'Straw Hat Pirates Storm Enies Lobby'?" Moria chuckled derisively. "What an exaggerated headline. Probably another one of Morgans' attention-grabbing stunts."
Moria figured the Straw Hats had likely just raided some minor section of Enies Lobby before barely escaping. No doubt they'd paid a heavy price for even that much.
"The Straw Hat Pirates..."
Almost unconsciously, Moria picked up Luffy's wanted poster—then immediately noticed Meiser's bounty notice beneath it.
"A... ninja?" Moria's hands trembled slightly as he lifted Meiser's poster, falling silent as he read the details.
What were ninjas?
They were elite assassins unique to the Land of Wano—none existed elsewhere!
If a ninja had appeared here now... did this mean Kaido was extending his reach into the Grand Line?
Recalling Kaido's terrifying appearance, Moria's body began to tremble—not from fear, but from sheer rage!
At that moment, the memories buried deep within his heart were awakened once more.
The scenes of his comrades' brutal deaths flashed through his mind again, sending Moria into a furious rage.
"Kaido!!"
"I don't know what the hell you're planning, but now that I've run into you, don't think you'll get away with it!"
Looking at Meiser's Wanted Poster, Moria grinned predatorily.
"Before I take my revenge, I'll collect some interest first!"
Hearing Moria's roars, Kuma, who stood outside, remarked, "As expected, he's provoked—"
"Dragon, your son will likely arrive here soon."
This time, let me witness it with my own eyes.
"Ah... we finally made it through," Nami said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
"The weather here is absolutely ridiculous," Meiser complained. "It changes in the blink of an eye."
The rain earlier had been unimaginably heavy—so much that it seemed to steam.
"That's just how the Grand Line is."
"Exactly! The Grand Line is full of charm, hahahaha!"
Luffy laughed heartily, completely unfazed by the heavy rain. If anything, he found such weather exciting.
"What if it starts hailing lightning?"
"Then we run, obviously~" Usopp shrugged. "We can't just sit around waiting to die."
"Right! We've got the best navigator, after all!"
"Hahaha."
"Geez, you guys really know how to flatter someone," Nami said, slightly embarrassed.
"More importantly, you should take a look around," Zoro interjected, scanning their surroundings. "This fog isn't normal."
"Fog...?"
Nami's expression changed instantly. She immediately checked her Log Pose, but it showed no movement.
"Could we have entered that sea zone?"
"Ah, have we reached Fish-Man Island already?!" Usopp exclaimed excitedly.
Fish-Man Island!
According to Kokoro, it's filled with young and beautiful mermaids. It must be a dreamlike place!
"Nope, not yet," Luffy whispered ominously from behind Usopp. "Before we get to Fish-Man Island, we have to pass through a sea full of ghosts."
"Gh-ghosts...?"
Usopp shuddered, cold sweat breaking out on his face.
"That's right, brothers," Franky said in a sinister tone. "We've most likely entered the legendary Devil's Triangle."
"No matter how you enter, ships mysteriously vanish in this terrifying sea!"
"Hey, stop saying such scary things!"
"It's not all just scary talk," Sanji added with a grin. "But don't worry too much, Usopp. Only about a hundred ships disappear here every year."
"AHHH!!!"
"Stop it, please stop!!"
Usopp and Chopper were paralyzed with fear. Why the hell had they ended up in such a horrifying sea?!
"Meiser... are there really ghosts...?" Merry tugged at Meiser's pants, swallowing hard.
"Probably not," Meiser replied after a moment's thought.
He wasn't particularly scared. If they encountered enemies, they'd just defeat them.
"Not necessarily," Nico Robin said calmly. "If a Ship Spirit like Merry, which defies imagination, can exist, then ghosts or similar entities are also quite plausible."
"For example, people who died tragic deaths might revive in this resentment-filled place."
Nami:
Watching Robin speak such terrifying words with utter composure, tears welled up in Nami's eyes.
"Robin... please, can you not say such scary things so calmly?" Nami hugged Robin as she pleaded. "Really, I'm begging you."
No one else's words carried the same impact as Robin's, because Merry's existence was undeniable!
Robin merely smiled in response and said nothing more.
"Huh?"
Merry suddenly paused, then turned to Meiser. "Meiser, could those so-called ghosts actually be Ship Spirits lost here?"
"Well... I'm not sure," Meiser hesitated. "But it's not impossible."
Merry's words sparked new thoughts in Meiser's mind.
"That's so sad..." Merry clenched her small hands. "Can we help them find peace?"
"We'll have to encounter them first."
Merry nodded, her gaze growing resolute. If they did meet lost Ship Spirits, she was determined to help them.
"Even though Merry is the only Ship Spirit we've seen, who's to say she's the only one?" Franky mused. "At least a hundred ships vanish here every year—maybe some of them develop Ship Spirits too."
"But... they can't leave this place."
Hearing Franky's words, Usopp's fear lessened somewhat.
"Then we—"
Before Usopp could finish, an eerie sound echoed from the distance.
Accompanied by the creaking of a ship's hull, a man's voice drifted across the sea.
"Yohohoho~"
"Yohoyo ho~"
"Yohohoho~"
"Yohoyo ho~"
"It's... it's a ghost!!"
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