"Uh..."
"What should we do now that he's unconscious?"
Ace looked at Kyle curiously.
"Simple!"
Kyle extended his hand, a bolt of lightning shot from his fingertip, transforming into the shape of chains in front of Absalom and wrapping around him.
Then he slowly walked to Absalom's side, kicked out, and sent him flying to a corner of the ship.
"That will do!"
His gaze swept over everyone, and he said,
"This guy is a subordinate of Moria, our target this time. His appearance here means Moria is also nearby!"
"Then things are simple!"
After speaking, Kyle closed his eyes.
A flash of lightning seemed to pass through the air, his Observation Haki, aided by the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, continuously spread out into the distance.
In less than a second, Kyle reopened his eyes, looking in a certain direction as he said,
"Found him!!"
"Found Moria?"
A trace of excitement appeared in everyone's eyes.
This was the first mission their Dawnblade Squad was executing, their first time fighting pirates, something they had been looking forward to for who knows how long.
Day after day, year after year of training, today was finally the time to test their strength.
Although they could fight their own people at Marineford, the feeling between comrades and enemies was definitely different.
For example, right now, even before the fight started, they were already a bit excited, their hearts pounding.
"In that direction, right? Full speed ahead!!"
Ace glanced in the direction Kyle was looking and shouted, then immediately ran towards the ship's cabin.
Soon, the warship changed direction, heading towards the place Kyle was looking at, which was the direction of Thriller Bark.
At the same time, in Kyle's perception, not only were they approaching Thriller Bark, the other party was also approaching them.
With both sides moving towards each other, the distance between them closed rapidly.
Not long after, everyone saw a huge black shadow appear ahead.
Getting closer, the shadow's outline became clearer and clearer, finally fully revealing its appearance.
A look of shock appeared on everyone's faces.
"This... this is Thriller Bark?"
"There really is a ship this big. If it weren't for the masts, you'd really think it was an island. It's just too big?!"
Since Kyle had previously given everyone a general idea about Thriller Bark, everyone knew this behemoth in front of them was actually a ship.
But knowing is one thing. Even with mental preparation beforehand, when they actually saw the ship, they couldn't help but be astounded.
Not only were they like this, Kyle was the same. Even though he had seen this ship in the anime, the difference between anime and reality was too great.
This kind of immersive feeling of awe can only be experienced by seeing it in person.
After recovering for a moment, Kyle's lips curved into a faint smile.
"Let's go, everyone!"
"Let's go cause a ruckus up there!!"
"Whoa!!"
Everyone howled excitedly, even Kuina was no exception.
This was normal. Boys and girls of this age are at their most playful. It would be strange if they could keep their emotions calm when encountering such exciting things.
So, the excited group immediately boarded the ship!!
At the same time, in the huge castle at the center of Thriller Bark.
"Kishishishishi!!"
A thin, sharp laugh sounded. A tall figure sat on a huge chair, dressed in ornate black clothes and orange-checkered pants, with a bloated body, horns on his forehead, and a red-purple 'onion-head' hairstyle. The laughter came from his mouth.
He was exactly the target of Kyle and the others' mission, Gecko Moria!!
Beside Moria sat two other people. One wore purple clothing, had a round, fat body, extremely thin legs, a beak-like nose, and pointed teeth. He was the so-called genius surgeon, Hogback!
The other was a little girl in a red princess dress with twin-tails.
She was the thirteen-year-old Perona!
"Fosu! Fosu! Fosu!"
"Lord Moria, I really must thank you this time. Without you, I would have no ability to revive Sindore!"
Hogback stood up and thanked Moria.
"Kishishishishi!"
"Between family, no need for such words. What thanks? Since you've boarded my ship, you're one of my people. Saying these things is too distant!"
"Fosu! Fosu! Fosu!"
Hogback stood up, looking sincere.
"I pledge my loyalty to Lord Moria until death!!"
Seeing this, the smile on Moria's lips widened, and he praised Hogback.
"Hogback, I've seen your medical skills. They are very strong!! Worthy of being called a genius surgeon!"
"With your help, my zombie army can be upgraded, becoming even more powerful!!"
"Rest assured, Lord Moria. I dare not boast about other things, but in surgery, I believe I am second to none! Leave the task of stitching zombies to me!!"
Hogback thumped his chest loudly, his gaze towards Moria filled with respect.
The man before him was the one who saved him from the mire.
Before meeting Moria, Hogback never imagined he could have a day where he could speak to Sindore again.
Even as the world's top surgeon, he was still powerless in the face of death.
Although he knew the current Sindore was no longer the original Sindore, he didn't care.
He only knew that his Sindore had 'come back to life'.
And this time, the revived Sindore belonged to him, no longer the person who used to barely acknowledge him.
This current situation actually seemed better for him.
It just used up a lot of plates!!
"Kishishishishi!"
"Absalom went out to capture the newly spotted target. When he returns, my zombie army will be stronger!"
"One day, I will lead my zombie army to conquer this sea and become the Pirate King who rules these waters!!"
"Lord Moria is mighty!!"
Perona beside him immediately chimed in, waving her hands.
With the emotional value fully delivered, Moria's smile grew even wider, and he looked at Perona with a trace of affection.
Although Perona, this little girl, was nominally his subordinate, he saw her as a daughter.
Now, seeing his daughter so admiring of him, he was, of course, immensely happy.
Just as he was about to say something, the castle door was suddenly pushed open, and a staggering figure ran in, shouting,
"Lord Moria, Lord Moria, something bad has happened!!"
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