After the violet lightning flashed, Moria's recently improved skin was once again scorched black, his body twitching intermittently as wisps of black smoke rose from him.
Gulp!!
Absalom and the others couldn't help but swallow their saliva, tentatively asking, "Lord Moria, are... are you alright?!"
Moria: …
Moria remained silent, only continuously spewing black smoke.
As for Kyle on the other side, he made not the slightest movement, not even casting a glance over, merely speaking calmly, "Moria! Is this the attitude for discussing matters with me?! Anyone unaware would think I'm the prisoner here! Also, I don't believe there is anything between our respective positions that warrants discussion!"
As his consciousness gradually returned, Moria instinctively blurted out, "Damn it… damn Moria, daring to speak to Lord Kyle like that, serves you right getting electrocuted!!"
Moria could swear this was absolutely his heartfelt sentiment, definitely not something said because he sensed the violet thunder on his body was on the verge of acting up again.
Once these words were out, everyone on the ship except Kyle turned their gazes toward him.
After a good while, they all uniformly performed a continuous series of actions.
"Ahem~~~ Ptui!!!"
…
(╬▔皿▔)╯!!
"You three, that's enough! Them doing it is one thing, but what do you mean by spitting too?!!!"
Veins bulged on Moria's forehead as he roared at Absalom and the other two beside him.
"Uh… it was a subconscious action, our bodies moved on their own inexplicably, we couldn't help it either, really not intentional, Lord Moria!!"
Absalom spoke with an awkward laugh.
The other two also chimed in like chicks pecking at rice.
"That's right, that's right!!"
Moria was instantly infuriated, inexplicably feeling that his previous thought of trying to plead for them might have been a mistake.
But in the end, Moria merely glared at them, then turned his gaze back to Kyle and said, "Kyle… Captain! I know that given my past actions, there's certainly no chance for you to treat me leniently!
But Absalom and the others are different; they followed me later and haven't committed many evil deeds!
Especially Perona, she has always stayed with me on Thriller Bark; because she's still young, I've never let her participate in plundering passing ships! On this account, could you possibly treat them with a bit more leniency?!"
Moria looked at Kyle, his tone carrying a plea.
Upon hearing this, Perona and the others nearby instantly turned their heads, their gazes fixed intently on Moria, tears involuntarily streaming down.
"Lord Moria…"
They hadn't expected Moria to still be considering them even at such a time.
Luffy, Ace, and the others on the ship also showed a trace of emotion on their faces upon hearing these words.
Kyle slowly got up from the deck chair, stood up, took off his sunglasses, and looked at Moria with a calm gaze.
A flicker of unease was in Moria's eyes; he didn't say any nonsense about letting them go—he knew that was impossible.
So he only wanted Kyle to show a bit more leniency toward Perona and the others considering their crimes were not severe.
Not long after, Kyle spoke, "Moria, I must say, in terms of treating your comrades, you are a good captain!! But that is not the reason for me to grant your request! How their crimes are judged will be determined by our Marines, not by your words alone!
The only thing I can guarantee is that the people I capture will be judged fairly and justly during sentencing, with no deliberate targeting or escalation of charges! If their crimes are indeed not heavy, then they won't need to go to Impel Down!"
Kyle's voice was placid.
Hearing this, a flash of disappointment passed through Moria's eyes, but in the end, he still spoke seriously to Kyle, "Thank you!!"
If fairness and justice could be ensured, and the name Moria wouldn't drag them down, at least Perona's crimes would definitely be very minor.
Most likely, she wouldn't be sent to Impel Down; if she only goes to an ordinary prison, the outcome is obviously much better!
Kyle nodded slightly, withdrew his gaze, put his sunglasses back on, and lay down on the deck chair again.
When it comes to valuing comrades, Moria is among the very best in the entire pirate world.
Whether it's losing his spirit after all his comrades died and remaining inactive for over twenty years, or charging alone into Hachinosu to rescue Absalom.
All of this indicates Moria's high regard for his comrades.
It is also for this reason that he did not receive a death sentence from Kyle.
In the original story, there are no clear records of Moria explicitly killing people; his zombie army uses the shadows of living people and the corpses of the dead.
If he were truly bloodthirsty, he could simply kill people and stuff their shadows into corpses—why would he need to roam the world grave-robbing?
For instance, during the Summit War, wouldn't creating a zombie army from the battlefield be faster than grave-robbing?
This isn't him whitewashing Moria, but simply reasoning from the facts he has observed.
Of course, the exact circumstances are unknown to him; it's possible his reasoning is wrong.
Regardless, Moria is definitely going to enjoy the special package of Impel Down's Level 6!
He doesn't need to send Moria to Impel Down himself; he only needs to escort him back to Marine Headquarters, where specialized Marines will handle the delivery.
Just as Kyle prepared to continue enjoying the warm sunshine, a sudden electronic prompt tone sounded in his mind.
The system, dormant for a year, finally stirred again.
[Ding! Randomly issuing a recruitment task!!]
[Recruit the genius Trafalgar Law!]
[Loading genius profile, loading…]
[Trafalgar Law: A fate of many hardships, afflicted with Amber Lead disease in childhood, ultimately saved by the Ope Ope no Mi, but also lost his most precious person, Corazon, because of it. Although he eventually succeeded in dethroning the 'Newspaper-reading King,' the loss of his precious one remains his eternal pain!]
[Recruitment reward: Armament Haki enhancement, Human Weakness Insight!]
[Target genius is not near the host. Detailed coordinates have now been located: Swallow Island (5632, 2174). Coordinates update in real time with the target's movement!]
!!!
Kyle's body, which had just lain down, abruptly sat up again, startling Sabo beside him, who instinctively asked, "Kyle, what are you doing?!"
But Kyle didn't answer him; beneath his sunglasses, his pupils reflected excitement.
Another year had passed; the system finally had activity. Would it only make a sound once a year from now on?
Kyle couldn't help but think, but soon his attention was entirely captured by the content of the recruitment task…
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