"Besides Moria, I also discovered that another Warlord, Crocodile, is plotting to…" Gion then revealed Crocodile's scheme to usurp the Alabasta kingdom and seize the ancient weapon, Pluton.
Sengoku's expression shifted from shock to bewilderment, finally settling on understanding and fury.
Among the three legendary Ancient Weapons, Poseidon could command the Sea Kings, Uranus was rumored to be in the possession of the Celestial Dragons, and Pluton, a warship capable of obliterating an entire island with a single blast, while not a tool for world domination as he had initially feared, still posed a significant threat.
Both Crocodile and Moria were remnants of a bygone era, contenders who had failed to claim the title of Pirate King. They had challenged the likes of Kaido, one of the current Four Emperors.
Gol D. Roger, and Shiki, the Golden Lion, alongside Whitebeard, known collectively as legendary pirates, each possessing power comparable to an Ancient Weapon, capable of destroying islands and even the world.
Ohara, the renowned archaeological island in the West Blue, had been destroyed, with Nico Robin as the sole survivor. Sengoku was aware of this incident. Admiral Aokiji had confided in him, revealing that it was the dying wish of his friend, the giant Marine Vice Admiral, Jaguar D. Saul. Aokiji had spared Robin's life on the condition that she would be eliminated if she posed a threat to the world.
To claim that she possessed power on par with an Emperor was an exaggeration, but even a single Yonko couldn't withstand the combined might of two Admirals. Aokiji's promise to personally eliminate Robin if necessary carried significant weight, as an Admiral's words could influence the balance of power.
"Damn it! Those fools in the World Government! The Warlord system should never have been implemented!" Sengoku crushed the pen in his hand and slammed his fist on the desk.
He hadn't expected Crocodile to be so audacious, plotting to overthrow a kingdom and acquire an Ancient Weapon. And to think they had allowed Warlords to meet privately. These were serious offenses!
But Crocodile hadn't acted yet, and even if they were aware of his plans, they couldn't take action against him without concrete evidence. The very system designed to control pirates was now hindering their efforts. A leopard couldn't change its spots.
He rose and gazed out the window at Marineford's crescent-shaped harbor. Marines tirelessly worked towards a future of peace, yet there were those who constantly sought to undermine their efforts.
"Damn the Five Elders!" Sengoku echoed Gion's sentiment. The Marines lacked sufficient power to act independently, yet the World Government possessed resources far beyond the Marines' capabilities. They could easily resolve these issues if they desired. Ultimately, they feared the Marines' potential power and the threat it posed to their rule.
Doflamingo's takeover of Dressrosa was still fresh in their minds, and now Crocodile was following a similar path. If peace wasn't achieved during their lifetime, if they couldn't witness it with their own eyes, then their efforts would be meaningless.
But what could they do? The Five Elders were Celestial Dragons, and they possessed knowledge of a powerful secret, likely related to Uranus.
"Brrrt… Five Elders? Is that you?" Unable to resolve this issue himself, Sengoku contacted the World Government through a Transponder Snail, his voice calm despite his simmering rage.
"Sengoku? What is it?" An indifferent voice responded from the other end. A call from the Fleet Admiral, one of the three great powers, had to be something important.
But for those who ruled the world, even the greatest crises were merely minor inconveniences, perhaps even a source of amusement during their afternoon tea. The Marines were simply their public face, and they held little regard for their concerns.
Only someone like Kong, the Commander-in-Chief, possessed sufficient power to garner their attention, a potential threat to their authority.
"I have two matters to report…" Sengoku, aware of their dismissive attitude, maintained a calm demeanor despite the curses swirling in his mind. He relayed the information about Crocodile and Moria.
Several minutes later, Sengoku ended the call, having received vague and noncommittal responses.
Regarding Crocodile, the Five Elders assured him that the power to destroy the world was not easily obtained. The Pluton blueprints in Alabasta were merely records; the actual warship had long since crumbled into dust. Even with the blueprints and the skilled shipwrights of Water 7, reconstructing Pluton would be a monumental undertaking.
They had ample time to react. Now that they were aware of Crocodile's intentions, they could deploy forces and gather evidence before taking action. A simple solution. As for Moria, there was no need for concern.
He had been captured, so they would simply choose a new Warlord. His defeat had been swift and inconsequential.
"Haha…" Within Mary Geoise, in a luxurious lounge, the five elders erupted in laughter.
It seemed the world wasn't as boring as they had thought. There was still some amusement to be found.
Granting permission while establishing rules was akin to setting parameters in a game.
"Very well, I understand…" In the Florian Triangle, Gion ended the call and breathed a sigh of relief.
If the sky fell, there were taller individuals to hold it up. They merely had to follow orders and carry out their duties. Their next task was simple: apprehend Gecko Moria.
They sailed towards Thriller Bark and boarded the massive ship, capturing Moria and placing him in Seastone shackles. However, they discovered that he had already lost his Devil Fruit powers.
As for his crew, there was no need for a full-scale assault. According to their intelligence, there were only three notable individuals: Absalom, Hogback, and Perona. Absalom had been dismembered by Ian, leaving Hogback as the only remaining threat. And Perona, the ghost princess, was known for her timidity. Ian had assured them that the rescued victims would be more than capable of handling them.
They departed with Moria, leaving the remaining Thriller Bark crew and the rescued victims in a state of stunned relief. They had feared the Marines were coming for them, but instead, they had taken Moria.
This only strengthened their resolve to remain free. The threat of having their shadows stolen was gone, and the zombies were no longer a concern. Some had even seized the opportunity to flee as their shadows returned.
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"Just you wait, you freaks!" Others stayed behind, curious to see what would unfold.
They had endured years of living in fear, hiding from the sunlight, their lives ruled by Moria's whims. Now, without the zombies or Moria's protection, even Perona's powers wouldn't be enough to keep them trapped. They outnumbered her significantly.
"Farewell, or rather, good riddance!" On board the marine warship, Ian placed Gecko Moria's Vivre Card and the map to Thriller Bark, acquired from the auction in the South Blue, into Moria's pocket, leaving them for some fortunate soul in Impel Down. He had reaped the greatest rewards, while Gion watched in amusement.
"I can't believe you actually defeated Gecko Moria. You're a monster!"
Gion remarked. She had truly struck gold with this recruit. However, something felt different about him…
"I didn't expect it either…" Ian thought to himself, forcing a casual smile.
He wouldn't have been able to defeat Moria with his initial strength. But Thriller Bark was overflowing with souls. Even Moria's zombies possessed souls.
This led him to think about Big Mom's Whole Cake Island in the New World, a place where he had imbued the land, rivers, and even the food with souls, and where individuals like Katakuri possessed extraordinary Observation Haki. With dozens of islands under her control, it seemed like the perfect place for him to further enhance his power.
But not now. He was currently at Katakuri's level, and challenging Big Mom was premature.
"How did your clothes repair themselves?" Gion noticed the change in Ian's attire, her jaw dropping in astonishment.
Even though Ian had reverted from his Resurrección, Murciélago, to his base form, his tattered white clothing was now pristine.
"Is that so strange? Logia users can reconstruct their bodies. While I'm a Mythical Zoan, repairing clothes should be relatively simple." Ian shrugged, feigning indifference.
"..." Gion was speechless. He had a point. The warship continued its journey.
"Mr. Ian, the future belongs to your generation…" On a mountaintop overlooking the sea, Brook, the skeletal musician, watched the departing warship. Several graves lay before him, a nameless 50 Skillful Grade Blades katana planted in the ground before the one at the forefront, a bottle of Binks' Sake, partially consumed but brimming with memories, resting beside it.
His mournful yet joyful song echoed through the air as the rescued victims and remaining pirates watched in fear, witnessing a dancing skeleton. They dared not approach, believing they had encountered a ghost.
After all, in the first half of the Grand Line, Devil Fruit users and individuals with Haki were rare. They mistook Brook for a spectral being.
They recalled the horrors of Thriller Bark, the ghostly apparitions, the grotesque zombies, the monstrous creatures. It was a haunted house come to life.
"That was a monstrous battle! My eyes and jaw dropped in astonishment. Well, I don't have eyes or a jaw. Yohohoho…"
"Captain, I'll carry your spirit to Laboon. Farewell, my friends…"
Two days later, they arrived at Marine Headquarters, bypassing Sabaody Archipelago.
Back on Thriller Bark, however, another significant event occurred. Following the arrival of Vice Admiral Gion, another powerful figure appeared, a fellow Warlord of the Sea, the world's greatest swordsman: Dracule Mihawk.
"Find her! We have to find that ghost girl!" The remaining Thriller Bark crew shouted, having already captured Hogback, the genius surgeon. But Perona, the ghost princess, was proving elusive.
Her Devil Fruit powers allowed her to create spectral illusions, making it difficult to distinguish between her real body and her ghostly projections.
"Absalom! Captain Moria! Where are you? These people are bullying me!"
In a secluded corner of the island, Perona, clad in a pink dress, her twintails bouncing, her clothes tattered and dirty, cautiously made her way towards the coast.
She had no idea why she had awakened to find both Moria and Absalom missing. Her zombie teddy bear, Kumashi, was motionless, and Hogback had been captured. They claimed Moria had been defeated and taken away by the Marines, but she didn't believe them.
After all, Moria was a Warlord of the Sea, one of the pirates chosen by the Marines to balance the power of the Four Emperors. But the zombies were indeed gone. As long as she could escape Thriller Bark, she wouldn't have to worry about being captured. She had no idea what to do next, but avoiding these people was her top priority.
"I don't have a boat! Wait, what's that?" Perona, her mind often wandering, finally realized something crucial. Without a boat, she couldn't escape the island, even if she reached the coast.
Should she hide her body somewhere and use her astral projection to explore?
But if they discovered her real body, she would be at their mercy, subject to their whims.
"No! Absolutely not!" Imagining such a scenario, she covered her blushing face and shrieked in horror.
"What's that?" Her gaze fell upon a small sailboat approaching the coast. Despite the daylight, dozens of candles flickered on its deck.
A man with short black hair, a black top hat adorned with white fur, a burgundy patterned shirt, a black coat, black boots, white pants, and a crucifix hanging from his neck, similar to Moria's, sat on the deck, a massive black blade strapped to his back.
"Mihawk…" Perona gasped.
She had initially thought it was a ghost ship, although Thriller Bark was filled with zombies, monsters, ghosts, and skeletons. It was practically a haunted house. But those were creations of Moria and his crew. A real ghost ship would be truly terrifying.
But upon closer inspection, she recognized the man's sharp, hawk-like eyes, his intimidating presence, his distinctive attire, and that massive black blade. It was none other than Dracule Mihawk, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Ghosts and monsters belonged to a different realm, but Mihawk was a real threat, a swordsman who rivaled the Admirals and the Four Emperors in power.
His epithet, "Hawk-Eyes," stemmed from his exceptional eyesight, a testament to his swordsmanship talent. It allowed him to perceive the true nature of things, the essence of his opponents' strength, enabling him to counter any attack.
During the Paramount War, Mihawk had effortlessly assessed Luffy's potential, recognizing his ability to rally others to his cause, not through brute force or cunning tactics, but through sheer charisma.
He and Rayleigh were arguably one of the most formidable individuals in the world of One Piece. One sailed the world alone in a small coffin-shaped boat, the other traversed the Calm Belt unaided, both legendary swordsmen, a Warlord of the Sea and the former first mate of the Pirate King, known as the "Dark King."
"Found you, little girl!" Perona's cries attracted the attention of the former Thriller Bark victims, who had been searching for her.
A group of burly men, armed and menacing, rushed towards her, oblivious to the figure seated on the small sailboat in the distance.
"Noooooo!" Perona used her Hollows to incapacitate several of her attackers, but they were too numerous to handle alone. She cried out for help.
From Mihawk's perspective, it was a clear case of villains harassing an innocent girl. While he wasn't a hero, he wasn't heartless either.
He had become a pirate and joined the Seven Warlords solely to test his skills against worthy opponents. His bounty reflected his strength, earned through victories against both pirates and Marines. Powerful individuals like him…
Some, like Big Mom and Kaido, were ruthless and cruel, disregarding life and seeking revenge against a world they perceived as unjust. Others, like Shanks and Whitebeard, valued loyalty, compassion, and camaraderie.
Mihawk fell somewhere in between. He rarely intervened in the affairs of others, but if he witnessed injustice, he wouldn't hesitate to act, before moving on with his life.
He silently drew his massive black blade, Yoru, from its sheath, a crucifix-shaped sword known as one of the strongest black blades in the world.
He held it with one hand, not deeming these pirates worthy of his full effort, yet unwilling to kill them without cause.
After all, it was difficult for an elephant to crush an ant without killing it.
But as he swung the blade effortlessly, a force akin to a tornado, a wave of concentrated Sword Pressure, erupted from the sword, enveloping the pirates.
The earth behind them split open, a massive chasm extending across half of Thriller Bark, its depth immeasurable. Tens of meters? Hundreds?
One sword, a force of nature, a chasm that cleaved the earth in two…