"Kishishishi... Absalom, that old bird Morgans is really going all out to mess with you this time!"
The Thriller Bark, which should've been drifting in the ominous Florian Triangle of the Grand Line's first half, had somehow found its way into the New World, now heading toward the borders of Totto Land.
Inside the eerie castle, the long-absent former Warlord of the Sea, Gecko Moria, sat with his subordinates — Absalom, wielder of the Clear-Clear Fruit, and Doctor Hogback — reading the newspaper.
"Hmph! That damned bird actually managed to snap so many brilliant shots during that kind of battle..."
Absalom's hands trembled as he held the newspaper, cold sweat dripping down his temples.
"Even with my powers, I would've been torn to shreds by the shockwaves alone in a fight like that!"
"Fosfosfosfos~ Well, that bird is a Zoan-type, after all. His toughness is naturally way beyond yours."
Hogback clapped Absalom on the back with a sinister grin.
"How about this — want me to graft some Sea King hide onto you instead of elephant skin?"
"Gross! Hell no!"
Absalom shoved him away, clearly annoyed.
"Go patch up Captain John's zombie instead! I dug him out from a mountain of rotting corpses, you know!"
"Two years of exposure in the wild... I'm surprised he hasn't fallen apart already!"
"Fosfosfosfos... Relax. Captain John may have been a notorious scourge back in his day, but without his abilities, he's just another sack of bones."
Hogback burst into laughter.
"All we care about is the location of his treasure! His combat skills are long gone — not even on par with a Zombie General. Doesn't matter if he can move or not!"
"Kishishishi... I already got the location out of him. Who would've thought it was right at the junction of three Emperors' territories?"
Moria tossed the newspaper aside, his grin fading.
"I never cared much for John's so-called treasure... but Thriller Bark is practically wrecked at this point—"
"All my servants! All my treasure! Gone!"
"Straw Hat...!"
He picked the newspaper back up, gritting his teeth at the smiling bounty posters of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew.
"That damned brat. Stirring up this much chaos... Fine. He's in the area too, huh?"
"Once I get Captain John's treasure... I'll finally have the capital to make my comeback, and settle the score with him!"
Moria shrieked:
"These past two years weren't wasted!"
"The next time I face Straw Hat, I'll make him see... he only beat me before by sheer luck!"
Blackbeard was already dead, taken out by then-Admiral Wright during the Impel Down purge. Moria, robbed of his original target for vengeance, now focused all his hatred on Luffy.
As for sending Bartholomew Kuma after Luffy, Moria wasn't bold enough to entertain that thought anymore.
"And then there's Kaido…"
Moria had extracted the treasure's location by forcibly re-infusing Captain John's shadow into his corpse. The spot wasn't unfamiliar.
"Back when I challenged Kaido in Wano, I passed by that place…"
"Who could've guessed such a massive treasure was hidden there?"
Moria chuckled darkly.
"Kishishishi… But I must admit, it's thanks to Straw Hat that I've finally realized... true power is the only path forward."
"Which means... I ought to thank him?"
"Oi, Moria-sama! Two of those Straw Hat women would make ideal brides for me! You'd better go easy on them!"
Absalom was practically drooling as he stared at the bounty posters of Nami and Robin.
"They've gotten even more beautiful over the past two years!"
"Hm... then we'll just take their shadows and be done with it. Kishishishi..."
"That's far more merciful than killing them!"
...
Marine Headquarters – Marineford.
Pato sat on Ain's shoulder as she walked into Fleet Admiral Wright's office.
Unlike Sengoku's goat, Pato had very little patience for long hours of desk work. He clearly found it dull.
Which is why, the moment he met Ain and her sparkling eyes, he became fast friends with her.
A beautiful Marine and an adorable tanuki — a perfect match.
Thanks to Ain's wide range of duties, Pato had accompanied her all around Marineford, even becoming something of a local mascot on the small snack street.
"Fleet Admiral, intel from the New World — two dangerous individuals have been spotted near the borders of Totto Land, Kaido's territory, and Marco's dominion."
Ain stepped forward and handed Wright the report. He stretched lazily before taking it.
"Hm... After lying low for two years, they both show up now?"
Wright raised an eyebrow. Was it because Totto Land had been taken by the Marines, causing all the monsters in the region to crawl out of their holes?
"Former Warlord Gecko Moria... and another former Warlord, Impel Down escapee — Crocodile."
Wright's brow furrowed. He was well aware how dangerous these two were.
Moria had lost to Luffy two years ago, but that was Luffy, backed by the invincible protagonist glow.
Back then, Moria was a broken man, still traumatized by Kaido, at rock bottom... and even then, he had been deemed worthy of a Warlord title.
After his defeat at Luffy's hands, he was crushed again by Blackbeard. For a while, the man was all but comatose.
Wright suspected Moria's "mysterious disappearance" from Blackbeard's crew was the work of Absalom.
Even Morgans had recently grumbled about a certain "freelance writer named Absa" — completely unscrupulous and utterly shameless, poking around in bizarre places, writing sensational stories that even the self-proclaimed "King of News" found threatening.
Now that Moria was active again, his invisible comrade had to be nearby. They'd clearly spent the past two years preparing for a comeback.
If Moria had regained the drive he'd had during the Kaido campaign, his power would skyrocket.
As for the other problem... Crocodile had returned too.
Back during the Summit War, Crocodile escaped Impel Down and even held his own against Enel. After two years of healing and New World battle-hardened growth, he'd only be more formidable.
This was a man who once dared to challenge Whitebeard at his peak. Ever since reclaiming his pride, his power had been rising exponentially — a serious threat.
And now, he too had appeared in the waters near Totto Land...
"And according to the report... they're both heading for the same location?"
Wright tapped the conclusion section on the intel sheet.
"What's near that island?"
"Just an uninhabited isle," Ain replied with a wry smile. "It's located right at the junction of the three Emperors' former territories. Ownership changed hands so often that none of them left a permanent force stationed there."
"Even more interesting, the Straw Hat Pirates, who escaped Admiral Aokiji's pursuit, seem to be heading in that same direction."
"Hmm?"
Wright's expression turned grave. He knew all too well, wherever Luffy went, trouble followed.
If the Straw Hats and two former Warlords were all converging on the same place, then something big was brewing.
"Ain. Send a message to Vice Admiral Smoker, Vice Admiral Ace, and Rear Admiral Tashigi, have them secretly lead forces to the island."
He gave the order without hesitation.
"Tell them: do not alarm the enemy. Wait until all three pirate parties arrive, then observe their actions."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!"
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