The moment that nightmare-like voice reached his ears, Moria's body instantly began trembling uncontrollably, like he had Parkinson's.
The three freaks at his side were just as uneasy upon seeing their captain's reaction. Their necks stiffly twisted toward the entrance of the hall.
There stood a man in a long black robe, his strange purple eyes glinting with amusement as he gazed at them.
When she saw his face clearly, Perona gasped, covering her mouth with both hands and shrieked,
"It's... it's the one Moria-sama fears the most—Admiral Shikiryū!!"
"Idiot! Perona, what nonsense are you spouting?! Obviously I respect Admiral Shikiryū the most!"
Moria's face flushed crimson as he shouted at Perona at the top of his lungs.
Puffed up in frustration from being scolded, Perona pouted and muttered,
"You were literally just grumbling about him, and now that he's here you're trembling like a scared cat... what a disgrace!"
"..."
Absalom and Hogback wisely shut their mouths. It wasn't just about saving face for their captain—they knew full well where they stood.
Moria couldn't do anything about this rebellious little girl, Perona. He forced himself to stop trembling and forced a flattering smile toward Kaito.
"Hee hee hee... What an honor to have Admiral Shikiryū here. May I ask what brings you here this time?"
Kaito said nothing, only slowly walked forward toward Moria and the others.
Though completely ignored, Moria didn't dare show even a hint of dissatisfaction. He held that rigid smile on his face as Kaito stepped closer, one step at a time.
Kaito's footsteps echoed through the vast hall, unnervingly clear. Moria and the others didn't even dare to breathe. Even the usually rebellious Perona kept quiet, her large eyes staring in curiosity as Kaito approached.
To Moria, it felt like an eternity had passed before Kaito finally stopped in front of him—only to walk right past him and sit down on the sofa like he owned the place.
Gulp!
Moria swallowed hard. Kaito definitely didn't come with good intentions. It had to be dissatisfaction with this month's performance—he was here to hold him accountable!
Just thinking about Kaito's terrifying power sent a chill through him. His face twisted with fear, and he quickly spun around to give Kaito a deep ninety-degree bow.
With Moria's size, even bending over was a struggle—it looked absolutely absurd.
Kaito glanced at him with a confused expression. He'd only intended to scare him a bit first so he'd be more obedient later... why was the guy bowing already?
Could it be, like Jinbei, Moria was here to ask him for help with something?
Still bent over, Moria didn't dare lift his head to meet Kaito's gaze.
Ever since he returned from Marine Headquarters, Moria hadn't been able to forget about Kaito. Not because he had fallen for him—but because he was absolutely terrified of him.
Especially when he saw the news reporting that Kaito had defeated Kaido—he'd nearly had a mental breakdown.
Back in the day, he was a hot-blooded young warrior, brave enough to challenge Kaido in Wano.
The result? Total defeat. His comrades were nearly wiped out by Kaido.
And Kaido's so-called "mentor buff" did nothing to help him—instead, it turned him from a passionate youth into a deadbeat shut-in.
From that point on, Moria gave up. He believed there was no way he could ever defeat a monster like Kaido through his own power. So, he turned to researching zombies, hoping to use external strength to take revenge.
After so many years, his zombie army did make some progress—but deep down he knew that with his collection of freaks and rejects, they wouldn't even survive an encounter with Kaido's underlings.
But Kaido—Kaido, of all people—was defeated by Kaito in a head-on fight. And Kaito even managed to disable Red-Haired Shanks in passing...
That level of power was beyond Moria's comprehension. He couldn't help but recall the time he'd been hit by Kaito's Almighty Push back at Marine Headquarters.
That hit had practically become a badge of honor. After all, how many people could take a direct blow from Kaito and walk out of Marine Headquarters alive?
But pride aside—facing Kaito again in person?
And now, hunched over, he began confessing everything he'd done wrong:
"Admiral Shikiryū! I confess! I've spoken ill of you in private! I've harvested shadows from a few Marines! I'm still two short on this month's quota! I—"
The more he talked, the more he got into it—even bringing up how he once peed on someone's shoes when he was a kid.
Kaito sat there stunned.
Absalom and Hogback's jaws practically hit the floor.
Perona's face turned bright red. She covered her eyes with both hands—she couldn't bear to look. This was embarrassment on a whole new level.
Kaito glanced at Moria's crotch, his expression odd.
"I didn't think you were into..."
Moria blinked, confused by what Kaito meant.
In the end, it was Perona who screamed out,
"Gross!!"
Dozens of ghost dolls poofed into existence beside her. She levitated and began circling the chandelier on the ceiling like she'd been traumatized.
Moria, meanwhile, nervously glanced at Kaito and quickly said,
"Admiral Shikiryū, that's my subordinate Perona. She's a little... eccentric. Please don't get mad!"
Despite Perona often talking back to him, Moria treated her like a daughter. He genuinely cared for her and feared she'd anger Kaito and get herself killed.
Kaito raised an eyebrow. Did he really look like someone who flew into rages that easily?
Still, seeing Moria's panicked expression, Kaito decided to drop the idea of punishing him.
Moria might not be a good person, but he was a good captain—and Kaito couldn't bring himself to hate that kind of guy.
His expression softened, and he gestured for Moria to sit beside him.
Moria was stunned, overwhelmed with gratitude. He kept saying he was fine standing—until Kaito shot him a glare with his Rinnegan. Then he scrambled to the seat beside him like a scared puppy.
Once seated, Moria sat stiffly, hands resting on his knees, like a well-behaved elementary schooler.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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