Cross's guess was right.
The bounty hunters of Whiskey Peak had been closely watching Cross and Moria's battle, harboring thoughts of snatching an easy prize.
Especially earlier, after Cross had cut down Moria with a single strike and then was sent flying to the Cactus Mountains on the opposite bank by Moria's Spiky Shadow Lizard, Paul and the other bounty hunters all agreed that both parties were mutually wounded.
So, they decisively stepped out to claim the kills.
Who would have thought that even with severe injuries, Moria was not someone these third-rate bounty hunters could deal with?
Moria easily killed many bounty hunters simply by relying on his Paramecia-type Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability. Not only that, but many undying 'zombies' also swarmed down from Moria's pirate ship, effortlessly overwhelming all the bounty hunters in Whiskey Peak.
Everyone was practically wiped out in one fell swoop.
"Hehehe~" Cross chuckled coldly, warning meaningfully, "If you haven't seen a monster, don't provoke one lightly. Otherwise, sometimes, you won't even know how you died!"
As he spoke, he raised Kagehide with a pained expression, carefully examining the large notch that had appeared on its blade.
This was the damage inflicted by the 'Spiky Shadow Lizard' during Moria's desperate counterattack. This clearly showed the immense power of Moria's move, and it also indicated that Cross's 'dark blade' technique still had significant room for improvement.
"Save me... cough, cough, cough... save me..." Paul coughed blood, pleading weakly.
"Tell me, how long has Moria been gone?" Cross asked again.
"He... he just left... cough, cough, cough... not long ago..." Paul answered honestly, enduring the intense pain and weakness from excessive bleeding.
"Is that so..." Cross squinted, nodding thoughtfully. He then rummaged in his pocket, quickly pulling out a small medical kit, which he tossed to Paul. "I'm not a doctor; I can't treat your wounds. This has a roll of bandages and some hemostatic medicine. Whether you live or not is up to you!"
After saying that, Cross ignored him, turning and walking away.
Caw!—
Just then, a long, drawn-out eagle cry came from the sky.
Paul squinted, struggling to turn his head. He saw a giant silver eagle appear in the sky, gleaming with a silvery light under the sunlight, swooping down like an arrow shot from a bowstring.
The next second, Cross suddenly leaped several meters high, directly landing on the back of the silver giant eagle and sitting cross-legged. He then turned to look at Paul on the ground, tapping his forehead with his joined index and middle fingers, signaling to Paul.
"If you're lucky enough to live, we'll meet again!"
The silver giant eagle carved a perfect 'U'-shaped arc in the air, stirring up a strong gust of wind, then soared straight up, quickly disappearing from Paul's sight.
Cross had no intention of letting Moria go.
Since the mission to invite him had failed, he might as well just kill Moria and earn a significant commendation.
He had been a bit careless before, but not this time!
He rode the silver giant eagle, flying along the river outward, and soon left Whiskey Peak Island. Then, in the distance over the sea, he saw a pirate ship faintly appearing in the mist, also rapidly moving away from Whiskey Peak.
"Found you, prepare to die... Wait, I'll let you live a little longer!"
Cross clearly saw the pirate ship and confirmed it was Moria's. He was about to charge forward and eliminate him at sea. But suddenly, he remembered the large notch on Kagehide's blade, which reminded him of something else.
Moria possessed the largest pirate ship in the world, named Thriller Bark. If this 'Thriller Bark' could be acquired by the Marines, it would be equivalent to gaining a mobile Marine fortress.
Of course, Cross himself wasn't interested in 'Thriller Bark', but rather a famous sword on board 'Thriller Bark'.
Back when Moria was the magnificent 'Hero of the West Blue', he led many of his companions to land in Wano Country, engaging in a great battle with the Beasts Pirates.
Although the outcome was 'emotional', Moria still took many corpses of Wano Country residents when he fled, including the corpse of Wano Country's 'Sword God,' 'Dragon-Slaying Samurai' Ryuma, as well as Wano Country's national treasure, Ryuma's cherished sword, the Grade 21 Great Grade Blade—the black blade Shusui!
Cross reasoned that since Kagehide was already damaged and he wasn't sure if it could be repaired, he might as well take this opportunity to get a better famous sword!
By secretly following Moria's movements and finding the location of 'Thriller Bark', it wouldn't be too late to kill him then. Plus, he could also acquire 'Thriller Bark' and the black blade Shusui, one of the Grade 21 Great Grade Blades, killing many birds with one stone. Why wouldn't he?
Having made up his mind, Cross didn't hastily urge the silver giant eagle beneath him to charge forward. Instead, he chose to hang far behind his opponent...
Meanwhile, on Moria's Thriller Bark, hundreds of zombies were working on the deck. Some were controlling the sails, some were at the helm, some were cleaning the deck... Each zombie had its own task.
Inside the castle-shaped upper deck structure, Moria sat shirtless, grimacing, on a throne in the gloomy castle hall. Four zombies stood nearby, carefully applying medicine and bandaging his wounds with medical kits.
"Damn it! That blasted Marine brat!" Moria's expression was full of resentment, continuously cursing under his breath.
Two long, gruesome knife wounds on his chest were still bleeding profusely. Having taken two direct hits and then being brutally beaten by those seemingly animate mud-rock tentacles, even with Moria's physical conditioning, he was severely injured.
Especially the second strike he took, which nearly disemboweled him; if it hadn't been treated in time, he could have bled to death.
Fortunately, Moria was sitting on the throne; otherwise, with his height of 6.92 meters, these zombie doctors, who were less than 2 meters tall, would have needed a ladder to reach Moria's chest wounds.
After a long while, the four zombie doctors finally finished treating Moria's wounds, allowing him to change into a clean, Gothic-style outfit.
"Hooo—" Moria exhaled heavily, muttering somewhat dejectedly, "How embarrassing! To be beaten into such a state by a mere brat. It seems my zombie army plan needs to be expedited!"
"Now, I still need a highly skilled doctor to help me stitch together incomplete corpses and create more zombies!"
"Let me think... I remember there was a genius surgeon in the West Blue who miraculously saved many patients with his surgeries. I think his name was... Hogback?!"
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