Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...
Overcast skies loomed overhead, and a biting cold wind whistled past. A sudden Den Den Mushi ring startled Cross awake from his slumber.
Cross sleepily rubbed his eyes, sat up from the back of the silver giant eagle, and let out a long yawn, finally managing to fully awaken.
Click.
"Moshi moshi~ It's Cross… yawn—" Cross lazily pulled out a small, Marine-issued Den Den Mushi from his coat, picked up the receiver, but before he finished speaking, he yawned again, then wiped a few drops of tears from the corners of his eyes that had squeezed out from yawning.
"What are you doing? Sleeping?" The Den Den Mushi spoke, a familiar voice coming through.
"Apologies, Fleet Admiral Kong, I just woke up!" Cross glanced at the Thriller Bark still sailing on the distant sea, answering casually.
"Still sleeping at three in the afternoon, what in the world are you doing? It's already been two days, and you haven't encountered Gecko Moria yet?" From Marine Headquarters in Marineford, Kong asked with a stern voice.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, there's been a slight issue. I'll report the details to you when I return," Cross replied casually, picking at some eye boogers.
"What issue? Did Gecko Moria refuse the invitation to become a Warlord of the Sea?" Kong's tone grew heavy upon hearing this.
"That's right, Moria refused, so I'm hunting him down!" Cross didn't hide it, stating directly.
"Nani—Hunting him down?! Are you kidding me?!" The Den Den Mushi mimicked Kong's shocked expression, and a 'thud' sound was heard. It was unclear if Kong was so shocked he knocked over a table.
"I'll report the specific details and outcome to you when I return to Marine Headquarters!" Cross finished. He then paused, seeing an island on the horizon ahead. Moria's Thriller Bark was sailing directly towards that island.
"Hey~ Cross, don't be impulsive. Regarding dealing with Moria..."
"Fleet Admiral Kong, let's talk about anything else when I get back!"
Click~
Cross interrupted Kong, placed the receiver back on the Den Den Mushi's back, and ended the call. He stood up from the silver giant eagle's back, squinting as he gazed at the island appearing in the distance.
"Too far, can't see clearly!" Cross muttered, putting the Den Den Mushi back into his coat pocket. He then took out a brass collapsible monocular telescope and carefully observed the island on the horizon.
As the silver giant eagle rapidly approached, the full scope of the island gradually revealed itself to Cross.
The island's perimeter had a huge, towering wall, enclosing the island within. The gate resembled a giant mouth with teeth exposed. The island's shoreline was fortified by tall, sturdy circular stone walls, also encircling the entire island. The island itself boasted a large forest of elm trees and numerous graves adorned with cross-shaped tombstones. In the center sat a dilapidated Gothic-style domed castle, making the entire place appear exceptionally gloomy and terrifying.
Moreover, an enormous main mast rose from the island, astonishing Cross. He suspected it was made from the Yarukiman Mangroves of the Sabaody Archipelago, or perhaps similar giant trees. A similarly massive black sail hung from it, bearing Moria's onion-shaped hairstyle and a skull with a pair of flaming bat wings.
"You could call it an island, but it's a ship. You could call it a ship, but it's also an island."
"No mistake, it's the largest pirate ship in the world, Thriller Bark!"
Cross looked at the 'island' on the sea ahead, exclaiming, "Indeed, seeing it in person is far more impactful than seeing it in the anime. It really is as huge as an island!" Then, he raised a hand to his chin, looked up at the sky, and chuckled, "However, the place Moria chose to anchor truly fits his personality. It's not only on the edge of the Calm Belt but also a perpetually cloudy sea area. At this point in time, it seems he hasn't steered this 'Thriller Bark' into the Florian Triangle's dense fog sea yet."
Meanwhile, a thousand meters away, the ship had already arrived at the outer gate of 'Thriller Bark'.
The massive gate, resembling a giant mouth revealing its teeth, slowly opened. After allowing the ship inside, it closed again.
Witnessing this, Cross smirked, muttering with a slight laugh, "Moria's home. It's time for me to pay a visit, even if I'll be an unwelcome guest. But it should be interesting!"
"Oh, right, I wonder if Moria's "Three Monsters" have made their appearance yet... but it doesn't matter anyway. With the strength of the Three Monsters, they'll never be able to contend with me!"
With that, he patted the silver giant eagle beneath him, signaling it to speed up.
Caw!—
The silver giant eagle raised its head and let out a long, clear cry. It furiously flapped its wings, stirring up a fierce gale, and shot forward like a silver arrow.
...
Thriller Bark.
"It's Moria-sama!"
"Moria-sama is back!"
"Quick, notify Perona-sama!"
"..."
The ship, comparable to a Marine secondary warship, slowly docked in the harbor.
As the anchor dropped, Moria walked out of the ship's castle-like structure. The zombies on the shore cheered, welcoming their master home. Hearing the cheers of his 'subordinates', Moria's previously gloomy mood finally lightened somewhat, and his expression warmed slightly.
"That damned brat. If he dares come aboard my 'Thriller Bark', I'll make sure he never leaves!" Moria then unhurriedly walked off Thriller Bark, his expression grinning as he accepted his 'subordinates'' welcome, but his heart was filled with secret resentment.
"Horo horo horo~ Moria-sama! Welcome back, Moria-sama!"
Suddenly, a unique, childlike laugh was heard. A cute little girl with pink twin pigtails, wearing a crown, and dressed in a Gothic black and purple dress, floated in mid-air. She looked about ten years old, happily clapping her hands, with several white, transparent, ghost-like figures, resembling Sunny-Go dolls, fluttering around her.
"Kishishishi~ Perona, it seems you've already developed your 'Hollow-Hollow Fruit' ability!" Moria's lips curled into a satisfied smile upon seeing her.
"Oh my, as expected of Moria-sama, you recognized my 'Yutai Ridatsu' at a glance! Horo horo horo~" Perona laughed cheerfully, quickly drawing close to Moria.
"Huh~ Moria-sama, are you injured?!" Suddenly, Perona noticed the white bandages hidden beneath Moria's clothes and asked, somewhat disbelieving.
Upon hearing this, Moria's expression instantly darkened, but facing the young girl Perona, he still forced a response, "Just a minor injury, it's nothing..."
Whoosh—
Boom—
However, Moria hadn't finished speaking when a sharp whistling sound ripped through the sky and reached his ears.
Many zombies instinctively looked up, only to see a large silver bird plummeting at extreme speed, crashing heavily onto Thriller Bark's deck like a falling meteor.
Accompanied by a violent roar, the massive Thriller Bark suddenly plunged downwards. Splintered wood flew across the deck, and air currents rolled, instantly knocking over more than ten zombies. Thick smoke billowed into the air.
"Yo~ Moria, a guest has arrived. Won't you offer me a drink?"
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