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West Blue, Reverse Mountain.
The Red Line and the Grand Line intersect at two points: Reverse Mountain and the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
Reverse Mountain is an entrance to the Grand Line from the Four Blues. It has five channels: four flowing in and one flowing out.
One channel leads into the Grand Line, while the other four connect the Four Blues to it.
Therefore, the vast majority of pirates enter the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain. Of course, the Calm Belt is another route to the Grand Line.
The two Calm Belts run almost the entire length of the Grand Line on either side, but compared to Reverse Mountain, the risk of passage is much greater, as it is a nesting ground for Sea Kings.
At this moment, a massive island—no, to be precise, a pirate ship—was sailing slowly near Reverse Mountain.
The ship was enormous, so vast that one could hardly see its edges. It could basically be considered a small island.
If not for the giant pirate flag fluttering in the wind, no one would have mistaken this for a pirate ship.
The jolly roger was peculiar, reflecting the bizarre aesthetic of most people in the pirate world.
It was a standard skull, but on its cranium was a lifelike, onion-shaped hairstyle made of fire. In the background, a pair of flame-like bat wings served as decoration.
The overall look was quite ferocious and domineering. If any pirates from the West Blue saw this symbol, they would immediately recognize the ship's owner.
A great pirate who had made a name for himself in the West Blue even before the start of the Great Pirate Era.
He had recently gained even more notoriety for having fought one of the three Emperors of the New World, Kaido of the Beasts, and escaping with his life.
His bounty had now risen to 320,000,000 Berries!
However, this ship was not headed for Reverse Mountain. Its terrifying size made it impossible to pass through the entrance.
It could only enter the Grand Line through the Calm Belt near Reverse Mountain. Aboard the island ship, both the atmosphere and the decor exuded a gloomy and terrifying aura.
The island was surrounded by a circle of towering walls, completely concealing what was inside. In the center stood a gate shaped like a pair of giant red lips.
At the very heart of the island ship was a castle built in the style of medieval European noble architecture.
The occasional, mournful caws of crows only added to the eerie and terrifying atmosphere.
Inside the castle's meeting hall.
The vast hall was empty, save for a few large white candles burning quietly.
A massive man, nearly five meters tall, was leaning against one of the hall's support pillars.
(The author notes: The current Moria has not yet reached his height of nearly seven meters decades later; this height is my own invention.)
His appearance was quite strange, not like that of a normal human.
He looked like a demon. His hair was styled like a flaming onion, with two delicate horns growing from either side of his forehead.
He had sharp teeth and wore a shirt with a bat-like collar and Gothic-style clothing.
This man was none other than Gecko Moria, who had recently escaped from Wano Country.
"Kishishishi, we're about to reach the Calm Belt. Finally, we will enter the Grand Line once more!"
Moria was excited. Ever since he was defeated by Kaido and imprisoned to work in the mines, he had lost all of his crewmates.
For the rest of his life, he had only one thought: to kill Kaido.
To this end, he had made a special trip back to his home sea, the West Blue, to acquire the Thriller Bark and begin the next phase of his plan.
That's right, the Thriller Bark, hailed as the largest ship in the world.
Neither the promised ship 'Noah' nor the Ark Maxim could compare in size to the island-like Thriller Bark!
"Lord Moria, where in the New World are we headed?"
A hoarse voice suddenly spoke in the otherwise empty hall.
"The Florian Triangle. It's a place that is never touched by sunlight, perfect for realizing my dream, kishishishishi!" Moria replied instinctively to the empty corner.
"Also, you can drop your Devil Fruit ability in front of me, Absalom!"
"Er… Lord Moria's senses are as sharp as ever."
The voice spoke again, and a thin figure slowly materialized in the corner, smoothly flattering Moria.
The bright candlelight fully illuminated Absalom's appearance. He didn't look very old, but his body was thin and withered.
His face was deeply wrinkled, and he wore a sleazy smile. His oversized robes hung loosely on his frame.
"You idiot, that's called Observation Haki," Moria said with a laugh.
He casually glanced at Absalom and continued, "Your body is too weak. Go find Hogback and have him modify you."
Both Absalom and Hogback were companions he had found in the West Blue. But Hogback's recruitment was completely different from Absalom's.
Hogback was a crucial part of his plan for revenge against Kaido and the implementation of his next steps. Absalom, on the other hand, was different.
The man had used his Clear-Clear Fruit ability to try to steal from him, Gecko Moria! In the end, of course, he was won over by Moria's charisma and joined his crew.
"Really? Then I want the jaw of a lion, the skin of an elephant, and the muscles of a bear and a gorilla! That way, no woman will ever look down on me again!"
Absalom was thrilled, rattling off his requests. He had heard of Hogback's reputation as a world-renowned genius surgeon and had even witnessed his miraculous medical skills firsthand.
He had long been self-conscious about his own frail body. From this, one could already see that Moria was beginning to stray down the wrong path.
There were many ways to become strong, but taking shortcuts and relying on external forces was definitely not one of them.
"Kishishishishi, do whatever you want. Go and inform Hogback. Once we reach the Florian Triangle, we can begin my zombie army plan. I can even help him resurrect his Cindry then!"
"Also, how is that little girl we picked up a while ago?"
Above the Calm Belt.
Baby 5 had transformed her hands into a pair of binoculars and was excitedly looking around.
Atlas maintained a normal flight altitude and speed, primarily considering Baby 5's tolerance.
In theory, Baby 5 could transform into an airplane, but unfortunately, both of them were lacking in that area of knowledge, so the idea had to be abandoned.
It seems that in addition to correcting her personality issues, I'll have to instill some knowledge of weaponry in her… Atlas thought to himself.
For some reason, Baby 5 felt a sudden chill, but the next moment, she was shouting with excitement again.
"Hey! Vice Admiral, there's a huge island moving down there!"
Thriller Bark?
With Baby 5 in tow, Atlas slowly descended, taking in the sight of the ship hailed as the world's largest.
The massive island-ship sailed through the Calm Belt, completely unmolested by Sea Kings.
Aside from Marine warships equipped with Sea Stone technology, this was likely the only ship that could safely traverse the Calm Belt.
Looking around, there were no zombies to be seen, as one might expect. The architectural style leaned toward the dark and gothic.
Perhaps because of the sunlight, Atlas felt the entire island-ship exude a mysterious, hazy feeling.
"Let's go, Baby 5. We'll go have a look inside."
Atlas didn't linger at the entrance. He wasn't here to be Moria's guest; he didn't need to be so polite. Breaking down the door was what he was supposed to do.
"Okay!"
Baby 5 was very obedient, or rather, she was just as curious about the Thriller Bark. Having lived in the North Blue for most of her life, she had only ever seen ships the size of islands in storybooks.
Boom!
The gate was kicked open, and Atlas swaggered onto the great pirate's ship.
The security was lax, perhaps because it was daytime. There were none of Moria's unique zombie guards.
Or the number of shadows didn't match the number of bodies Moria had obtained in Wano, which was why the zombie army from decades later had not yet appeared.
But no matter how lax the security was, by the time Atlas and Baby 5 had reached the middle of the Thriller Bark, they were finally discovered by Absalom, who was on patrol duty.
Absalom was a user of the Clear-Clear Fruit. Even without a strong physique, he was more than capable of handling patrol duties on the Thriller Bark.
After all, the Moria Pirates' destination was only the first half of the Grand Line—Paradise, a place where even Haki was a rarity.
Without Observation Haki, it was basically impossible to even see a shadow of Absalom.
"A Marine…"
Absalom, who had already activated his Clear-Clear Fruit ability, felt his pupils shrink.
Although he was just a rookie pirate and, before that, just a petty peeper of women's bathhouses, he was no stranger to the Marines, whose power extended across the Four Blues.
"That rank… It's higher than a Captain, right?"
Seeing the insignia on Atlas's epaulets, Absalom was a little unsure.
After all, the highest-ranking officer in the Four Blues branches was a Captain, so it was normal that he wouldn't recognize it.
However…
Upon seeing the young Baby 5, Absalom completely forgot about the Marines.
As a lecher who frequented the red-light districts, these past few days on the Thriller Bark had been torture for him.
"Heh heh, a little young is fine. I like them all!" Absalom licked his chapped lips excitedly.
His hands made a familiar kneading motion, and a sleazy smile spread across his face as he tiptoed toward Atlas and Baby 5.
Of course, Baby 5, who was busy looking around, was completely oblivious to all this.
"Heh…" A mocking expression appeared on Atlas's face, and a red light flickered in his eyes as he quietly watched the approaching Absalom.
"Hmm? Was that my imagination?"
Absalom suddenly froze, looking at the amused Atlas with suspicion. Can this Marine see me?
Impossible. Although Moria could sometimes 'see' him, he had never explained that thing called 'Observation Haki' in detail. He had always thought it was a unique ability of Moria's.
"It must be my imagination!" Absalom shook his head, trying to banish the ridiculous thought.
But the next moment, it was too late for regrets. Because Atlas, who had been in front of him, was now somehow standing behind him.
"You're Absalom, right?"
Though his face wore a smile, his voice was devoid of any emotion.
Creeak~ Creeak~
Absalom's face suddenly stiffened. He turned his neck, bit by bit, a terrible premonition rising in his heart. No, it wasn't a premonition; it was already a fact!
This guy could see him!
"You can… see me!!?" Absalom asked instinctively.
Bang!
Without any explanation, Atlas swung his leg in a sweeping kick, a sharp whistle cutting through the air.
The immense force slammed into Absalom's waist, and his entire lower body, including his three legs, instantly exploded into a bloody mist!
"AGHH!!!"
The intense pain nearly made Absalom pass out. A piercing scream ripped from his throat. Already weak-willed and physically frail, he was seized with panic.
The shadow of death loomed over him, and he was on the verge of losing control of his Devil Fruit ability.
"What kind of monster is this…"
The half-crippled Absalom was horrified. Veins bulged on his thin arms as he tried to crawl away from the Marine.
Although Moria had told him to find Hogback for modifications, the materials weren't ready yet, so the plan had not begun. He was still the same scrawny, withered man.
"Hmm? Where do you think you're going?"
Seeing this, Atlas took a step forward, his right foot planting itself firmly on Absalom's back, pinning him to the ground!
He couldn't break free!
Absalom's face flushed red. It felt as if a mountain were pressing down on his back. He could no longer maintain his Devil Fruit ability and materialized before them like a pitiful insect.
"Ah! There's a person here!"
Baby 5 was stunned by the scene. Although the exchange seemed to take a long time, it had all happened in a flash.
She had only seen a blur, and then Atlas was standing a short distance away, his foot on a man whose body was separated, with blood splattered everywhere.
"I am a subordinate of Lord Moria! If you kill me, Lord Moria will not forgive you!" Seeing the vast difference in their strength, Absalom couldn't help but use Moria's name to threaten Atlas.
In his eyes, Moria was a world-famous hero of the West Blue, with a bounty of a staggering 320 million Berries.
These titles alone should be enough to scare off this Marine who had suddenly barged in.
It must be said, the perspective of a frog in a well is always so narrow.
Thump!
Atlas pressed down with his foot. Absalom's entire body was driven into the ground.
His muscles and bones were shattered, and a large pool of blood flowed from beneath him. His eyes bulged, still filled with disbelief.
"Heh, Moria, you say? He's the one I'm looking for."
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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