"Bang!"
The outcome of the battle had been decided from the very beginning.
Stories about prodigals returning to the right path were naturally moving, but time never turned back.
Whether it was the Golden Lion or Moria, it was the same for both of them.
Perhaps, in their final moments, they had rediscovered some of the shadows of who they once were, but the years they had wasted could never be recovered.
Especially when facing the most dazzling "New Age" upon these seas today.
And so…
"Crack!"
When the sound of Moonlight Maru breaking rang out once more, and the spear shining with elemental radiance pierced through Moria's body…
Shinryu was not surprised.
Neither was Moria.
"Boom!"
His body instantly collapsed, dropping to one knee. The horrifying wound that completely pierced through him caused blood to spread rapidly beneath him.
But…
"Cough cough cough… hehshishishi…"
At that moment, he was actually laughing strangely.
"So… I still lost in the end." He muttered softly to himself.
"Lord Moria!" From the sky behind him came Perona's anxious cry.
But Moria instead looked toward Shinryu.
"Hey, Shinryu… I remember you said… You came to ask me for… information?"
"That's right." Shinryu nodded. "Regretting it now?"
"Yeah… I regret it…" Moria spoke in a low voice. "Let Perona go, and I'll… cough cough… tell you the information. She never attacked you. I can guarantee… cough cough… she won't seek revenge against you either…"
As he spoke, there was actually a trace of pleading in his voice.
Hearing this, Shinryu fell silent for a moment.
Then…
"That's a reasonable deal." He nodded lightly.
"Hehshishishi…" Moria's smile seemed even happier after hearing that.
Then…
"Don't come any closer, Perona, stay where you are and don't move!" Gathering his remaining strength, he roared hoarsely: "If you still acknowledge yourself as my subordinate, then you are not allowed to come closer!"
"…"
Perona's flying figure stopped instantly in midair.
"Lord Moria…" She seemed to realize something, and tears instantly filled her eyes.
"Listen carefully. After I die, collect my body. If there's ever a chance… cough cough… take it back to my hometown in West Blue! You are forbidden from taking revenge against The Twelve Zodiac, this is your captain's order!" Moria shouted with the last of his strength.
"If you heard me, answer!"
"Yes… yes! Lord Moria!" Perona naturally understood what Moria meant. She bit her lip unwillingly, answering through sobs.
"Hehshishishishishi!"
Only then did Moria let out a satisfied laugh.
He turned his gaze back toward Shinryu.
"Ask already… hurry up…"
As he spoke, the shadows inside his body had already begun gradually dispersing, an indication that his Devil Fruit powers were fading.
Naturally, Shinryu did not waste time.
"I heard that within this Florian Triangle sea there exists a gigantic 'pirate ship'…"
And the moment those words left his mouth, he saw Moria, who had been on the verge of death, suddenly stiffen.
As if experiencing a final burst of vitality, he stared at Shinryu in disbelief.
"You… how do you know about that…?"
Seeing Moria react this way, Shinryu immediately understood that he had indeed asked the right person.
"What do you know about it?"
So he ignored Moria's question and pressed further.
Moria panted heavily for a few moments.
Then he spoke with difficulty: "I am… a descendant of the Kozuki Clan of Wano Country living overseas."
Without question, this was the greatest secret of his identity.
Yes…
Gekko Moria was actually a descendant of the Kozuki Clan, the ancient "Stone Mason Clan" responsible for carving the Poneglyphs.
"My family… passed down some ancient… cough cough… legends about the Void Century."
As Moria spoke softly, it seemed as though memories of the past resurfaced in his mind once more.
"It was a prophetic song. Supposedly… cough cough… a prophecy made by a certain prophet from Fish-Man Island."
"The First King and the Cursed One left their treasure upon the giant ship, wandering within the Eternal Mist."
"It is the source of curses, the beginning of darkness, the hope that will change the era, and an incomparable power."
"When the age of atonement arrives, the bloodline of the cursed shall board the giant ship and turn the gears of history."
"Upon the final island, the gigantic being born from the black sun shall devour it, sounding the drums of liberation."
"Until that day arrives, drift onward, cursed giant ship."
"Until that day arrives, endure, oppressed people."
"Until that day arrives, continue on, shackled world."
When Moria finished recounting the ancient song he knew to Shinryu…
Naturally, Shinryu listened with a completely bewildered expression, but it was equally obvious that this was everything Moria knew.
"I wanted to defeat Kaido, so I came to the Eternal Mist… the Florian Triangle sea… But… I couldn't find it… there were no traces at all… and after enough time passed, I eventually forgot…"
Moria's voice had already become so faint it was nearly inaudible.
Naturally, after being defeated by Kaido, he had not immediately "fallen into depravity."
In fact, the very first thought born in his mind after that defeat had been…
"I want revenge."
At the time, he had wanted vengeance.
He wanted to reclaim his ambition.
He wanted to reclaim his dreams.
But painfully, he realized that he could not do it.
Because after experiencing that battle, he could no longer imagine a version of "himself" capable of defeating Kaido.
His abilities, his Haki, his strength, everything he possessed was insufficient, and so, he began searching for a way to become stronger.
"If my own training can't achieve it, then I'll rely on external power. If you can't protect your companions, then… perhaps the powerful figures of past eras can do it instead?"
"If your own strength is insufficient, then seek out the ancient legends spoken of in myths. If the deaths of companions only bring pain, then create companions that can never die."
At some point, thoughts like these had begun endlessly surfacing within his mind.
And he had come to believe them.
It was precisely because he sought the "incomparable power" left behind from the Void Century that he came to this Florian Triangle sea, which also happened to perfectly suit his zombie legion plan. But after searching again and again without results, as time passed, he eventually gave up trying to uncover the secrets hidden within the dense fog and devoted himself entirely to building his zombie legion.
"What a… regret…" At that moment, Moria slowly closed his eyes.
Yes, he regretted it deeply.
But what he regretted was not choosing to attack Shinryu earlier.
What he truly regretted was…
"The one who should have died in that battle back then… was me."
Only at the very end did Moria finally realize the source of the pain that had tormented him for decades.
Naturally, losing to Kaido had left him unwilling to accept it.
Naturally, death had also frightened him.
But those were fitting endings for a pirate. They were never enough to truly make him suffer.
What had truly tormented him and twisted him into what he had become… was guilt.
He was the captain. He was supposed to be the one protecting his companions the most. Yet in the end, his companions protected him and allowed him alone to escape alive.
He became the only survivor.
That was the mistake he had never dared to face.
But fortunately…
"Lord Moria!" From the corner of his eye, Moria saw Shinryu's tall figure seemingly leaving, and Perona's anxious face and voice echoed beside him.
Suddenly, Moria felt an overwhelming sense of relief in his heart.
Because this time, he had not run away.
This time…
"I… protected my companion."
And Moria's consciousness faded into darkness.
(End of Chapter)
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