Thriller Bark, Florian Triangle.
The scorching sun rose from the ocean's horizon, driving away the darkness that had shrouded the island.
Thriller Bark, which resembled an island, was a scene of devastation. The massive castle was reduced to ruins, and deep, bottomless fissures made the ground slabs buckle.
Sizzle… Sizzle…
Three Pacifistas, identical to Bartholomew Kuma, lay battered on the ground, sparks of electricity flickering intermittently.
Everything looked like the aftermath of an extremely brutal battle.
"Straw… Straw Hat brat… and that damnable… World… World Government…"
In a pile of ruins, Moria, half-buried by stones, was barely clinging to life. Covered in wounds, he was in a state of severe blood loss. If not for his monstrously tough body, the laser holes in his torso alone would have been enough to finish him, not to mention his other injuries.
"One warship equals one Pacifista… How am I going to explain this to Dr. Vegapunk?" Gregory, bare-chested and with several bloody gashes on his body, stared at the three wrecked Pacifistas, utterly bewildered.
"That bastard Moria… Didn't we hear his strength had severely declined? What were those last few punches all about?" Raymond gripped his katana. Although uninjured, the memory of the previous battle still gave him chills.
Utilizing the latest alloy steel, equipped with Admiral Kizaru's laser, and employing dozens of advanced technologies, Vegapunk had successfully realized his intended vision. The humanoid weapon that the Marines and the World Government had been researching for years, the Pacifista, had finally achieved success.
However, despite the success, the World Government and Marine higher-ups still wanted to confirm if the expensive Pacifistas were truly as powerful as the data suggested.
In their calculations, the power of Gecko Moria, a former Seven Warlord Alliance member who had suffered multiple defeats, had severely declined. He was the perfect target, and taking him down would also eliminate a notorious great pirate.
Thus, the unfortunate Moria became the first target chosen by the Marines and the World Government.
As it happened, when they arrived at Moria's castle, they discovered that the recently notorious Straw Hat Pirates had already begun fighting Moria's zombie army.
They then reasoned that with three Pacifistas and a top CP Agency instructor, they were absolutely the strongest force there and could capture both the Straw Hat Pirates and the severely weakened Gecko Moria in one fell swoop.
Naturally, they were being far too optimistic.
As soon as the battle began, they were stunned by Moria, who had just joined the fight. The gigantic Oars, imbued with Straw Hat Luffy's shadow, demonstrated overwhelming power, instantly destroying one of the Pacifistas that served as a meat shield.
However, when the Straw Hats and the World Government forces joined together, they successfully defeated Oars (Nightmare Luffy didn't get a chance to appear).
But then, Moria, in his Shadow's Asgard state, appeared, once again displaying a monstrous, immense power, even cracking the island with a single punch.
The Straw Hats were helpless, as their shadows were still in Moria's hands. Gregory was also at his wits' end; he wasn't sure he could fight them with just the remaining two Pacifistas and himself.
The two sides once again teamed up, fighting with earth-shattering intensity, which even drew in Vice Admiral Raymond, who was guarding the retreat route.
Likely due to the successive blows from Kaido and Aeridar, the defeated Moria had honestly spent some time physically training and re-developed his Devil Fruit ability. His strength hadn't declined; on the contrary, it had recovered somewhat.
Moria originally absorbed a thousand shadows, but when he fell into a disadvantage, the guy absorbed another thousand shadows, doubling his power.
Although it only lasted for less than ten seconds, Moria collapsed from the unbearable power of two thousand shadows. Yet, he still managed to give the Straw Hats, the World Government, and Raymond a significant amount of trouble.
The result was that all three Pacifistas were decommissioned, Gregory suffered minor injuries, and Raymond's physical energy was halved.
As for the Straw Hats, after the battle, Robin, who knew the nature of the World Government and the Marines well, decisively took them and left Thriller Bark first, which prevented Gregory and Raymond from capturing them in time.
"What should we do? The plan was completed, but the losses…" Raymond hesitated. The losses were too severe. Looking at the ruined state of the three damaged Pacifistas, they likely couldn't even be sent back for repair and would have to be written off as scrap.
Gregory looked at the devastated landscape and the three scrapped Pacifistas, sighing helplessly. "Tell the truth. The Pacifistas' power is sufficient to contend with bounty heads over a hundred million. It's just that we didn't expect Gecko Moria to have retained such immense power. The loss can only be blamed on flawed intelligence and calculation."
"Indeed, especially the sheer raw power displayed in those less than ten seconds. If it had hit the ground, it probably would have split this island in half," Raymond marveled, still immersed in the memory of the previous battle.
"In the Marines, perhaps only Vice Admiral Garp, who once practiced punching mountains, can compare in terms of pure strength. Even Zephyr-sensei doesn't possess that level of power."
....
Sabaody Archipelago.
A black wolf flagship flying the Chris Pirates' flag surfaced from the seabed and pulled up to the shore of Grove 7.
A burly man, over three meters tall, stepped off the ship. He had a rough face, bulging, explosive muscles, dark-gold armor with flame patterns, a scarlet greatcloak, and a two-meter-long wagon-wheel giant axe strapped to his back. His huge, ox-like eyes stared at the people on the shore.
Mountain Axe Diego Backan, high-ranking cadre of the Chris Pirates, Commander of the Fourth Division!
"Isn't that one of the Guardian Gods of the Chris Pirates?!"
"How strange. Why is he mobilized?"
Numerous pirates, outlaws, and bounty hunters on the shore recognized him.
"What do you say? Should we go for it?"
"This is a great opportunity!"
"That's right! Usually, that guy stays in his home base, surrounded by thousands of subordinates and tens of thousands of troops. He doesn't have many people with him this time!"
"Exactly! If we kill him, we'll become famous throughout the world!"
Not far away, a dozen or so tough men with swords and guns gathered, looking around with ill intent.
On the shore, a man in a business suit approached, accompanied by several guards in black suits, a fawning smile on his face.
"Backan-sama, welcome to the Sabaody Archipelago! I am the man in charge, Nazwe."
Nazwe, a member of the Chris Pirates, the person in charge of the Sabaody Archipelago outpost!
"Less chatter. Have the Straw Hat brats arrived?" Backan demanded, his huge eyes glaring.
"Uh… Backan-sama, there is no news of the Straw Hat Pirates yet, but a few noteworthy rookies have arrived, all Supernovas with over a hundred million in bounties this year."
Nazwe chuckled obsequiously. "But please be at ease, sir. Our people are spread throughout the Sabaody Archipelago. The moment the Straw Hat Pirates appear, we will receive the news immediately. Please don't worry."