Roxing was a man who appreciated beauty, but that didn't mean he would show mercy every time he saw a pretty face.
Take Kozuki Hiyori, for example—after eating the Slip-Slip Fruit, she had cried like a delicate flower in the rain last time. Yet Roxing didn't spare her much sympathy. Only after he'd enjoyed himself did he take her into his arms and comfort her a little.
The current situation was much the same.
He was interested in collecting Perona—this spirited "ghost flower"—but that didn't mean a few tears would sway his original intentions.
Completely ignoring Perona's loud sobbing, Roxing walked straight toward Moria.
His expression was calm, carrying the aloofness of the strong looking down on the weak.
Moria snapped awake from Perona's crying.
A chill ran down his spine.
His Shadow Asgard's "Shadow Horn Gun" was one of his few powerful techniques, yet Roxing had crushed it single-handedly. How could this guy be so ridiculously strong?
Moria's face twitched between fear and fury.
Once upon a time, he'd challenged Kaido of the Beasts head-on.
Even though he lost miserably, he had still been a titan of his era.
But today…
He was being looked down on by Kaido's son-in-law—some junior barely older than a brat?
The humiliation made Moria's facial muscles violently spasm.
When Roxing drew closer, Moria roared in anger and swung a massive punch.
"Who the hell do you think I am?!"
"When I ruled these seas, you weren't even born!"
But that rage-filled punch was slapped aside with a lazy flick of Roxing's hand.
Moria tumbled more than ten meters away, rolling across the floor. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were wide, filled with shock and disbelief.
Why?
Why was this young man so impossibly strong? Why did Moria—Moonlight Moria, one of the Seven Warlords—have absolutely no power to fight back?
Impossible. Even against Kaido back then, he had lasted at least dozens of exchanges!
"Lord Moria!"
Perona cried out and flew to him, red-eyed and furious.
"Stop hurting Lord Moria!"
Roxing ignored her. His gaze fell on Moria.
"You're wondering why I'm so strong?"
Moria clenched his teeth. He didn't answer, but the silence itself was confirmation.
Roxing continued calmly:
"The truth isn't that I'm too strong. It's that you… Moonlight Moria… have become too weak."
Moria's body trembled violently. His expression turned pitch black.
Roxing looked down at him with a trace of pity.
"More than ten years ago, even though you lost to my father-in-law, Kaido, you were still worthy of being called a great pirate—a true powerhouse."
"But look at you now. Bloated. Arrogant. Hiding on this Thriller Bark for ten years without lifting a finger."
"Moria… you're so weak now, you don't even deserve the title of Warlord."
The words were like knives stabbing into the heart.
Moria's eyes reddened, body trembling. His fists clenched so tightly they creaked.
"You… bastard…"
"But even a weakened you still has some value," Roxing said. "Your zombie army will be very useful to me."
"So, Moria—I'll give you a chance to submit to the Beasts Pirates."
Moria suddenly burst into a wild, ragged laugh. Disheveled as he was, his eyes still shone with defiance.
"Submit to the Beasts? Submit to Kaido? Don't make me laugh!"
"I'd rather die than bow to the man who killed my crew!"
"I am Moonlight Moria!"
Weak he might be, but the remnants of his old pride still flickered.
Roxing wasn't surprised.
In the original timeline, even Blackbeard—after becoming a Yonko—had tried recruiting Moria. Whether that succeeded was still unknown.
But right now, Roxing's attempt seemed to be failing.
"Shame. Then you'll have to die."
Roxing pulled out a small pistol and aimed it at Moria.
"No!"
Perona screamed and threw herself between them. Her big eyes brimmed with tears, her cute face full of desperate pleading.
"F-Fifth Emperor Roxing… please don't kill Lord Moria…! Whatever you want, I'll agree!"
To Perona, Moria wasn't her biological father—but he was close enough.
In the original story, the moment she learned Moria was alive, she immediately abandoned Mihawk's castle and flew across the sea just to find him.
Whatever else could be said, Moria's loyalty toward his subordinates had earned their loyalty in return.
Perona's plea made Moria feel even more humiliated.
Since when…
Since when had Moonlight Moria fallen low enough to need a subordinate to beg for him?
"Move aside… Perona!"
He growled.
"I'd rather die than beg anyone!"
"Lord Moria…" Perona's tear-filled gaze trembled.
Just then, Absalom—previously knocked out cold by Roxing's Conqueror's Haki—finally woke up.
He immediately collapsed to his knees before Roxing, banging his head on the floor.
"Fifth Emperor! Please kill me instead—don't hurt Lord Moria!"
The scene reminded Roxing of the Straw Hats' encounter with Bartholomew Kuma.
When Kuma pretended he would kill Luffy, Zoro and Sanji both fought to offer their lives instead.
Zoro had even spoken a line that defined what a real man was:
"Nothing happened."
Seeing Perona beg and Absalom kneel, even Moria—the ruthless tyrant—felt tears slip down his face.
"Y-You… why won't you let me die in peace…"
Roxing's voice came quietly:
"A touching scene. But reality doesn't care."
He walked straight through Perona's ghostly body—she was in astral form—and stopped in front of Moria, pressing the gun to his forehead.
Perona and Absalom both screamed in terror.
"Stop!"
Roxing ignored them.
"Moria… guess whether this gun has a bullet."
"Huh?"
Already overwhelmed, Moria blinked dumbly.
Roxing smiled faintly.
"This is a three-shot pistol. But it only contains one bullet. I'm going to pull the trigger twice."
"If you're unlucky and die, your subordinates die too."
"If you're lucky and live, your subordinates… still die."
"So—let's begin this death game."
Moria froze, speechless.
Behind him, Perona, Absalom, Hogback and the others were also stunned.
Bang.
Roxing pulled the trigger.
Perona and Absalom's hearts nearly stopped.
Moria's body jerked as cold sweat dripped down his back.
Death wasn't frightening—waiting for it was.
And knowing that no matter what, his people would die… that was far worse.
The first shot was a blank.
Roxing didn't hesitate. He prepared to fire again.
"Wait!"
Moria forced himself upright, face twisted in agony.
He looked at Perona and the others—those who were genuinely worried for him.
He closed his eyes.
After a brutal inner struggle, he opened them again and said hoarsely:
"I… I'll submit. But only to you. Not to the Beasts Pirates. And never to Kaido."
He would rather die than bow to the enemy who killed his crew.
Roxing tossed the pistol aside and smiled.
"Welcome to the team that'll destroy the world, Mister Moria."
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