Chapter 17: The Resurrected Moria?
"Little ones, let us set sail!!!" commanded William.
"Aye-aye!" responded the zombie soldiers manning the ship. As dusk fell, they busily followed William's orders.
With a series of clangs and bangs, the massive steering wheel of the horrifying ship began to turn. The exaggerated iron ropes made a sonorous sound that sent chills down one's spine. The giant sails were directly lowered by the zombie soldiers, and the colossal island ship slowly started sailing towards the distant horizon.
"Lord William, what is our first destination?" asked a zombie soldier with master-level navigation skills, flipping through a large number of recording needles. These needles were naturally plundered from the ships of pirates and merchants throughout the generations, and the ones left behind pointed directly to specific islands as permanent records.
William raised the treasure map in his hand and said with a smile, "According to the route, we will first go to Gaya Island in the middle of the Grand Line! After all, if you want to expand your power, how can you do it without people under your command? Apart from the all-around talent 'Demon Child' Nico Robin, we need to recruit a few potential fellows no matter what."
In the future, even if his right-hand men couldn't reach the level of the Pirate King, they should at least live up to the name of Admiral and be able to confront the Admirals head-on.
After retrieving the treasure buried there, they would follow the path through the Calm Belt into the East Blue to find some potential companions. As for whether to go to the South Blue next, it would depend on the specific situation.
William was naturally interested in the legendary land of gold on Gaya Island. If nothing unexpected happened, Enel should have already occupied this place. With the ability of the Paramecia Shadow-Shadow Fruit and mastery of Conqueror's Haki, he was confident that his current strength could not fear any opponent.
However, it might not be easy to subdue the unruly and arrogant Enel with absolute power. After all, it was the power of the Logia Lightning Fruit, and there was no way to deprive them of their abilities. If possible, William still hoped to recruit him, but it would depend on the specific circumstances.
"Lord William, should we raise the flag of Lord Moria?" Perona suggested, "Or take a smaller ship and set off low-key?"
Dr. Hogback also expressed concern, "Indeed, if your identity is accidentally exposed or the news of Moria's death is known by those guys in the Navy..."
This haunting sailboat was too ostentatious. In the eyes of the World Government and the Navy, Gecko Moria had undoubtedly become a symbol of the Seven Warlords. No matter where it appeared, it was bound to attract attention from all sides.
"Huh? Does Lord William have any special identity?" Brook, who had formally joined the Hell Pirates less than a day ago, was puzzled, completely unaware of William's identity.
"Jehahahaha..." William looked at Hogback, Brook, and Perona, his eyes full of laughter. He chuckled, "Who told you Moria is dead?"
"Hmm?" The three of them, even the zombies, couldn't help but glance over.
The black shadow at William's feet stood there and kept expanding. Like silk, it continuously intertwined and wrapped around William's entire body at a visible speed. The transformation occurred rapidly before their eyes.
A tall figure appeared in front of them. Nearly seven meters tall, it looked somewhat bloated, like a small giant, full of oppressive feeling.
"Hehehehehe..." A sharp and arrogant laughter echoed, "Perona, Hogback, you two actually dared to betray me. You're really something!"
"He" ignored Brook beside him and only looked down at Hogback and Perona, filled with anger and murderous intent.
"Ah?"
"Lord Moria!?"
Seeing the extremely familiar figure before them, Perona and Hogback couldn't help but widen their eyes in shock. They opened their mouths in disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost, and lost their voices. At the same time, their faces turned pale, and they broke out in a cold sweat.
Even Brook was shocked. "Gecko... Moria!!" He couldn't help but gape, his whole body trembling. He was so frightened that he could barely speak. The pressure from the Warlord Moria was simply too overwhelming for him.
He had exhausted all his strength, yet he was still easily crushed by Moria and had his shadow taken away. In the end, he couldn't even defeat the zombies that Moria casually created with shadows. Brook, who had just seen hope and wanted to leave this sea, how could he not be afraid?
"You're not dead, Lord Moria..." Perona was both surprised and delighted.
"Gulp! How is that possible?" Hogback was covered in cold sweat and subconsciously took a few steps back. Looking at the familiar bloated figure in front of him, he couldn't help but swallow and his face turned pale. "Lord Moria, didn't you die?"
He looked a bit panicked.
"Jehahaha... What should we do?" Amidst the laughter, the black shadow dissipated. Moria's tall figure disappeared in an instant, replaced by William himself.
He smiled and looked at Perona, Brook, and Hogback, "Do you think the Navy can recognize him?"
...
(end of chapter)
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