Chapter 114: Moria’s Resolve (Please Subscribe, Recommend, and Vote)

Inside the Alabasta royal palace, Admiral Kuzan was discussing the theft of the historical records with King Cobra. “King Cobra, are you certain that Crocodile destroyed the historical texts?”

Cobra responded seriously, “I was there at the time. Crocodile unleashed a massive sandstorm, but in the end, he was defeated by the Straw Hat kid. Afterward, the place was in ruins. If the records weren’t destroyed, then they must have been taken by the Straw Hat.”

Hearing Cobra’s answer, Kuzan fell into thought again, then asked, “Are you sure you didn’t see Nico Robin?”

Cobra shook his head firmly. “No. From the start of the battle to the end, no one in our royal army saw her.”

Just as Kuzan was about to ask more, his seagull-capped Den Den Mushi rang. “Kuzan, rush to Sabaody Archipelago for support—Red-Haired Shanks is heading that way.”

“Why is he going? To get his arm back from Buffon?” Kuzan asked, surprised.

“That’s very likely. Borsalino and Kureha have already gone; you must stop those two from meeting. If Buffon returns the arm to Shanks…” Sengoku’s voice trailed off, but Kuzan knew what he meant. If Shanks grew stronger, and the Red-Haired Pirates owed Buffon a favor, their alliance could drastically alter the balance of power at sea.

“There’s also that mysterious strong figure with Kureha. If possible, try to persuade them to join us—we need more high-level Marine reinforcements,” Sengoku added.

Kuzan acknowledged this with a grunt and hung up, murmuring to himself, “If Buffon and Shanks join forces, killing the Celestial Dragons will no longer be taboo.”

These words were meant not only for himself but also for Cobra, who remained skeptical that Buffon had ever been to Alubarna. In Kuzan’s view, the World Government’s actions had preserved the Celestial Dragons’ dignity and spared Alabasta a catastrophe. Although Cobra had issued a gag order, Kuzan felt compelled to remind him that the Navy and the World Government knew the truth.

Cobra, seemingly indifferent, said: “Mr. Kuzan, there is still a remnant of Baroque Works that the Navy didn’t capture earlier. We found them near the Rain Banquet Casino. Please take care of them as well.”

Kuzan nodded and replied, “It’s best if all the secrets of this country are forgotten with this incident. Otherwise, Alabasta will inevitably fall to the ravages of war.”

Cobra solemnly agreed.

…

Elsewhere, Moria was out at sea hunting shadows—not aimlessly, but targeting pirates with bounties in the tens of millions.

Thanks to information from Absalom, he set his sights on the Hyena Pirates from Mock Town. The crew hailed from the North Blue, led by Bellamy, a Spring-Spring Fruit user. They were part of Donquixote Doflamingo’s fleet, self-styled as the “New Age Pirates,” rejecting unrealistic romanticism and dreams in favor of immediate pleasure.

Their ship, the New Witch’s Tongue, bore Doflamingo’s emblem from bow to sail.

Though under Doflamingo’s protection, Moria, now confident, wasn’t worried. He believed he could hold his own even if Doflamingo came personally.

After meeting with Absalom in Mock Town, Moria learned of Buffon and the Navy’s movements.

“So the Navy has at least two admirals chasing Buffon now?” Moria asked anxiously.

“At least two. Kuzan is still in Alabasta, not far away. Whether he’ll join the pursuit is unclear,” Absalom replied seriously.

“Heeheeheehee! Buffon is no joke; we have to step up too!” Moria said with a grin, though inside he was worried.

He knew that without Buffon’s support, he might become a burden. So, improving his strength quickly was imperative.

After finding Bellamy, Moria subdued him with little effort. But just as he was about to take Bellamy’s shadow and leave, an unexpected group appeared—the Blackbeard Pirates!

Still seething over Blackbeard’s earlier attack on Perona, Moria’s anger boiled over. He placed Bellamy’s shadow into a box and handed it to Perona. “Perona, if I lose, you and Absalom find Buffon. Don’t worry about me.”

“Lord Moria…” Perona began, but Blackbeard laughed.

“Har hah hah hah! Moonlight Moria, we meet again! Why not join my Blackbeard Pirates? Buffon’s being chased by the Navy worldwide, and your Shichibukai position isn’t safe anymore. Join us and become rulers of this world!”

“Heeheeheehee! Teach, you’re dreaming. I haven’t even avenged Perona’s injury from when you fled. Joining you is out of the question…” Moria began, but Teach interrupted.

“Listen first; I’ve already negotiated with the Navy Headquarters. If we capture the Straw Hat crew and hand them over to the World Government, we two Shichibukai will—ha ha ha ha!”

Before his laughter ended, a figure clad in pink fur descended from above.

“Gahaha! Teach, Moria is my prey. The Straw Hat kid is still in this town. If you want to go, hurry up. Looks like they’re about to set sail!”

It was Doflamingo. After making a deal with the Five Elders, Lafitte had sought him out. Doflamingo came swiftly to Mock Town—both to negotiate cooperation with Teach and to capture Moria based on Navy intelligence.

He figured that instead of chasing Buffon, better to have him come willingly.

In his eyes, Moria was the perfect bait. Capture him and send him to Impel Down; then Buffon would walk right into their trap.

Though he doubted Buffon’s strength, Doflamingo preferred the easiest method—let Magellan and the prison beasts wear Buffon down first, then swoop in to finish.

As for the condition that the Donquixote family return to the Celestial Dragons’ side, though important, it wasn’t his priority.

“Ha ha ha! Didn’t expect you’d come so fast, Doflamingo. I’ll go catch the Straw Hat kid first; we’ll talk later!” Teach said, leading his crew after Luffy’s group, leaving Doflamingo alone with Moria.

Teach’s main target was the Straw Hats. Though he wasn’t intimidated by losing to Buffon, he preferred not to provoke him now.

Moria knew much more about Doflamingo than Teach and had no illusions about Doflamingo’s superior power.

But as Jin once said, now that his confidence was restored, he wouldn’t back down without a fight.

“Heeheeheehee! Doflamingo, what deal has the World Government offered you to take me on personally?” Moria said, refusing to surrender despite the gap in strength.

“That’s none of your concern. Just surrender, and it will be easier for both of us,” Doflamingo said casually.

“You’re quite the joker, Doflamingo!” Moria shouted as he transformed his shadow into a spear and lunged.

Doflamingo clasped his hands like claws and swiped through the air. Thousands of lines laced with Armament Haki rose from the ground, forming the shape of flamingo wings, surrounding Moria.

“Thousand Arrow Piercing Heart—Feather Strike—Threads!”

This was a technique developed under Doflamingo’s awakened Devil Fruit power, wrapped with Armament Haki to impale the enemy with countless threads.

But as the threads wrapped around Moria, he shattered into countless shadow bats that dispersed into the air. Instead of regrouping, they attacked Doflamingo directly.

Moria’s voice echoed with a hint of bitterness in the air: “Armament Haki… It’s been a long time since I last used it.”

“Has the leisurely life in the Sabaody Archipelago made you forget how to use your Haki, Moria?” Doflamingo said with a calm tone, though shaken inside.

Faced with thousands of attacking shadow bats, Doflamingo quickly shifted tactics. He extended his left hand, shooting countless transparent threads from his palm.

“Spider Web Wall!”

In moments, a massive spider web stretched before him, aiming to trap all of Moria’s bats.

But his plan failed. The shadow bats passed through the web not impeded but cut apart, multiplying into even more smaller bats.

“Moria, it seems Buffon’s mishap has made you stronger!” Doflamingo said, unmoving as the bats tore at him.

Despite the assault, Doflamingo’s body remained intact. Moria’s unease grew; the shredded figure was but a puppet, much like his own shadow puppetry—no bloodshed or gore.

From a rooftop behind Moria came a scornful laugh: “Gahaha! You’ve gotten a lot stronger than before, haven’t you? Seems you really have awakened your powers! Luckily, I only used my Shadow Thread technique—I owe you thanks for helping me develop it!”

He formed a claw with one hand, curling his index and ring fingers while rhythmically moving his middle, thumb, and pinky fingers.

“What’s going on? Why can’t I move?” Moria’s body stiffened mid-attack, a bad feeling rising.

“This place is already laced with my threads. Your movements are completely under my control!” Doflamingo’s voice chilled.

Cold sweat broke on Moria’s brow. This was Doflamingo’s ultimate skill—the Parasite Threads. They could wrap around the opponent’s skin and manipulate their body.

Since the threads were infused with Armament Haki, Moria couldn’t use his shadow warrior’s ability to switch places with his shadow.

Under Doflamingo’s control, Moria’s massive form slowly approached Perona.

“Perona, run! Find Buffon! Don’t worry about me!” Moria shouted, struggling to resist the control.

But Perona, who regarded Moria like a father, couldn’t abandon him. She unleashed her giant Ghost—Divine Wind Bomb—attacking Doflamingo’s body.

Suddenly, Moria, controlled by the threads, moved into the bomb’s path. The explosion detonated on him just before it reached Doflamingo.

“How does it feel to be hit by your own ally, Moria?” Doflamingo licked his lips sinisterly.

Smoke rising from the blast, Moria roared with all his might: “Run, Perona! If you don’t, we’ll all perish here! Go find Buffon!”

Perona’s resolve crumbled completely. Watching the man who raised her be struck by her own attack, a helplessness overwhelmed her.

She collapsed to the ground, tears welling as she watched the battered Moria stagger toward her.

“Gahaha! You’ve already felt the pain of being attacked by comrades. Now, taste the joy of killing one yourself!”

Though Moria fought with every ounce of will to resist Doflamingo’s control, it was barely effective. He continued stumbling toward Perona under the thread’s grip.

“Run, Perona!” he shouted again.

But Perona’s large eyes, devoid of focus or strength, remained fixed on Moria.

Just as Moria’s clawed hand, tears in his eyes, reached for her face, Perona suddenly vanished.

Moria’s claw grasped empty air.

“Absalom, go find Buffon!” Moria commanded.

Doflamingo chuckled dismissively, “Oh, that invisible one? Two little pests. They can’t escape my grasp.”

He withdrew his control over Moria and prepared another attack, ready to use his pre-laid threads to capture the two escapees.

But at that moment, Moria’s long-suppressed fury erupted. Covered in Armament Haki, he charged at Doflamingo, shadow spear in hand, unwavering.