Chapter 121: The Arrangements

Buffon quickly made his way onto the deck. When he saw Perona standing dazed on the ship opposite, he instinctively realized that something must have happened to Moria.

Before the ships had even drawn fully alongside one another, Buffon leaped into the sea and swiftly swam toward Absalom’s ship.

The moment he came aboard, Absalom said anxiously, “Buffon, Lord Moria has been captured by Doflamingo.”

“What? It was Doflamingo?” The name clearly took Buffon by surprise. He had assumed the Marines were responsible. Even among the Seven Warlords, Doflamingo was the last person he would have expected.

Moreover, the speed with which everything had happened had completely disrupted his plans.

“How did you escape? Did Doflamingo tell you to pass any message on to me?” Buffon asked rapidly.

Before Absalom could answer, Perona threw herself into Buffon’s arms. Sobbing, she said, “Brother Buffon, please hurry and save Lord Moria! He stayed behind to hold off Doflamingo so that Absalom and I could escape.”

Hearing this, Buffon could more or less reconstruct the scene in his mind.

Doflamingo had probably attacked Perona, after which Absalom had used his Devil Fruit ability to make her invisible. Once Moria’s potential had been forced out, he had blocked Doflamingo’s pursuit.

At this thought, Buffon patted Perona’s head and said calmly, “Don’t worry. I will definitely bring Moria back.”

Only then did Absalom continue. “I used my invisibility to get Perona out of there. As for what Doflamingo intends to do next, I have no idea.”

“Was this an order from the Marines, or did Doflamingo act on his own?” Buffon continued, “Before you encountered Doflamingo, had the Marines contacted Moria?”

Perona thought for a moment, wiped away her tears, and answered seriously, “Marine Headquarters did contact Lord Moria and asked him to attend a meeting there. But we didn’t go. Lord Moria said that if the Marines took control of him, all your plans afterward would be placed at a disadvantage.”

A warm feeling rose in Buffon’s heart. Whatever else might be said about Moria’s strength, when it came to his crew and his brothers, he was beyond reproach.

For that alone, Buffon had to rescue him.

“What is the situation on Thriller Bark now?” Buffon asked calmly.

“Hogback and Ryuma stayed behind to guard the ship. Lord Moria and I came out this time because we wanted to capture more powerful shadows and bring them back, strengthening the zombie army so that we could face the Marines and the World Government together.”

After hearing Absalom out, Buffon said, “Absalom, continue gathering information. Don’t overlook anything related to Doflamingo. Be careful, and stay in contact with us at all times.”

With that, Buffon pulled Absalom’s hand toward him, took a clipping of his fingernail, and made a vivre card from it.

He regretted not having made a vivre card for Moria before setting out to sea. Perhaps, if he had, this situation would never have occurred.

He also tore off a piece of his own vivre card and handed it to Absalom.

“If something happens to me, do only what you can.”

Absalom solemnly nodded.

Before, his gratitude toward Buffon had mainly come from the way Buffon had strengthened his body. But now, he regarded Buffon as a brother to whom he could entrust his life and death.

At that moment, the Juventus drew alongside them.

Seeing Perona and Absalom, Saul immediately called out, “Little Perona, what happened? Where is Moria?”

“Moria has been captured by Doflamingo!”

As soon as Buffon spoke those words, everyone aboard the Juventus fell silent.

“Absalom, go on ahead. If we receive any news, I’ll let you know as well.”

Absalom nodded, turned his ship around, and departed.

Once they were back aboard their own ship, Buffon gave Perona a shot of hormones, sending her into a deep sleep.

She had probably barely closed her eyes during the entire journey. Now she needed to rest properly. The rest of the matter was something he, as her elder brother, would handle.

Buffon summoned everyone aboard and held a meeting to discuss their next move. After analyzing the situation for most of the day, they narrowed down several possibilities.

The destinations were Enies Lobby, Impel Down, Marine Headquarters, and Doflamingo’s stronghold, the Kingdom of Dressrosa.

“All of those places lie along our route anyway,” Buffon said, making his decision. “Since we have no definite target, we’ll head in that direction. First, we’ll go to the Florian Triangle and bring Thriller Bark out of there.”

Rescuing Moria would likely lead to a large-scale confrontation with the Marines.

In that case, Thriller Bark’s zombie army would be a considerable asset. Before, Buffon might not have been confident in getting Thriller Bark out of the Florian Triangle.

But now that several giants had joined them, moving the ship out of those waters no longer seemed difficult.

Two days later, the Juventus arrived at Long Ring Long Land.

Brook had lived up to everyone’s trust. Not only had he taken control of the island, but he had also gained a group of subordinates.

They were the Foxy Pirates, who had occupied Long Ring Long Land for a long time.

Buffon did not think much of the crew’s combat strength. Their intelligence and abilities were laughably mismatched.

After drawing some blood from Foxy, Buffon simply tossed him back onto his ship and told him to leave at once rather than remain there and get in the way.

When Brook saw Laboon again, he lost the ability to speak.

Embracing the whale’s enormous head, he began to weep. “Laboon, I can’t believe you’ve grown so big in the fifty years since we parted. And you actually waited there for us all this time. You must have suffered terribly, haven’t you?”

Bon Clay stepped forward and displayed the images stored in his mind—pictures of Laboon’s head covered in savage wounds.

Seeing them, Brook grew even more distraught. “I’m sorry, Laboon. We underestimated the dangers of the Grand Line. From now on, we’ll never be separated again. All right?”

With Apis translating for him, Laboon nodded in an astonishingly human manner.

Brook then stood up and said earnestly to Buffon, “Captain Buffon, please allow me to join the Juventus Pirates. You are the savior I have always dreamed of!”

This time, Buffon did not refuse. He nodded and replied, “Very well. In that case, Long Ring Long Land will be entrusted to you. It will become our base for living and development in the future, so you must protect it well.”

He then turned to Vivi. “Vivi, you and Apis will stay here. Manage and develop the island while gathering every piece of information you can about the Marines, Doflamingo, and Moria. I’ll take the others to Thriller Bark and bring the entire zombie army back.”

Although Vivi was somewhat reluctant, she still nodded seriously.

“All right, Captain Buffon. Don’t worry. I’ll complete the task you’ve given me.”

After saying that, Buffon thought for a moment before turning to Baggio. “Baggio, you stay here too, in case any powerful pirates appear. If that female swordswoman finds this place, don’t provoke her. I’m her only target. She won’t make things too difficult for you.”

Baggio nodded, drew Shusui from his waist, and handed it to Buffon. “Take this to Ryuma. He should need it.”

Buffon accepted Shusui and nodded before calling the others aboard and continuing their voyage.

Laboon naturally remained behind with Brook and the others to protect Long Ring Long Land, along with the family of three Millennium Dragons and the Panda Man.

…

At that moment, at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku and Staff Officer Tsuru stared at Doflamingo and the captured Moria, unsure what to say.

Sengoku knew that Moria was unlikely to betray Buffon and that Buffon would probably come to rescue him. But Doflamingo’s unauthorized action had still left Sengoku in an awkward position.

“Doflamingo, have you gone too far in disregarding the Marines? Now that you’ve captured Moria like this, who is going to fill the vacant position among the Seven Warlords?

“And how are the World Government and the Marines supposed to announce Moria’s crimes to the people of the world after what you’ve done?”

Faced with Sengoku’s questioning, Doflamingo replied indifferently, “Those are problems for you and the Five Elders to consider. Moria is here, and I refuse to believe Buffon won’t come to rescue him.

“As for whether you want to send him to Impel Down first or execute him publicly, that decision is yours. When Buffon comes, I’ll personally capture him.”

Hearing this, Staff Officer Tsuru said unhappily, “You probably haven’t heard about Buffon’s latest achievements. Beneath Reverse Mountain, Kizaru, Aokiji, and Snow Colt of CP0 were all unable to capture him.

“Shanks was present at the time, certainly, but that only proves how great Buffon’s current strength and influence are. He has already had dealings with Whitebeard’s side. If this turns into a real battle, the Red-Haired and Whitebeard Pirates may attack together. Even if the Marines ultimately prevail, it will be a bitter victory, and we will have to pay a tremendous price.”

Despite Tsuru’s doubts, Doflamingo remained unconcerned.

“Then how do you intend to carry out the Five Elders’ order? Have several Admirals continue pursuing him, or issue a Buster Call? Neither of those options seems capable of posing much of a threat to Buffon.

“This is the only way to make him walk into the trap himself. Whether the battle takes place in Impel Down or ultimately at Marine Headquarters, the Marines will have ample time to deploy their forces and prepare.

“Besides, Buffon’s relationship with Whitebeard and Shanks isn’t deep enough to make either of them send their entire forces for his sake. And the person who needs rescuing isn’t Buffon himself. It’s Moria.”

After hearing Doflamingo’s argument, Tsuru fell into thought as well.

A moment later, she said to Sengoku, “The only thing we can do now is temporarily suppress the information. No one can be allowed to know where Moria is. As for the specific arrangements, let the Five Elders decide.

“Call Borsalino and Kuzan back. As for Snow Colt, let her continue the pursuit if she wishes, but keep an eye on her in case Buffon launches a sudden attack.”

Faced with the words of the Marines’ Chief of Staff, Sengoku nodded.

“If we’re going to send Moria to Impel Down, Magellan alone probably won’t be enough.”