"Lord Gecko Moria, have you been staying here in Marine Headquarters all this time?"
Inside the Shichibukai Dormitory, Perona floated behind Moria, holding her red umbrella. She pouted as she glanced around the room, her cheeks puffing out in dissatisfaction. "The Marines are so stingy! How could they make Lord Moria stay in a place like this?"
Walking into the dormitory right after her, Absalom looked around and chimed in, "It is a bit cramped, especially this bed. There's barely enough room to turn over!"
"Kehehehe! You should be grateful just to be alive~"
Moria sat by the window, his tone unusually serious. "From now on, I'll be following Fleet Admiral Xayuki. You both must restrain yourselves and comply with the Marines' arrangements. Most likely, we'll soon be formally integrated into the Marines, which means we will no longer be pirates but part of Fleet Admiral Xayuki's forces!"
"Don't feel disheartened. It's an honor to serve under Fleet Admiral Xayuki!"
"From the moment we arrived at Headquarters to the time we returned from the East Blue, I've seen enough to understand what's happening. I don't know how Crocodile or the others feel, but it's clear to me: moving forward, there will only be one ruler of the Grand Line, and that is Fleet Admiral Xayuki and his Marines."
Hearing this, Perona giggled. "Horo-horo-horo… As long as I can stay with Lord Moria, I don't care if I'm a pirate or a Marine."
Moria turned to Perona, speaking like a concerned father, "Perona, you can't act as recklessly here in Marine Headquarters as you did on Thriller Bark. Back then, I could protect you, but now, just like you, I must abide by the Marines' rules and regulations!"
"Got it~" Perona nodded obediently. Then, floating in front of Moria, she asked curiously, "Lord Moria, what kind of man is this Fleet Admiral? Is he... cute?"
"C-cute?!" Moria's eyes widened in disbelief. He exclaimed, "My dear girl, you can't describe the Fleet Admiral as 'cute'! He's a man who holds absolute power over the Marines, a strong and domineering leader who even forced the World Government to make concessions. Not just now—go back five hundred years if you must, and you still won't find anyone who can compare to him! Otherwise, do you think someone like Crocodile, that ambitious schemer, or Donquixote Doflamingo, the arrogant Heavenly Yaksha, or even the ever-independent Hawkeye Mihawk would bow to him?"
"Most importantly, during the coup, he used various means to secure the loyalty of the Three Admirals. The entirety of Marine Headquarters now sees him as their sole leader. And you're calling someone like that... cute?"
Perona tilted her head, her large eyes blinking. "He sounds really impressive. Tomorrow, I'm going to find him and play with him."
"???"
Moria's face twitched violently, and a string of question marks seemed to pop up above his head.
Next Door—
Crocodile sat on his bed, a cigar between his lips. His sharp eyes scanned the Baroque Works members standing neatly before him, finally settling on a young girl sitting cross-legged on the floor, munching on rice crackers.
The girl, with her dark red twin-tails, large, bright eyes, and a pink wide-brimmed hat, exuded an innocent charm. She was none other than Miss Goldenweek, real name Marianne. Despite being only ten years old, her ability to manipulate emotions using paint palettes made her nearly unbeatable, which was why Crocodile had brought her from the North Blue to the Grand Line.
Marianne, unfazed by the situation, continued to leisurely munch on her rice crackers.
"Crocodile, is Baroque Works disbanding?"
Breaking the silence, a burly man standing at the edge of the group frowned slightly and asked in a calm tone, "We all saw the live broadcast of Whitebeard Jr.'s execution. We know that if you hadn't bowed to the Fleet Admiral at that moment, you might have been the next to fall. So, I believe everyone understands your decision back then."
"Of course, we also trust that you have other plans for us moving forward."
The man was Daz Bonez, codename Mr. 1, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user with the power of the Dice-Dice Fruit. Once a renowned assassin from the West Blue, he had joined Baroque Works half a year ago after learning that the person recruiting him was Crocodile, a man who had once challenged the world's strongest and earned respect despite his defeat.
Crocodile narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over Bonez, Marianne, and the others.
Baroque Works had been established less than half a year ago. Aside from Crocodile and Nico Robin, the group consisted of only five members: Marianne (Miss Goldenweek), Bonez (Mr. 1), Bonez's partner Zala (Miss Doublefinger), Bon Clay (Mr. 2), and Galdino (Mr. 3).
After a moment of silence, Crocodile took a deep drag from his cigar, then stood up decisively. "Baroque Works is hereby disbanded. From now on, I am no longer your president, and you no longer need to use your codenames. However, if you wish to continue following me, I believe Fleet Admiral Xayuki will allow you to stay by my side."
"There's no point in saying more!"
After a brief pause, Crocodile glanced at each of them again before continuing, "I'll tell you this: Fleet Admiral Xayuki is planning to form a special unit to search for Laugh Tale. If I'm correct, the members of this unit will be selected from Baroque Works, the Donquixote Family, and Moria's subordinates!"
"As for who will lead this unit, the captain will likely be chosen from among the former Shichibukai."
The mention of a special unit to search for Laugh Tale immediately lit up the eyes of everyone present.
For pirates in the Grand Line, few could resist the allure of Laugh Tale.
Meanwhile—
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Nico Robin followed Ain and Xayuki, her heart inexplicably racing. When Xayuki sat down at his desk, Robin's nerves reached their peak.
It wasn't that she was timid—far from it. But her unique background made her particularly wary. She now stood in the office of the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, the organization that had once destroyed her homeland of Ohara with the Buster Call.
She had been only eight years old when her home was engulfed in flames and reduced to ashes.
Her painful past, marked by separation, bloodshed, and fire, had left her with a deep-seated fear of the Marines, especially the CP9 agents who had relentlessly pursued her over the years.
If not for the fact that Xayuki had risen to power through a coup and forced the World Government to sign The Marijoa Treaty, she would never have taken the risk of coming here. For someone like her, who had been branded with a 79 million Belly bounty at the age of eight, following a Marine Vice Admiral to Marineford was akin to walking into a trap.
Seated at his desk, Xayuki pulled a file from a drawer and looked up at Robin. His warm smile was disarming as he said, "This is your file and bounty record. Of course, this is just the one held by Marine Headquarters. Another copy is with Spandine, the head of CP9. But since Spandine has some history with me, the World Government made him a scapegoat and executed him to settle the matter. This means that once I burn this file, not only will your bounty disappear, but all those baseless charges against you will vanish as well."
Before Robin could react, Xayuki lit the file with a lighter and tossed it into a nearby brazier.
Robin's eyes widened in shock. She hadn't expected Xayuki to destroy the file so decisively. It wasn't until the file was reduced to ashes that she regained her composure and cautiously asked, "Fleet Admiral Xayuki, what does this mean?"
"I need your expertise."
Xayuki didn't mince words. "Once the New World is stabilized, I plan to form a special unit to search for Laugh Tale. To find it, I'll need someone who can read the Poneglyphs."
"This isn't a request—it's a directive. Prepare yourself for what's to come."
"That's all. You may leave now."
Picking up a document from his desk, Xayuki added, "Ain, arrange a private dormitory for Robin."
"Yes, sir." Ain nodded and gestured for Robin to follow her.
Robin cast a complicated glance at the ashes of her file. Though she had many questions, seeing Xayuki engrossed in his paperwork, she dared not interrupt. Silently, she followed Ain out of the office.
Just as they stepped through the door, Xayuki's voice came from behind.
"Robin, don't overthink things."
"There's no such thing as someone who's destined to be alone forever."
"If you stay in Marineford, this place will be your safest harbor."
The sudden words struck Robin like a bolt of lightning. She froze in place, her mind reeling.
It took several seconds for her to regain her composure. Turning back, she stared at the young Fleet Admiral seated at his desk, her wide eyes filled with disbelief.
The words echoed in her ears: "There's no such thing as someone who's destined to be alone forever."
Years ago, her dearest friend, who had sacrificed everything to save her, had said the same thing, urging her to believe that she would one day find companions who would protect her.
Now, after all these years, she hadn't expected to hear those words again—from the Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters, no less. End of today's chapters. More updates tomorrow.
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