Before anyone else understood who Davy Jones was referring to, Kuro had already guessed—it was the pink twin-tailed "Ghost Princess," Perona.
Indeed, aboard the Terror Ghost, they themselves embodied "terror," while Perona represented "ghosts." Just as Captain Davy Jones had said, the fit could not be more perfect.
Clang—clang—clang—
From afar, the toll of the belltower echoed across the entire Thriller Bark, announcing that midnight had arrived.
Normally, this was when the zombies were most active. But with Moria, their master, gone, the entire island had sunk into silence.
When the ringing ceased, Davy Jones recalled another of the "Shichibukai" and asked:
"Crocodile, do you know Bartholomew Kuma?"
"I do. Met him a few times." Crocodile removed the cigar from his mouth and ground it against his golden hook, a hiss of smoke rising. "He's one of the 'Seven Warlords of the Sea' as well, a Paramecia-type—wielder of the Paw-Paw Fruit."
"Paw…?" Davy Jones arched a brow at the unexpected word, finding it hard to connect with the giant he had seen earlier.
Crocodile explained simply: "He's mastered the ability fully. It's called 'Paw,' but it's closer to 'repulsion.' He can repel anything—objects, pain, even fatigue."
Kuro, Alvida, and Hachi were all taken aback. Such an ability was terrifying.
"And why bring up Kuma all of a sudden?" Crocodile asked curiously.
Before Davy Jones could answer, a calm voice carried across the graves.
"Because I am right here."
Crocodile's eyes narrowed. Looking past the shattered cemetery and the collapsed forest, he saw a massive man, towering like a mountain, shaped like a black bear.
It was Kuma.
"Crocodile. It's been a long time." Kuma's voice was, as always, slow and measured, like that of a wandering traveler. The only time tonight he had betrayed emotion was when he first realized Davy Jones was not easily dealt with.
"Tyrant Kuma… so you're here too." Crocodile raised his golden hook cautiously.
Davy Jones remained silent, watching the exchange between these two former comrades-in-title.
Crocodile had already surmised that after his scheme in Alabasta had been exposed, his status as a Warlord was doomed. He would be stripped of the title and once more hunted with a bounty.
And here, before him, Kuma stood on the opposite side.
"I came to deliver a message from Marine Headquarters to Moria. I hadn't expected that your Captain Davy Jones would already have killed him."
Hearing this, Kuro, Alvida, and Hachi realized what this meant. They were now in the presence of not one, not two, but three Warlords of the Sea gathered on a single island.
Kuma held his Bible in hand, standing a mere hundred meters away.
"You've come to announce that I'm no longer a Warlord, and that a new one has been chosen, haven't you?" Crocodile tilted his head, cracking his neck.
Kuma nodded. "Your replacement is Marshall D. Teach, known as 'Blackbeard,' the man who captured Whitebeard's second division commander, Portgas D. Ace."
"Blackbeard?" Crocodile frowned, his eyes shifting. "And who exactly is this pirate?"
"You may recall him faintly—he was once one of Whitebeard's men, until he killed a comrade and fled to build his own power."
But Crocodile shook his head. He could not place the name. "Whoever he is, he must be capable—capturing Ace isn't something just anyone can do…"
Ace had the qualifications to be named a Warlord himself. For such a man to fall… it only proved how dangerous Blackbeard was.
"The details of their fight are lost. Aside from the men present, no one knows how Blackbeard won," Kuma said evenly.
"But now the problem is this—Blackbeard has filled your seat, but Moria's seat has been left vacant once again…"
At that, Crocodile's eyes flickered.
"Kuma, why do you care whether the Warlords are full or not? One more or one less doesn't shake the balance of the seas."
"In ordinary times, true," Kuma admitted. "But now is different. I have heard Marine Headquarters intends to publicly execute Ace. Whitebeard is preparing to take him back."
"You mean to say… that old man would bring his entire force to clash with Marine Headquarters for Ace?" Crocodile sneered.
"Do you not recall Oden of Wano?" Kuma countered softly. "As fate would have it, he was once Whitebeard's second division commander as well."
"Oden?!"
At that moment, Law arrived, supporting the battered Buggy.
Because of the contract with Davy Jones, Law had managed to channel just enough power to heal most of his wounds.
Buggy, however, looked far worse. His body still bore the emergency stitches from Law, his old injuries from Water 7 yet to heal before new wounds piled on top.
Law, seeing his shadow restored and no further fighting nearby, guessed rightly that Davy Jones had already dealt with Moria. He led Buggy over.
Buggy's eyes nearly bulged out when he saw yet another Warlord—Bartholomew Kuma—standing there. When their talk turned to Kozuki Oden, his heart nearly jumped out of his chest.
Crocodile had mentioned it: Oden had once sailed with the Whitebeard Pirates, before joining the Roger Pirates.
Buggy had met him aboard Roger's ship.
After the Roger Pirates disbanded, Oden returned to Wano, attempting to drive out Kaido. But naïve as ever, he died in humiliation.
It was said the Whitebeard Pirates had wished to help him, but by the time they learned of his plight, he was already dead. They let it be, and more than twenty years passed.
But Crocodile, who once lost to Whitebeard, was all too happy to paint the old man and his crew in the worst possible light.
"If I had been the one invading Wano… or Moria, or even you—Whitebeard would never have stood by. But because his opponent was Kaido, he weighed the cost."
Crocodile smirked. "This time will be no different. Ace will meet the same fate as Oden—executed before the world. At best, the Whitebeard Pirates will put on a token fight against a few Marine branches. They won't commit their full strength."
"If they did, they'd be facing Marine Headquarters' finest, the Warlords' interference, and the threat of another Emperor stabbing them in the back. Even Whitebeard isn't senile enough to gamble everything."
But Kuma only shook his head.
"Precisely because of Oden, Whitebeard cannot let Ace fall. Otherwise, the 'bond of family' he so prizes will be exposed as hollow words."
"Besides—Marine Headquarters has already detected large-scale movements among the Whitebeard Pirates. Captains of the various divisions are leaving their territories to gather under his banner…"
The crew felt the weight of his words, like the shadow of a coming storm.
Could it be true? Would the Whitebeard Pirates really go to war with the Navy for Ace?
"No… something is off," Crocodile muttered. "There has to be another reason."
"If Sengoku knew he could bait Whitebeard simply by capturing a single commander, he'd have done it long ago. You think the Admirals can't catch one division captain? Ace must be special in some way…"
His brow furrowed. "Could it be… Ace is Whitebeard's real son?"
The words struck Buggy like a thunderbolt. His thoughts, confused until now, suddenly cleared—only to collapse again under the weight of the realization. He nearly crumpled to the ground, saved only by Law gripping his arm.
"What's wrong with you?" Law asked, concerned and puzzled. "Too much blood loss, clown boss?"
Buggy lowered his head, afraid they would see the truth on his face. He swallowed hard, shook his head, and said nothing.
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