"A deal!?"
Under Red's direct gaze, Moria felt a wave of discomfort wash over his entire body.
Even someone like Moria—who had long since lost the heart of a true powerhouse—still hated the feeling of being led around by the nose.
But the rise of the Straw Hat Pirates had been far too sudden. All available intelligence about them was riddled with unknowns.
Even as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Moria did not dare act rashly at this moment.
"Kishihihihi…" Moria let out a low, eerie laugh, trying to ease the tension in his heart.
And only now did he finally confirm something—
The Straw Hat Pirates truly knew their information!And this time, they had very likely come specifically for them!
"It seems you're not here for sightseeing after all~"
"As such…" Moria's bloated body suddenly shifted aside as he smiled at Red and the others."Why don't you all move to my castle, and we can discuss things in detail there?"
"Fihihihihihi~"
Feigning calm, Moria took the lead and guided Red and the others deeper into Thriller Bark.
Watching the Straw Hat members—each carrying an extraordinary presence, as if they had never once taken this place seriously—the Three Weirdos swallowed nervously.
After exchanging glances, the three of them hurriedly followed along.
...
...
"Wahahahaha!!!"
"Interesting! Interesting! This is way too interesting!!!"
"These guys really don't go down no matter how hard you hit them! That's amazing!"
Within the gloomy, terrifying forest, a burst of hearty laughter completely out of place echoed through the sky above, making the area feel even more eerie.
"Hey, Luffy! Take it easy!!!"
"They're just hard to kill, not actually invincible!"
"You can tell at a glance you didn't read the intel Red sent you!"
Riding atop a massive rhinoceros beetle, Usopp kept one hand cautiously on his Green Vine Grapple Device while nagging Luffy ahead of him like an overprotective nanny.
All around them lay piles of zombie "corpses"!
Without even thinking, it was obvious—this was entirely Luffy's handiwork.
"That's awesome, Luffy!"
At the same time, Chopper stood beneath a freshly made sign labeled [Spinning Clash Arena], cheering loudly for Luffy.
Next to the sign was a description of how the "ride" worked.
Simply put, one person stood on a continuously rotating platform, constantly facing incoming zombies in combat.
Though it was advertised as "entertainment," Usopp—who already knew Moria's abilities from Red—immediately saw through it.
This was Moria's way of testing their strength.
Because the zombies appearing near the attraction were already far beyond anything that could be called a "theme park"!
"That boar zombie's strength has to be beyond a Marine Rear Admiral, right!?"
"And that pirate holding a bottle—his aura doesn't look ordinary either."
Watching the powerful zombies numbered between 800 and 899 closing in on Luffy, a glint of anticipation flashed through Usopp's eyes.
"If that's the case… Red's idea might actually come true~"
He muttered softly.
The next moment, screams rang out one after another atop the platform.
No matter how exceptional the Zombie Generals were, in front of the current Luffy, they were no different from Marine fodder.
Suddenly, Usopp's ears twitched.
Instinctively, he turned his head—and saw a strange figure flapping bat wings in panic, flying out of the forest toward the distant castle.
...
...
Half an hour later.
Inside the castle, the Straw Hat crew sat around a massive rectangular conference table.
Opposite them sat the tense and restrained Three Weirdos.
As the master of the castle, Moria naturally occupied the seat of honor.
Several small winged zombies flew over to pour tea for everyone.
"Then… let's continue our previous topic."
Perhaps being on his home turf helped—Moria's heart, which had been shaken by Red's Conqueror's Haki, finally calmed somewhat.
The confidence of a powerhouse returned to his face.
But when Moria looked back at the Straw Hats, he was surprised to find that very few of them were actually paying attention to him.
From the moment they entered the castle, Zoro and Sanji's gazes had never left Perona.
One hoped to use her Devil Fruit ability to comprehend ghost-type power.
The other was still savoring the memory of those adorable strawberry-bear-patterned panties, his nose threatening to burst into a nosebleed.
Robin and Nami, meanwhile, were busy surveying the interior of the castle.
One seemed to be uncovering intriguing hidden history from the castle's details, while the other's eyes sparkled as she scanned every concealed corner, searching for mechanisms hiding treasure.
As for Franky—who had only recently joined the crew—he hadn't taken his eyes off Absalom for a single moment.
As a fellow cyborg, Franky was clearly fascinated by some of Absalom's internal constructions.
His eerie stare made Absalom's hair stand on end.
"The terms of the deal are very simple."
At that moment, Red's voice cut through everyone's thoughts, drawing all attention to him.
He smiled lightly, raised his head, and met Moria's gaze with deep, unfathomable eyes—only to abruptly change the subject.
"But before that, there's something more important I'd like to ask first…"
"Gecko Moria, you do understand that in front of the Straw Hat Pirates, you're nothing more than an ant that could be crushed at any moment…"
"That fact… you know it, don't you?"
Hoo—
A cold gust of wind slipped through the stone-stacked window, causing the candle flames above the table to flicker.
Light and shadow alternated rapidly, and the atmosphere in the room turned icy in an instant.
Yet Red seemed utterly unfazed. Before Moria could react, he continued calmly.
"To be honest with you~"
"In the entire Thriller Bark Pirates, there's only one person who's ever caught our interest."
"And that person… is not you, Moria."
Crack!
The stone-supported tabletop was suddenly crushed by a sharp, clawed hand.
After Red revealed his true colors, Moria suppressed his rage and forced his voice out through clenched teeth, glaring at Red.
"Oh!? Then I'd really like to know… which of my subordinates could possibly catch the eye of a pirate like you!?"
"Heh. No need for that sarcastic tone, Moria."
"The fact that you've endured this long already proves you're well aware of the gap between our crews!"
Red sat upright on the bench, his presence continuously condensing as he offered a "kind" reminder.
"Since you've endured this far, you might as well endure a little longer."
A terrifying mental shockwave erupted from him like a god's hand, seizing the black bat before him and locking it completely in place!
This time, to ensure Moria listened calmly, Red unleashed his full power.
Pressure + Conqueror's Haki + Psychic Power—mental impact.
The fusion of three forces instantly crushed Moria's rising fury.
Boom!!!
The sturdy chair shattered, sending Moria's massive body crashing onto the floor.
Only then did Red slowly stand up, walking step by step toward Moria under the terrified gazes of the Three Weirdos.
Though Moria was still far taller even while seated on the floor, he inexplicably felt as though a pair of supreme eyes were looking down on him from above.
"Moria, as long as you haven't forgotten what the New World is like, you should be very clear…"
"With your crew's current strength, returning to those seas is utterly impossible."
"Zombie armies. Immortality."
"As a Shadow-Shadow Fruit user, you should know better than anyone that it's all nonsense."
"Look at yourself now… you don't even have the courage to stand under my Conqueror's Haki…"
"Someone like you has long since lost the qualification to dominate this sea!"
"You've just been refusing to face it."
Red's tone was calm and indifferent—but to Moria, it felt like a Category 12 hurricane tearing through his soul.
"Bastard!!! What are you talking about!?"
Moria's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, veins bulging as he glared at Red.
In the next instant, a jet-black shadow shot out from beneath him, lunging toward Red like a solid entity.
But before it could land, Red vanished in a flash and stomped directly onto Moria's chest.
A terrifying force erupted from his foot, which had transformed into a bird's talon, crushing Moria completely into the ground.
The next moment, boundless lightning exploded, engulfing Moria's entire body.
"AAAH!!!"
A miserable scream echoed throughout the castle, so agonizing that even the zombies curled up in fear.
A former Seven Warlord of the Sea—someone who once clashed with Kaido—after more than twenty years of decay, now performed worse than rookie pirates.
Before even using Shadow's Asgard, his current strength might not have been enough to defeat Monster Point Chopper!
He was simply… too weak!!!
Fortunately, Red's attack was meant only as intimidation—not execution.
Moments later, he withdrew the lightning, returning to normal.
Moria, his body charred and battered, lay on the ground gasping for breath.
Cruel as it was, this was the true way the world worked.
Even someone as arrogant as Donquixote Doflamingo willingly served as Kaido's subordinate.
Publicly they called it cooperation—but everyone knew it was domination.
Red didn't demand absolute loyalty from Moria.
He only needed Moria to understand that destroying him would be as easy as killing a stray dog—and that he should harbor no delusions.
Crush his final shred of dignity with words, then obliterate him with absolute power—
A double blow to mind and body, engraving the Straw Hat Pirates' mark deep into Moria's soul.
Of course, Red also understood the principle of giving a sweet date after the slap.
And conveniently enough… he had plenty of sweet dates~!
Step!
Red leapt off Moria and flicked his hand, releasing a divine flame brimming with vitality.
Whooom!!!
The fire instantly enveloped Moria.
At that sight, the Three Weirdos could no longer remain seated and sprang to their feet.
"Lord Moria!!!"
They immediately assumed combat stances, fear and fury burning in their eyes as they faced the Straw Hats.
But at that moment, Hogback—who had silently stepped back to shield Perona and Absalom—suddenly shouted:
"Wait! Something's not right!!!"
As he spoke, he boldly rushed forward to Moria's side.
Under his gaze, the charred wounds caused by lightning were healing at a speed so terrifying it left even a doctor like him stunned.
In less than a minute, the unconscious Moria woke up.
"Damn you bastards!!!"
He roared the instant his eyes opened—
But the next second, sensing something strange, his voice abruptly cut off.
Still wrapped in flames, Moria stood up in confusion, patting his body.
To his shock, every old injury from his youth had vanished.
Even the massive scar Kaido had left on him was completely gone.
"Now, I think you know what kind of attitude you should take when speaking with us, right?"
Tap~
Using Psychic Power, Red slid his chair into the seat of honor, taking the place Moria once occupied.
The divine flames slowly faded away.
Moria gestured for his subordinates to stand down, then silently sat in Absalom's former seat—
The first seat to the left of the throne.
Without saying a word, his actions spoke volumes.
Even if he didn't want to admit it—
In strength, intelligence, and methods…
The three most important factors on the sea—all were far beyond Moria's understanding in Red's hands.
And that was more than enough to erase any hostile thoughts.
After all, if one could live… no one would choose death.
(End of Chapter)