"Very good!"
"A wise man submits to the circumstances!"
Watching Moria finally behave himself, Red immediately broke into a satisfied smile.
Even though Moria had already taken the initiative to show goodwill, Red had still inexplicably beaten him half to death…
But considering that Moria wasn't exactly a good person to begin with, Red's heart was unusually calm—without the slightest trace of guilt.
Now that he had firmly seized the initiative, Red stopped beating around the bush.
"Then… it's time to get down to business."
"Hogback!"
Red suddenly called out a name no one in Moria's group had expected, then asked with unprecedented seriousness:
"Do you understand the bodily structure of marine creatures?"
"Huh?!"
Hogback, who was still immersed in the miraculous effects of Sacred Fire, froze on the spot.
Under Red's overwhelming pressure, he didn't dare hesitate for even a moment and immediately answered:
"W–Well… I'm a human surgeon. I do have some understanding of animal anatomy, but when it comes to marine creatures, I haven't studied them much."
Hogback answered honestly.
After all, marine creatures contained large amounts of seawater in their bodies and lived in the ocean—it was extremely difficult to turn them into zombies.
Naturally, he had never wasted time researching them.
However, the moment his words fell, he caught a fleeting look of disappointment in Red's eyes.
Realizing something, Hogback hurriedly changed his tune.
"Of course! Many principles in biology are interconnected!"
"With my talent, something as trivial as marine creature anatomy—!"
"Give me three days, and I'll become an expert in this field!"
Seeing the warmth return to Red's gaze, Hogback immediately patted his chest with confidence.
His sudden change in attitude left Perona and Absalom staring at him in shock.
Their dumbfounded expressions practically screamed: So this is the kind of person you are, Hogback?!
"As expected of the former genius surgeon."
At that moment, Red suddenly praised him.
By now, Moria and the others finally understood—
The Straw Hat crew's true target had always been Hogback, the once-renowned surgical genius.
But…
Moria's eyes flickered as he subconsciously pressed a hand to his chest.
Feeling the scar that had completely vanished, curiosity surged within him.
With such terrifying healing abilities already at their disposal, why would they still need Hogback!?
Doubt echoed in the minds of Moria's group.
But Red's very next sentence instantly erased all of Moria's wandering thoughts.
"Moria~"
Red suddenly looked up, smiling teasingly at the onion-headed giant beside him.
"Do you want to become stronger?"
"Do you want to return once more… to that sea that shattered your heart?"
"..."
Moria clenched his fist tightly.
From Red's earlier mockery, he already knew how much information Red had on him.
After a brief silence, he abandoned any pretense of pride and snarled through gritted teeth:
"I will… make that bastard Kaido pay the price!!!"
"With what?" Red sneered mercilessly. "Your zombie army?"
His words cruelly tore apart the last shred of Moria's dignity.
"Even we wouldn't dare act recklessly in front of one of the Four Emperors, Kaido."
"And you—who can't even fight back in front of me—"
"What gives you the right to spout nonsense about revenge against Kaido?!"
Red's eyes gleamed as he stared straight at Moria.
"Let's return to the terms of our deal, Moria."
"I will grant you new power."
"Whether it's strengthening yourselves—or creating even stronger zombies."
"And in exchange, you will become partners of the Straw Hat Pirates."
"Partners who are absolutely loyal, and who will never betray us!"
Though he called it a partnership, everyone present could hear it clearly—
Red wanted Moria to lead his entire pirate crew into submission under the Straw Hat Pirates.
Calling it a "partnership" simply sounded better than outright "subjugation."
And it made Moria more likely to accept.
Though Red had verbally shredded Moria, in his eyes, the real weakness of the Thriller Bark Pirates lay only in their combat power.
So weak that even the Five Elders couldn't stand it, ordering Donquixote Doflamingo to wipe them out.
But setting combat strength aside, the Thriller Bark Pirates were actually packed with talent.
Moria, who used shadows to mass-produce bizarre zombies.
Absalom, the Clear-Clear Fruit user capable of absolute invisibility, even blocking Observation Haki.
Perona, who two years later could fully turn into a ghost, becoming physically immune.
And Hogback—the genius doctor whose name once shook the medical world.
Though the Thriller Bark Pirates no longer had what it took to compete for supremacy, they were still a gathering of specialists.
Coincidentally, the Straw Hat Pirates were the same—a crew full of unique talents.
When specialists meet specialists, sparks are bound to fly.
...
...
In the end, Moria agreed to Red's "partnership."
Not because he was crushed by Red's overwhelming force.
But because—
[Pokémon: Moonlight · Moria][Level: 53 (70)][Gender: ♂][Nature: Lonely (+Attack −Defense)][Type: Dark / Ghost][Ability: Cursed Body (When hit by an attack, there is a chance to immobilize the opponent, preventing movement)][Moves: None][EXP: 0 / 4294]
...
[HP: 176 (243)][Attack: 171 (238)][Defense: 99 (136)][Sp. Atk: 125 (173)][Sp. Def: 120 (166)][Speed: 151 (210)][Total: 842 (1161)]
...
That's right!
After long deliberation, once Moria finally lowered his proud head, Red revealed his identity as a Trainer without any reservations.
And thus, Moria's Pokémon status screen appeared.
Unlike everyone else Red had encountered, Moria's status panel displayed both his current strength and his former peak.
"So instead of stripping stats directly, you roll back the corresponding levels when someone weakens?"
"Didn't expect you to be this humane, System."
Red praised sincerely after noticing yet another hidden feature.
This allowed him to clearly see just how terrifying someone had been at their peak.
Moria's panel even recorded his former base stats—
A total of 1161 points!
Though still over a hundred points lower than Luffy at level 65, it proved that Moria had once possessed combat power on the level of an Emperor's right-hand man.
With better mastery of his Devil Fruit back then, his younger self might truly have rivaled top-tier commanders.
Unfortunately, choosing the wrong opponent—and the collapse of his will—sent his strength spiraling downward.
Now, he probably couldn't even defeat an elite Marine Vice Admiral.
Even with a bug-level technique like Shadow's Asgard, no one would still regard him as a true powerhouse.
However…
"Restoring a fallen powerhouse to their peak seems far easier than training a new one from scratch."
Red's sharp observation immediately caught the strangest detail on Moria's panel.
The experience required for Moria to level up was far less than what Luffy and the others needed at the same level.
The system explained directly—this was a special growth mechanic reserved for former powerhouses.
Until they returned to their previous peak, they only needed half the normal experience to level up.
This made Red even more convinced that sparing Moria—and not seizing Thriller Bark by force—had been the right choice.
Without hesitation, Red selected several compatible moves from his inventory and installed them onto Moria.
"W–What's happening!?"
Feeling unfamiliar power surging through his body, Moria's face filled with shock.
What shocked him even more was this mysterious, wondrous world itself.
Only now did he truly understand what Red meant by granting him power.
Before Moria could even voice his questions, a blinding white light suddenly engulfed his vision.
The next instant, he was kicked out of the Pokémon world, his consciousness returning to reality.
Red repeated the process, one by one converting the Three Weirdos into Pokémon, opening an entirely new world for them.
...
...
At the same time.
While Red, the vice-captain, was expanding the Straw Hat Pirates' influence, Luffy—the captain—had finally beaten every zombie in the Zombie Paradise senseless, playing to his heart's content.
"Huh!? That's it already?"
Luffy raised his still-clenched fist, clearly unsatisfied.
After spending over half a month in the mist—and rarely getting chances to enter the Pokémon world—his fists had been itching for action.
These unkillable zombies were perfect for showing off his recent training results.
Unfortunately…
Even zombies get tired.
Though their bodies no longer felt pain, their minds grew exhausted instead.
Watching Luffy shout energetically, the zombies all collapsed onto the ground, pretending to be dead. Not a single one got back up.
After all, Moria's order to test the Straw Hat Pirates' strength had already been completed.
And the conclusion was—
Terrifyingly strong.
So strong it far exceeded their imagination!!!
Even without knowing Luffy's bounty or reputation, the instincts carried within their shadows told them one thing—
Luffy was absolutely among the strongest beings in the world!!!
"Alright, Luffy."
A sudden voice interrupted his fun, sounding like a savior to the zombies.
"Can't you tell they're already exhausted?"
"Spare them."
"And besides, you've been playing this whole time—Chopper hasn't even gotten a turn yet."
"I think I saw a huge Ferris wheel outside the forest. Let's go ride that!"
"Ferris wheel?!"
Hearing Usopp's words, Luffy instantly abandoned the poor zombies.
Chopper's eyes sparkled with excitement.
A Ferris wheel!
Something he'd only ever seen in books—a must-play attraction!
But just as they were about to leave the zombie-filled clearing, a lively, resolute tune drifted in from the other side of the forest.
"Yohohoho~ Yohohoho—""Yohohoho~ Yohohoho.""Bink's sake~"
"Someone's singing!?"
Luffy and the others looked up sharply toward the sound.
At the same time, the zombies lying on the ground snapped their eyes open in shock.
This song…
Many of them knew it all too well.
Years ago, a man humming this very tune had purified countless zombies, throwing all of Thriller Bark into panic.
"It's that man!!!"
Faced with a true enemy, several zombies leapt to their feet, staring toward the forest.
Just then—
A white blur shot out from the trees, moving so fast the zombies couldn't even react as it flashed past them like lightning.
In the next instant, a strange figure appeared before Luffy and the others—
A man of pure white bones, dressed in a gentleman's suit.
A clean rapier slid slowly back into its sheath, reflecting a grim skeletal face.
"Requiem · BANDOROU~!"
Clang!The sword was sheathed!
In an instant, a jet-black, soul-like substance burst from the zombies' mouths, struggling to escape.
They clutched their throats desperately, but couldn't stop it.
As the skeletal figure straightened up, the zombies collapsed one after another.
"Sugoi~!!!"
"It's a moving skeleton!!!"
"Is he a zombie too?!"
Luffy shouted excitedly upon seeing the skeleton, already swinging his fists in preparation to fight.
Thankfully, Usopp reacted in time, chopping Luffy's head with the back of his Armament Haki-coated hand.
"Idiot, Luffy!!!"
"Next time Red explains intel, could you please listen?!"
"Can't you tell already?! This guy is the one Red mentioned long ago—"
"The shadow of a bygone era, lost for nearly fifty years in the Florian Triangle!"
"And also the last surviving member of the Rumbar Pirates that Laboon has been searching for—"
"The Revive-Revive Fruit user, the musician—Brook!!!"
(End of Chapter)