Since the Straw Hats in the original timeline first defeated Crocodile, invaded Enies Lobby, and survived the Buster Call, it attracted significant attention from the World Government. From the moment they entered Moria’s territory, Kuma had already received his mission.
If Moria were to be defeated, he was to eliminate everyone together. The World Government could not allow two Shichibukai to be defeated by the same person. Such an outcome would utterly destroy the prestige of the Shichibukai and disgrace the World Government.
But now, things are different. The Straw Hat Pirates were merely an unremarkable crew, not worthy of much attention from the World Government. Kuma’s presence here was not to eliminate Moria but to relay special orders on behalf of the World Government.
After Fire Fist Ace was captured, the World Government ultimately decided on his execution. The public reason was to put an end to Roger’s evil bloodline. But in truth, their real motive was their growing doubts about the power dynamics in the New World.
Red-Hair secretly contacted Whitebeard and Kaido, conspiring over something unknown. Faced with their ever-expanding influence in the New World, they need to curb this trend.
By using Ace as a target, they aimed to eliminate Whitebeard and elevate the Marines’ reputation. That was their plan.
To that end, the Marines had been secretly mobilizing troops from all over the world and summoning the Shichibukai.
However, not all Shichibukai were obedient. Due to his unique circumstances, Kuma followed the World Government’s orders without question. His mission was to deliver the government’s order to Moria and bring him away.
“What does my fight have to do with you?! Killing them—what does that have to do with you?!”
“Whether I came or not, you would still end up losing to Straw Hat in the end. The outcome remains the same.”
“No, it’s different! That naïve brat—why does someone like him still get to have his companions?! The pain of loss is what he should be experiencing!”
Before Moria could finish speaking, Kuma’s hand was already placed on his forehead. The meaning was clear.
“I am here to relay the World Government’s orders regarding their future battle plans.”
“The target is Whitebeard?”
“And as for what’s happening outside… just let the news of your defeat spread.”
“Even if I hadn’t come, events would have unfolded the same way. Also, for what I am about to do, you’d better keep your mouth shut.”
“Kuma, you b*stard!”
“My time is running out. You may have heard some things… The choice is yours, but you need to understand—you are no match for me.”
Kuma’s voice remained completely emotionless, like that of a soulless robot.
According to Kuma’s agreement, there wasn’t much time left before he would be fully transformed into a mindless Pacifista. That kind of existence was essentially a special form of death. He didn’t mind using the little time he had left to do something meaningful.
After all, Luffy was Dragon’s son. If not for that, Kuma wouldn’t have gotten involved with these people at all. The only reason he was stopping Moria from harming Luffy’s crew was precisely because of this.
“There’s a Log Pose on the ship. You can go where you need to go. I still have matters to handle regarding Straw Hat.”
“Wait.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll agree to your terms, but my companions are still on the ship. I don’t know what happened to Hogback, but Absalom is definitely still alive. Bring them out, and I’ll agree to your request. Otherwise… don’t forget, I am also a Shichibukai!”
“Fine. I accept your request.”
“Deal. Whatever you do, I won’t say a word.”
It was only natural for the Shichibukai to harbor their own ulterior motives. Moria didn’t care about what Kuma was planning. As long as his own demands were met, nothing else mattered to him.
Once he calmed down, he realized that Kuma was right. That last attack had been his final shot. After that, he would likely be defeated.
After Kuma left, Moria blankly stared at his own hands. Memories of his former companions flashed before his eyes, and Luffy’s naïve smile kept replaying in his mind.
“Protecting your companions… Heh. Straw Hat, you’ll learn the pain of the New World.”
After leaving the place, Kuma conducted his own assessment of the Straw Hat crew. Though he found them strange, he concluded they were all reliable comrades before departing with peace of mind. In a way, Kuma—as a high-ranking officer—helped Luffy almost as much as a father would.
And just like that, Luffy and others found that the battle had inexplicably ended. Aside from Hercules and Zoro, no one knew what had truly happened on the island—but they kept it to themselves.
“Come to think of it, what actually happened? Why did everyone suddenly pass out?”
“No idea. I vaguely remember seeing a dark shadow.”
Nami and Usopp were discussing the strange events that had just transpired, while Luffy stood at the bow of the ship, staring blankly at the Vivre Card in his hand.
Before they left the Florian Triangle, Lola had given them a new Vivre Card, explaining that it was a special card that reflected the life force of its owner. If the card started to burn, it meant the owner was not in good condition.
Right now, he still wasn’t sure what had caused all of this.
“Heraaacross~ Heraaacross~”
“Ah, I’m fine, Hercules. I believe in Ace—he should be okay? Alright, let’s not dwell on this for now. Ace wouldn’t want me to worry about him over something like this.”
Bringing his thoughts back to the ship, Luffy looked toward their new companion, Brook, who was also analyzing the so-called mysterious shadow.
“Yohohoho, quite an interesting guess! But speaking of which, during those two years, I also encountered a strange shadow once. It might have been a messenger from the underworld, you know.”
“A messenger from the underworld?!”
“Yes, it gave me quite the fright! That shadow suddenly appeared beside me and asked where the underworld was. But unfortunately, I had no idea where that place was.”
“It didn’t believe me at first, so it made me have a nightmare before leaving.”
When it came to telling ghost stories, Brook had quite the talent. At the very least, he had managed to terrify Nami and Chopper.
“Wait… does the underworld really have messengers?”
“I don’t know, but it definitely wasn’t that guy. Brook, the shadow you saw—was it someone with white hair, only showing one eye?”
“That’s right! And it had no legs… Wait, you’ve seen him before?”
“Yeah, I saw him once. That guy has been searching for the underworld for a long time. Back then, he even asked me for directions—guess he got lost.”
“If I knew where that place was, I’d actually want to go check it out.”
“…”
The terrifying atmosphere that Brook had built up instantly disappeared. Someone asking Zoro for directions?
Chopper and Nami exchanged a look—if nothing unexpected happens, they probably won’t ever encounter that person in their lifetime.
The Straw Hat crew continued their voyage as Kuma and Moria departed, heading toward Mariejois.
Meanwhile, on Amazon Lily, Boa Hancock had just refused the summons she received over the Den Den Mushi.
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