"As expected of the Sea King, this ability is indeed extremely useful..." Moria exclaimed, referring to Sig who had increased the speed of Thriller Bark by several knots.
Sig ordered a number of small and medium-sized Sea King to come, which, through dragging and pulling, increased the speed of the Thriller Bark.
Moria knew little about the Ancient Weapon, so he easily accepted the premise that "Sig is Sea King."
"At this speed, it will probably take about a month to sail before we leave the Calm Belt. During this time, I think we should be more open and honest," Sig said frankly.
In reality, the Thriller Bark is still not as fast Red Force. The ship is simply too big, making it very cumbersome to sail in the Calm Belt.
"Oh? What else do you want to know? According to the contract... I should only need to answer questions related to our 'common purpose'," Moria emphasized.
At this point, he realized that it would be difficult for him to deceive Sig, so he did not deny the fact that he had concealed many things.
"Of course, I'm confirming... what will happen after we arrive at Mayo Island! The people who are cooperating with you... no, the people who hired you, is the World Government, right? That means there should be CP9, or even CP0, people cooperating with us on Mayo Island, right?" Sig asked directly.
Moria paused upon hearing this. Even setting aside any emotional fluctuations, Moria's expression alone proved that Sig was right!
In fact, this was easy to guess, because when Sig mentioned that "Captain Moria really went to great lengths to make such a large ship sail in the Calm Belt," Moria responded by saying, "Sailing in the Calm Belt is nothing; in the future, we will take this ship across the Red Line Continent and back to the first half of the continent to rebuild our strength."
Sig's intention was to satirize Moria for going to such lengths to create so many zombies just to power Thriller Bark, and Moria didn't intend to reveal much more information.
However, considering the information about Moria ten years later in the original work, Sig still guessed many things...
Coating Thriller Bark is no small project; it requires not only a large amount of manpower and resources but also technical support, and there are very few forces that can provide these— the World Government is definitely one of them!
The World Government's official coating factory on the Red Line Continent is capable of handling such a large job...
Furthermore, given the subsequent development of the original work, Moria will become one of the "Shichibukai," which indirectly indicates that he will align himself with the World Government.
In addition, there are now a large number of navy personnel on the ship who have been imprisoned by Moria and Deprivation of their shadows. When the owner of a shadow dies, the shadow will also perish. Therefore, while using shadows and enslaving zombies, Moria also needs to ensure that the owner of the shadow is alive for the time being!
Therefore, it is clear that Moria's next partner will not be the Navy; otherwise, such an action would only cause him trouble.
Aside from the Navy, the World Government's main fighting force comes from the Cipher Pol. Given Captain John's status, it would have to be at least CP9, or more likely CP0.
The Cipher Pol is the true "dog" of the World Government; in their eyes, the Navy is nothing more than "their master's weapon."
The capture of a few branch naval units is insignificant compared to the success or failure of the mission, and even if Moria's actions are discovered, it will not matter.
"That's right..." Moria admitted, and emphasized, "But their target is Captain John, so even if you're wanted, it won't harm you."
Sig didn't reveal his true intentions either—hiding them before was simply because Moria wanted to devour one enemy after another.
The "contract" only binds the Red-Hair Pirates, represented by Sig, and the Moonlight Pirates; it does not include matters between the Red-Hair Pirates and the World Government.
"My feud with the World Government goes far beyond just being wanted," Sig emphasized.
Moria naturally interpreted this as Sig being worried that the World Government would be wary of and target him because of his "Sea King" identity.
Sig then raised his hand, and the contract appeared out of thin air, hovering in his palm. "I think that as an extension of the second clause, a supplementary clause should be added... When I act with you, I will conceal my identity, and you and your subordinates must not reveal this."
Seeing that Sig was already wary, and after learning that Sig was "Sea King," Moria became even more eager to use Sig, so he nodded in agreement.
With the second point in mind, and Sig's own objectives, Moria wasn't worried that he wouldn't put in the effort to conceal his identity.
This clause automatically appeared in the contract after Moria agreed.
"But how will you conceal your identity? Do you need help? I can help you place your shadow on another body... Of course, as an ally, I won't control your shadow!" Moria asked expectantly.
It's true that he can't control it, but... if the shadow is transplanted, Moria's room for manipulation will be enormous.
"No need... but for our shared goal later, sparring together is still possible." Sig said, cracking his knuckles.
Upon hearing this, Moria felt a slight unease, but quickly retorted angrily, "This is a good opportunity to teach you a lesson on what it means to respect your elders!"
Sig didn't know what he was angry about; he genuinely wanted to spar.
Then, the Spotted Salamander on Sig's shoulder instantly "melted," forming a black cloak that wrapped around Sig. When the cloak unfolded, the figure wearing a navy blue double-breasted coat underneath looked considerably slimmer than the previous "Fish-Man."
With the blindfold and face mask on, it's impossible to tell that it's Sig himself...
"This is... an item that has been eaten by Devil Fruit? I see..." Moria suddenly realized that Sig's "contract" ability was also an effect produced by some kind of item.
However, Moria's expression immediately darkened, and he asked solemnly, "You have... Mythical Zoan Vampire Fruit?"
Moria may have also seen a version of the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia and had some understanding of fruits that overlap with the "Shadow-Shadow Fruit" in terms of ability.
The Shadow-Shadow Fruit allows the user to manipulate shadow power, which extends to the level of the soul. The Vampire Fruit, controls Blood Power and shadow power, but does not involve the soul. However, the two fruits overlap in their shadow power.
Then Moria realized—this must be why he was slightly distracted when he used "Shadow Warrior" to move while teaching the kid a lesson.
Sig sensed that Moria seemed to have misunderstood many things, but he didn't intend to correct him...
The idea of a "sparring match" wasn't Sig's way of establishing his authority; it had a much more significant meaning. For a "Polymath," sparring with Devil Fruit ability was extremely valuable, especially the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, which overlapped with his Paths of the Divine Devil Fruit ability!
Not just the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, but also the Soul-Soul Fruit and the Clear-Clear Fruit... Sig doesn't intend to let Hogback's medical skills go unnoticed either, after all, having more skills is never a bad thing...