Anger of the Five Elders, a Double Loss

In the Holy Land Mariejois, in the highest chamber of power, five old men sat in their seats with somber expressions.

They waited for news of the bear, but unfortunately, a day passed and the bear still hadn't returned.

"What's going on with this bear?" Saint Nusjuro asked. "A whole day has passed, why hasn't it made a move yet?"

Not only have they not returned, but they haven't been contacted via Den Den Mushi either. What does this mean?

Could he have been killed?

No way... that's a bear!

"Perhaps... the battle isn't over yet?" Saint Peter guessed.

"How is that possible?" Saint Nusjuro retorted, "We know how strong Kuma is. How could the Straw Hat Pirates, who have just gone through a major battle, fight him for an entire day?"

That's a bit of a stretch.

Let's set aside the Straw Hat Pirates' condition after their battle with Moria.

Take the bear's Devil Fruit for example, it's a god-level fruit that originated from them – the Paw- Paw-Paw Fruit!

This Devil Fruit practically makes Kuma invincible.

"That's true."

Saint Saturn nodded in agreement with Saint Nusjuro's statement.

The reason that Ninja Kid was able to defeat the Buster Call was mainly because he was at sea.

However, if they were to fight a bear on land, the opponent would be no match for it; that guy is no incompetent navy officer.

"Then... could it be a bear...?"

"Then that's even more impossible." Saint Nusjuro and said, "Just considering his daughter alone, he couldn't possibly betray us."

In order to save his daughter, Xiong willingly accepted the World Government's modifications and was transformed into a humanoid weapon.

The other party is well aware of the consequences if he were to defect.

"That's true..."

"Speaking of which, his daughter has recently run off to sea too," said Saint Vowchuri. "What a reckless little brat."

"This proves the other person is healed, doesn't it?"

"Yes, that's true."

"As long as that brat doesn't bother us, let her go be a pirate if she likes to go to sea," Saint Mars said calmly.

As for the Wanted Order on the other side?

That was just a symbolic bounty; neither the World Government nor the Navy would actively attempt to capture the little girl.

As for the other pirates...

If he were killed by other pirates, it would only mean that it was their fate.

"Speaking of which, you did experiments on that little girl, didn't you?" Saint Nusjuro said, glancing at Saint Saturn.

"Yes," Saint Saturn nodded, "It's a good opportunity to test her abilities and see how far they can be developed."

Bony's Devil Fruit ability stems from an experiment he once conducted, an experiment called the artificial creation of 'god-level Devil Fruit users'.

When the other person was still an infant, the extract of the Devil Fruit was injected into their body, turning the infant who could not naturally acquire the power into a power user. Bony was one of the test subjects!

'What a fortunate thing it is that this little girl is the daughter of a bear,' Saint Saturn thought to himself with a cold laugh.

Bony had inherited the Scaly Fish Disease, had been abandoned by him, but Vegapunk managed to cure him, which once again attracted the attention of Saint Saturn.

In his view, this is a good thing.

At least... once it's proven that the disease can be cured, his experiments become meaningful.

Thinking of Ginny, who had Scaly Fish Disease due to an experiment, Saint Saturn's sneer intensified.

He wouldn't mind being even more brutal if it meant granting the Celestial Dragons greater power.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Reporting to the Five Elders, Bartholomew Kuma has arrived at the Holy Land!" the guard said. "Should we send him over now?"

"Oh?"

"You're back?" Saint Nusjuro said. "Let him in!"

"Yes!"

The Five Elders exchanged glances and, without hesitation, stopped talking about what had just happened.

Otherwise, if the bear finds out they're eyeing each other's daughters, that guy might really go berserk.

Although they couldn't threaten them, they didn't want to lose the bear, their perfect experimental subject.

Soon, the enormous Big Bear pushed open the Great Gate and walked in.

"Squeak~"

"Bump!"

After Great Gate, Xiong silently approached the group.

"What happened to you?" Saint Nusjuro looked at Kuma's miserable state and frowned. "Could this be... caused by the Straw Hat Pirates?"

By this time, the bear had many knife marks on its body, its clothes were tattered, and its signature glasses were gone.

What... what a brutal battle that must have taken place!

Do the Straw Hat Pirates have that kind of strength?

Or perhaps... they underestimated the Straw Hat Pirates ' strength?

"It's probably related to the Straw Hat Pirates," Kuma said.

"Tell me the process," Saint Saturn said coldly. "Don't omit any details!"

Upon hearing this, Xiong's expression remained unchanged, and he calmly replied, "After losing contact with the Several Lords, I inquired about the Blood-Eyed Ninja's thoughts."

"But unfortunately, he refused."

"They refused?!"

Saint Mars looked incredulous. The other party actually refused?

He offered incredibly generous benefits!!

It's important to know that the Shichibukai hold a position second only to the Four Emperors in the world of pirates.

Not only that, he also provided them with plenty of convenience. Even if he didn't want to use his own strength to intimidate other pirates, it didn't matter, as long as they could cooperate with them in the Holy Land.

He would even allow the other party to have a harem!

Power, money, beautiful women... he wouldn't lack any of them!

But in the end... the other party still refused?

For a moment, Saint Mars was somewhat unable to accept this.

That brat... does he look down on the World Government?

Saint Saturn glanced at the enraged Saint Mars, then spoke, "Have you conveyed all our messages?"

"Yes."

"It seems this brat is rather ungrateful..."

"You ignorant fool."

Saint Mars's face darkened. What did that damned brat take the World Government for?

How dare they refuse his request... In that case, we'll have to resort to force!!

"Did you bring the person back?"

"No," the bear said. "The mission failed."

"It failed..." Saint Vowchuri said, frowning. "Was that Ninja Kid very strong?"

"That's quite impressive," Xiong said without hesitation.

"Even you can't defeat him?"

"He possesses Lightning Release, which is a great counter to me."

"Lightning Release..."

The Five Elders frowned. Cyborg like Xiong were indeed very afraid of strikes like lightning, because these could short-circuit or destroy the electronic components in their bodies.

Once those things are destroyed, the Cyborg bear essentially loses its ability to move.

"Even so, it shouldn't be enough to defeat you," Saint Peter said. "Isn't your Devil Fruit ability supposed to repel injuries?"

Even if it's struck by lightning, it will resume operation after a while. After all... this is a high-level product created by Vegapunk!

Once he regains his mobility, Kuma can use his Devil Fruit powers to repel his injuries.

"I did eject the injury."

"And you..."

"I became like this not entirely because of that Ninja," Xiong said.

"Go on!"

"After I recovered, Moria appeared."

"Moria..."

Upon hearing the name, Saint Nusjuro was momentarily stunned, then said with some confusion, "Didn't you say he was knocked unconscious by Straw Hat?"

This is also why they asked the bear to do it.

If Shichibukai is defeated by a rookie pirate, then there is naturally no reason for him to continue existing. This is why they decisively abandoned Moria.

But now... the bear says Moria is still alive?

What exactly happened?

"There's no doubt that Moria was knocked unconscious by the Straw Hat," Kuma said. "But thanks to the Lightning Release ability of Blood-Eyed Ninja Xi Yan, he regained consciousness."

He didn't know exactly what happened during that process, because he hadn't been paying attention to the situation there.

This was definitely an unexpected situation.

"Because of the lightning strike..." Saint Saturn murmured.

As the Science Defense God of War among the Five Elders, he was very clear about the effects of electric shock.

Perhaps Moria was on the verge of death at that time, but the power of the lightning caused Moria's heart to start beating at a high frequency again.

That's probably why Moria regained consciousness and stood up again.

This... was truly something he hadn't expected.

After shaking his head inwardly, Saint Saturn asked, "And then?"

"If the two of you team up, taking down the Straw Hat Pirates shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

With two Shichibukai joining forces, taking down the Straw Hat Pirates would be a piece of cake.

As for Moria's removal from the list...

As long as the opponent isn't defeated, he's still one of the Shichibukai, isn't he?!

It simply requires eliminating everyone present at the time, but that's not a difficult task for these two Shichibukai.

"Unfortunately, they will not be cooperating with me."

"Why?"

"Because he knew why I went there," Xiong explained.

Upon hearing this, Saint Nusjuro frowned and said, "Wasn't he unconscious before? How did he know?"

They made sure to check Moria's condition before letting the bear do what he was supposed to do.

So... Moria found out the whole story?

Could it be that he wasn't truly unconscious at the time, but was merely feigning unconsciousness?

But that doesn't make sense. Xiong did say that the other person regained consciousness because of Ninja's Lightning Release, so... what happened?

"Perhaps it's because of his subordinates."

"My men..."

"Oh, I see," said Saint Vowchuri. "They have an Transparent Man among their men."

Upon hearing this, the expressions of the other four people immediately darkened.

This explains why Moria knew about this.

It's most likely because that invisible guy overheard the secret and then told Moria.

However, they didn't say anything to blame the bear; who could have imagined that Moria would wake up again?

Furthermore, without Observation Haki, it's impossible to detect enemies in stealth mode, so it's possible that the invisible guy wasn't discovered.

"So, it was because of that Transparent Man that Moria knew the whole story and refused to cooperate with you...?"

"Not only that," Kuma said, "He also stopped me, allowing the Straw Hat Pirates to escape successfully."

"Can he stop you?"

"Yes," Xiong said earnestly, "I don't know what Moria went through, but after he woke up again, his strength had undergone a complete transformation."

"How is this possible?"

"A loser who has been decadent for decades, how can he actually pull himself together now?" Saint Vowchuri looked incredulous.

Can someone who has lost all will to fight back?

How is that possible?!

If Moria truly had that kind of resolve, he would have already set sail again to cause trouble for Kaido in the New World. Why would he stay in that godforsaken place, secretly manipulating zombies?

"He has regained his Haki."

Upon hearing this, the Five Elders immediately fell silent.

That one sentence alone made them realize one thing: Moria had indeed rallied!

Because the Haki of this game is highly subjective!

Only those with sufficient courage can draw this power from their bodies and transform it into invisible armor that adheres to their bodies or weapons.

Those who lack ambition cannot wield Haki.

This is why they looked down on Moria before; this good-for-nothing can't even use Haki, and if he encounters Logia Fruit user, he might get killed!

And now... have they gotten back on their feet?

"The increase in strength after regaining Haki is indeed enormous," Saint Saturn said. "However, with your strength, even if he regains Haki, he shouldn't be able to stop you."

"The Shadow-Shadow Fruit's power is very strong and also very strange. I really can't chase after the Straw Hat Pirates with him blocking my way," Kuma said.

Of course, only he himself knows whether that's truly the case.

"Shadow-Shadow Fruit..."

Saint Mars narrowed his eyes. Could it be that Moria had somehow mastered the art of manipulating his Devil Fruit powers?

Add to that his newly regained domineering Haki... so it's quite possible he could actually stop the bear.

"No matter what, this guy was once someone who could rival Kaido," Saint Vowchuri remarked.

Although they were defeated and spent decades in despair, once they rallied, who knew how formidable their opponent would be?

As Five Elders has lived for a very long time, Saint Vowchuri is well aware of how much faith can enhance one's strength.

"So you fought him on the island and came back covered in injuries?"

"Yes."

"As you all know, if the injuries I sustain are unable to find a suitable vessel to absorb them within a short period, they will return to my body," Xiong explained. "That's why I can't fight there for long."

"After sinking the island, I seized the opportunity to leave."

"Then why didn't you go after the Straw Hat Pirates?" Saint Saturn asked.

"Because the injuries from the ejected projectiles returned to my body, I was unable to move at that time, which is why I came back so late."

After the injury returned to him, he went into a short-circuit state and flew to an island until he recovered and returned to the Holy Land.

Saint Saturn nodded, saying nothing more.

He was indeed very clear about the nature of Kuma's Devil Fruit ability.

According to the other party, after being struck by the Ninja Kid's lightning, he used his ability to deflect his injuries, but he couldn't find a vessel to absorb them.

He then engaged in a fierce battle with Moria until he reached the limit of his abilities, at which point he found an opportunity to leave, but he was too exhausted to fight any longer.

One thing that puzzled Saint Saturn was why he didn't take the opportunity to inflict the injury from the ejected wound on the lower classes.

This gave him the ability to continue fighting Moria.

But he didn't do that... Was it because he didn't have the opportunity?

However, he didn't doubt Xiong too much. After all... this guy had the title of Tyrant. Would someone like that care about those lower-class people?

It was probably because the circumstances at the time didn't allow it.

"It really is... a double loss," said Saint Vowchuri.

Upon hearing this, anger immediately flashed in Saint Mars's eyes.

If that damn Ninja Kid had listened to me, there wouldn't have been so many consequences.

Now things are really messed up. Not only have they lost Moria, one of the Shichibukai, but they also failed to bring back this Ninja Kid. This makes Saint Mars very unhappy.

"Okay, we understand. You may leave."

The bear nodded, said nothing more, and decisively turned and left.

After the bear had completely left, Saint Mars said, "That damned Ninja Kid, he actually dared to refuse!"

"There's no point in getting angry now," Saint Saturn said. "Since that brat is unwilling to become Shichibukai, we'll just have to force him."

"Find an opportunity for CP0 to make contact with them, cooperate with the Navy to eliminate the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates, and bring Xi Yan back."

"This time... is it okay to use him as a test subject?"

Saint Saturn addressed Saint Mars in the last sentence.

When he first learned about Xi Yan, he thought of using him as a test subject, but Saint Mars disagreed.

In their words, if that kid is willing to be a dog for the World Government, they can offer him enough benefits.

After all... he's a top talent!!

But things are different now. That brat refused the World Government's invitation, so there's no need to be polite.

"I have no objection," Saint Mars said, having calmed down. "However, it would be best to drain his brain dry before using it for other purposes."

"Don't worry, I know more about this than you do," Saint Saturn waved his hand and said.

As long as he brings that brat back, he's confident he can squeeze every last drop of value out of him!

If you dare to refuse God's invitation... then be prepared to be destroyed by God!

Saint Mars nodded and said nothing more.

"However... Moria's defection at this sensitive time is still a problem," Saint Nusjuro said, frowning.

"That's true."

The Navy is currently gathering elite forces from all over the seas, preparing to use the public execution of Fire Fist Ace to lure the Whitebeard Pirates there, and then deliver a fatal blow to them.

During this process, it is also necessary to summon these powerful figures from the Shichibukai to the Navy Headquarters.

But what if these unruly individuals receive news of Moria's defection...? Will any of them get the idea?

Even if their World Government releases a statement saying that Moria has been defeated, those guys might not believe it.

After all... Moria is still alive!

If that guy were to say something detrimental to the World Government, the other Shichibukai might become suspicious. After all... this time, it was indeed they who abandoned Moria first.

If the other Shichibukai, fearing the World Government's intervention, choose to defect... or even join the Whitebeard Pirates, it would be extremely detrimental to the World Government.

The losses on the naval side will be considerable in the end.

Although in their eyes the navy is just a dog they keep, they would still be troubled if their watchdog were killed.

Thinking of this, Saint Nusjuro's eyes immediately turned cold.

"Send out Admiral to take down Moria before publicly executing Fire Fist Ace!" Saint Nusjuro coldly ordered.

"Admiral?"

"Yes, Admiral!" Saint Nusjuro said, "He can fight Kuma to a standstill; Vice Admiral wouldn't be able to take him down."

"Not everyone is named Garp."

Upon hearing this, Saint Vowchuri fell into deep thought, then nodded and said, "That is indeed true."

It has to be said, Garp is indeed a freak.

It's truly outrageous that someone possesses the strength of Admiral yet refuses to become Admiral.

"I think it's feasible," Saint Peter nodded. "Let the Admiral go."

"If Moria is going to set sail again, he'll inevitably go to the New World to try and evade the Navy's pursuit."

"So... he'll most likely go to the Sabaody Archipelago."

The World Government and the Navy have relatively weak control over the New World, and if Moria is smart enough, he will go there.

But this is not something the World Government can tolerate. This Shichibukai... must die!!

They need to let the other Shichibukai know what the price of defection is!

"Then let the Admiral corner Moria in the Sabaody Archipelago and kill him!"

"Oh right, and the Straw Hat Pirates too. If those guys go to Sabaody Archipelago, we'll take them out together!"

"Reconsider!"