Talking Kuma into Leaving

Florian Triangle, aboard Thriller Bark.

A beam of light descended from the sky and landed within the castle.

Not long after, a burly man wearing a white trapezoidal hat and carrying a book with "BIBLE" written on its cover appeared out of thin air.

Moke, who had been observing everything from within the castle, could not help but shrink his pupils.

With a hint of shock, he called out softly, "Kuma?"

That was right. The visitor was none other than Bartholomew Kuma.

Bartholomew Kuma was born in the South Blue and had once been the king of the Sorbet Kingdom. Known to the world as the "Tyrant," he later joined the Revolutionary Army for certain reasons and became one of its officers. Afterward, he became one of the Shichibukai.

Before the Summit War, he voluntarily allowed Dr. Vegapunk to completely modify him, losing his self-awareness in the process. He became a leased slave of the Celestial Dragons. After being rescued by Sabo and the others, he returned to Revolutionary Army headquarters.

He was a tragic figure, one worthy of sympathy.

But Moke had never understood why Kuma had agreed to turn himself into a cyborg.

How hopeless did someone have to be to do that?

Perhaps their ideals and goals were different, so Moke could not put himself in Kuma's shoes.

"Kuma... you are not welcome here." Moke did not reveal himself and remained inside the castle.

"???"

Kuma looked toward the castle with some confusion.

"Scattered Bats..."

Countless Shadow Bats flew rapidly out of the castle and rushed toward Kuma outside. They were incredibly fast, reaching him in the blink of an eye.

They were about to envelop him.

"Whoosh..."

Kuma vanished in an instant. When he reappeared, he was already seven or eight meters away.

"Damn, teleportation..."

Moke watched from the castle with undisguised envy.

It had to be said that Kuma's Paramecia Paw-Paw Fruit was an incredibly practical Devil Fruit, combining offense and support.

Once activated, paw pads resembling those of a bear grew on his palms. Those pads could repel anything they touched, even an opponent's strikes or a swordsman's slashes.

They could also repel all pain and fatigue from a target's body, forming a red bear-paw-shaped bubble. The bubble could then be transferred into another target's body, making that target endure all the pain and fatigue of the original one.

Kuma had many doubts in his heart.

Although Kuma still possessed his own thoughts at this time and did not fully obey the Marines' orders,

he was still inclined to get to the bottom of things.

"Ursus Shock!"

Kuma chose a forceful attack. Using his Devil Fruit power, he struck the air at high speed, creating a powerful bear-paw-shaped shockwave that shot toward the castle wall.

"Shadow Blade!"

Inside the castle, Moke transformed the shadow beneath his feet into a slashing strike made of shadow and sent it flying to meet Kuma's Ursus Shock!

"Boom..."

When the two collided, they triggered a violent explosion. A powerful shockwave swept in every direction!

It made Kuma's clothes flap loudly in the wind.

"Interesting..."

At this moment, Kuma's curiosity deepened. The strength Gecko Moria displayed within the castle far exceeded Kuma's previous understanding of him.

But it was undeniably the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.

Of that, Kuma was certain. Thus, he did not suspect that the person in the castle was not Gecko Moria. After all, people could lie, but Devil Fruits could not.

Kuma then glanced toward the other side of the castle, looking at the marks carved into the walls and the broken corner at the highest central point.

It was obvious that a fierce battle had taken place not long ago.

Kuma suddenly paused, because from the corner of his eye, he spotted two corpses lying quietly not far away.

If he was not mistaken,

they should have been two of the Three Freaks under Gecko Moria's command.

Well then!

With those two corpses, the relationship between Gecko Moria and Moke was already self-evident. They were definitely locked in a fight to the death...

At that point, a speculation formed in Kuma's mind.

He muttered, "Could it be that this guy got beaten up by Moke and is taking his anger out on me?"

Or perhaps he was injured and too ashamed to show his face?

That made sense. He had been beaten by a junior.

He truly would have been too ashamed to face anyone.

Forget it!

Kuma teleported away in an instant. In any case, the moment he saw the two corpses, his mission had already been completed. As for why Perona was following Moke, that was no longer so important.

It was not as if Gecko Moria would sacrifice the lives of two capable subordinates just to put on an act and secretly join forces with Moke, right?

"Whew..."

Only long after Kuma had left did Moke emerge from the castle. He then glanced at the corpses of Absalom and Hogback in the distance.

He had deliberately placed the two corpses there. As long as whoever came saw them, most of their suspicions would be dispelled.

Combined with the shadow-like techniques Moke had displayed, there was a high chance he could keep the matter hidden.

Marine Fleet Admiral's office.

After Sengoku heard Kuma's report, the weight in his heart finally lifted.

Gecko Moria only had three subordinates: Perona, Absalom, and Hogback. Given Gecko Moria's history, there was absolutely no way he would use the lives of two of them to stage an act.

He muttered, "It seems I was overthinking it. However, Moke needs to be restricted... and the first half of the Grand Line cannot accommodate someone like him. Send him to the New World and let him fight those people there!"

With that thought, he had already begun making plans.

"Buru... Buru..."

At that moment, Moke's Den Den Mushi began to ring. Moke froze slightly before immediately answering it.

The Den Den Mushi immediately took on Robin's appearance. "Mr. 0, I have found information on Jesus Burgess."

"Oh?"

Moke's eyes immediately lit up.

He quickly asked, "Where is he?"

Robin said, "Champion Island in the New World!"

"Champion Island?"

A puzzled expression appeared on Moke's face.

Robin said, "Champion Island was originally named Karate Island. It is an island where fighters gather to hold fighting tournaments. One fighting champion after another was born there, so its name gradually changed to Champion Island. He is currently participating in a fighting tournament there. Because of that, he will remain on the island for more than half a month."

Moke nodded. "Got it... good work!"

He then added, "Do not forget Van Augur. Also, help me find a capable navigator if possible!"

Robin said, "Mr. 0, do not worry... there is already some news about Van Augur. It will not be long before we find him. As for a capable navigator... I will keep an eye out."

After the two ended the call,

Moke called Ata's Den Den Mushi. "Set out now. The destination is Champion Island... we will meet there. Perhaps we can find a fairly capable companion there."

Ata's eyes immediately lit up at those words. "Alright, I'll take everyone there right away!"