West Blue.
Inside a tavern on an island.
A crowd of mafia members drank together, bragging and chatting about the latest news.
"Heard?"
"Heard what? I hate it when you start like that!"
"Ohara wasn't destroyed just because those scholars were studying the Ancient Language and the Poneglyphs..."
"Huh? There's more to it?"
"Yeah. Apparently, the scholars were working with the Viking Pirates to revive the Ancient Weapons. The World Government found out, so the Marines wiped out the scholars before the Viking Pirates could reach them!"
"Seriously!?"
"Of course! Didn't you know the Viking Pirates were in West Blue at the time?"
"Some people even said they saw the Oro Jackson near Ohara!"
"Right! They showed up near the Flower Country afterward, too. The Viking Pirates definitely came to West Blue!
"They're big shots in the New World. They wouldn't come here without a good reason, and Ohara happened to be destroyed right around then...
"That's evil. So they're the ones who got the scholars killed?"
"Yesterday's paper said they'd already gone back to the New World, so at least we don't have to worry about them causing trouble in West Blue."
"I heard they've made a real mess of Wano Country..."
Not far from the mafia members, an unusually tall, strange-looking man sat at a table, his face grim.
Every time someone mentioned Vikengam or the Viking Pirates, murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
Gecko Moria was an adventurer from West Blue.
He had been born on an island there, but as a child, he had accompanied his parents on countless expeditions. He had traveled the world with their team and had even ventured into the New World several times.
The New World was hardly safe. Before Moria turned ten, their party was caught in a maritime disaster.