The Future of Wano Country

Wano Country, somewhere in the mountains.

The snowstorm was easing, but the air still smelled of blood and scorched earth.

Moria leaned against a rock face. The Den Den Mushi in his hand had gone quiet.

Click.

The shell snapped shut, and he froze.

"...Huh?"

He blinked, as if he hadn't quite understood.

"Just like that..."

His mouth twitched. "...He's leaving me here?"

His tone was incredulous, with even a trace of hurt he couldn't quite suppress.

But the next moment—

"Cough..."

A faint cough from the person in his arms caught his attention.

Moria's entire body tensed!

"Perona!"

He looked down, his movements suddenly frantic.

His hands moved over her shoulders, back, and forehead, checking her again and again.

He was careful with his touch, as though she might break if he pressed too hard.

Breathing—yes.

Pulse—normal.

Conscious—still.

She was weak. She had been badly frightened.

But she was... still alive.

Moria's shoulders eased a little.

As if a corner of the boulder on his back had been lifted.

"It's all right... It's all right..."

He repeated it under his breath, his voice hoarse.

Perona lay against his chest, clutching her doll so tightly her knuckles had gone white.

Her eyes were half-open. She said nothing, only breathed softly.

Moria raised his head and looked around in silence. His crew—

They were no longer a "team," just a group of people barely clinging to life.

Some sat on the ground with their backs against tree trunks, their eyes vacant.

One had lost an arm and wrapped the wound haphazardly in strips of cloth. Blood had soaked through.

Others lay where they had fallen, without even the strength to roll over.

There were no cries of pain. No one had the strength left to cry out.

And those "shadows"—the ones