Chapter 10

12th of February 1522
Syrup village

Over twenty dead pirates laid scattered across the ground, their faces marked by burns and projectile wounds. The sand around them was stained red, and the remnants of a fierce battle were evident. At the center of the carnage knelt a man with a long nose, his body battered and bleeding profusely, yet he remained upright, defiant to the last. His clothes were torn and soaked in blood, but his eyes burned with an unyielding resolve.

Moria looked truly impressed. "He only has twenty-three Dourikis... And he did all of that? Alone?" he murmured, a hint of admiration coloring his voice.

Selena's heightened senses detected the faint heartbeat of the man. She knew he had lost too much blood to be saved. Despite his apparent weakness, he had fought valiantly to defend his town. Her instincts respected his courage. As they watched, a duo dressed in cat-themed costumes approached the man, their intentions clear in their sneers and the anger in their eyes. One of them was already badly hurt. Confident in their victory, they closed in. But the long-nosed man, though on the brink of death, had one final burst of strength left in him. With a guttural roar, he lunged at them, his rock thrower swinging with deadly precision…though he did not use it to throw rocks. With it, he managed to strangle one of the attackers, the cord tightening around the man's neck until his struggles ceased, while the other assailant attacked him. The long-nosed man, now spent, collapsed to the ground, lifeless, but not before one his adversary fell beside him, already dead.

Moria, clearly impressed, spoke aloud, "He was a brave warrior of the sea." His voice carried over the beach, drawing the attention of the remaining pirates.

The one who seemed to be their captain, a man with strange star-shaped glasses, stepped forward cautiously. "Who are you? New enemies?" He eyed the trio warily. He had seen a lone man defeat twenty of his crew, nearly half.

Moria did not bother to answer. With a dismissive wave, he instructed, "Zoro, take care of them." His focus remained on the downed man, whom his system had identified as Usopp.

In a blur of motion, Zoro attacked, his movements a whirlwind of steel and fury. The first pirate barely had time to scream as Zoro's blade cleaved through his torso, blood spraying in an arc. Another pirate lunged at him, but Zoro's second sword intercepted the attack, cutting through flesh and bone effortlessly.

The pirates' attempts to defend themselves were futile. Zoro's third sword, clenched between his teeth, slashed through a man's neck, sending his head tumbling to the ground in a spray of crimson. Bodies piled up around him, severed limbs and gore painting the sand red. Cries of pain echoed through the air, mingling with the sound of flesh being rent apart. Each clash of swords ended with a sickening crunch as Zoro's blades found their marks, his movements relentless and efficient.

Meanwhile, Selena watched intently as Moria approached Usopp's lifeless body. With a practiced motion, her captain began the process of absorbing Usopp's shadow. Dark tendrils of energy flowed from the body, coalescing into Moria's hands. He then turned to the dead pirates, raising their shadows and merging them into a single entity. The result was a Shadow Soldier unlike any Selena had seen before. What Moria called a "Shadow Sniper" stood tall and imposing, its entire form composed of shifting, undulating shadows. It wielded a massive rifle that seemed to be an extension of its body, seamlessly integrated into its dark form. Its eyes glowed an eerie green, casting a sinister light on the surrounding darkness.

By the time Zoro sheathed his swords, the beach was littered with the mutilated remains of his foes. Selena nodded in approval, noting the calm efficiency in Zoro's eyes.

However, a new figure emerged from the shadows, striding confidently towards the carnage. "They are truly incapable," he remarked, his voice dripping with disdain. "If they couldn't handle small fries themselves, they deserved their fate."

Selena snorted. Did someone from the Blues just say that to a Warlord? That he was a small fry?

The man was tall and slim, with slicked-back black hair and round glasses that constantly slipped down his nose, requiring him to push them back into place. His attire was strikingly formal: a black suit with golden markings over a white shirt, complete with a curious collar adorned with spiral-like protrusions at the edges, and a standard black tie. His striped shoes and the loosened tie suggested a casual disdain for the formality of his outfit.

He pushed his glasses up again, his eyes cold and calculating. "So, you're the ones causing all this trouble," he said, his gaze shifting from Zoro to Moria, then to Selena. The Shadow Sniper had already melded back into his master's shadow.

Moria snorted, unimpressed. "Zoro, take care of him," he commanded, his voice dripping with disdain.

Zoro stepped forward, his swords glinting in the fading light. The man with the glasses smirked, pushing his frames back up one more time. The fight began with a blur of motion. Despite his slim build, the man moved with incredible speed, crossing the distance between them in the blink of an eye. His legs powered him forward. But to Zoro, who had witnessed the lightning-fast movements of Selena, Moria, and Ryuma, this man seemed to move in slow motion. The man's claws, ten full-sized blades attached to his fingers, slashed through the air with deadly precision. Zoro parried the initial strikes, the clash of steel ringing out across the beach. The man's dexterity was quite remarkable, his movements fluid and almost dance-like. Zoro could see the careful training and discipline in every move, a contrast to the brute force of many other East Blue pirates.

But Zoro was not an ordinary swordsman. With a fierce grin, he launched into his three-sword style. The particularly vicious exchange ended with Zoro landing a heavy blow to his opponent's side, causing the man to stumble. With a final, decisive strike, Zoro's sword sliced cleanly through the man's neck, beheading him in one swift motion.

"Pathetic", Selena said.

The man's body fell to the sand, lifeless, his glasses shattered and askew on his face. Zoro stood over him, swords at the ready, but there was no need for further violence. The fight was over.

Without a care, Moria approached the fallen body and began to absorb the man's shadow, dark tendrils of energy flowing into his hands. He stood up, looking a bit disappointed, and turned to his crew. "We should be done here," he said nonchalantly. "Apparently, our next stop is a circus!"

13th of February 1522
Marine HQ

Garp was awoken by the shrill ring of his Den Den Mushi. He grabbed the receiver with a gruff, "Garp here." The voice on the other end was tense, urgent, delivering news that made Garp's blood run cold.

"What? He did what?" Garp bellowed, his voice echoing through the room. His grip tightened on the receiver as the words sank in. "Arrested by Captain Smoker? For destroying a Marine base and killing all the Marines?"

He could scarcely believe it. His grandson, Monkey D. Luffy, a pirate, yes, but not a murderer. Luffy, killing people for sport and pleasure? It was impossible. The boy he knew was a carefree spirit, more likely to laugh off a fight than to finish it in blood.

Garp's face twisted with a mixture of disbelief and rage. The image of Luffy standing over the bodies of fallen Marines flashed in his mind, a vision so out of character it made his heart clench. "This has to be a mistake," he muttered, more to himself than to the voice on the other end. Did…Did someone try to frame him?

Without warning, he slammed his fist down on his desk with a force that splintered the wood, sending papers and documents flying. The desk collapsed in a heap of broken wood and shattered glass.

"Prepare my warship," he barked to his subordinates, who had rushed to the door at the sound of the commotion. They exchanged wary glances but dared not hesitate under Garp's fiery gaze. "We're heading to East Blue, immediately."

He was going to find the fucker that was trying to fuck with his grandson, and totally destroy them.

13th of February 1522
East Blue

Gecko Moria stood on the deck, the salty sea breeze whipping against his face. Normally, he would discreetly leer at his two crewmates, taking in their athletic forms and the way their sweat glistened on their skin. With his newfound will and resolve, other appetites had awakened, and both Selena and Isabella were acutely aware of it. He could sense Selena's genuine appreciation of his looks, her face reddening around her small smile whenever their gazes met.

Moria turned his attention to the scene on the deck. Selena was in the midst of training Isabella, their bodies moving with a fluid grace for both of them. Isabella was improving, and she started using her fruit more intelligently. Selena's sports bra and shorts clung to her muscular frame, revealing every contour of her defined abs and powerful limbs. Her red hair, damp with sweat, stuck to her forehead. Isabella, equally scantily clad in a tight sports top and shorts, was struggling to keep up. Her white hair was plastered to her face, her pale skin glistening with perspiration. Despite her best efforts, Isabella's blows never landed, and each strike of Selena sent her stumbling back.

"Come on, Isabella!"

Isabella gritted her teeth, determination burning in her red eyes. She lunged forward, aiming a punch at Selena's midsection, but Selena effortlessly sidestepped, delivering a swift kick to Isabella's abdomen. Isabella doubled over, gasping for breath, but she didn't back down.

"Again," Selena commanded, her eyes fierce. "You have to push harder."

But today, Moria had other things to look at. As the two women continued their brutal training session, Moria's attention drifted to his status screen. The familiar glow of the interface appeared before his eyes.

Gecko Moria

Class: Baron of Eventide
Job: Warlord of the Seas
Fruit: Kage Kage no Mi

Dourikis: 4,599/8,000
Potential: S
Fate: A

Physique: 2,010
Will: 654
Soul: 1,935

Named Shadow: 2/4

Moria's lips curled into a satisfied smile. His Dourikis had increased significantly. Furthermore, the path to upgrading his class was becoming clearer, and the promise of greater power was within his grasp.

[Class Upgrade Quest]

To upgrade your Class from [Baron of Eventide] to [Marquis of Dusk]

Subquests:

1. Have a Fate of at least A: 1/1
2. Have a Potential of at least A: 1/1
3. Main Quest: A Crew for the New World! : 4/5
4. Hidden Quest: ? - 1/3

With recruiting Zoro, he had made significant progress in his main quest. Moria also noticed that the hidden quest had progressed after he destroyed the Marine base. Maybe... maybe it was committing big acts of piracy? He remembered the tutorial mentioning something about advancing through acts of piracy. The first hidden quest had been about fighting himself—perhaps... what if the hidden quests were all linked with the essential traits of a pirate? The Pirate King? He shook his head. No need to think about that.

Yet.

Furthermore, absorbing Usopp's soul—again, what was a SS-rank Fate and A-rank potential doing in the Blues?—had allowed him to upgrade his will quite a lot. He could feel his Haki coming back. Maybe it was time.

His eyes flicked back to Selena and Isabella. Selena had Isabella pinned to the deck, her knee pressing into Isabella's back as she held her down. Isabella's breaths came in ragged gasps, her body trembling from the exertion.

"Enough," Moria called out, his voice cutting through the sound of their heavy breathing. Selena released Isabella and stood up, wiping the sweat from her brow. Isabella lay on the deck for a moment longer before struggling to her feet, her eyes never leaving Moria's.

"Selena, Isabella, Zoro," Moria said, his voice firm and commanding, "gather around. We will arrive in Orange Town in about three hours, just as evening falls. But before we reach our destination, it's time for you to learn about Haki."

Selena's eyes lit up with eagerness, while Isabella's and Zoro's gaze were confused.

Hokey? Why did they need to learn a sport?

AN : merendinoemiliano, only two of your reviews appeared, I don't know why.