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After bidding farewell to Otohime and the others, Buggy and his crew set sail on the Glory, leaving Fish-Man Island through the exit that led to the latter half of the Grand Line.
They didn't encounter any danger in the sea. They were lucky this time and didn't run into any Sea Kings. They quickly surfaced and arrived at the latter half of the Grand Line - the New World.
Without hesitation, they headed straight for Hive Island. The Log Pose leading to Hive Island was provided by Otohime. Fish-Man Island had its own resources. Although they were just living on Fish-Man Island, many Fish-Men who weren't content with mediocrity had traveled to the New World. After so many years of development, their collection was very rich. And because of their location, many pirate ships passed by. It was very easy to obtain things like Log Poses. It was normal for them to have one leading to Hive Island.
Arriving at the latter half of the Grand Line - the New World, the environment was harsher. The sea was very turbulent. Waves of pirates constantly attacked Buggy and his crew. Buggy didn't ignore these pirates. Most of the pirates who dared to harass him ended up at the bottom of the sea. They had only traveled halfway when they encountered more than ten attacks. These pirates were quite strong. Most of them had mastered Haki. If those pirates who had just entered the New World encountered them, they would likely suffer a great loss.
On the third day, they had traveled more than half the distance. In another day or two, Buggy and his crew would reach Hive Island.
This was the result of the Glory sailing at full speed. And it was thanks to the Glory's performance, its fuel, and seawater that they achieved this result. Otherwise, it would have taken at least another day or two.
People could rest on the ship, but sailing required a lot of fuel. Buggy and his crew didn't have to worry about fuel. They didn't have to stop at other islands to buy fuel, so they saved a lot of time and increased their speed.
"Captain, a huge pirate ship is sailing towards us. Should we attack them directly, or what should we do?"
Lafitte, observing the situation from high in the air, immediately told Buggy what he saw.
Hearing Lafitte's exaggerated description, Buggy knew that this pirate crew might not be simple. He also released his Observation Haki towards the direction where the pirate ship was sailing.
Soon, within the range of his Observation Haki, a giant sailing ship appeared in his perception. This ship was several times larger than the Glory. It was also very strange in shape. It wasn't the traditional shape of a ship. It was circular, and there was an island in the middle of the ship. There was also a castle on the island. The overall feeling was very strange and eerie.
Seeing this ship, Buggy relaxed his initial seriousness. Instead, a look of joy appeared on his face. Buggy wasn't relieved because the ship's appearance put him at ease. He noticed the flag on the ship. It was the flag of an old friend he recognized. The flag depicted a skull with a fiery onion-shaped hairstyle and flame bat wings.
Through the design on the flag, Buggy confirmed that this was Moria's pirate ship. This ship was Moria's Thriller Bark.
When they met in Loguetown, Moria hadn't been sailing on this ship. Buggy guessed that he had built Thriller Bark later. He hadn't guessed it was him before. He only realized it was Moria after seeing the design on the flag.
After realizing it was Moria, the smile on Buggy's face instantly vanished. He also instantly thought about why Moria was here. If he guessed correctly, Moria was probably preparing to leave the New World. This wasn't something to be happy about.
"Approach that pirate ship. Don't attack."
Since they had encountered Moria, they naturally had to go and see him. He immediately gave orders to all his crew members.
At this time, inside the castle in the center of Thriller Bark, Moria also received news about the Glory. Moria had lost the ambition he had a few years ago. His face was clouded with gloom, and he was very depressed.
Looking at the dozen or so remaining crew members, Moria sighed helplessly. "Don't bother with them. Let's speed up and leave this place."
Moria, who had just suffered a major defeat, didn't want to create more trouble. He didn't want to fight another battle. He didn't want his remaining dozen or so crew members to fight again. He just wanted to leave this place, leave the New World.
"Captain, you..."
Looking at Moria's current depression, the remaining crew members wanted to comfort him. But their words got stuck in their throats. They had suffered a major defeat this time, almost being completely wiped out. They had nothing to comfort Moria with. Their mood was also incredibly disheartened.
"Alright, alright. I won't do anything stupid. You don't need to say anything more. I'll calm down myself."
Seeing his crew like this, Moria knew what they wanted to say. He also knew the situation. He had considered the possibility of this situation happening. He had prepared himself mentally. He just felt that this time had come too soon, catching him off guard and making it hard for him to accept. He was also saddened by the sacrifices of his crew members. He was now lost in his own thoughts.
Hearing him say this, the crew members dispersed. They had to go and control Thriller Bark. They also had to keep an eye on the Glory. They were severely understaffed. They didn't have time to stay here.
Looking at the dozen or so people who left in the blink of an eye, Moria's eyes were filled with sadness. He also thought of the laughter and the hundreds of figures that used to be in this castle.
Just as Moria was lost in his memories, the figure who had just left rushed back to him.
"Captain, those people seem to be looking for trouble. We deliberately avoided them, but they're sailing straight towards us."
Hearing his subordinate's report, Moria recovered from his memories. He stood up from his seat, straightened his huge body, and said through gritted teeth, "Damn it! Are these guys looking to die? They want to die so soon. Let's go. I want to see who dares to cause trouble for us."
After saying this, Moria led his subordinates out of the castle towards the observation point. Moria didn't think the other party would be his opponent. Even though his crew was gone, he wasn't someone to be trifled with in the latter half of the Grand Line. He decided to make the other party pay for their offense.
Arriving at the observation point on Thriller Bark, Moria immediately took out his telescope and looked towards the Glory. He also saw a familiar figure on the Glory.
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