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Seeing Buggy on the other ship, Moria's gloomy face finally showed a rare smile. He lowered his telescope, revealing a slight smile, and said to his crew, "Approach them. Don't attack."
The crew members were surprised to see a smile on Moria's face. They curiously asked, "Captain, who is that? Do you know him?"
Moria immediately answered their question, "You know him too. That's Buggy, the one who fought me in the East Blue. The Clown Buggy from the bounty poster."
Hearing the name Buggy, the crew members stirred. They knew who he was. Most of the remaining dozen or so crew members were from Moria's early days. They had seen Buggy and watched Moria fight him. The rest had seen Buggy's bounty poster from their captain.
Knowing this, all the crew members immediately went to control Thriller Bark and sail towards the Glory.
On the sea, the two ships stopped a distance apart. Moria came to the front of Thriller Bark.
"Hahaha, Buggy, long time no see."
Moria's face was full of smiles. He led his dozen or so crew members onto the gangplank between the two ships and walked towards the Glory. They soon boarded the Glory.
"Moria, it's good to see you again."
Buggy was very happy to see Moria again. But when his gaze fell upon the dozen or so people behind him, he knew that something had happened. Many figures were missing from among these dozen or so people. In his memory, many of them no longer existed.
Moria noticed Buggy's gaze. He knew that Buggy might have guessed something. When Buggy's gaze met his, the smile on his face vanished. He looked at Buggy and said with a wry smile, "Sigh, I can only keep these dozen or so crew members thanks to you, Buggy."
Moria didn't immediately talk about his battle with Kaido but thanked Buggy. If it weren't for Buggy's reminder back then, he might have been completely wiped out this time.
"You really faced Kaido? Your crew members..."
Buggy didn't continue. He didn't want to rub salt in his wounds.
Hearing Buggy's interrupted words, Moria knew what he was worried about. He directly said, "I fought a great battle with Kaido in Wano Country. If it weren't for the backup plan I had prepared beforehand, my remaining crew members might have been completely wiped out."
Next, Moria told Buggy about the cause and effect of the Wano Country battle and some of the general battle situation.
A few months ago, Moria and his crew sailed to Wano Country. They discovered a huge opportunity in Wano Country. And they also found that the local leader was very weak. So, they decided to take this huge cake.
But he didn't expect that Wano Country was under Kaido's control. So, he and Kaido clashed. Then, because of various reasons, he underestimated Kaido. In the final battle with Kaido, they were almost completely wiped out. If it weren't for the backup plan they had prepared, they might not have even had a dozen or so people left.
"My condolences."
Buggy couldn't think of any words to comfort him. He could feel Moria's pain from his words. He had lost so many companions. It wasn't something that Buggy could comfort him with in a few words.
Both of them fell silent. Buggy waited for him to calm down for a while before speaking again. "It's been a long time. I've specially prepared a feast for you. Let's eat and catch up."
Although Buggy's chef, Jessica, had been kidnapped, Otohime had arranged for them a temporary Fish-Man chef. They couldn't just stand here and talk. He didn't want the atmosphere to be too awkward. He also wanted them to eat and drink well and ease their mood.
"Okay."
Moria didn't have anything important to do now. He didn't have the ability to take revenge, so he wasn't in a hurry. He also wanted to catch up with Buggy. He knew Buggy's purpose.
Everyone went to the Glory's cabin. The food and drinks were already prepared. Everyone started to eat and drink. Moria sat there alone, continuously drinking from the wine jars. Soon, he finished off jar after jar. When he drank too much, the wine and some unknown liquid flowed down his face. He looked at Buggy.
"Buggy, do you think it's because we're alive that we lose?"
Hearing this question, Buggy stopped eating and drinking. He looked at Moria with a serious expression.
This question had plagued Moria his entire life. It was also the cause of his tragedy later. Buggy couldn't ignore this question. He had to break Moria's inner demons.
"Moria, I don't think it's because we're alive that we lose. I think it's just because we're not strong enough. If we were strong enough that no one could stop us from moving forward, then we wouldn't lose."
Buggy didn't want to see Moria become the fat man who focused on making zombies for decades later. He gave him an answer that would make him not give up on himself.
Hearing Buggy's answer, Moria was shaken. His slightly drunk face instantly sobered up. A flame ignited in his eyes. He found his direction.
"Hahaha, thank you, Buggy. Thank you, Buggy."
Moria straightened up and laughed continuously. He expressed his gratitude to Buggy. He laughed continuously, and tears flowed from his eyes.
Buggy didn't interrupt Moria. He knew that this unrestrained display was a sign of acceptance of his words. Moria should have realized the path he should take. The tears he shed were to commemorate those departed friends. Buggy knew that after this experience, Moria would likely become a completely different Moria. In the future, he wouldn't be the weakest of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
It took a long time for Moria to return to normal. He wiped the tears from his face. He seemed to have let go of many things. His eyes were filled with determination.
When Moria returned to his seat, his entire state seemed to have been elevated.
"Moria, what are you going to do next?"
Seeing this completely renewed Moria, Buggy asked the question he wanted to ask. He was also making plans for the next step.
"I'm going to recruit a new crew, continue sailing, become stronger, and then go find Kaido for revenge."
Moria no longer had any desire to make zombies. His only goal now was to seek revenge on Kaido. He wanted to work hard to become stronger and avenge his departed friends.
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