"Shiryu, Kool, come here..."
After handing the Paramecia-type Love-Love Fruit to Hancock, Wilhelm headed straight to the training ground on the Ark. There, he called out to Shiryu of the Rain and Kuro the Feathered Serpent, who were busy training.
"Master Wilhelm..."
"Yehahaha~! What are your orders?"
Shiryu of the Rain and Kuro the Feathered Serpent looked at Wilhelm in surprise.
"Shiryu, you've heard of Gecko Moria, right?" Wilhelm asked directly.
"You mean the guy who can steal people's shadows? A few years ago, he challenged Kaido of the Beasts but suffered a crushing defeat. His entire crew was wiped out, and he left the Grand Line, completely broken."
Shiryu thought for a moment, then raised an eyebrow. "Before I left Impel Down, I heard rumors that the World Government wanted to make him one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"Yehahaha~, Gekko Moria?"
Kuro the Feathered Serpent grinned, showing his sharp teeth. His sinister, triangular eyes gleamed as he chuckled. "For Wilhelm to remember him, he must be more than just a small fry, right?"
"That guy stole the body of Ryuma, the legendary dragon-slaying samurai of Wano, along with his famous black blade, Shusui..."
Wilhelm gave his orders. "You and Kool, go to West Blue and bring back the corpses of Gekko Moria and Ryuma!"
"And if you run into any other strong Devil Fruit users, bring them back too!"
"The dragon-slaying samurai from hundreds of years ago... The one who made the World Government retreat when they tried to invade Wano?"
Shiryu's eyes lit up with excitement, his fighting spirit rising. "Now that's a legend..."
As a skilled swordsman, he had, of course, heard of Ryuma. But he never expected Moria to be crazy enough to steal the man's body.
However, looking at Kuro the Feathered Serpent, Shiryu thought—if that Ryuma could be revived and still use his old strength and sword skills, it would be an incredible fight.
Just imagining such a battle made Shiryu eager to go.
"That bastard Gecko Moria actually stole Ryuma's body?"
At that moment, Smoothie walked over, looking surprised.
"His Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability lets him steal people's shadows and put them into corpses, turning them into zombies that follow his orders. Since they're already dead, they don't feel pain, and they can't die normally."
Wilhelm shrugged. "He probably wanted Ryuma to be one of his strongest fighters."
"But clearly, it didn't work as well as he hoped. Otherwise, he would've already rebuilt his crew, gone after Kaido, and tried to get revenge!"
"I see..."
Shiryu and the others nodded, finally understanding the full extent of Moria's abilities.
"By the way, Wilhelm..."
Smoothie suddenly remembered something. "We just got a message from Katakuri. The Marines has been making a lot of moves recently. Most of their forces have already mobilized, gathering supplies and preparing a massive fleet."
"They're getting ready to attack the Big Mom Pirates..."
"It looks like the World Government isn't planning to just let things go. They want to wipe us out."
She spoke seriously, but there was also excitement in her eyes. "Right now, Katakuri and the others have gathered their forces and are ready for battle!"
"Mama has also started creating a huge army of Homies using her Soul-Soul Fruit!"
Wilhelm smirked and scoffed. "Those Marines sure act fast!"
"But do they really think they can handle the consequences if they fail? If they lose this war, everything they worked for—the so-called 'stability' they created after years of effort—will be completely destroyed."
"And all the hard work they've put in since the start of Big Mom's era will be for nothing."
He could already imagine it.
If the Marines suffered defeat, the consequences would be devastating.
Not only would the World Government and Marines Headquarters take a massive hit to their reputation, but the entire sea would descend into chaos once again.
"Of course, they're afraid..."
A cigar was lit.
Shiryu of the Rain sneered and said, "But Master Wilhelm, you've caused such a huge mess."
"The World Government is always looking down on everyone. They think of themselves as 'Gods' who rule over everything."
"They can't just ignore this."
"In order to maintain their power and protect the Celestial Dragons, they have to respond!"
"It looks like it'll take about ten days for the Marine Grand Fleet to finish organizing and set sail."
Wilhelm's sharp eyes glinted, and a smirk appeared on his face.
"Then we need to start preparing immediately."
"Shiryu, you and Kuro will leave right now..."
"Understood!"
Shiryu took a puff from his cigar before putting it out, then nodded.
"Yehahaha~, finally, this uncle gets to show what he can do!"
Kuro the Feathered Serpent laughed excitedly, eager to prove himself.
"Just don't slow me down..."
Shiryu shrugged.
"What did you say?"
Kuro narrowed his eyes and glared. "You wanna fight, kid?"
"I'm always ready!" Shiryu smirked, not backing down.
In the past few days, thanks to his Momo-Momo no Mi powers, he had improved a lot.
Now, he could amplify and enhance his sword slashes, making them several times—sometimes even dozens of times—stronger.
His power had skyrocketed, and he wasn't afraid of Kuro at all.
"Enough. We're all fighting on the same side, so don't let your usual squabbles get in the way."
Wilhelm waved his hand, stopping them before things escalated.
"Competition is fine, but don't waste time on pointless fights."
"Make sure you return before the Marine fleet is ready!"
"Smoothie, you and the others go back to Totto Land first."
"I'll take Pato and Fingry to Wano!"
Wilhelm had no plans to return to Totto Land right away.
Instead, he intended to make a trip to Wano.
The reason? It was obvious.
There, he might find not one, but multipleMythical Zoan Devil Fruits.
Even if his luck was bad, it was impossible to walk away empty-handed.
But what Wilhelm really wanted was the Barrier-Barrier Fruit.
He had a bold idea in mind… but he needed to test it first.
He just hoped that old man was still alive.
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