At that moment, the battlefield grew silent. They all looked to see a towering figure sitting calmly on the rubble with a Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"Who is that?" Luffy asked.
Robin's eyes widened. "That is Bartholomew Kuma, The Tyrant. Another Warlord of the Sea," she responded.
"Another one?!" Usopp yelped as he trembled.
"We barely survived against one Warlord, and now another shows up?" Nami muttered, as her voice was tight with fear.
Conis tilted her head. "So this is the father of Jewelry Bonney," she said.
"We heard about him and her during the girls' talks," Maya added softly.
"Is he friend or foe?" Zala asked as she narrowed her eyes.
Alvida's grip tightened on her mace. "We'll have to see," she remarked.
Kuma raised the Den Den Mushi to his lips. The snail's voice echoed across the ruins. "So it turns out as I feared," it said.
"It appears so," Kuma replied.
"Just when we finally found a replacement for Crocodile…" the Den Den Mushi said. "We cannot afford another empty gap in the Warlords. Is there still breath in him?" the Den Den Mushi asked.
"Who knows," Kuma answered.
"As long as there is breath of life, he will recover and reclaim his place as a Warlord. If we keep losing one after another, the dignity of the Seven Warlords will vanish. This information must not be spread," the Den Den Mushi said.
Lola and the Risky Brothers stiffened. There was panic flashing across their faces.
"Do you understand?" the Den Den Mushi pressed. "There must be no witnesses to Moria's defeat. This is a direct order from the World Government. The Straw Hat crew, the Love Pirates, and every survivor on this island must be eliminated," he ordered.
"Simple enough," Kuma said calmly.
"Did he say eliminated?" Raki said.
"He did," Mikita confirmed grimly.
"So he's going to kill us all?" Saphir asked.
"He won't," Vivi said firmly. "He's Bonney's father," she added.
"Are you certain, princess? He is still a pirate and Warlord," Robin said.
Vivi's gaze was unwavering. "I'm sure," she stated.
Nojiko smirked. "Ben says the princess is always right," she teased.
"She's the favorite one," Zala teased.
"Hey," Vivi protested but the girls laughed together.
Risky Brother 1 blinked. "How are they laughing at a time like this?" he muttered.
"They are strange," Lola said.
Alvida turned to Ben. "My love?" she asked.
Ben smiled faintly. "There are many ways to win a fight, some with fists, others with words," he responded. He looked at Luffy. "Trust me. I'll handle this. You can take the next two," he remarked.
"Really?" Luffy asked as he was grinning. "Okay," he added as he gave a thumbs-up.
"Idiot," Zoro muttered. "What's your plan, Ben?" he asked.
Kuma rose to his feet. He towered over them. In an instant, he vanished and then reappeared directly in front of the crews.
"What was that?!" Conis gasped as she saw the man appear in front of them.
"He moved like Shave," Maya said.
"No, it was not Shave. It was something else," Kalifa observed as she adjusted her glasses.
Kuma's deep voice rumbled. "You are all exceptional people. Both your ships are filled with extraordinary individuals," he said.
Ben stepped forward. "Thank you, Kuma. We do our best," he remarked.
Kuma looked at him. "Demon King Ben. Reports say you are the vice-captain of the Love Pirates," he said.
"My love is the captain," Alvida corrected proudly. The crew nodded in agreement.
"I suspected as much," Kuma said. "But the World Government has ordered me to eliminate everyone on this island," he added.
Ben's eyes narrowed. "We don't brag. No one will know what happened here," he said.
"That's right," the Risky Brothers said together.
"Besides," Ben added. "Bonney might be upset if you eliminate us," he said.
Kuma looked at him. "You saved Jewelry Bonney twice, once from the Gasparade Pirates, and again against the Marines at Enies Lobby. For that, I thank you," he said.
"I'll always protect Bonney, no matter who threatens her," Ben said firmly.
Kuma's expression softened. "How is she?" he asked.
"Feisty. Hot-headed. Loves food. But she's a good person," Ben responded.
"She kicked him in the groin," Mikita remarked.
"She did apologize," Marianne added quickly.
For the first time, Kuma smiled. "I will be taking Moria with me," he said.
"Fine," Ben replied.
Kuma walked towards the fallen Warlord. "I am letting you go for now. But be warned the next ones, even me, may not be merciful," he warned. He placed his massive hand on Moria, and in an instant, they both vanished.
"He's gone," Kaya whispered.
"I was expecting a fight," Luffy admitted. "I would have beaten you," he added.
Usopp, Chopper, and Nami immediately smacked him so hard he went flying back. "Knock it off!" they shouted in unison.
"That was easy," Mikita said as she looked around.
"This could have been a lot worse," Raki said.
"Do you think Kuma is going to betray us?" Robin asked as she looked at Ben.
"I don't think so," Ben responded.
"You have faith in Bonney and Kuma," Zala said.
"That is my love," Alvida said. "However she will still be punished," Alvida added.
"But he is right, the next time we see Kuma, I have a feeling it may be different," Ben said.
Zoro and Sanji looked at Ben.
Ben looked at Luffy who was getting up. He thought of saying something about the next island however changing the canon right now would be dangerous. They were strong however they needed to be stronger. He looked at the sun rising.
Luffy walked towards Ben and stood next to him. "That is a problem for tomorrow," Luffy said. "Today, we did it," Luffy said as he lifted his fist towards Ben.
Ben lifted his fist and gave him a fist bump. "We sure did," Ben added.
"To the Straw-Love Alliance," Luffy said.
"Why can't it be the Love-Straw Alliance," Nojiko said.
"The Straw-Love Alliance sounds better," Nami fired back.
"How does it feel to be married sis?" Nojiko teased as she looked at Nami still in the wedding dress.
Nami blushed. "We did not," she said.
"But you both kissed," Nojiko said.
"Ben," Sanji said as he burst into flames.
"Does that mean Nami is pregnant?" Luffy asked.
The girls all looked at Ben and glared at him.
Ben sighed.
"There goes another one," Risky Brother 1 said.
"I missed my chance," Lola responded.