Moria looked at Crocodile suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?"
He and Crocodile were old acquaintances.
They had met back when Roger was executed, in Loguetown.
Later, as they each sailed the Grand Line, they crossed paths several times in battle.
Not to mention, after both became Shichibukai, they occasionally met at the Shichibukai meetings.
But Moria had never thought to get involved with this guy.
The reason was simple: in the past, Moria only trusted his comrades.
But after the battle in Wano Country, after being burned by that golden flame, Moria felt the dead were more reliable than the living.
"Looking at you now, I doubt you'll ever get revenge on Kaido or on Ian."
Crocodile said bluntly.
Moria was far weaker now than before. What right did he have to challenge the strongest crew in the world, the Beast Pirates?
"Crocodile!!"
Moria's pale, paper-white face suddenly flushed red. His hand gripping the scissors trembled.
"What nonsense are you talking about! As long as I find a strong enough shadow! As long as I revive that one! I'll crush Kaido and Ian to pieces!"
As long as he could revive Oars.
As long as the power of the Continent-Puller Oars was under his control, the Beast Pirates would no longer be untouchable.
"Is that so?"
Crocodile raised an eyebrow. Could it be Moria really had something incredible? So confident?
But—
"You said shadow?"
Crocodile recalled something. "You don't mean you're pinning your hopes on those meaningless zombies, do you?"
"What do you know?"
Moria sneered coldly, "Zombies are much more useful than living people!"
Zombies would never betray him, nor make him feel the pain of loss.
Is there anyone better than zombies as subordinates in this world?
"Tch."
Crocodile clicked his tongue again.
He thought there was some great secret, but it's just this?
He started to wonder if he had come to the wrong place.
Where was the ambition Moria showed when they clashed at Loguetown?
He was turning into a complete waste.
Maybe he should go find Mihawk instead.
That bastard might be a lone wolf, but at least he was more respectable than Moria.
However...
Since he was already here...
Crocodile took a deep breath.
"No matter how powerful your secret weapon is, Kaido and Ian are still two people. Not to mention the many strong fighters under their command."
Wait—
Hmm?
Who was the one defeated in Dressrosa again?
Forget it, it didn't matter.
Crocodile spoke seriously, "Having someone to help you can't be a bad thing. Just answer me directly, Moria. What's your answer to my cooperation proposal?"
"Why the hell would I cooperate with you?"
Moria sneered, "You bastard don't really have much to do with Kaido or that brat, right?"
Crocodile briefly explained his grudge against Ian. 'That bastard took away something I've been planning for years.'
"That's something I absolutely refuse to let go."
"Oh?"
Moria carefully sized up Crocodile, seeing no sign of deceit in him, and couldn't help but smile.
Is this guy also one of that brat's victims?
Kind of relatable, then.
If that's the case, there might actually be some basis for cooperation.
Crocodile was right—Beasts Pirates are way too strong.
Even though Oars has unbeatable power, dealing with both Ian and Kaido at the same time is definitely beyond his reach.
"So, how do you want to cooperate?"
Moria grew a bit serious.
A smirk tugged at Crocodile's lips.
Look, if we're talking cooperation, it's better to deal with someone not too sharp.
Take note—
Hmm, who am I trying to mock here?
"I want to take down Kaido and Ian," Crocodile held up two fingers, "I think we should attack from two angles."
"Strengthen ourselves."
"Weaken those two."
Moria looked at him as if he were an idiot.
Isn't that obvious?
"If we're going to strengthen ourselves," Crocodile scrutinized Moria carefully, focusing especially on his big belly, "How long do you plan to keep that disgusting look? Have you already forgotten how you looked back in the day?"
Moria felt a bit embarrassed.
He had indeed been a bit too lazy over these years.
"Next, we need to recruit more people."
Crocodile said, "The Beast Pirates are powerful not just because of Ian and Kaido."
"Easier said than done,"
Moria sneered, "How many people in this world dare to go against the Beast Pirates? Besides those fools who don't know their place, where else can we find people?"
We can't exactly poach from the Marines, can we?
There are plenty there who dare to oppose the Beast Pirates.
"There is a place."
A dangerous gleam flashed in Crocodile's eyes.
"We can also carry out a secondary operation to weaken the Beast Pirates."
Moria furrowed his brows deeply. "What exactly do you mean?"
"The battle for supremacy in the New World has ended," Crocodile's lips curled into a smile. "The Emperors' territories are stable now, and they won't start fights lightly."
"But if some other strong forces move in, things will be different!"
"So, Crocodile, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Don't you get it, idiot? Next, we're going somewhere to recruit people, and while we're at it, release some monsters back into the sea! You want shadows, right? There are plenty of powerful shadows there!"
"Really? Are there really powerful shadows?"
"Is the shadow the main point? Whatever. But before that, we have to prepare properly first."
"What preparation?"
"Not preparing to become one of the Seven Warlords!"
Hive Island.
Ian and a little girl stared at each other with wide eyes.
But the little girl couldn't keep staring at him and cautiously lowered her head.
Sugar was scared inside.
How could she not be afraid?
She hadn't forgotten the air bullet that had brushed past her ear before, nor the ruthless lightning strike back in Dressrosa.
"You're not allowed to deactivate your ability without my permission from now on," Ian reminded her.
"Y-yes, Lord Ian," Sugar trembled and quickly responded.
Ian picked up a plate of plump grapes from nearby and handed it to her. "You've worked hard. Go play."
Sugar hesitated for a moment, then grabbed the grapes and ran off feeling relieved.
Ian watched her retreating figure.
What an interesting ability.
During this time, he had been experimenting with Sugar to test the powers of the Hobby-Hobby Fruit.
Some questions were answered.
After transforming into a doll, physical functions greatly weaken, including Haki. It's extremely difficult to break free from the ability using Haki.
If Sugar had already made a contract that forbade her from using Haki, then escaping the bondage was even more impossible.
Damage done to the doll wouldn't fully transfer back to the original body. Although there was some effect, it wasn't severe.
Unless the original was killed.
If the doll was killed, the ability would be undone because the original body was already dead.
Also, the Hobby-Hobby Fruit's ability wasn't absolute.
If someone was turned into a doll, everyone in the world would lose their memories of that person.
But only memories — written records and related materials would remain.
For example, the Donquixote family could still know from past newspapers and records that their original leader was Donquixote Doflamingo.
They just couldn't recall what had happened between them and this man before.
It was like watching someone else's story, as if all the feelings had been erased.
This was also why Ian specifically warned Sugar not to remove her ability on her own.
But even so, this power was already twisted enough.
As long as Ian wanted, he could easily make someone disappear without a trace.
**********
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