"Big Brother Victor~~"
Accompanied by a joyful cry that was almost on the verge of tears, Perona, with red-rimmed eyes, suppressed her tears and rushed to Victor in a few steps, throwing herself onto him.
Victor let out an "Ouch" and, with a wry smile, stroked Perona's pink head:
"...Cough, cough! Perona, I'm covered in injuries right now. If you hug any tighter, you'll achieve Mr. Moria's unfinished goal."
Perona quickly leaped out of Victor's arms, looking at his body, which had no good spots. The pink-haired girl's eyes began to redden again.
Victor knew that once Perona started crying, she was hard to console, so he quickly diverted her attention: "Mai Hime is with you too, right? This island is about to be destroyed; we need to leave here quickly."
At this moment, Mai Hime walked over, dragging a rope. Behind the rope were Gecko Moria's monstrous subordinates.
The top-hatted lion-faced Absalom and the grotesque doctor Hogback had already been knocked unconscious. The injured old scholar hadn't woken up. The zombie maid Cindry was very well-behaved when she didn't receive orders from Hogback, and obediently helped Mai Hime carry Ryuma's remains behind her.
"With this, the prize of this battle is also in our hands. This concubine can finally bring 'Sword God' Ryuma's remains and the black blade Shusui back to Wano Country. As for this 'Kobuto'... Hehe~ this concubine will keep it!"
Mai Hime's tone was full of joy. Her long-cherished wish was finally about to be fulfilled, and her family's long-stolen treasured sword, 'Kobuto,' had finally returned to its rightful owner.
"Huh? I'm not surprised that old weirdo isn't dead, but how come your red-haired opponent, Mai-chan, wasn't saved by these monsters?" Perona looked at the large bundle tied with rope, asking curiously.
Mai Hime slung the famed sword 'Kobuto' and 'Seimasun Hime' together at her waist, then replied: "That man was too deeply corrupted by the cursed sword and was beyond saving. I cut him down along with that cursed sword; it could be considered a samurai's mercy."
Perona snorted: "Your Wano Country has too many tricks, Pepe-sama doesn't understand. Big Brother, shall we depart now? Don't we need to finish off this big guy?" Her small hand pointed at the unconscious Gecko Moria on the ground.
Victor shook his head, turning to Mai Hime and saying: "Mai Hime, that zombie maid has a few things hidden in her chest. Please get them for me. Perona, punch this lion-face awake."
Perona cheered, "Alright~!", and excitedly raised her small parasol, wildly lashing Absalom's lion-face, who was now bruised and terrified.
Mai Hime, following Victor's instructions, walked up to the blonde zombie maid Cindry. She made a heart-pounding search within Cindry's deep cleavage and pulled out a few items.
Two oddly styled wristwatches, and a sleeping Dan-Dan-Mushi.
When Victor saw these items, an uncontrollable smile spread across his face.
"Victor, what are these?" Although Mai Hime didn't know what they were, seeing Victor so happy made her feel joyous as well.
Victor took the items and said with emotion: "I've told you before, our goals are consistent. Your goal is the lost treasure of Wano Country, and my goal is these."
"The Log Pose, essential for traversing the Grand Line; the Eternal Pose marking the location of the Thriller Bark in the Florian Triangle; and this Dan-Dan-Mushi, exclusive to the 'Warlords of the Sea'."
At this moment, Perona, clutching the collar of the bruised and terrified Absalom, curiously leaned over towards Victor and asked: "Big Brother, what is that Thriller Bark you mentioned? It sounds so cute!"
This girl loved dark horror novels and decadent, gloomy Gothic rock music the most.
Victor held up one of the wristwatches. In its center, a transparent glass sphere was embedded, with a rhomboid pointer suspended inside. His voice was light as he said: "In the Grand Line, there is a legendary sea area where an impenetrable dense fog lingers year-round. It is said that over 100 ships disappear in this area every year. Over time, people called this sea area the 'Florian Triangle'."
"And within this Florian Triangle, lurks the world's largest pirate ship, the proud vessel of 'Warlord of the Sea' Gecko Moria—Thriller Bark! It is both a ship and an island, and no one can find it lurking in the Florian Triangle.
My goal is this terrifying island; it will become 'Coral's' base in the Grand Line! And this Eternal Pose will be the only coordinate leading to this largest pirate ship in the world."
Victor looked at the timid Absalom, who dared not speak much, and said softly: "I won't kill you. If Mr. Moria wakes up, tell him for me—this time you didn't lose to me, but to fate, so I've decided to fight you again.
Next time, no matter who loses, they must grant the other one request."
He tossed the Eternal Pose in his hand, a mischievous smile on his face: "However, as a penalty for defeat, your Thriller Bark is mine. If you want it back, let's fight again in the Grand Line!"
After his encounter with Gecko Moria, Victor gradually formed an idea: he hoped to recruit Gecko Moria as an ally of 'Coral'.
Having read the manga, he knew that even if Gecko Moria's strength severely declined later and he became a shut-in fatty, deep down he was still a man of loyalty. This was evident in the manga when he single-handedly trespassed into 'Emperor'
Blackbeard's territory for Absalom's sake.
This man should not die on this island that was about to be annihilated!
Moreover, in his own opinion, his final attack felt somewhat like an unfair Victory. Even if others called him sentimental, Victor still hoped to have another match with Gecko Moria when both were in top condition. And next time, he would win fair and square!
"Alright, there's a small caravel on the south side of the island. You all take Mr. Moria and leave on it. Hurry, it's about to be overturned by the waves." Victor closed his eyes and used his Observation Haki to search. He found that the 'Cheese Pizza' was still bravely surviving amidst the surging waves, so he gave it to Moria's group.
"Huh? 'Cheese Pizza' for them, what about us, Big Brother?" Perona almost gave Absalom another hard punch at this, making the latter shiver.
Victor smiled, looked at the distant sea, and said softly:
"Don't worry, everyone is coming to pick us up and take us home."
On the distant sea, a merchant ship was battling increasingly turbulent waves, diligently sailing towards the doomed island.
It was the 'Croissant'!
That night, Clock Tower Village, with its 700-year history, was completely destroyed along with Clock Tower Island.
'Warlord of the Sea' Gecko Moria unexpectedly suffered a crushing defeat in his homeland, West Blue, and disappeared after his major loss.
The leader of the West Blue gang 'Coral'—'Ferocious Chains' Victor—became famous throughout the seas!
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