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belamy20
After handing out the Hollow-Hollow Fruit, sunlight poured across Thriller Bark. The Florian Triangle would no longer be a nightmare for passing ships.
The people whose shadows had finally returned to their bodies wept with joy. They no longer had to fear the sun or rot away like corpses in the dark.
And the man responsible for it all—Chrollo—had just pocketed another twenty thousand Reputation Points. He left Thriller Bark fully satisfied.
The Black Whale lifted off once more, soaring into the clear blue sky on a direct course for Sabaody Archipelago.
Chrollo sat at the bow, arms crossed, fingers idly stroking his chin in thought.
They had already confirmed the locations of two groups that escaped the Black Whale.
First was Hisoka. He had joined the Blackbeard Pirates.
Chrollo had every reason to believe that with Hisoka at Teach's side, the man would never know a moment's peace again. The prophecy line—"Beware the clown who performs magic tricks"—made perfect sense now. He was certain the clown was Hisoka. He just didn't know what kind of chaos the guy would stir up.
"Looks like we'll need to stay sharp," he muttered.
The rest of the Zodiac Knights had joined the God's Knights, placing themselves directly under the World Government and Imu.
Now that Ox and Tiger were back, they would definitely carry word of the Troupe straight to the Five Elders—and probably Imu herself. Things were about to get a lot more dangerous.
Chrollo had been expecting it, though.
Anyone who could steal other people's powers was the biggest threat in any world. The Troupe—or rather, Chrollo himself—had long since grown used to being public enemy number one.
"Guess that's what they mean by too many fleas stop the itch and too many debts stop weighing you down~"
But… what about the others still missing from the ship?
Chrollo narrowed his eyes.
Biyande was definitely dead. He'd killed the guy himself.
The main cast had all been successfully hunted and were now locked away in his prison.
But Ging and Pariston were almost certainly still alive.
Those two weren't the type to die from a simple fall into the ocean during a transmigration.
Then there was Illumi.
All of them had ridiculous survival skills and an even greater talent for causing trouble.
Which sides had they joined?
And what kind of chaos would they unleash…?
While Chrollo sat pondering, the scene shifted to the Holy Land of Mariejois, inside the Knights' Temple.
Mizaistom and Kanzai—now dressed in gleaming silver armor with flowing red capes—dragged the half-dead Moria behind them like a sack of garbage down the long corridor.
At the far end sat an elderly man on the Knight King's throne. His white hair and beard connected at the sideburns, the beard tapering into a sharp forward-pointing crescent beneath his chin. Round sunglasses rested on his nose as he studied the three figures below.
"Commander," Mizaistom and Kanzai said in unison. They placed their right hands over their chests and dropped to one knee in perfect knightly salute.
The old man gave a slight nod.
"Well done."
His gaze slid to the massive, motionless figure on the floor. The corner of his mouth curled into a contemptuous smirk.
"Still playing dead even after you've been brought here… Moonlight. Or should I call you… Kozuki Moria."
"Kozuki family brat…"
Moria's head snapped up in pure terror, eyes bulging as he stared at the imposing elder.
He knows?!
He actually knows!!
That was Moria's greatest secret!!
He was a descendant of the Kozuki clan—the family that had ruled Wano for centuries, the stonemasons who carved the indestructible Historical Poneglyphs and mastered the ancient script…
Moria left a shadow clone in his place and bolted for the exit like a madman.
He could make it!
The doorway was right there. He stretched out his arm desperately.
Once he stepped outside, he could slip into some Celestial Dragon's shadow and escape.
If they knew he was a Kozuki, there was no way they'd let him live!
Just as his fingers brushed the open air beyond the door—
His expression froze.
A pitch-black hand clamped down on his arm with crushing force, locking every movement in place.
"Top-tier Armament Haki," Figarland said, lips curving into a mocking smile. "You're already in Mariejois and you still thought you could run? How naïve."
He tightened his grip, staring down coldly at Moria, who had collapsed in agony.
"Did you really believe the World Government hadn't noticed?"
"Waging war against Kaido in a bid to liberate Wano."
"Stealing the remains of the Rocks Pirates crew, hoping to resurrect them and uncover the secrets of the God Valley Incident."
Figarland looked down at him with utter indifference. "Exactly what are you after, Moria? Or rather… who are you trying to spy on?"
Cold sweat poured down Moria's face. His expression twisted in terror as he opened his mouth—
A flash of steel.
Moria's eyes widened in shock before going blank. He clutched desperately at his throat, but it was useless.
A clean red line opened across his neck. Bright red blood sprayed out like a fountain as the light faded from his eyes.
His body crumpled limply to the floor.
Figarland flicked the blood from his knight's blade and sheathed it, his expression as calm and detached as ever.
"Doesn't matter anymore…"
"Anyone who obtains information about that lord… must die."
Mizaistom and Kanzai remained kneeling before the throne, unable to lift their heads under the crushing pressure.
Figarland returned to his seat and looked down at them.
"Tell me what happened during the capture."
"I sensed the two of you died once. Explain."
"With Moria's level of strength, he shouldn't have been able to defeat you."
Mizaistom strained to raise his head against the overwhelming aura. "We ran into the Phantom Pirates on Thriller Bark. We fought them… and lost."
"To keep them from stealing our abilities, we had no choice but to kill ourselves."
"The Phantom Pirates." A flicker of interest crossed Figarland's eyes.
He had been hearing that name quite a bit lately.
"A notorious pirate crew strong enough to defeat you two isn't surprising."
Mizaistom hesitated, then gritted his teeth and continued. "It… wasn't the whole crew. Just one man. The captain of the Phantom Pirates—Chrollo."
"!!!"
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on Figarland's face.