Seeing the Real Deal

"Boohoo, Page One, your sister is too ashamed to face anyone…" Ulti wailed as she threw herself onto Page One’s chest.

Page One wore a helpless expression. "Sis, you just danced once. Do you really need to be this upset?"

"Damn it, has even Page One stopped caring about his sister? Don’t tell me you’ve fallen under that damned three-eyed girl’s illusion too?!"

Ulti’s expression changed as she ranted furiously, grabbing Page One by the collar and shaking him until he was dizzy.

"Hehe, Ironhead Girl, can’t you tell how fed up your little brother is with you?" Charlotte Pudding said with a smile.

"Bastard, what business is it of yours what happens between us siblings?" Ulti shouted back at Charlotte Pudding, still holding up a Page One who was nearly foaming at the mouth.

"Hehehe." Charlotte Pudding looked like she could not be bothered to stoop to Ulti’s level, making Ulti grit her teeth in fury, yet she no longer dared to attack directly.

The reason was simple. After mastering the Spirit Transformation Technique, stimulated by her spiritual power, Charlotte Pudding had finally awakened the ability of the Three-Eye Tribe. At the same time, in a chain reaction, her Three-Tomoe Sharingan had evolved into the Mangekyo Sharingan!

After awakening the Mangekyo Sharingan, Pudding immediately gained the ability to summon Susanoo, which combined offense and defense. She had also acquired three ocular techniques unique to the Mangekyo Sharingan, causing her strength to soar instantly.

Even in a head-on fight, Ulti was no longer her match. Naturally, she would not provoke her again and humiliate herself.

"By the way, we’ve already defeated all three weirdos under Moria. Why hasn’t Moria shown himself yet?"

At that moment, the most serious-minded Kyros frowned and spoke up.

Yota shook his head and looked at Violet. "I’m afraid Violet, with her Clairvoyance, is the only one who can answer that question."

Violet’s expression was somewhat strange. "Gecko Moria is still asleep…"

The moment those words came out, everyone fell silent.

They had already fought their way to his doorstep, and Gecko Moria was still sleeping?! Why did that feel so unreal?

Soon after, several more bizarre zombies were sent flying. Violet, who had been monitoring the situation, frowned and said, "Someone woke Moria up! It’s a chubby guy."

Yota thought for a moment. "Could it be that famous surgeon? What was his name again?"

"Hogback! He’s a genius surgeon proficient in human transplants. These strange animals here, along with many of the zombies, were stitched together by him." Charlotte Pudding spoke up. Having all of Perona’s memories, the entire Moria Pirates held no secrets from her.

"However, he doesn’t have any combat ability. He only counts as support personnel, so our opponent is still Gecko Moria."

Just as the group was discussing matters, countless pitch-black bats flew out from the distant castle, accompanied by Gecko Moria’s shrill laughter.

"Kishishishishishi! Who is it? Who dares intrude upon my domain? You are courting death!"

Yota rolled his eyes. You’re a fat slob, and you dare imitate a demon hunter? The aura is completely different, okay?

Illidan had the presence of a true final boss no matter how you looked at him. But no matter how you look at this guy, he’s just a fat shut-in.

Still, the various abilities of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit did have the feel of a final boss, which at least elevated Gecko Moria’s presence somewhat. Otherwise, his entrance would have only made people laugh.

Bats, shadows… Come to think of it, this Devil Fruit seemed quite compatible with the Vampire Fruit. Perhaps he could try this Devil Fruit in the future.

While Yota was still lost in thought, Ulti had already stepped forward and arrogantly opened her mouth.

"Gecko Moria, come and meet your death!"

Gecko Moria landed on the ground, revealing his onion-shaped figure. However, his face carried a trace of indignation. "Damn it, Kaido’s lackeys actually found this place!"

"Are you trying to wipe out the threat I pose completely while my zombie army has yet to take shape?"

Ulti’s expression turned strange. She had not expected Gecko Moria to recognize her, but what was all that nonsense he was talking about? Since when had Kaido cared about any threat Gecko Moria posed?

Of course, this situation was perfectly normal. In Kaido’s eyes, Gecko Moria had merely been an opponent worth fighting. After his crushing defeat in that battle, Moria had lost his spirit and fallen even further beneath Kaido’s notice.

However, in Moria’s eyes, he had always treated Kaido as the target of his revenge. Thus, he knew the Kaido Pirates’ officers quite well. Otherwise, he would not have recognized Ulti so easily.

As for this persecuted mindset… Moria could hardly admit that Kaido had scared him so badly that he no longer dared enter the New World. So he had always "believed" that he was diligently gathering strength, collecting corpses and shadows, all to one day take revenge on Kaido.

After deceiving himself for so long, even Moria himself had come to believe it somewhat. Thus, upon seeing Ulti arrive, his first thought was that Kaido wanted to eliminate him once and for all.

In truth, he was not Kozuki Oden. Kaido had never taken him seriously. Especially later on, Moria had been so frightened that he no longer dared enter the New World. If someone asked Kaido about him now, Kaido might have even forgotten he existed!

After talking to himself for a while, Gecko Moria shouted, "Come forth, my most powerful zombie army!"

The moment he finished speaking, a large group of bizarre zombies charged out. Among them, a swordsman zombie wielding a black blade possessed the most chilling and savage presence.

"That sword is Black Blade Shusui. Could that zombie be the legendary Ryuma the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman?" Page One could not help but say.

As a member of the Beasts Pirates who frequently traveled through Wano Country, he naturally knew quite a bit about the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman’s history.

"Kishishishishishi! That’s right! He is one of my two trump cards. I originally saved him for Kaido, but now you Kaido lackeys can have a taste of his power!" Moria shouted loudly, his face filled with wild arrogance.

In fact, whether it was Oars the Oni or Ryuma the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman, both clearly revealed Moria’s intentions toward Kaido. After all, Kaido himself belonged to the Oni race and also possessed the Azure Dragon Fruit.

Of course, if those two had still been alive, they might truly have posed a threat to Kaido. But as zombies… that could only mean Moria was far too naive.