Thriller Bark lay shrouded in eternal clouds, isolated from the outside world.
Because of that, Luo Xing and Moria had no idea what was happening beyond the fog.
But for Luo Xing, it didn't matter whether he knew or not.
As a transmigrator, he already understood the future. Everything was proceeding exactly as planned.
He was extremely satisfied with the ultimate giant he had created—
the monstrous fusion of Oars's terrifying physique, Rob Lucci's Rokushiki martial arts and potential, and a Dragon-level monster cell.
A two-hundred-meter-tall behemoth with overwhelming strength and terrifying speed…
The moment that thing appeared before the world, countless jaws would drop in disbelief.
Luo Xing was calmly imagining that scene when Moria floated over, eyes burning with desire.
"Luo Xing-sama… c-can you give me… a monster cell too?"
Although the demon zombie Oars had been created through Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit, after consuming the monster cell, Oars's strength now completely crushed Moria's own.
How could he not be jealous?
Luo Xing glanced at Moria's much-slimmer belly.
Judging by his condition, he should now be able to endure a Demon-level monster cell.
So Luo Xing wasn't stingy.
He took out a chunk of purple flesh and tossed it over.
"This one isn't as high-grade as Oars's, but it's still extremely powerful. If you can't withstand the side effects, you may die."
Moria didn't hesitate at all.
A trace of the old warlord who once fought Kaido resurfaced in his eyes.
"Don't worry, Luo Xing-sama."
He swallowed the Demon-level monster cell in one gulp.
Perona immediately floated around him in panic.
"M-Moria-sama! Are you okay?! You won't die, will you?! Why eat something like that? You'll turn ugly!"
She couldn't understand why everyone was so desperate to consume monster cells.
No matter what, she would never eat one.
Absalom, who had already taken a Tiger-level monster cell, sneered.
"You don't get it, Perona. Men want power. Looks are just something you girls care about!"
Perona's brows shot up.
"You're the little girl!"
She waved her hand, sending Negative Ghosts straight through Absalom.
The next second, Absalom collapsed to his knees.
"I'm worse than a little girl… I should just become a stray dog…"
"Horo horo horo!"
Perona laughed happily, twirling through the air—
until she accidentally drifted too close to Luo Xing.
Her laughter instantly stopped.
Like a mouse spotting a cat, she zipped away in panic.
Luo Xing couldn't help but smile.
That Ghost Princess really was mischievous.
And truth be told…
Every woman Luo Xing had set his eyes on had her own personality and charm.
That was exactly why he couldn't help collecting them.
Not long after, Moria finished his evolution.
The power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit skyrocketed, and his overall strength surpassed even his former peak.
Moria was ecstatic.
Even though he had submitted to Luo Xing, he didn't want to be a nobody.
Luo Xing recalled how Who's-Who and the others had their Ancient Zoan fruits evolve into Mythical Zoans after consuming Demon-level cells.
Although Moria wasn't a Zoan, his fruit should have changed in some way.
He asked, "Moria, has your ability changed?"
Moria closed his eyes briefly, then grinned.
"Yes. Please watch, Luo Xing-sama."
Suddenly, Moria's shadow stretched out and connected with Absalom's.
A strange phenomenon occurred.
No matter what movement Moria made, Absalom copied it exactly.
When Moria stopped moving, Absalom couldn't move at all—no matter how hard he tried.
Luo Xing's expression became strange.
"Isn't this… basically the Nara Clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu?"
But it made sense.
Both were shadow-based abilities.
Being able to bind someone's shadow and control their movements was terrifying.
No matter how powerful someone was, they had a shadow.
They could be restrained—if only for a moment.
And in a battle between top-tier fighters, even a brief restraint was enough to decide victory.
Luo Xing instructed Moria to train this new ability seriously.
Nightfall
Luo Xing entered a bedroom.
Perona's physical body lay on a round bed.
Her spirit floated behind him, trembling.
"Y-you're not going to make me eat a monster cell, right?! I won't! I'd rather die!"
Luo Xing grabbed Perona's twin-tails and smiled gently.
"Relax. I'd never make you eat something like that."
"R-really?! That's great!"
She cheered—then noticed her body was now in Luo Xing's hands and immediately paled.
"L-Luo Xing-sama… please don't bully me… I'm just a cute, pitiful girl…"
Luo Xing lifted her body onto his lap, one hand on her waist, and said seriously:
"I'm not bullying you. I'm a doctor. I'm just giving you a physical checkup."
"Come. Don't be afraid. Return to your body."
Perona was on the verge of tears.
But she didn't dare disobey.
As she slipped back into her body, she lamented in her heart:
"Waaah… a cute, pitiful princess is about to be bullied… why isn't there a prince to save me…?"
Luo Xing would say—
He was that prince.
After all, thanks to him, Perona's once-modest figure was now something she could barely control.
What kind of prince was better than that?
Marineford – Navy Headquarters
Sengoku had just received intelligence from the New World.
The Whitebeard Pirates were mobilizing their entire force to rescue Portgas D. Ace.
A war between the Navy and a Yonko was inevitable.
Even though the Navy held the advantage, they couldn't afford any carelessness.
Whitebeard, Edward Newgate, possessed the power to destroy the world.
Sengoku summoned Garp, Tsuru, the three Admirals, Kuma, and elite Vice Admirals like Momonga.
With a stern expression, Sengoku gave his orders:
"We cannot afford even the slightest mistake against the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"Aokiji—mobilize naval branches from the four seas and the Grand Line. Gather 100,000 Marines to defend Marineford!"
"Kizaru, Kuma, Momonga, and the other Vice Admirals—notify the Seven Warlords. They must attend the execution and fight Whitebeard. Anyone who refuses will have their Warlord status revoked!"
"Akainu, Tsuru—keep close watch on the Beast Pirates, especially Punk Hazard and Dressrosa! They're close to Marineford. We must prevent any interference!"
Sengoku truly lived up to his reputation as a master strategist.
His deployment was meticulous.
He even anticipated the possibility of the Beast Pirates taking advantage of the chaos.
But he made one fatal mistake.
He was watching Punk Hazard and Dressrosa—
Yet he didn't realize that Thriller Bark was Luo Xing's real launch point.
That missing piece of intelligence…
Would become the greatest—and most irreversible—error the Navy and the World Government would make in the entire Summit War.
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