Chapter 70: Thriller Bark

Moria's huge body trembled uncontrollably, his bloodshot eyes filled with deep hatred that could not mask the profound fear etched across his face. The name that struck terror into him was the same that haunted his nightmares.

Four Emperors, Kaido of the Beasts.

Once an ambitious and courageous pirate, Moria had fought for dominance in the New World. He used swords and Haki to compete for hegemony, relying on more than just the Shadow Fruit. But his encounter with Kaido changed everything.

Kaido and his Beasts Pirates ruthlessly slaughtered all of Moria's subordinates and companions, leaving him the sole survivor of his pirate crew. From that day, Moria believed that "if you live, the regiment will be lost." Escaping from Wanokuni in disgrace, he stole the powerful corpses of dragon-slaying samurai Shimotsuki Ryoma and others, along with the famous sword Shusui, and retreated to the Devil's Triangle to build his zombie army.

Moria's once strong and muscular body, capable of wielding a sword and fighting Kaido, had become bloated and weak. He lost his Haki, no longer believing in any living power, and relied solely on his undead minions. He had gone from a formidable pirate who dared to challenge Kaido to one who depended entirely on the Shadow Fruit. Among the Shichibukai, he was now the weakest, a walking zombie in all but name.

"Kaido!" Moria roared, his bloodshot eyes filled with rage and fear. He wanted revenge, but the mere thought of Kaido made his body tremble. His Haki, long lost, and even the power of the Shadow Fruit, became sluggish at the thought of facing Kaido again.

At that moment, rapid footsteps echoed. Absalom, the transparent fruit user, and Hogback, the so-called genius surgeon who prioritized money over lives, rushed into Moria's room.

"Lord Moria," they called nervously, their hearts pounding. Could Moria be planning to challenge Kaido again? They admired his ambition but feared the consequences.

"Get all the zombies out, fire up the Thriller Bark, and go to Mariejois," Moria gritted his teeth. Staying here was unsafe. According to the World Government, Portgas D. Ace was approaching the Devil's Triangle. Though vast, what if Ace found him? Kaido and Red-Haired Shanks had come to the first half of the Grand Line for Ace. The Marines hinted at a potential war involving these three powerful figures.

Marine had placed Ace on the same level as Kaido and Shanks. Moria, though arrogant, couldn't dismiss this warning. The Shichibukai summons indicated that the Marines were preparing for an all-out war, recognized by the World Government. Could a newcomer like Ace truly rival Kaido and Shanks?

Moria's fear deepened. Kaido's strength had already broken him once. If Ace was indeed that strong, and if Kaido and Shanks were drawn to this battle, he needed to evacuate immediately.

"Why?!" Perona, Hogback, and Absalom were stunned, seeing Moria's fear.

"Go!" Moria ordered. Cold sweat dripped from their foreheads as they realized the gravity of the situation.

Moria collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily. Since his defeat by Kaido, he hadn't exercised and felt exhausted just from standing. "Hehehehe, if Marine really goes to war with Kaido and the others, this battle might yield many powerful corpses. My zombie army will be even bigger," Moria bared his fangs and laughed sinisterly.

Avoiding a direct confrontation with Ace and the possible arrival of Kaido and Shanks wasn't cowardice; it was strategic. Moria could respond to forced recruitment by shifting the battlefield.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

The ground writhed as countless arms broke through, making the air shiver with an eerie presence. Under the orders of Absalom, Hogback, and Perona, zombies of all shapes and sizes emerged from the earth, converging towards the island's center. The entire island shook, rubble tumbling into the sea as a colossal pirate ship slowly appeared. This island was Gekko Moria's Thriller Bark, the largest pirate ship in the world. Zombies gathered towards the heart of the Thriller Bark, unaware of what was to come.

In the shadows, a ragged group cautiously poked their heads out. Leading them was a robust woman with pink twin tails and a rough appearance, carrying two knives on her back. She was Charlotte Lola, daughter of Four Emperors BIG-MOM.

"What is Moria planning?" Lola muttered, gritting her teeth. The ragtag group followed her towards the center of Thriller Bark.

There, in front of a vast and sinister building, zombies gathered. At the forefront was a zombie wearing Wanokuni garb, the national treasure, the famous sword Shusui, at his waist. He occasionally made "yohohohoho" sounds. This was Ryoma, the dragon-slaying swordsman, whose shadow belonged to Brook.

"Quiet!" Absalom's roar from the building's terrace silenced the zombies, all eyes turning towards him. He, along with Hogback and Perona, stood on the terrace. "Please welcome our great master, Lord Gekko Moria!" Absalom announced.

"Hehehehe!" Moria's sinister laughter echoed as he emerged from the building's shadows, his heavy steps reverberating. Seeing Moria, most zombies, except for a few like Ryoma, recoiled in fear.

"My zombie army! We are about to partake in a great war. The Shichibukai will face off against the Four Emperors Kaido, the Four Emperors Red Hair, and the so-called fifth emperor of the sea, Portgas D. Ace!" Moria's voice boomed. "During the war, if you see a powerful corpse, take it for me. Hehehehe!"

In the shadows, Lola's eyes widened in shock. Could it be true that Kaido and Shanks, two of the Four Emperors, were waging war together against Ace, the fifth emperor of the sea? What had happened to the world while she was trapped here? But Moria's words held weight; the Naval Headquarters was summoning the Shichibukai, preparing for an imminent and terrible war.

"Captain Lola! If Moria leaves, we'll be exposed to the sun!" a member of Lola's crew exclaimed in fear. Without their shadows, they couldn't survive in the sunlight. If Moria moved the Thriller Bark out of the Devil's Triangle, they'd perish. Their only option was to escape before Moria departed, but where could they go?

Lola's mind raced. They couldn't stop Moria, but they couldn't stay and die either. As she pondered their fate, Moria's sinister laughter filled the air. "Hehehe, before leaving, catch those mice first, my zombie army."

Shadows emerged, revealing monsters baring fangs like Moria's, closing in on Lola and her crew. "Fight with Moria! Get our shadows back!" Lola roared, brandishing her swords, her heritage as a child of the Four Emperors surfacing in her desperate resolve.

"Hehehehe, is it just you? Obediently be caught and become my zombie army's supply," Moria laughed, mocking Lola's defiance. He had kept Lola and her crew alive only to prevent his zombie army from losing power if their shadows' bodies died. Now, they were to be imprisoned before his departure.

"I'm afraid I don't have time to look for that afro skeleton. If Brook dies, we'll find another shadow for Ryuma," Moria mused. The upcoming war promised abundant powerful corpses to bolster his army. "Yo~yo ho ho ho ho!!!" A familiar laugh, followed by a terrifying roar, echoed from above.

"This laughter..." Ryuma looked up sharply. Moria's pupils shrank as he recognized the approaching ship. "That's...!!!"

A pirate ship, its hull aflame and emitting thunderous roars, burst from the fog, heading straight for Moria's castle. "M-Moria! That flag! It's the Entei Pirates!" Perona screamed.

"Portgas D. Ace!" Moria growled, veins popping on his forehead, eyes bloodshot. They hadn't hidden well enough. But if Ace was here, Moria would seize his shadow for Oars the Devil.

"The Entei Pirates? The fifth emperor of the sea?" Lola gasped, staring at the descending Merry.

Aboard the Merry, the crew held on tightly under the immense wind pressure caused by Ace's [Thunder Jet] technique. "Too fast! The wind is blowing my skin off!" Nami cried out, tears streaming down her face.

Ace stood at the bow, laughing. "This is how our Entei Pirates should land!" His body ignited with flames as he leaped from the Merry, descending towards the zombies and Moria's castle. His eyes flared with intense purple-black light.

"!!!!" Moria watched in horror as violent black and purple lightning erupted around Ace. The entire Thriller Bark trembled under the power. The lightning coiled around Ace's right fist, his eyes blazing.

"This... this power is!!!" Moria cried out.

"Red Hole!" Ace's right fist slammed down, the violent Conqueror's Haki exploding in the atmosphere, shaking the very foundations of Thriller Bark.

"Buzz!"

Ace's right fist suddenly opened, and he grasped at the air, capturing violent black and purple lightning with his martial arts. He combined it with Conqueror's Haki, clutching the atmosphere itself in his palm. Enveloped in this power, Ace's martial arts and Conqueror's Haki unleashed a terrifying force, which exploded a hundred meters above Thriller Bark.

"Boom!"

The violent energy surged, forming a hemispherical film of black and purple lightning with the captured atmosphere at its core. The fusion of atmosphere and Conqueror's Haki created a devastating shock wave: Conqueror's-Red Hole.

"Boom!"

Thriller Bark, the world's largest pirate ship, split instantly under this immense power. Seawater gushed into the breach, creating terrifying waves. Countless zombies were obliterated, their shadows returning to their original owners. Moria's eerie castle shattered, rubble floating momentarily before disintegrating and falling into the sea.

Among the destruction, only the zombie of swordsman Ryoma remained, wielding the famous black-bladed sword Shusui, resisting the shock wave's force. In the sky, Nami guided the Merry as it struggled against the violent wind pressure.

"That's the knife!" Tashigi exclaimed, her eyes fixed on Ryoma's sword. "The blade is black and purple with red serrated patterns. It's one of the twenty-one great blades, Shusui!"

Despite the chaos, Ryoma's zombie burst into laughter. "What a powerful attack. I've encountered such power before. A person with this strength is not to be trifled with. Yo ho ho ho."

Ace, his body aflame, returned to the Merry, surveying the devastation with a satisfied smile. "As expected of the great swordsman Shimotsuki Ryoma, who forged Shusui into a black sword. Even in death, his body is incredibly strong," Ace remarked, impressed by Ryoma's resilience.

To forge a sword into a black blade required immense Armament Haki. Only a few swords, like Ryoma's Shusui and Mihawk's Yoru, achieved this status. Even Whitebeard's Murakumogiri, despite being one of the strongest blades, was not a black sword. This illustrated the difficulty and mystery behind creating a black blade.

"Shimotsuki Ryoma, the swordsman who once killed a giant dragon?" Tashigi's face reflected her astonishment. "No wonder the famous sword Shusui is here."

"Yes, my shadow is in his body," Brook explained. "He uses the same swordsmanship as me, but his strength is much greater. Even in death, his body remains incredibly powerful."

Ace turned to Tashigi. "Ryoma will be your opponent."

"Leave it to me," Tashigi replied, her eyes shining with determination. Facing the legendary swordsman and wielding the famous sword Shusui, she felt a surge of excitement and resolve.

The legendary great swordsman and the famous sword Shusui—an exhilarating fight awaited.

At this time, Lola watched in astonishment as countless shadows returned to their rightful places, including the ones under her feet and her companions'. The sight left her and the others in horror. "Is this... Conqueror's Haki-Infusion?" she murmured, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Lola looked at the Merry, smoothly flying above the violent shock wave. They were lucky to have stayed away from Moria's castle for fear of being discovered, otherwise, they wouldn't have survived. Despite this precaution, they were still thrown around by the shock wave before finally stopping with difficulty.

The destructive power, the violent black and purple lightning—it was unmistakable. This was the power that stood at the pinnacle of the sea, the same force that made her mother one of the Four Emperors: Conqueror's Haki-Infusion! No wonder Ace was called the Fifth Emperor of the Sea; his power was terrifying, even more so than her mother during a hunger rampage. Lola's eyes were filled with fear.

"Boom! Plop!" Under Nami's command and with the combined efforts of Nojiko, Merry, Vivi, Laki, Kaya, and Tashigi, the Merry landed precisely in the center of the broken Thriller Bark, amidst the surging seawater.

"What a perfect landing, hahaha," Ace laughed loudly from the bow of the boat.

"Can you choose a more normal landing method next time?" Nami pleaded, tears streaming down her face. As Ace's navigator, her ordinary skills were often useless due to his penchant for the most dangerous routes.

"Normal? Isn't this normal?" Ace replied with a smile, looking at the broken Thriller Bark. Flames ignited beneath his feet as he stepped onto the deck.

"Let's go, this is Ace," Nojiko said, patting Nami on the shoulder with a smile.

"Yeah, and it's exciting, isn't it?" Kaya added, her face full of joy.

"You're so doting on Ace, Kaya," Nami remarked, covering her forehead. Kaya smiled, using Moonwalk to jump onto the deck of Thriller Bark, her smile growing even brighter.

Yes, Ace dotes on me too much, she thought, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Ace's back.

"Stay alive, don't pretend to be dead, Moria," Ace called out, his eyes flashing red as he surveyed the ruins.

"Boom!" In the ruins, black shadows exploded, revealing a pitch-black, huge box made of shadows, which slowly dissipated to show a bloodied Moria.

Moria's head dripped with blood, and scars covered his body. His eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Ace in horror. There was no mistaking this power—it was Conqueror's Haki-Infusion, the power at the top of the ocean, the same power that made Kaido one of the Four Emperors.

Portgas D. Ace had this power. With one blow, he had nearly wiped out Moria's entire zombie army, leaving only Ryoma's dragon and horse. The three weirdos had barely managed to cover Perona with a shadow box. Absalom and Hogback had died in the shock wave, mere collateral damage from Ace's range attack on Thriller Bark.

If Ace's attack had been aimed directly at them, none would have survived. Even the dragon and horse would have collapsed. Ace's true purpose was merely to create a landing point for his ship. Moria looked at the laughing Ace, his eyes blood red with both anger and fear.

Now Moria understood why the World Government had advised him to avoid encountering Portgas D. Ace. This man was equal to Kaido, the emperor ruling over the sea. Perona, seeing the fearsome Ace and the severely injured Moria, exclaimed.

Perona, an orphan Moria had picked up, had always seen him as a father figure. Despite being dead, Ryoma could still feel the amazing spirit, a sentiment echoed in his words as he held his samurai blade, looking at Ace.

"Ching!" With the sound of a blade, Tashigi appeared in front of Ryoma, her Armament Haki wrapping around Shigure's blade. "Your opponent is me, the legendary swordsman who killed the dragon, Ryoma," she declared, her face full of fighting spirit.

Ryoma, his past memories lost, felt his muscle memory urging him to fight. "Clang!" Armament Haki-wrapped Shigure and Shusui collided violently.

"'Moonlight' Moria, you are really bloated and weak now," Ace said calmly, looking at the severely injured Moria. After being defeated by Kaido, Moria had ceased exercising, becoming bloated and weak, relying solely on the power of the Shadow Fruit.

Today, Moria did not deserve to be called Shichibukai. "Hateful!" Moria gritted his teeth, trying to stand, but his body failed him after the severe injuries.

No, he could use the Shadow Gathering Ground to absorb many shadows, gaining a power beyond his own. But with all the zombies destroyed and the shadows returned to their owners, except for Ryoma's, even the shadow collective wouldn't help.

Facing Portgas D. Ace, who had mastered Conqueror's Haki-Infusion, Moria realized his strength was nowhere near equal.

"Kaya," Ace called, and Kaya placed an apple in his hand. "Bah!" With a flash of light, a ruin in the distance was destroyed by violent black-purple lightning, and a corpse, bitten by Conqueror's Haki, was brought to Ace.

"Absalom!" Perona exclaimed, while Moria's eyes twitched in disbelief. Ace's control over Conqueror's Haki was unprecedented. His right hand glowed mysteriously, wrapping the apple.

"Grrrrrr!" The devil factor was quickly absorbed by the apple, which sprouted mysterious patterns, transforming into a Devil Fruit under Perona and Moria's horrified gaze.

"Paramecia, transparent fruit," Ace remarked, a strange light in his eyes. Transparent fruit was a valuable asset.

"Absalom's clear, transparent fruit!" Perona exclaimed, covering her red lips.

"This is what the World Government calls the ability to hunt Devil Fruits? I wouldn't believe it unless I saw it myself," Moria said, his voice filled with a grim laugh.

"Yes, although your strength is mediocre, possessing this Devil Fruit was quite fortunate," Ace acknowledged.

Ace took another apple from Kaya and advanced slowly towards Moria.

"Leave your Shadow Fruit to me," Ace declared, his eyes gleaming with a deep purple-black hue.

"Call out!"

"The Ghosts of Negativity!"

Perona, trembling in fear moments before, extended her hands and summoned dozens of small ghosts. However, Ace's focus intensified, and violent black and purple lightning crackled all over his body. In an instant, the flying ghosts were shattered by the lightning.

"A Ghost Fruit? Not bad at all," Ace remarked, his smile faint but present. "The real Perona is much prettier than her comic depiction. Exquisite, like a real Barbie doll."

"Perona, stop! You can't match him, let's retreat!" Moria urged desperately, seeing Perona's futile attempts.

"No, I won't retreat! Ghosts, ah!" Tears welled up in Perona's eyes as she prepared to use her Ghost Fruit power, but suddenly, her pupils contracted in disbelief. "My Ghost Fruit power, how... how is this possible?"

Ace's eyes darkened slowly.

"Conqueror's Haki... blocking Devil Fruit abilities," he murmured. "Unexpected. Your Conqueror's Haki is truly exceptional, Portgas D. Ace."

Moria, realizing the futility of the situation, struggled to stand and burst into laughter. "Hehehehe! Death at your hands, Ace, is no shame for me."

"No, don't!" Perona pleaded desperately, tears streaming down her face. "Lord Moria!"

"Perona, death holds no fear for me. It's living that's the real challenge," Moria replied solemnly. "Ace, after you've dealt with me, let her go, alright?"

Ace's smile remained gentle. "I'm quite intrigued by the Ghost Fruit ability."

Moria's eyes narrowed with a hint of murderous intent, but Perona smiled faintly with relief.

"You won't let Moria die either, will you, Perona?" Ace asked, his gaze softening as he looked at her.

"Why?!" Perona exclaimed, covering her trembling lips, her eyes fixed on Ace in disbelief.

Ace took another apple from Kaya and approached Moria slowly.

"Do you also wish for Moria to live?" The imposing figure in front of Perona posed this question, causing her to cover her red lips, a glimmer of hope sparkling in her eyes.

"Can you... let Master Moria go?" Perona's tear-streaked face silently pleaded with Ace.

Moria, his mouth filled with fangs, spoke up as well. He wanted to fight to preserve his dignity as a renowned Shichibukai pirate until the bitter end. He believed that "losing because one is alive is the rightful loss in a contest." Yet, only when one truly confronts death does one realize the value of life and the instinct to cling to it.

If he could live, Moria naturally wouldn't wish to perish. But why did Portgas D. Ace's words sound so strange?

"I cannot simply let Moria go. His Shadow Fruit is something I must acquire," Ace replied with a light smile. Though he admired Perona's potential with her Ghost Fruit and even found her character intriguing from the stories, compared to Merry's Shadow Fruit, Perona's abilities seemed inconsequential.

"B... but..." Perona's hope was swiftly extinguished by Ace's words. Moria's eyes once again gleamed with a fierce, desperate light. Was this bastard mocking them?

"However, in exchange for your Ghost Fruit, there might be a possibility. If Moria survives, how about you come aboard my ship?" Ace proposed, looking at Perona with a gentle smile.

"Why?!" Perona covered her trembling lips, staring at Ace in disbelief. "Are you trying to use my life to manipulate me, Portgas D. Ace? Do you think I'd agree to such a thing?!" Moria roared. How could he agree to trade Perona's freedom for his own life?

"Do you think you have a choice? You overestimate yourself, Moria," Ace retorted, his smile fading. The purple-black flashes in his eyes made Moria tremble involuntarily. "This opportunity is a reward for her courage to challenge me just now, for you, whom she sees as her father."

"She dared to use her Ghost Fruit against me, facing my Haki, which is more than many so-called big pirates in these seas. That's why you have this opportunity."

"Furthermore, you only have one option—to accept the opportunity I'm giving you!" Ace's words sent Moria's expression into contortions. Eventually, he bowed his head in resignation. Facing a man with such Conqueror's Haki, there truly was no choice. And Perona...

Moria glanced at Perona, his fierce gaze softening with complexity. This girl, whom he had taken in as an orphan and raised as his own, truly saw him as her father. Facing the Conqueror's Haki of Portgas D. Ace, she had even managed to activate her Ghost Fruit power.

Having faced Kaido in battle, Moria understood the immense emotional hurdles one must overcome to activate their Devil Fruit abilities with such Haki.

"Because in life, one expands. But in death, what do I have left?" Moria suddenly opened his eyes, a different kind of darkness gathering on his right hand—a force separate from the Shadow Fruit.

"My Haki has returned to me because of you, Perona."

"If I had understood this sooner, maybe I could have protected you even now, Perona," Moria chuckled bitterly.

"Lord Moria!" Perona covered her red lips, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Call me 'Father Moria.' I never imagined that I, Moria, would feel such emotions," he laughed hoarsely.

"Father Moria!" Perona sobbed.

"What a surprise, finding new meaning in life, Moria."

Ace observed the Armament Haki gathering around Moria, feeling somewhat surprised. Although Moria's Haki wasn't as strong as it had been during his prime battles with Kaido, it wasn't weak either.

Ace chuckled softly before turning his gaze.

"Brook."

He called out.

"Um?"

Brook was nervously observing the battle between Ryoma and Tashigi, where Haki had the upper hand.

Upon hearing Ace's call, he swiftly approached, even managing to skip through a break in the Thriller Bark and run over the sea water.

"Curious, aren't you? With only a few bones left, I'm light enough to run on the sea, yo ho ho ho."

Brook joked to Moria, who glanced at him, causing Moria's cheek to twitch in irritation.

"Let me borrow your Underworld Fruit," Ace continued, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he extended his right hand and swiftly enveloped Brook.

"Bzzz!"

"This... this is!!!" Brook exclaimed in disbelief, his mouth agape.

"Summon!"

Brook's soul emerged from his bones, chilling the surrounding deck and atmosphere with an icy aura that was distinct from the freezing chill of the Ice-Ice Fruit, penetrating to the core of one's soul.

"The power of a Devil Fruit? And this peculiar Devil Fruit ability," Moria exclaimed, his eyes glinting with newfound insight, evidently contemplating how to harness the Devil Fruit's power.

"We'll retrieve Moria's soul later, Brook," Ace declared calmly, his gaze fixed on Brook's soul, now encompassed within the field of understanding, his eyes narrowing with determination.

"Understood!"

Brook responded with clarity. At that moment, he felt an unprecedented mastery over the Underworld Fruit's abilities.

"Dit! Dit!"

Moria's mouth opened wide as violent black and purple lightning from Conqueror's Haki struck his massive body, causing his eyes to dim momentarily.

"Halt, soul!" Brook commanded, his control over the Underworld Fruit heightened by the field of understanding, reaching its pinnacle.

"Bzzz!"

Moria's soul detached from his enormous form, suspended mid-air by the power of the Underworld Fruit, enhanced under the field's influence.

"My soul... it feels so light, a sensation I haven't felt in ages, hehehehe," Moria chuckled, staring at his spectral hands in wonder.

"Dilt!"

More violent black and purple lightning crackled, prompting Moria to scream in agony.

"Don't laugh like that, Moria," Ace's voice cut through, his tone unwaveringly calm.

Moria's voice, originally shrill and unsettling, softened under Ace's gaze.

"Yes, my apologies. It's just been so long since I've felt this lightness, I couldn't contain my excitement," Moria replied meekly.

To think he'd encounter a power that could directly enhance other Devil Fruit abilities! Add to that Ace's Conqueror's Haki, capable of blocking Devil Fruit powers outright, and his mastery of Armament Haki, potent enough to deal fatal blows.

This man, Portgas D. Ace, was more formidable than even Kaido, lacking the latter's terrifying range of abilities.

Since his defeat by Kaido, Moria had all but given up on himself, his once formidable physique and Haki prowess dwindling day by day, making even simple movements taxing.

"I must hasten, or I can't guarantee I'll restore Moria's soul to his body," Brook's soul grinned devilishly.

"Hey! Despite having severed your shadow, now's not the time to joke around!" Moria shouted anxiously, growing increasingly frantic. Without his soul being returned by the Underworld Fruit, death would become a certainty.

"Please, Master Ace, please hurry," Perona pleaded, her tear-filled eyes fixated on Ace with a pleading gaze.

"For the sake of my future crew, I'll expedite matters," Ace reassured with a smile.

Perona caught sight of Ace's smile, freezing momentarily before biting her red lips.

"Ship captain, please hurry!" Perona urged.

"Alright!" Ace laughed, the field of understanding enveloping the apple in his hand.

"Gulu! Gulu!"

The demonic essence within Moria surged, swiftly captured by the apple.

With a squirming motion, a patterned Devil Fruit composed of shadows materialized slowly.

"RETI..."

Upon seeing this familiar Devil Fruit, Moria's eyes clouded with complex emotions.

This Devil Fruit, his companion for many years, was now truly lost to him.

But he had gained something more.

Looking at Perona, Moria felt a softening in his previously somber soul.

Indeed, he had gained a daughter.

The Shadow Fruit, on the other hand, had shackled his resolve, his dependency on Devil Fruits and external aids undermining his inherent strength.

"I will reclaim my former peak!" Moria's soul surged with determination.

"Huh? His Haki's strengthened," Ace observed, a slight smile forming. It seemed losing the Shadow Fruit had bolstered Moria's faith in his own abilities.

"Release his soul, Brook," Ace commanded, his gaze intense as the field of understanding gleamed brightly around Brook's soul.

"The realm of understanding is fully open!" Brook declared joyously.

"Summon!"

Moria's soul swiftly returned to his massive body.

Brook's soul also returned to his bones.

"Father Moria," Perona clasped her hands together, gazing nervously at Moria.

"Ahem!"

Much to Perona's surprise, Moria coughed up two mouthfuls of blood.

"What an exhilarating experience. Is this death? Is this the true essence of life? Hehehehe!" Moria's eyes gleamed as he bared his fangs and chuckled.

"I worried you, Perona," Moria's voice softened, now gentle and caring.

"Father Moria! That's wonderful, that's wonderful!" Perona's beautiful eyes shimmered with tears as she cried out.

Though the title felt awkward, it was a sentiment she couldn't suppress. Could her father discern her innermost thoughts?

"Silly girl," Moria's smile softened even further.

"Merry!"

Ace called out across the distance.

"Come here!"

"Ace!"

Merry floated over obediently, drawing shocked looks from Perona.

"This is Merry, my ship's spirit," Ace introduced with a smile. "Merry, say hello. She'll be joining my crew from now on, Perona."

"Perona, I look forward to your guidance in the future," Merry said politely.

Perona bit her red lips, her beautiful eyes brimming with curiosity.

"What a mystical pirate crew," she thought to herself.

"Why did you take my Shadow Fruit if not for her to eat?" Moria asked incredulously, staring at Merry with wide eyes.

Moria was familiar with the legend of Ship Elves, but the idea of one consuming a Devil Fruit was extraordinary.

"Exactly. Come on, Merry, this Devil Fruit is for you," Ace replied, handing the Shadow Fruit to Merry.

Since Merry was a Ship Elf, consuming the Devil Fruit wouldn't affect the ship's ability to sail the seas. Ace had deduced this using his field of understanding.

"Alright!" Merry exclaimed in surprise, taking the Devil Fruit.

"Bzzz!"

Enveloped in the field of understanding, Merry took a bite and consumed the Shadow Fruit.

"Summon!"

The shadow of Merry at the Thriller Bark break suddenly transformed into a phantom.

"Summon!"

Merry's shadow merged seamlessly with Merry herself.

"Ace, Ace!" Merry exclaimed, hugging Ace in excitement. "I can touch you now, Ace!"

"Well, from now on, you'll fight alongside us, Merry," Ace said, gently patting Merry's head.

"Yes!" Merry nodded enthusiastically.

Moria looked on in disbelief as Merry actually consumed the Shadow Fruit. Even for Ship Elves, eating a Devil Fruit was beyond belief until witnessed firsthand.

"Let's go. Tashigi's battle is wrapping up," Ace announced with a hearty laugh.

With Perona and Merry onboard, the transparent fruit for Tashigi secured, and the Black Sword Shusui acquired, their journey through the Devil's Triangle had been a resounding success.

"And we have an uninvited guest," Ace remarked, glancing into the distance where a massive figure observed them from afar atop ruins.

"That... that's!" Moria gasped, his eyes widening.

"Bartholomew Kuma!"