The original timeline's Straw Hat caught the World Government's great attention because they first defeated Crocodile, then invaded the Judicial Island, and survived under the Buster Call. From the moment they entered Moriah's territory, Kuma had his own mission.
If Moriah were to be defeated, everyone must be wiped out together. The Seven Warlords of the Sea cannot suffer consecutive defeats from the same person's hand, otherwise, the status of the Warlords and the dignity of the World Government would be lost.
But now things are different. The Straw Hat Pirates were just an ordinary pirate group that wouldn't catch much attention from the World Government. Kuma didn't come here to eliminate Moriah but to convey some special orders on behalf of the World Government.
After Fire Fist Ace was captured, they ultimately decided on his execution. The outward reason was to end the wicked bloodline of Roger, but in reality, their true purpose was to question the New World's balance of power.
Red Hair secretly contacted Whitebeard and Kaidou, plotting something unknown. Faced with the increasingly expanding New World, they needed to curb this trend.
Targeting Ace, ending Whitebeard, and boosting the Navy's reputation, that's their plan.
For this, the Navy is secretly mobilizing forces from around the world and calling upon the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
But not all of the Seven Warlords of the Sea are obedient. Due to his unique nature, Kuma strictly follows the orders of the World Government. His order is to convey the command to Moriah and take him there.
"What does my battle have to do with you?! Killing them, what does that have to do with you!"
"Whether I come or not, you would ultimately lose to the Straw Hat kid, the outcome is the same."
"It's not the same, why does that naive guy have his own companions! The pain of loss is what he should experience..."
Moriah's words hadn't finished when Kuma's palm was already placed in front of his forehead, its meaning was unspoken.
"I am here to convey the World Government's orders to you, regarding their future battle plans..."
"Is the target Whitebeard..."
"And about things outside, just let the news of your defeat spread.
If I hadn't come, things would still go in this direction, and for what I've done, you'd better keep your mouth shut."
"Kuma, you bastard!"
"My time is running out, you must have heard something, the decision is yours, but understand, you're not my match."
Kuma's tone did not fluctuate in the slightest, like a cold, heartless robot.
According to Kuma's agreement, there was not much time left until he was remodeled into an unconscious Peacekeeper, equivalent to a special kind of death. He didn't mind doing some things in this final time.
Since Luffy is Dragon's son, if not for this, Kuma would not have interfered with these people. He would stop Moriah from harming Luffy's companions, and it's precisely because of this.
"There's a log pose on the ship, you can go where you need to go, I still have to handle some things related to the Straw Hats."
"Wait a moment."
"Hmm?"
"I agree with you, but there are still my companions on the ship. I don't know about Hogback, but Absalom is definitely still alive. Bring them out, and I'll agree to your request, otherwise... don't forget, I'm also a Warlord of the Sea!"
"Fine, I agree to your request."
"Deal, I won't say anything about what you do."
It's normal for the Warlords of the Sea to each have their own agenda. Moriah isn't interested in what Kuma is going to do; as long as he can fulfill his own demands, he doesn't care about anything else.
After calming down, he also knows that Kuma's words are right, that strike would be his last move, and after that, he would very likely fail.
After Kuma left, Moriah stared blankly at his own hands, his former companions reappearing in his memories like a rotating lantern, and Luffy's naive smile resurfacing repeatedly in his mind.
"Protecting companions... heh, Straw Hat kid, you will know the pain of the New World..."
After leaving here, Kuma conducted his own assessment of the Straw Hat Gang, concluding that although these people are strange, they are all a group of qualified companions, only then did he feel assured to leave. In a certain sense, Kuma's support for Luffy can be likened to that of a father.
...
And Luffy and his companions inexplicably ended this battle. Except for Hekuro and Zoro, no one really knew what happened on the island, but they didn't mention this to anyone.
"Speaking of which, what happened exactly, why did everyone suddenly pass out?"
"I don't know, I vaguely saw a black shadow."
Nami and Usopp were discussing what happened in the end, while Luffy sat at the bow of the ship, staring blankly at the Life Card in his hand.
Upon leaving the Bermuda Triangle, Lola presented them with a new Life Card, indicating that it's a card that reflects the owner's life force, if the card starts to burn, it means the owner's condition isn't good.
He just wasn't clear yet on what exactly caused this matter.
"Heh, heh."
"Ah, I'm fine, heh, I believe in Ace, he should be alright, let's not think about this matter for now, Ace wouldn't want me to worry about him over such things."
Putting his thoughts back to the ship, Luffy looked at his new companion Brook, who at that moment, was also analyzing this so-called mysterious shadow.
"Hyohohoho, it's quite an interesting guess, but come to think of it, in these two years, I also encountered a strange shadow, it might be an emissary from the Netherworld you know."
"An emissary from the Netherworld?!"
"Yes, it really scared me at the time, that shadow suddenly appeared beside me and asked where the Netherworld is, but unfortunately, I didn't know where that is either.
He didn't believe me back then and gave me a nightmare before leaving."
Brook has quite a knack for storytelling, at least he thoroughly scared Nami and Chopper.
"Rea... really, are there messengers from the Netherworld..."
"I don't know, but it's definitely not that guy. Brook, the shadow you mentioned, does it have white hair and only one eye visible?"
"Yes, and no legs... have you met him?"
"I've seen him before, that guy seems to have been looking for the Netherworld, asked me for directions once, probably got lost.
If I knew where that place was, I'd actually like to go see it."
"..."
The eerie atmosphere Brook had built instantly vanished, someone who asked Zoro for directions...
Chopper and Nami exchanged glances, with this kind of person, they probably wouldn't encounter him in their lifetime.
The Straw Hat Pirates continued their voyage, with Kuma and Moriah having left, heading towards Mary Geoise.
Meanwhile, on Nine Serpent Island, Boa Hancock had just turned down a summoning claim over the phone...