Above Wano Country.
Under countless watchful eyes, the Going Merry slowly descended from the sky and landed beside a gigantic battleship that radiated an ancient, timeworn aura.
"Lord Red!"
As soon as the Going Merry touched down, Moria hurried forward with a group of Moonlight Pirates members, welcoming Red and Vegapunk's satellite, Pythagoras, who had come with him.
Although the server for Pokémon World was still on the Going Merry, everything had already gotten on track. The various parameters had all been set, so Vegapunk naturally disembarked and returned to Egghead to work on his other projects.
When Red brought up the calibration work for Pluton, Vegapunk had been extremely interested in the Ancient Weapon as well. But since his own projects were already underway and he couldn't leave for the time being, he had no choice but to send his satellite, Pythagoras, to assist Red.
In any case, Vegapunk and his satellites regularly shared memories, so it made no difference who came.
Of course, considering that a battleship on Pluton's level—something capable of wiping out an island—definitely couldn't be operated by just one or two people, Vegapunk had specifically had Pythagoras bring along a group of silent miniature robots as well.
"Moria, long time no see!"
Seeing the running hill of flesh approaching, Red looked him up and down, then couldn't help but say:
"By the way, after not seeing you for a while... did you get even fatter!?"
"Ah... hahaha..."
Moria gave an awkward grin, rubbing his belly as he muttered softly,
"Really? Maybe I've been so busy with the excavation work on Pluton lately that I haven't exercised, so I put on some weight?"
"Forget it, let's not talk about such depressing things!"
Moria quickly threw the topic of his weight behind him and turned his burning gaze toward Red's rear.
"Lord Red! This must be Dr. Vegapunk's satellite, right?"
"I've heard so much about you, so much! I wonder when we can start the activation work on Pluton?"
"You really are impatient, huh?" Seeing that Moria didn't want to wait even a second longer, Red rolled his eyes in amusement.
Still, he could understand Moria's urgency.
After all, as a once-famous great pirate of the seas, he'd ended up in such a miserable state that he didn't even have a proper ship. That would be a joke no matter who heard it.
A thought flashed through Red's mind, and he turned to Pythagoras at his side.
"Pythagoras, I'll leave the rest to you."
"I have no idea how much of Pluton is still intact after being buried for so long. Go take a look. If anything needs to be replaced, contact Cake Island directly with your Personal Terminal."
"Understood. No problem~"
The steady, by-the-book robot Pythagoras nodded in response.
The next moment, a burst of green flame erupted from behind him, and he shot into the air, flying toward the enormous Pluton nearby.
Together with him were the dense swarms of tiny robots that flew out from the Going Merry's cabin.
"All right, professional matters should be left to professionals."
Red looked back at Moria and lightly patted his big belly with a smile.
"Until Pythagoras sends back a report, there's no need for us to stay here."
"It's been a while since I came to Wano anyway. Show me how Wano's been developing lately."
"No problem, Lord Red!"
After casting one last reluctant look at Pluton, Moria quickly adjusted his mood and focused on Red. As he led him toward the Flower Capital, he began introducing Wano's current situation.
Although not much time had passed since Wano's liberation, thanks to the extraordinary adaptability of ordinary people in the pirate world, along with the addition of the remnants of the Beasts Pirates, the entirety of Wano's construction could only be described as flourishing in full swing.
As the former Country of Gold, Wano itself was not lacking in talent. Whether it was architecture or civilian livelihood, every problem could be solved by the people.
The only issue was that stylistically, much of it still carried a deeply rooted Wano flavor.
The moment he entered the Flower Capital, Red could clearly feel this.
As Wano's capital, the Flower Capital itself did not require much reconstruction, yet even now, hardworking laborers could still be seen throughout the city.
It wasn't that Wano was stirring up work for no reason.
It was simply that with the change in regime, Kozuki Hiyori needed a reform significant enough to affect all of Wano, one that would prove she could lead the nation toward a more prosperous and powerful future.
For a woman to firmly secure the position of shogun in a patriarchal country like Wano was no easy matter.
If she was even slightly careless, rumors might spread that Kozuki Hiyori was having an affair with some high-ranking member of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Fortunately, up to now, Wano had been thriving. The people were immersed in fulfilling labor, and both the money in their hands and their steadily improving lives had made them more and more satisfied with Hiyori, the female shogun.
"Looks like Hiyori's done a pretty good job with Wano~"
As he walked through the streets of the Flower Capital and felt the obvious change in atmosphere, Red sighed in admiration.
Moria, following beside him, nodded repeatedly in agreement.
"That woman, Kozuki Hiyori, really is something else."
"Oh? It's rare to hear you praising someone." Red raised an eyebrow.
Moria immediately chuckled slyly. "Well, didn't Lord Red always tell me to broaden my horizons?"
"Besides, we've had quite a bit of contact with that woman during the excavation of Pluton. She's definitely a powerful figure worthy of being treated by me, Moria, as an equal."
Red nodded and murmured, "Sounds like you all have been through quite a bit these days."
Their group continued down the streets of the Flower Capital, but just then, a little girl in a green kimono suddenly came running toward them.
She was clearly not watching where she was going. Clutching a colorful cotton candy in her hand, she ran while laughing back at an old man behind her, one wearing a mask and walking on stilts.
"Tengu Grandpa, hurry, hurry! It looks like there are flower lanterns over there!"
"Ow~!"
The running little girl never noticed the mountain-like giant in front of her and slammed straight into Moria's leg, then tumbled onto the ground.
The cotton candy in her hand stuck to Moria's pant leg.
"Hey, little brat, do you not watch where you're going?"
Moria, who had been chatting with Red, looked down at his suddenly dirtied pants and glared unhappily at the little girl on the ground.
He wasn't about to get angry at some little child, but when someone dirtied your clothes for no reason while you were just walking normally, no one would be in a particularly good mood.
"Otama! Otama!"
At that moment, the figure following behind the little girl hurried over, with a strange creature that looked both like a lion and a dog trailing behind him.
"Otama, are you okay!?"
The old man in the long-nosed tengu mask quickly helped Otama up from the ground. After confirming she wasn't hurt, he finally turned to look at the person she had bumped into.
The moment he did, the expression beneath his mask changed drastically, and obvious fear even appeared in his eyes.
Clearly, his knowledge far surpassed that of ordinary Wano citizens, and he recognized the identities of the people before him at once.
Without the slightest hesitation, the old man in the tengu mask immediately bowed and apologized.
"My deepest apologies, my lords! My granddaughter is too mischievous and has offended you."
"I will absolutely do everything in my power to compensate you for any losses caused."
"Tch~"
Moria clicked his tongue in displeasure, but asking him to seriously fuss over something like this with a little girl—
let alone now, after he'd already been physically reformed by the Straw Hat Pirates...
—even the old him wouldn't have stooped that low and done something so petty.
However, just as he was about to casually wave away this insignificant little incident, Red beside him suddenly spoke.
"Judging by your reaction, you already know who we are, don't you?"
"You think you can just brush off offending us like this? Do you really think that's possible?!"
"Hm!?" Moria was stunned for a moment, but immediately realized something. At once, he released a terrifying aura and pressed it down on the old tengu man and the little girl on the ground.
"Lord Red is right!"
"You dared dirty my favorite pants. I think you're tired of living!!!"
"Th-this..."
Feeling that overwhelming pressure, strong enough to make him tremble in fear, the old tengu man's expression became increasingly ugly.
But at that moment, Otama, who was sitting on the ground, suddenly stood up and ran in front of the old man, spreading her arms to shield him behind her.
"W-wait! It... it was Otama's fault for dirtying your pants!"
"If you want to punish someone, then punish Otama alone!"
"This has absolutely nothing to do with Tengu Grandpa!!!"
Even though she was already trembling under Moria's pressure, with tears pooling in her eyes and her words coming out in stammers, Otama still stood in front of the old man.
She didn't want Tengu Grandpa to be punished because of her.
"Oh?" Red's tone rose. "So you admit that you offended us, and you're willing to pay the price for it? Even with your life?"
"..."
Otama's body shook uncontrollably, but after hesitating for a second, she still nodded with all her strength.
"That's right! Even if it's... m-my life..."
"Very good!"
Red grinned, releasing pressure of his own and directing it at Otama and the old tengu man across from him.
"In that case, pay the price for what you've done!!!"
The moment his voice fell, his figure suddenly appeared right in front of Otama, startling the little girl once more.
In the next second, a fist abruptly filled her entire field of vision and smashed down toward her head.
Terrified, Otama squeezed her eyes shut.
The old tengu man behind her had also never imagined that Red would be so ruthless, and hurriedly reached out, trying to stop him.
But compared to Red, he was far too slow.
Whoosh~!!!
The horrifying wind from the punch surged past behind Otama like a violent storm, making the decorations hanging along the entire street sway wildly.
Pedestrians all stopped in their tracks, struggling against the blast of wind.
For a moment, the whole street became noisy and chaotic.
And yet, at that moment, Otama opened her eyes in astonishment and looked blankly at the man who had suddenly crouched in front of her.
"Not bad. Taking responsibility for your own actions—at such a young age, and you already have this kind of courage."
"Little one, have you thought about joining our pirate crew? I think Luffy and the others would definitely like a kid like you!"
"What!?"
A cry of shock rang out.
But it didn't come from the invited Otama. Instead, it came from Moria and the old tengu man standing behind Red and Otama respectively.
The old tengu man's reaction was no surprise.
After all, he knew full well who the person before him was.
As for Moria, the moment he heard that Red wanted to invite Otama to join the Straw Hat Pirates, his eyes widened instantly.
The current Straw Hat Pirates were no longer some obscure little pirate crew.
It could be said that across the entire world, ninety-nine percent of pirates dreamed of joining the Straw Hat Pirates.
Even becoming one of the affiliated crews of the Straw Hat Grand Fleet had already become a dream for countless pirates.
Now that people like Hancock and Moria were backing them, a position in the Straw Hat Grand Fleet had risen in value as well, carrying enormous weight across the seas.
And if even a place in the Grand Fleet was that important, then there was no need to mention the value of becoming an actual member of the Straw Hat Pirates themselves.
It could be said that if this little girl accepted Red's invitation, then in the very next second, Moria and all of Wano would have to treat her like a treasured jewel.
Anyone who dared show her even the slightest disrespect would be disrespecting the Straw Hat Pirates.
And at this point in time, daring to disrespect the Straw Hat Pirates was no different from getting tied to an execution platform.
"Did I misjudge her? Is there something special about this little brat?!"
Moria looked at Otama suspiciously.
The facts had long proven that the people who could join the Straw Hat Pirates were all exceptional talents.
No need to mention the earlier ones.
Ever since Moria got to know the Straw Hat Pirates, only three people had joined after that.
Jinbe, Uta, and Baloric Redfield.
There was no need to say much about Jinbe. One of the former Seven Warlords of the Sea, he not only shared the same status Moria once had, but also possessed tremendous prestige among the Fish-Men.
It could be said that Jinbe joining was equivalent to Fish-Man Island choosing a side.
An army capable of moving freely underwater was the dowry he could bring to the Straw Hat Pirates.
As for Uta, although she had yet to display any especially dazzling battle achievements, she was said to be the childhood sweetheart of the Straw Hat Pirates' captain.
That one identity alone was enough to silence everyone.
What's more, Uta's fame was only rising across the world.
The records of Diva Uta had long since become the best-selling albums on the planet!
And according to Moria's internal intelligence, the recently world-shaking Pokémon World also seemed to be deeply connected to Uta's ability.
Baloric Redfield?
There was even less need to say anything there!
His status as a legendary pirate was enough to place him alongside Roger, Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and others.
At the same time, Moria, who was fairly familiar with Devil Fruits, also knew...
that Baloric Redfield's Vampire Fruit possessed the ability to freely regulate the lifespan of others.
This kind of Devil Fruit ability might not provide straightforward help to the youthful Straw Hat Pirates, but its importance spoke for itself!
So...
Was this little girl's ability just as terrifying as those previous three?!
A strange light flickered through Moria's eyes.
(End of Chapter)