Chapter 182Seizing the perfect moment, Usopp fired a specialized flaming projectile from his slingshot, accurately striking Absalom, who was bound by the wind.Waaah!Absalom instantly caught fire, screaming as he rolled on the ground; his transparency completely dissipated, leaving him in a wretched state.Vivi and Robin looked at each other and smiled, relaxed and composed.It seemed the so-called freaks on this island were nothing more than this.Indeed, with their current strength, dealing with these freaks was far too simple.Especially for Vivi; a Logia-type Devil Fruit truly was prestigious.Before enemies without Haki, one was simply invincible.Chapter 262: Changes in the World OrderKnowing that Hogback harbored ill intentions...Luffy carried Nami, whose legs were still a bit weak, out of that mansion filled with eerie specimens and thick perfume. Before he could even catch his breath, he heard a heavy, grunting sound from ahead, accompanied by a slight tremor in the ground.A massive figure wearing a puffy wedding dress charged out from the mist, blocking their path.Was that a wild boar?To be precise, it was a bizarre zombie with a wild boar's head and a strong human body, wearing a mud-stained wedding dress.Excitement flickered in the boar zombie's small eyes as she stared intently at Nami on Luffy's shoulder and the conspicuous wedding dress she wore. "The scent of the living! And a bride?!"Luffy immediately set Nami down and stood in front of her, his Rubber arms ready to strike. "Hey, boar monster, you want to fight?"However, unexpectedly, the boar zombie didn't attack immediately. Instead, she fidgeted with the hem of her wedding dress with her thick fingers, her voice actually sounding somewhat shy."Wait a minute! I'm not here to fight! My name is Lola, and I'm a zombie on this island who longs for true love!"She introduced herself, her gaze still fixed ardently on Nami. "This lady in the beautiful wedding dress, you must be truly in love with this gentleman and about to enter the halls of marriage, right?"How did you even see that?Luffy and I?Nami looked down at the wedding dress she was wearing and suddenly realized. "No, you've misunderstood, how could I possibly..."Her words came to an abrupt halt.Was she supposed to say she had been forced to change into this wedding dress in that pervert's mansion just now for a disguise or some other reason? That would sound even weirder!Moreover, looking into Lola's eyes, which were filled with a yearning for love, the denial got stuck in her throat.Two red clouds instantly bloomed on her cheeks."Ah, how enviable! I never thought the day would come when I'd actually see it—walking hand-in-hand with a loved one on such a dangerous island. This courage and affection must surely be true love!"Lola paid no mind to Nami's hesitation, completely immersed in her own world as she held her hands to her heart. "May I know your names?""I... my name is Nami.""Oh, it's Miss Nami."Lola leaned in close to Nami, her massive frame bringing a scent of soil and a hint of decay, her tone exceptionally sincere. "Miss Nami, I, Lola, would like to ask you for some advice regarding love. I've proposed to 443 men and been rejected every time, but I believe true love must exist!"She was too close.Nami held her hands up in front of her, desperately wanting to refuse, while Merry chimed in from the side, "Sister Nami, that wedding dress really does look much better on you."While those words were pleasant to hear...Once she saw the subject of comparison, Namibegan to sweat. "Haha, don't say that, Miss Lola is also very beautiful."Wild Boar Lola acted shy and dainty. "Oh, Miss Nami, really... actually, I know that too."Right, confidence itself is beauty.Luffy stood nearby looking relieved; it was a good thing it was Companion Day and there were no messy plans. What if he had to learn something from this boar bride?It had to be said, he was becoming quite picky as well."Miss Nami, please be my teacher!"It felt like she had heard that sentence somewhere before.Nami was caught off guard by Lola's sudden request to become her apprentice and instinctively looked toward Luffy."I think you're up to the task," Luffy said, giving Nami a thumbs-up. "Nami, you'd definitely be a great teacher!"Nami was left speechless.Especially seeing Lola's reverent gaze, it caused her small bit of vanity to involuntarily swell.Deny it?Wouldn't that make it seem like she had no charm?Especially in front of this blockhead Luffy!She cleared her throat, her chin tilting up slightly with a hint of pride and the air of an expert that she didn't even notice herself, as she blurted out, "Ahem, well, when it comes to romance, one must naturally pay attention to methods and charm.""It's not just about rushing up and proposing?""Of course not! If you just rush up and propose like that, the success rate is obviously not going to be high.""Ohhh, I see!"Lola had a realization and pulled out a small notebook, beginning to take serious notes. "Then may I ask what specifically should be done? How can one find a true love as unbreakable as the one between you and this gentleman?"True love?Did Luffy even know what true love was?Nami felt that if his attention were focused here, he would definitely just ask what 'true love' was and if it could be eaten.Luffy watched from the side as Teacher Namishowed off her prowess; in any case, he didn't want to deal with Lola.She wasn't an enemy, so he couldn't use his fists.Lola looked at Nami with even more admiration: "This gentleman is so frank and cute; surely in your daily life, he must bring you many sweet troubles!"This is the manifestation of true love!Nami looked at the innocent-faced Luffy, then at the boar zombie who took her for a romance master, and suddenly felt very tired.But since the words were already out, she could only grit her teeth and start making up some romance tips she'd seen in shoujo manga or heard through hearsay."When in love, you must fully display your own charm.""It's also okay to give the person you like a little fan service once in a while.""You can't let him have everything at once. Be appropriately bashful in front of him, act a bit tsundere...""There's no need to make the relationship explicit; when the time is right, things will naturally fall into place."...Lola listened, mesmerized. "I see! Teacher Nami, you're amazing! I've decided—I'm going to go propose to Lord Absalom right now!"Absalom: "..."Don't come over here!Nami gave an awkward smile. Why did she feel a sense of déjà vu?While Nami was forced to conduct this bizarre romance lecture, the core of this ghost ship—the deepest part of that Gothic castle—welcomed a silent, uninvited guest.Inside a massive bedroom shrouded in shadows and piled with dolls...Bartholomew Kuma, tall and dressed in a black suit, holding a book with 'BIBLE' printed on the cover, appeared in the center of the room as silently as a ghost."Kishishishishi,""Isn't this 'Tyrant' Kuma? What wind blew you here to my place?"Moriah's signature eccentric laughter echoed through the empty room.His massive frame was sunk into a throne within the shadows, revealing only his serrated teeth and a pair of eyes glowing in the dark.He still vaguely possessed the oppressive aura of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea."An order from the World Government. A replacement for Sir Crocodile as the new member of the Seven Warlords has been found.""Oh? And who is it?" Moriah showed a bit of interest."Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach, will succeed Sir Crocodile as the new member of the Seven Warlords," Kuma said expressionlessly.Chapter 263: Moriah: Kaido and I Fought Evenly"I've never heard of this man's name," Moriah said, somewhat skeptical.Those who became Warlords should at least be great pirates with widespread reputations.Was it appropriate to have some fellow no one had heard of? Otherwise, wouldn't it lower the caliber of the Warlords and indirectly devalue his own status?Kuma said, "Blackbeard was previously a pirate in the Whitebeard Pirates. He defected after killing a commander and recently submitted a token of loyalty to the World Government.""Oh? Kishishishi. Someone who dares to kill Whitebeard's people... he's a ruthless one."Moriah let out an even louder laugh, tinged with a bit of schadenfreude. "Sounds like another restless fellow, but isn't that great! The balance of the seas is stable again, and the Warlord positions are filled. Those old geezers in the World Government must be very happy right now.""Hardly. That is why I was told to come here."Behind Kuma's thick lenses, his gaze swept over Moriah's massive body hidden in the shadows, his tone remaining cold. "The World Government is currently concerned about you, Gekko Moriah.""Me?"Moriah's laughter stopped abruptly, his voice carrying the anger of being offended. "What do you mean by that, Kuma?""The Straw Hat Crew should have already arrived at your territory," Kuma said."Just for that?"Moriah acted as if he had heard the world's biggest joke. His voice suddenly rose, filled with thick disdain and anger. "You think I'll be like that useless Crocodile and lose to a bunch of wet-behind-the-ears, inexperienced pirates who just came out of the East Blue?Kishishishi, don't make me laugh! This is my kingdom, Thriller Bark!"Kuma was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "Straw Hat Luffy recently had a direct confrontation with Marine Admiral Aokiji Kuzan on Long Chain Island and was not defeated."He deliberately omitted the even more shocking fact that Luffy had defeated the legendary pirate Golden Lion Shiki.Revealing some information too early might alert the enemy or make certain overly conceited people wary.Sure enough, upon hearing this, Moriah let out an even louder sneer, full of indifference. "A confrontation with Aokiji? Kishishishi, that's it? Ridiculous! Back in the day, I could go toe-to-toe with Kaido of the Beasts in the New World. What does a mere Admiral count for!"Furthermore...His voice was full of conspiratorial tones, carrying mockery: "Who doesn't know about the relationship between Aokiji and Garp? Straw Hat is Garp's grandson, right? Hmph, maybe Aokiji went so easy on him that he let an entire ocean go! You dare use a record like that to try and scare me, Gekko Moriah?"Kuma said no more, simply standing there quietly.The information that needed to be conveyed had been conveyed, and the emotions that needed to be stirred had been stirred.Having witnessed the battle between Luffy and Golden Lion, Kuma understood that Moriah's defeat was only a matter of time.If it were the Moriah who could go toe-to-toe with Kaido, he might have lasted longer; the current beer-bellied Moriah would be considered successful if he lasted until tomorrow morning."If necessary, I can step in," Kuma said.The World Government had instructed that if one Warlord wasn't enough, then two should be used—at the very least, they didn't want a situation where a Warlord was defeated.But in this current situation..."Kishishishi, no need!"Moriah rubbed his sharp fingernails in the shadows, a cruel and excited light flashing in his eyes. "Straw Hat, is it? He's come at just the right time! His shadow, and the shadows of his decent-looking crew, will surely become the strongest soldiers in my zombie army! When that happens, I'll see who still dares to look down on me, Gekko Moriah!""Let those old geezers at the World Governmentwatch me!"..."Why have all these zombies suddenly started rioting?"Luffy was puzzled; clearly, these zombies had previously seemed like they only wanted to scare people.It was that kind of 'lie down whenever possible' slacker mentality, but now it was as if they had suddenly received a layoff list from their boss and everyone was working overtime.The immortality of these zombies was indeed a bit troublesome, so Luffy simply used Haoshoku to resolve it, making them all collapse and faint.Looking at the zombies from Hogback's mansion lying scattered on the ground, and at Luffy, who had released such a terrifying aura so casually, the boar zombie Lola was so scared her tusks were chattering.She carefully moved over to Nami's side, poked Nami's arm with a thick finger, and whispered with unbelievable awe, "Hey, Teacher Nami, your man is terrifying! This aura feels even scarier than when Lord Moriah gets angry."
