Long came back to his senses, shook his head, and got up, putting away the newspaper:
"No... it's nothing."
He walked out and disappeared like a gust of clear wind.
The two looked at each other.
Lindbergh scratched his head:
"What's going on?"
-----------
Grand Line, Alabasta.
Rainland, Raindiners Casino Basement.
Robin was in her office, reporting the casino's finances and the operations of Baroque Works to Crocodile.
After listening for a while, Crocodile waved his hand:
"Enough of that useless talk."
"What's the current rainfall situation in Alabasta?"
Robin closed her notebook:
"Except for the capital city of Alubarna and the nearby towns, the rain has stopped everywhere else."
"The plan can begin, Boss."
Crocodile's expression was unreadable:
"Yes... it can begin."
After more than ten years of planning, victory was within reach.
But at this very moment, Crocodile became even calmer.
Until the very last moment, no one knew what could happen...
Crocodile leaned back in his boss's chair, his right index finger tapping rhythmically on his gauntlet.
"Send people to secretly spread rumors."
"Direct the blame towards the royal family."
"And also, make contact with those rebels."
"Do not reveal our identities."
Robin nodded:
"Yes."
Crocodile waved his hand, and Robin respectfully walked out to carry out the task.
After Robin left, Crocodile's lips curved upwards, as if he were thinking of something pleasant:
"Pluton..."
----------
The Thriller Bark, also known as the Devil's Triangle.
The stronghold of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria.
Years ago, he sailed the Thriller Bark into the foggy sea and, with the help of his recruited companion, the genius surgeon Hogback, built an army of zombies.
His intention was to rise again and take revenge on Kaido... but Moria, having lost his spirit, was clearly too naive for such an idea.
However, this did not diminish his power as a formidable pirate, with nearly a hundred ships disappearing without a trace each year after straying into the Devil's Triangle.
When people eventually found them, only tattered sails remained, with no sign of the crew.
Yoohoo~ Hoh ho~ Yoohoohohoo~
Eerie singing echoed through the fog-shrouded sea.
On a dilapidated ship, a skeleton with an afro stood by the bulwark and then toppled forward.
"Ah! It's 43 degrees!!!"
He then slid onto the deck.
*Swish—*
A faint whistling sound cut through the air.
The skeleton suddenly sat up and looked around:
"Hmm? An illusion?"
----
Thriller Bark.
From the outside, it looked like an island, but it was actually Moria's ship.
Claimed to be the largest pirate ship in the world, the fog of the Devil's Triangle and the ships that had mysteriously disappeared after entering these waters were all Moria's doing. This colossal pirate ship and its zombies captured nearly a hundred vessels each year, allowing Moria to steal shadows and create more zombies.
The fog here also served to prevent those whose shadows were stolen from being exposed to sunlight, which would cause their shadows to disappear and them to die.
*Swish—* 138Reading.net
Carole's figure appeared.
What the skeleton, Brook, had heard earlier was not an illusion...
Carole's Observation Haki scanned the area, roughly pinpointing his location before he instantly teleported there.
----
Absalom, one of the Three Disasters and the Clear-Clear Fruit user, commander of the zombie soldiers.
He was lounging leisurely in bed, flipping through the latest issue of the World's Most Beautiful Miss magazine:
"Hmm, this one is nice."
"This one is nice too!"
"Ooh~~~ This one is even better!!!"
The extremely lecherous Absalom frequently used his devil fruit ability to go invisible and select his ideal brides, leading to...
*Swish—*
Carole suddenly appeared before him.
His fists, imbued with Armament Haki, clamped down on Absalom's mouth and neck.
Then, the muscles in his arms bulged, and with a crunching sound, Absalom was crushed, unable to utter a scream.
*Swish—*
The two vanished from the castle on the Thriller Bark.
High above the foggy sea, far from the Thriller Bark.
Carole appeared, holding Absalom in his grip.
Suddenly.
Energy surged from both sides, revealing that Absalom had used his devil fruit ability to hide rocket launchers on his hands, which were now firing.
Carole's pupils contracted.
Because his Observation Haki had not sensed the hidden rocket launchers until they were actively activated and revealed.
He released his grip on Absalom's jaw, pulled out a devil fruit recycler, and plunged it into Absalom's body before instantly teleporting away.
*Boom—*
Two rocket-propelled grenades collided and exploded in mid-air, the deafening roar echoing for a long time, even startling Moria within the Thriller Bark.
In Absalom's room.
A few small ghosts floated in, followed by Perona:
"Hahareharehare..."
"Hmm?"
"Where is he?"
----------
Grand Line, a certain deserted island.
Carole discarded the mangled corpse in his hand and withdrew the devil fruit recycler.
After a brief verification, he confirmed that this fellow's Clear-Clear Fruit ability could indeed mask Observation Haki.
No wonder Admiral Sakazuki had ordered a swift kill...
He shook his head and did not linger.
*Swish—*
----------
New World, Egghead Island.
Carole's figure appeared in a hidden laboratory.
Inside the laboratory stood a row of large experimental pods, each numbered and labeled "Seraphim" at the top.
A small robot was busy in front of a massive screen.
Carole smiled:
"Dr. Vegapunk, where is he, Edison?"
Carole knew that the small robot named Edison was actually one of Vegapunk's clones...
Although it was strange, all scientists had their quirks, didn't they?
The busy little robot suddenly jolted awake and looked back:
"Ah! Mr. Carole."
"The main body is in the underground smelting room, researching new alloys."
Carole nodded:
"I see. You carry on then."
"I'll go find the Doctor."
The little robot nodded hastily:
"Of course, Mr. Carole."
He turned back to his work:
"Ideas, ideas... so many ideas... not enough hands!"
----
Underground Smelting Room.
A giant, mechanically modified living bear, with its mouth agape, was being fed ores and metals, chewing them.
Moments later, it spat out new synthetic metal.
This giant bear was the synthesized furnace, modified after being fed the Devour-Devour Fruit.
Vegapunk held the metal, placed it under an instrument, and began analyzing and recording.
*Swish—*
Carole suddenly appeared and spoke:
"Dr. Vegapunk."
"I've got the Clear-Clear Fruit."
Hearing Carole's voice, Vegapunk turned around with a hint of surprise:
"Oh?"
"You got it."
"Excellent."
"Follow me!"