The New World, a certain island.
The Ark Maxim slowly docked here, the oppressive presence of the flying ship causing waves of panic among many.
In the distant sky, a rumbling mass of dark clouds pressed down, unsettling the mind. Even more terrifying was that, accompanied by the roar of thunderstorms, what fell was not raindrops or hail, but a massive shower of weapons.
Swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—each over ten meters long—plummeted down in a chaotic cascade, creating a deeply bizarre sight.
"I know the weather in the New World is abnormal, but this level of abnormality is just too much!" Jade stared at the sky, grumbling in displeasure.
"So, is that the ruins of some giant pirate group being stirred up by waves or storms? It's hard to imagine something like that falling from the sky," Chronos asked Jackie Chan, who also wore a bewildered expression.
"I'm not sure. I only know that a war took place in this area of the Torrance Sea—possibly a war with giants?"
Recalling the plot of the game "One Piece: Unlimited World Red," where Red Count appeared, Chronos felt somewhat resigned. The island of Torrance, under the illusion of the Tanuki Transformation Fruit, had unknowingly absorbed countless islands.
Punk Hazard, the land of ice and fire; Alabasta, the desert kingdom; Enies Lobby; Fish-Man Island; Drum Kingdom; Skypiea; the Goa Kingdom's Mount Corva; even the recreated scene of the Summit War. With such vast island territory, it was entirely plausible that Torrance had once been at war with giants.
"Such weather makes sailing quite difficult. Let's rest on this island for today. Staying airborne all the time isn't good for anyone," Chronos suggested. No one objected, and the children cheered with joy.
Soon after, under the wary gazes of the onlookers, the group made their way to the center of the island.
Among the crowd, a tall, distinguished man who carried himself like nobility examined the Ark Maxim and smiled faintly.
"Boss, what is it?" A tanuki-like creature beside the nobleman looked at his leader's smile and asked in confusion.
"Nothing, really. Just spotted an interesting group of youngsters," the nobleman replied. He took one last look at the Ark Maxim, as if making a decision, then slowly walked away with the tanuki creature.
Chronos took Tohru to a bar, intending to experience the local culture and gather some information about the area.
As for Jade and the others, he left them in the care of Jackie Chan, Angeles, and Jun Shiro.
Ordering a grape juice for Tohru and a hot milk for himself—neither of them particularly fond of alcohol—Chronos took a sip and asked the bartender, "Any big news lately?"
The bar was filled with opportunistic hyenas who sized people up by their orders. Had Chronos come alone and only ordered hot milk, they would have likely started trouble. But with Tohru, whose build resembled a solid wall, the lackeys kept to themselves, pretending not to notice.
A tip flicked across the counter. The bartender caught it with a smile and promptly answered.
"Nothing major has happened, after all, this is just a small place. But recently, a big shot did arrive."
"A big shot? How big?"
"Gouketsu of the West Sea, Moria!"
"Moria!?"
Chronos became interested. Since Roger was still alive and hadn't turned himself in to be executed, the Great Pirate Era naturally hadn't begun.
Moria had made a name for himself years ago. Due to his own spirit and courage, plus being from the West Sea, he was hailed as the Gouketsu of the West Sea.
Without Roger's death declaration, Moria hadn't formed a pirate crew and was still a free man.
Additionally, the life paths of legendary figures from the Rocks Pirates like Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and Wang Zhi had long since changed.
The current Moria should still be in the period where he hadn't lost his spirit and could clash with the young Kaido.
Chronos was precisely in need of subordinates, but he'd rather go without than settle for less. Moria might be just right.
He asked the bartender a few more questions, but he only knew the rumor and nothing more.
Seeing that he couldn't get any more information, Chronos picked up his hot milk and drank it in one gulp, then left the bar with Tohru.
He planned to wander around the island casually; perhaps he might run into that Moria.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Horohorohoro!"
In the arms of a man who resembled a small giant, a pink-haired baby girl was crying incessantly, as if suffering some profound misery in life.
"Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry! Devil Fruits are like this. They taste awful, but they'll give little Perona great power!"
Moria, with pale ghost-like skin, resembling a terrifying monster from a fairy tale, sporting shark-like teeth and small horns on his forehead, anxiously comforted the little girl in his arms, his fearsome face contorting in an effort to be funny.
Beside Moria lay a strange fruit that looked like an octopus, with five segments, each bearing a pair of small black eye-like patterns. At first glance, it resembled a legendary ghost.
"One bite should be enough. Little Perona doesn't need to eat any more. Don't cry, don't cry. Let me see what kind of power little Perona has gained~"
With Moria's comfort, the little girl in his arms gradually stopped crying, though her nose still twitched occasionally.
With a wave of her small hand, a pure white ghost suddenly floated out. Under Moria's expectant gaze, it passed right through his body.
Instantly, a wave of negative emotions filled Moria's heart, making life seem hopeless.
Thud—Moria fell flat on his face.
"I actually made little Perona eat such a disgusting thing... I'm worse than a paramecium..."
Fortunately, as the Haki within Moria erupted, this negative emotion was washed away.
Getting back up, Moria playfully pinched Perona's little cheek and laughed:
"Such a wonderful power, little Perona! We didn't come to this place for nothing!"
It had been almost a year since he adopted this little girl, and Moria had long regarded her as his own child. For her sake, after learning about this Devil Fruit, he had searched for a long time before finally finding it.
The ability of Kir Basuta, a former executive of the legendary Rocks Pirates—the Paramecia-type Spirit-Spirit Fruit!
"From now on, little Perona will be the Ghost Princess!"
Moria laughed, and Perona in his arms let out a clear, cheerful laugh in response.
Before long, Moria returned to the town at the center of the island, planning to rest for a while before leaving this place.
As for the future…
Moria had long contemplated it. With the Pirate King Roger's discovery of the new continent, the winds of change had already begun to blow, and the world was on the verge of transformation.
His ambition was no less than anyone else's, and Moria had long intended to establish his own faction. Unfortunately, he had encountered Perona.
For the sake of this little one, Moria decided to temporarily set aside his ambitions and wait until she grew up.
Children are the soft spot of their parents—a truth that remains unchanged through the ages.
Standing at the entrance of the inn, Moria looked at Perona and smiled helplessly. Because of you, my life has taken a different path～
Footsteps echoed from the staircase as Jackie Chan and his group prepared to stay here. After securing a room on the second floor and confirming everything was in order, they set out to find Chronos.
Jade was feeling utterly bored—this island was completely uninteresting. But the moment she descended the stairs, she laid eyes on Moria, whose appearance was far from human.
The combination of a demon and a little girl stunned Jade for a moment before awakening a latent sense of justice within her.
"Uncle, look! That scary guy has a little girl in his arms. We have to save her!"
Tugging at Jackie Chan's sleeve, Jade spoke urgently.
"Huh?"
Jackie Chan was taken aback, then turned to look at Moria. Noticing the girl in his arms, he too was surprised.
Grabbing Jade with one hand, Jackie Chan pulled her aside and warned her:
"Jade, we can't judge someone just by their appearance. What if they're a loving father and daughter? Uh…"
He trailed off, falling silent.
"Don't joke, Uncle! They look nothing alike. There must be something wrong here!"
Jade rubbed her hands together, eager for adventure.
"Alright."
Jackie Chan's innate sense of justice wouldn't allow him to stand by and do nothing.
"Stay here and don't move. I'll go check things out and see what's really going on."
Leaving Jade behind, Jackie Chan cautiously approached Moria.
"Um, excuse me, Mr. Little Giant?"
Rubbing his hands nervously, Jackie Chan slowly moved closer to Moria.
"Huh?"
Moria turned his head and saw Jackie Chan, who seemed to be fidgeting as if covered in prickly heat. Disdain flashed in his eyes.
"What do you want?"
"Well, how should I put it? I noticed the little girl in your arms is so adorable. I just wanted to ask… where did you get her?"
Jackie Chan was terrible at lying, and Jade, watching from behind, facepalmed in frustration.
Moria paused, then glared fiercely at Jackie Chan. Was this guy a human trafficker?
"Get lost! I don't have what you're looking for here!"
If Perona hadn't been with him, Moria would have already slapped Jackie Chan across the face.
"Ah! I'm so sorry, I'll leave right away!"
Jackie Chan shuddered and hastily retreated.
Jade promptly approached him. "Uncle, what's the situation?"
"That big guy doesn't seem like a good person."
Jackie Chan judged based on first impressions.
"Then it's simple."
Jade grinned and pointed at Jackie Chan.
"You go distract that big guy, and I'll rescue the little girl."
"Huh?" Jackie Chan instinctively refused. "No, that's too dangerous, Jade! We should find Chronos and let him handle this. You're just a child!"
"The one who needs help right now isn't me—it's that child."
Jade pointed at Perona in Moria's arms.
"But... alright, I can never win an argument with you."
Jackie Chan sighed, offering one last piece of advice.
"Be careful."
"No problem."
Jade gave a thumbs-up, then stealthily slipped away to the side.
Jackie Chan took a deep breath, forced a smile, and approached Moria.
"Hello, sir."
"Why is it you again! Get lost!"
Moria cursed directly. Could this guy really be a human trafficker?!
"I mean, well, maybe you're being forced into this and don't actually want to harm the child in your arms?"
Jackie Chan stumbled over his words.
"What exactly are you trying to say?!"
Moria was so angry he laughed.
"It's just..." Jackie Chan started to speak, then his eyes widened in shock.
Puzzled by Jackie's sudden change in expression, Moria instinctively grew wary.
"It's just that a scary guy like you needs to stay away from cute little girls!"
Jade popped out from who-knows-where, using a bizarre movement technique to snatch the child from Moria's hands, then quickly ran to the side.
"Uncle! Let's go!"
As she spoke, Jade was already almost out the inn's door.
Moria felt his arms go light. Seeing Jade run off, he was stunned for less than a second before erupting in fury.
"You bastards! Give little Perona back to me!"
Moria directly grabbed at Jackie Chan in front of him, his massive hand nearly large enough to envelop Jackie's entire head.
"Ah! Sorry!"
Jackie Chan panicked and jumped backward on the spot, miraculously dodging Moria's attack.
He casually grabbed a chair to block Moria's sweeping grab.
The wooden chair shattered with a crack, pieces scattering everywhere.
Jackie Chan picked up two of the chair legs, looked at them, and his eyes widened.
"I knew he was strong."
With a shing, Moria drew the several-meter-long greatsword at his waist. The massive blade left its sheath and swung toward Jackie Chan's body, a gust of wind rushing at his face.
Jackie Chan's mouth fell open in a long "wah!" He threw the two chair legs in his hands at Moria, who batted them aside with a wave of his hand.
A horizontal slash swept in. Jackie Chan leaped up sharply, performing a mid-air split, narrowly avoiding the edge of the greatsword.
Despite having no Observation Haki, Jackie Chan used what could only be described as uncanny movement techniques to dodge several consecutive slashes from Moria.
While dodging, Jackie kept muttering under his breath.
"Bad luck, bad luck, bad luck!"
Moria's eyes were practically bulging with bloodshot veins.
"Clown, what kind of game are you playing?!"
He extended his other hand and clenched it fiercely. From the shadows between the inn's walls, a gecko-like shadow slowly emerged.
Horn Blade Shadow!
The gecko shadow leaped up fiercely, its body suddenly stretching out like a spear thrusting from the shadows, with the gecko's form serving as the spearhead.
Jackie Chan felt a chill from behind, his body contracting sharply. He rolled several times on the ground, grabbed the nearest table, and lifted it directly in front of him as a shield.
Crack!
The gecko spearhead smashed straight through the entire table, revealing a dumbfounded Jackie Chan underneath.
"You're a Devil Fruit Ability User!"
"You guessed right!"
Moria grinned fiercely. Guess why he wasn't chasing Jade, but stayed to fight instead.
"Uncle!"
At that moment, a familiar shout came. Jackie Chan looked up.
It was Jade!
A ghostly figure, almost identical to Moria but entirely purple-black with only visible eyes and mouth, was holding Jade, carrying her over like a chick. In Jade's arms was the baby girl.
Shadow Mage!
The moment Moria discovered Jade had taken Perona, he had already sent his shadow to pursue her.
Without a doubt, Jade was no match for the Shadow Mage.
"Now, how should I punish you two little rats?"
Moria rested his giant blade on his shoulder and spoke viciously.
How dare they take little Perona!
"Perhaps there might be some misunderstanding here!" Jackie Chan's face scrunched up as he spoke.
"Misunderstanding?"
Moria retorted, tightening his grip on the massive blade.
"You can figure it out in the afterlife!"
The giant blade came slashing down, nearly cleaving Jackie Chan in two, while the gecko shadow that had shattered the wooden table lunged again, aiming straight for his heart.
Caught between two attacks, Jackie Chan had nowhere to escape.
"Bad luck!" Jackie Chan wailed, but his body hadn't given up, still moving instinctively.
"Jackie, look up!"
At the critical moment, a pair of enormous pure white wings swept in with astonishing speed.
Jackie Chan felt a force under his armpits and looked down to find himself lifted into the air.
Turning his head, he saw the golden-haired Angeles before him.
"Angeles, thank you so much."
Having narrowly avoided the giant blade and shadow spear, Jackie Chan patted his chest, sighing in relief at his narrow escape.
"It's too early to say thanks now."
Angeles said with difficulty, as her wings couldn't fully extend within the small confines of the inn.
Moria watched Jackie Chan being carried away, tilting his head.
"You have an Ability User on your side too?"
The shadows beneath his feet began to spread, sprouting tentacle-like shadow strands that moved like flowing water.
Gradually, the entire inn was pulled into the shadows.
"But you've already angered me!"