Rin was unaware of Perona's current panic.
At this time, the group of four continued their march, advancing steadily through the eerie terrain until they reached the front of the massive gothic castle. Along the way, numerous zombies erupted from the soil reanimated corpses controlled by Gecko Moria via the Kage Kage no Mi.
Each time they appeared, Anilu responded with casual lethality. One after another, his bolts of lightning stunned the undead, sending them crashing back into the ground.
Upon reaching the castle entrance
Rin stood before the looming gates and glanced toward Anilu. "Tell Moonlight Moria to come out~."
With a castle this size, Rin had no interest in wandering its haunted halls to find its master. A more direct approach suited him.
Hearing the command, Anilu smirked. He raised his hand to the darkened sky.
"Raigo."
Thunderclouds crackled as a thunderbolt thick as a tree trunk tore down from the heavens and smashed against the upper levels of the castle.
Inside
Perona, who had just been pacing nervously in her room, froze as a surge of electricity raced through the walls. With a shriek, she was promptly knocked out cold by the force of the shock.
Elsewhere within the castle
A booming voice echoed through the stone corridors.
"WHAT THE HELL?! Who dares wake me up from my nap?!"
The sound of heavy footsteps followed.
A massive, distorted silhouette emerged from the shadows and made its way toward the castle's entrance, each step shaking the earth.
He was neither fully human nor beast his body grotesquely shaped, tall and bloated, with long bat-like ears and sharp teeth.
"You…"
The figure who appeared was, of course, Gecko Moria, one of the Shichibukai (Seven Warlords of the Sea). As his yellow eyes fell upon the four figures outside, he froze his gaze locking onto Rin.
His pupils shrank with recognition.
"Rin… Pandora?!"
It was a rare moment of disbelief.
Rin chuckled in response. "Looks like you've heard of me."
It made sense. As fellow Warlords, even if they hadn't met directly, they were bound to know of each other through Marine reports and infamy. Rin, though newer, had made a name for himself.
But Moria quickly masked his surprise with disdain.
"You've got nerve showing up in my territory uninvited," he said coldly. "Interrupting my rest... unless you've got a damn good reason, you're not leaving here alive."
"Tch."
Rin clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "Spare me the posturing I'm here to talk business."
"Business?" Moria frowned, intrigued despite himself. "What kind of business?"
"An alliance," Rin said flatly.
"Alliance?" Moria's face twisted with incredulity, followed by a cynical laugh. "What use do I have for an alliance with you?"
"You want to defeat Kaido, don't you?" Rin replied with a faint smile.
At the mention of Kaido, Moria's face darkened instantly. His past defeat at the hands of the Beast Emperor still haunted him.
His expression twisted into something murderous, his eyes gleaming with a cold fire.
He clenched his jaw and muttered, "Of course I do... I want that monster dead more than anyone... but you and I alone? That's suicide."
And he wasn't wrong.
...
Even back in the day
Moria had once sailed through the New World with a powerful crew. But all of it had been crushed by Kaido. That devastating defeat had changed him, turning the once-proud pirate into the cynical shell he was now.
And he knew Kaido's strength firsthand.
Even if all the Seven Warlords combined forces, there was no guarantee they'd win. Against an Emperor like Kaido, numbers meant nothing.
...
Just the two of them? Laughable.
Rin nodded. "I agree—we're not ready yet. That's why I'm not suggesting we attack him now. I'm proposing we form an alliance first, and use that time to build up our power."
Moria narrowed his eyes, still skeptical. "Fine. But tell me why should I ally with you? What can you offer me?"
His gaze was full of doubt.
Though Rin had risen to Warlord status, Moria considered him a rookie with a bounty, not a veteran. To him, Rin was still unproven unworthy.
"Hah."
Rin's lips curled into a grin.
"Looks like I'll have to show you what I can really do."
——————–
OUR COLLECTION IS AVAILABLE WITH 50% OFF....VISIT PATREON TO CHECK IT OUT
40+ advanced chapter on patreon....Visit patreon now to read my exclusive content... posting 5 chapters per day, Our collection is now available on PATREON
visit patreon.com/Mgoldtranslation to view 40+ advanced chapters
Please subscribe guys