[Note: Seems like nobody noticed chapter 234 has been skipped. I already uploaded it and adjusted the sequence. If you haven't read it yet, its available now.]
Brook and Shimotsuki Ryuma were sent away, leaving only the remnants of the Thriller Bark Pirates and Shin's crew.
Aside from the massive ghost ship, which was nearly the size of an island, the Moria's crew had several regular ships. Now, they were scrambling to transfer their gold and silver treasures from the sinking ghost ship.
Moria had spent over twenty years in the treacherous waters of the Florian Triangle, accumulating vast amounts of wealth. Although many pirates who had reclaimed their shadows took a portion of the treasure with them, the remaining fortune was still substantial.
The core of the Thriller Bark Pirates consisted of only four members. Among them, only Moria could be considered truly powerful. Despite their efforts, the treasure they managed to salvage was estimated to be only about half of what was originally on board.
It was no wonder that even after witnessing Shimotsuki Ryuma cleave an island in half with a single strike, Moria was frantic. If not for the fact that Ryuma was one of the strongest warriors on the seas, nearly on par with the Four Emperors or the Three Admirals, Moria might have lunged at him in rage.
Had he actually done so, he likely would have been cut in half himself. Thus, although he furiously cursed Ryuma, he ultimately had no choice but to accept his misfortune and hurry to transfer his treasure, minimizing his losses.
"I'm exhausted!" Perona wiped the sweat from her forehead, then glanced at the crew aboard the Azure Dragon. They all looked utterly unconcerned as if they were watching a spectacle. Furious, she turned to Shin and yelled, "You bastard! When will you return my Hollow-Hollow Fruit?!"
"Purururu!" Shin remained silent, but Charlotte Pudding, standing beside him, stuck out her tongue at Perona. "Your Hollow-Hollow Fruit is long gone! What exists now is just the Soul Fruit. What does that have to do with you?"
The Soul Fruit was a fusion of the Soul-Soul Fruit, the Hollow-Hollow Fruit, and the Revive-Revive Fruit. It represented the pinnacle of soul-related abilities, making it something Shin had no intention of returning to Perona.
Charlotte Pudding was well aware of this, so she took great pleasure in teasing Perona without restraint.
"Damn it! The bastard who stole my Devil Fruit..." Perona gritted her teeth, her expression full of frustration.
Shin glanced at her, as if recalling something. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed her a Flying Thunder God transponder snail. "If you want, you can search for another Devil Fruit yourself. As long as you pay me enough, I don't mind helping you synthesize one."
With his ability to fuse Devil Fruits, Shin wasn't sure just how many he could merge in the future. The only thing currently limiting him was the number of available Devil Fruits.
Even the most common Rabbit Fruits or Sparrow Fruits, if stacked in dozens or hundreds, could evolve into something terrifying. They could potentially rival legendary Zoan users like the Phoenix!
Perona pouted but took the transponder snail anyway. Meanwhile, Moria's face lit up with excitement.
"Thank you, Captain Shin! If that's the case, then we should head straight for the New World. That's where the most Devil Fruit users are!" Moria's eyes burned with renewed ambition.
Even if he couldn't defeat an absolute monster like Shin, acquiring a powerful fusion Devil Fruit would give him a real shot at taking down Kaido.
Thinking this, Moria abandoned the treasure entirely. To a pirate, personal strength was far more valuable than gold. Without hesitation, he raised the sails and ordered his crew, "Enough with packing up! We're heading to the New World!"
"It's time for the world to hear my name again—Gecko Moria!"
With the matter settled Shin left the Florian Triangle and began planning his next moves.
"If I want to defeat the World Government, I can't give them the chance to use their hidden resources. Otherwise, they might plunge the entire world into chaos."
"So, even though I think my strength has surpassed Imu's, I still have to act cautiously. The best approach is to absorb more Devil Fruits and crush the World Government with overwhelming power."
Even when playing strategy games, Shin preferred to build up his strength to the absolute limit before making his move. He had no intention of confronting the World Government until he was fully prepared.
His Eight-Headed Dragon Fruit allowed him to fuse a vast number of Devil Fruits, and he already had several in mind.
"The Smoke Fruit can be fused with Flame Clouds. On Amazon Lily, there are two Snake-Snake Fruits that I could retrieve and merge."
"Ace's Flame-Flame Fruit is a good option, too. Worst case scenario, I can take Akainu's Magma-Magma Fruit and give it to Ace in exchange..."
"But the most important target... is the Rumble-Rumble Fruit on Sky Island!"
Although Shin couldn't remember the exact location of Sky Island, he knew it was somewhere in the first half of the Grand Line.
One thing he did remember clearly, however, was that Sky Island was rumored to be rich in gold, with legends of a Golden City. If he wanted to find Sky Island, all he had to do was locate that legendary city.
Jaya Island was known as the land of pirates and was once home to the Golden City discovered by the legendary adventurer Mont Blanc Noland.
On this day, a small pirate ship with an Azure Dragon figurehead arrived at Jaya Island.
"This place is practically a pirate haven. I wonder why the Marines doesn't bother keeping it in check. It's still part of the first half of the Grand Line, after all," Shin mused before turning to Charlotte Pudding.
"Pudding, go gather some intel. I remember there should be a knock-up stream here that leads to Sky Island."
"Once we confirm the location, I can just fly us up there."
"Got it! I'll complete the mission in no time!" Pudding grinned before transforming into a bat and soaring over the island.
Only ten minutes later, she returned—now in the form of a massive bat, clutching a struggling man in her claws.
"Damn it! Let me go!" the man yelled, writhing in her grasp. But Pudding's Devil Fruit had significantly enhanced her strength, making it impossible for a weakling from the first half of the Grand Line to break free.
Back on the ship, she casually tossed the man in front of Shin before reverting to her human form.
"I caught a talkative one. And here's a little bonus—he's a Devil Fruit user," she remarked with a smirk. "Just an ordinary pirate, though. No need to feel guilty about using him."
Shin nodded. Common pirates like this—those who raided and pillaged innocent people—were nothing more than parasites. He had no reason to show them mercy.
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