One Piece: Buggy the Clown Who Fell From Grace

Moria's face resembled that of a strangely colored bat, with its red onion head bobbing back and forth.

“Hmm.” Absalom, who was standing next to him, agreed with this opinion.

"I heard that even Fleet Admiral Sengoku suffered serious injuries."

"And then there's the black beard who suddenly appeared."

Moria felt he was once again sensing a major reshuffling of power on the high seas.

The last time was when Roger died, and the time before that was when the Rocks Pirates were destroyed.

"Don't forget, there's also that clown."

"What an absolutely insane guy."

"The CP organizations have all gone mad."

"Not only was a bounty of 1.2 billion Berries offered, but he was also given the title of 'enemy of the world'."

Absalom then opened the bounty poster in his palm.

The image above depicts a man in a purple suit, slightly bowing, waving elegantly at the camera.

The smile on his face was sunny and radiant.

Behind that man, there was only a corner of the iron cage.

It was impossible to see who was being held inside.

"Hehehe, but all of this is temporarily none of our business."

Moria held up his hand; in his palm was a life card belonging to Dr. Hogback.

It swayed gently in one direction towards the sea.

This was an important guide leading them back to his base camp, hidden in the foggy sea.

Following the guidance of the life card, the thick, black fog was now clearly visible.

The bat-shaped prow of the ship was gradually swallowed up by the thick fog as it rocked back and forth.

The repulsive light also dimmed.

"The atmosphere here is much more comfortable."

Back in his lair, Moria finally relaxed and lay down comfortably.

Neither the navy nor the world government can catch him in these waters.

Having learned from the lesson of being easily attacked by the Straw Hat Pirates and Kuma last time, Moria sailed his Thriller Bark directly into the depths of this sea area.

Without the Life Card's guidance, he might not have been able to find his way back.

As for the other intruders...

Don't worry, his old neighbors will take good care of them.

Moria’s enormous size immediately took up the entire deck.

He was secretly planning that this time he would only leave when he had enough zombies to wipe out the entire world!

No matter who calls, it won't work!

-

"You mean, Moria will come back through this?"

Inside the dilapidated castle, Bucky accepted the life card handed to him by Dr. Hogback, lost in thought.

Hogback nodded, quite certain.

"Unless he encounters a life-threatening situation, he will definitely come back."

Hogback's conviction stemmed from Moria's decade-long experience as a recluse who never moved.

It is not easy for a person to suddenly change a habit that they have developed over a long period of time without external intervention.

"Is that so? In that case, it seems like we could play a fun game."

"Yes, it will definitely be a lot of fun."

Bucky's gaze remained fixed on the outside of the castle, in the thick fog that obscured even the light.

He chuckled to himself.

"Would you like me to teach you how to create a proper nightmare?"

"."

"."

On top of the ancient castle.

The deep fog that had been flowing slowly like calm seawater.

Suddenly, a surge of waves arose.

There was also a faint moo-like sound.

When the gray fog stopped again, it had turned into complete darkness.

Like the shadow of this foggy sea.

"Don't be afraid of that guy."

Moria, who was lying on the deck pretending to be asleep, picked at his ear.

As they ventured deeper into the foggy sea, the enormous, towering black shadow gradually appeared.

"What exactly is that thing?"

Even after spending a long time in the foggy sea, Absalom still felt fear towards the eerie black shadow.

The fear of enormous objects is ingrained in human instinct.

"It's called a Baku."

Moria didn't even want to lift his eyelids.

He hadn't traveled this far in almost ten years, and now that he was finally back, he naturally wanted to reward himself by lying in bed for a few months first.

"A guy who likes to let people dream, as long as you're not afraid, he won't bother you."

When Moria first arrived in this sea area, he had dealings with this neighbor for a while.

He even considered turning this guy into his subordinate.

Then one's combat power will definitely see a leap!

Unfortunately, they couldn't catch this guy at all.

It looked like a fish-man in the sea in the thick fog.

Is it really possible to not care?

Absalom's tone was somewhat doubtful.

The shadowy figure seemed to coalesce into the shape of a hand, waving as if advising them not to go back.

Unfortunately, Moria completely relaxed once he returned to his hometown and didn't even bother to look up.

He lay there until the terror ship docked at his base.

The towering city gate is shaped like a row of teeth.

Open wide.

They seemed to be warmly welcoming the return of the place's owners.

The seawater inside and outside surged as they met.

They then swallowed the terrifying ship whole.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 37 Welcome Home

"Welcome home, my master!"

In front of the ancient castle.

It was easy for Dr. Hogback, who suspected that Moria might share a bat ancestor, to open his arms.

They warmly welcomed Moriah's arrival.

"Well done."

Moria moved his nearly 7-meter-long body, his feet trembling as he stepped on the stones.

His tone carried a hint of surprise.

The ancient castle in front of us has been restored to a considerable extent.

Look, even the complete framework is there. Hogback must have put in a lot of effort. It's rare that the guy isn't thinking about that woman anymore.

Moria vividly remembered the scene of ruins and devastation left behind by Oz, the demon he controlled.

"It's what I should do."

Hogback's smile was forced and insincere.

It's normal for a face that's been stitched up to look like this.

"I found a really interesting corpse a while ago, you'll definitely be interested!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing about the corpse, Moria finally stopped running towards his bed.

His mouth stretched from the corners of his mouth all the way to his ears.

“Yes, it’s on the second floor,” Hogback greeted him warmly.

This tone was unusual for him.

As a renowned surgeon, he is often the one who is asked for favors.