Chapter 509: Supernovas (Conclusion)

"Bartolomew Kuma didn't show up, but at least Usopp managed to frighten Perona. Otherwise, Luffy might not have won," Daniel thought as he observed the aftermath. Perona's Horo Horo no Mi could unleash incredibly powerful negativity, something Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji currently had no counter for. Ironically, Usopp, who called himself the "King of Cowards," was immune, his pessimism overpowering even the effects of Perona's ability.

In Water 7, the Straw Hats had welcomed Usopp back to the crew, and Franky had also joined them. With Brook joining at the Florian Triangle, Luffy's crew was now complete—minus Robin.

"They never kill their defeated foes. Lucky for them, this isn't the ninja world, or Luffy wouldn't last long." After their victory, the Straw Hats, led by Nami, began gathering Moria's treasure and some medical supplies from the island.

One of Moria's minions had been an esteemed surgeon whom Chopper had idolized from afar, though Chopper's admiration faded upon meeting the doctor in person and discovering his obsession with money. Unphased, Chopper eagerly transferred the doctor's equipment and medicines onto the Thousand Sunny. Unlike the Going Merry, the Sunny had ample space—a fully equipped infirmary for Chopper, a dedicated pantry and freezer for Sanji, and even a small pool.

And for once, Luffy had a captain's quarters to call his own.

"Apologies, Moria." After the Straw Hats had left, Daniel stepped forward, casting a glance at Moria's unconscious form. With a wave of his hand, he pulled Moria into the Mirror Dimension.

Daniel had no qualms about ending Moria's life. Despite his apparent harmlessness, Moria's shadow-stealing abilities had ruined countless lives, turning his victims into sunlight-fearing wraiths. Only a handful of pirates could be called decent—Luffy, Shanks, and a few others; even the Whitebeard Pirates had their share of notorious allies who weren't just playing games.

"All this time spent stitching up corpses… What good would it do, even if you had Roger's body? You think you could trap someone like Shanks' shadow?"

If developed to its full potential, Moria's Kage Kage no Mi could have turned him into a powerful combatant instead of relying on stitched-together corpses. Moria had once harnessed the fruit's potential effectively, but his defeat by Kaido and the loss of his crew drove him to create shadow puppets instead.

With Nara clan shadow techniques from the ninja world, Kage Kage no Mi could achieve even greater things.

"I wonder if without Kuma's intervention, Zoro and Perona's paths will cross." Just as Daniel finished collecting the Kage Kage no Mi and prepared to leave, he noticed a familiar spatial disturbance up ahead. A figure stepped out—it was none other than Bartholomew Kuma, the "Tyrant" himself.

Spotting Kuma, Daniel quickly concealed his aura, taking care not to draw attention.

"Moria's corpse found." Kuma barely glanced at the fallen zombies before noting Moria's lifeless body, with shadows dissipating back to their owners upon his death. He immediately reported the situation through a Den Den Mushi.

"Who did it?" asked an unfamiliar elderly voice on the other end.

"Find out what happened immediately!" came another unfamiliar voice.

"The Five Elders?" Daniel guessed from his hiding place.

"Understood," Kuma replied before surveying the area. He then vanished, reappearing on the shores of Thriller Bark.

"Guess they figured it out from the shadows returning." Moria had stolen shadows from countless people, dooming them to a half-life in darkness. Now, with their shadows restored, it was clear Moria had met his end—no one would believe he had suddenly released the shadows out of goodwill.

"Luffy's injuries won't be an issue now." Seeing Kuma appear on the Thousand Sunny, Daniel departed. As a Revolutionary under Dragon, Kuma would not pose a threat to Luffy.

"Garp, your grandson's done it again!"

The next day, Fleet Admiral Sengoku raged at Garp in the Navy Headquarters at Marineford, waving the morning paper in his hand. The Straw Hat Pirates' actions had splashed across the headlines once more, drawing unwanted attention to the Navy.

The Golden Age of Pirates had been over for more than two decades. With no one uncovering Laugh Tale and the stability brought by the three power groups, the seas had started to calm. Apart from Kaido's occasional stunts, nothing major had disturbed the peace.

Yet in recent years, turbulence returned with an onslaught of mysterious pamphlets, weakening the Navy's reputation. Sengoku, once highly respected as a strategist, found himself under increasing scrutiny.

Adding to his troubles, the attack on the Celestial Dragons had made the Five Elders doubt his leadership, leading them to plan for his replacement. Now, just as Sengoku had finally picked up Akatsuki's trail, Garp's grandson had once again stirred things up, this time attacking Enies Lobby and defeating a Warlord of the Sea. A Warlord's death might normally go unremarked, but with Akatsuki on the rise, the timing was abysmal.

"This was all… just an accident," Garp replied sheepishly, scratching his head.

"You—" Sengoku pointed at Garp, his frustration palpable, then turned to Aokiji as if seeking a reason for the whole debacle, but ultimately held back.

The reality was that the Straw Hats had managed to escape from both Garp and Aokiji, the Navy's most formidable Vice Admiral and one of its Admirals. The reason was obvious enough without further investigation.

Sengoku glanced between Garp and the three Admirals seated nearby, suppressing a heavy sigh. Every single Admiral had been a headache to manage: Akainu's rigid "Absolute Justice," Aokiji's indifferent approach, and Kizaru's notorious laziness.

In that moment, Sengoku couldn't help but envy his predecessor, Supreme Commander Kong. When Kong had served as Fleet Admiral, Sengoku and Z were steadfast officers, never a source of trouble. In fact, the Navy's previous lineup had consisted of only two Admirals, Sengoku and Zephyr. Garp had always declined the position, and no one else at the time had the strength to fill the role.

With Sengoku's strategic mind and Zephyr's leadership, Kong had sailed through his tenure relatively unscathed.

"Uh, so, the South Blue is having some trouble lately. Maybe I should head over and check things out," Kizaru piped up with feigned enthusiasm.

"I understand." Sengoku nodded, then turned to Akainu. "You'll take care of this, Akainu."

Akainu nodded firmly, while Kizaru put on an exaggeratedly disappointed expression.

Sengoku didn't necessarily consider Akainu a better fit for the task but was compelled to keep a close eye on Marineford. With reports from Aokiji suggesting Akatsuki's leader might visit, Sengoku knew it might be a diversion. But after the recent breach at Marineford, he couldn't afford to be lax. If the base suffered another attack, the Navy's reputation—and his own—would suffer even more.

Even the World Government's Holy Land had increased its security. After all, Kaido, despite his bravado, had never dared set foot in Marineford or Mary Geoise. Akatsuki, on the other hand, had killed Celestial Dragons.

Any hopes Kizaru had of avoiding responsibility were dashed.

"This is about to get interesting." Looking at the newspaper, Daniel smiled. With Moria gone, his Warlord position was up for grabs, drawing the attention of numerous ambitious pirates.

Despite the disdain most pirates had for the Warlords, few would refuse the chance to join their ranks if it were offered.

"Time to see what you can do, Edward Weevil."

As for the rumor he had spread about Akatsuki's leader visiting Marineford, that had been nothing more than a casual remark. Daniel wasn't about to storm the base like Golden Lion Shiki. He could toss a few meteors, but a direct confrontation with the Navy wasn't worth it.

"Eleven supernovas gathered in the Sabaody Archipelago—a rare event indeed." Daniel stepped onto Sabaody, a strange island composed of giant mangrove trees, each containing clusters of shops and services.

The archipelago was more vibrant than ever, packed with powerful rookie pirates—a historic gathering. In a typical year, only three or four supernovas might appear on the island. None of them could afford to linger in such a dangerous place, so close to the Red Line and Marineford.

Only the prolonged wait for coating held them there now. Without it, they'd already be at Fish-Man Island, on their way to the New World.

"This place charges an arm and a leg." Sitting at Shakky's Rip-Off Bar with just a glass of water, Daniel raised an eyebrow at Shakky's prices.

"A Warlord who can't spare a little cash? Really?" Shakky asked with a wry smile.

"This isn't about money."

"I've got my standards here. But I'll tell you what: answer one question, and today's on the house."

"Deal—then I'll take a juice instead." Taking a sip, he signaled for her to ask her question.

"When will you enter the New World?"

"Funny, everyone seems to think I'll head there. Why would I? For the Four Emperors' seat? The phantom island of Laugh Tale? The title of Pirate King?" Daniel

's tone turned mocking at the last phrase.

"A pirate not interested in Laugh Tale? Now that's hard to believe." Shakky's gaze turned skeptical. She had never met a pirate who wasn't drawn to the promise of the ultimate treasure. Even the Four Emperors, Kaido and Big Mom, were still trying to reach it.

"What's so surprising? If you wanted to know about Laugh Tale, you wouldn't have to chase it yourself. Just find someone from Roger's crew, like Silvers Rayleigh. He'd know."

"And you think he'd tell you?"

"He wouldn't have to. With the Memo Memo no Mi, I wouldn't need his permission. Just a touch, and I'd have all the memories I needed. And I know where to find some of Roger's crew—some of them aren't too hard to deal with."

Her eyes narrowed, Shakky tensed, realizing she hadn't considered such a strategy. Though she wasn't a former member of Roger's crew, Rayleigh was.

"Relax, I'm not interested in chasing down Roger's crew. Laugh Tale holds no appeal for me. If I wanted to go, I'd be out searching for the Poneglyphs by now."

Daniel finished his juice and prepared to leave.

"You're looking for the Road Poneglyphs? You know where they are?"

"Who says you need them to reach Laugh Tale? Ever heard of a Log Pose?" Daniel turned and gave her a knowing smile.

"There's no Log Pose for Laugh Tale," she replied skeptically as he reached for the door.

"Are you sure? Roger had a crew full of people who reached the island. You're telling me no one kept a record?"

The question caught her off-guard. The Roger Pirates had many members, after all. If anyone had kept a Log Pose, it could be hidden somewhere, waiting to be discovered.

"Almost forgot that. I wonder how things are playing out on the seas now."

On his way to Sabaody, the idea had struck Daniel, so he'd quietly spread rumors of Laugh Tale's Log Pose. He didn't need to forge a fake one—the rumor alone would spread chaos across the seas. No one could risk missing such an opportunity.

"Now, it's time to check out this year's supernovas. And maybe… stop by the human auction house for a visit. What would the Navy and the World Government do if Luffy killed a few Celestial Dragons this time around?"

In the original story, Luffy had only punched a Celestial Dragon, sparing their life. But with Daniel in the mix, the outcome could be quite different.

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]

[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]