Chapter 86: The Bad Boy of the New World!

The wind howled past his ears.

Moses, merged with Bear Cub, transformed into a white-headed eagle, swiftly descending from the high skies toward the vast ocean below.

After consuming a living creature with the Munch-Munch Fruit and merging with it, he gained some of that creature's traits.

Thus,

This chimeric body now possessed the keen vision of an eagle. Moses scanned the sea below, his eyes lighting up as he spotted a dog-headed warship sailing across the waters.

The eagle's body tilted downward, wings beating against the wind as he dove at breakneck speed toward the ship.

Moments later, he flapped his wings to slow his descent, landing gracefully atop the mast, his talons gripping the wood firmly.

The sudden appearance of a massive raptor with a wingspan of nearly three meters stunned the marines aboard the warship.

A few officers chatting idly on the deck looked up in shock.

"Look at that! That eagle looks plump—let's catch it and add it to lunch. Eagle meat is firm and tender!"

With that, the officer leaped into the air, his feet kicking against nothingness. "Boom! Boom!" The air exploded beneath him as he propelled himself forward, reaching the white-headed eagle in just two Breaths.

His rough hand shot out, aiming for the eagle's neck.

Moses had heard their conversation below. Now, watching the man's approach, he tilted his head slightly before suddenly striking with his sharp, gleaming beak.

The speed was astonishing.

The officer frowned mid-air, quickly adjusting his trajectory with Moon Walk. But Moses suddenly spread his wings, using Observation Haki to predict his movement. Like a streak of dark light, his wing slashed heavily toward the officer's chest.

Shocked, the officer tensed his muscles instantly, hardening his body—"Iron!"

At the same time, the eagle's wing struck with crushing force, slamming into his chest. A dull "thud" echoed as the officer was sent flying in a high arc, plummeting toward the deck.

Luckily, his friend appeared beneath him, steadying his fall.

The entire warship erupted in chaos.

A top officer from Vice Admiral Garp's ship had just been beaten by a damn bird!

The fallen officer's face darkened with humiliation.

Garp, watching from his cabin window, studied the white-headed eagle perched on the mast with amusement. Something about it felt familiar.

Drawing his saber from his waist, the officer pushed his friend aside and launched himself back up the mast with Moon Walk. His blade flashed coldly as he aimed a slash at the eagle's head.

A sharp glint flashed in Moses' eagle eyes. Under Life Return, his talons hardened partially. Beating his wings, he took flight, his claws clamping onto the blade with a metallic screech, sparks flying.

Then, with a powerful twist of his body, he wrenched the saber from the officer's grip.

At the same time, his right wing morphed into a spiked metal baseball bat, swinging down with brutal force toward the man's skull.

The officer's eyes widened in horror—

BAM!

A dull impact sounded as the bat connected with his head.

Eyes rolling back, a massive lump swelling on his forehead, the officer plummeted from the sky once more.

Moses' wings transformed again, this time into twin swords, as his talons gripped the mast firmly.

His piercing eagle gaze swept over the remaining officers on the deck below, brimming with disdain. Tipping his slender neck back, he let out a piercing, triumphant screech.

"A Devil Fruit user?" A lieutenant commander's expression turned peculiar as he exclaimed in surprise, "And an animal at that? The Weapon-Weapon Fruit? Is this for real?"

Lieutenant Commander Jeff was equally astonished:

"That powerful? That bird's eyes were full of disdain, weren't they?"

Several other lieutenant commanders were also amazed and grew intrigued.

The next moment,

"Let's go, all together."

The lieutenant commanders surged forward, using Moon Walk to charge toward the top of the mast.

Moses watched as Jeff led the charge, swinging a slash toward him. His right arm transformed into a blade and swung down in a counter.

Clang!

The blade precisely blocked the slash. At the same time, Moses' left arm swiftly hacked outward.

Jeff barely managed to dodge by tilting his head, but then Moses raised his claws and swiped at his face.

"Jeff, watch out! I'm coming. Tempest Kick!"

A voice rang out, followed by a crescent-shaped vacuum slash hurtling toward Moses' head.

Moses eyed the incoming air slash and fiercely swiped with his other claw. With a crisp crack, he shattered it outright.

However, the force of the slash sent Moses flying backward.

Mid-air.

His blade-like wings reverted to feathered ones, and Moses flapped them, hovering in the air as he watched the lieutenant commanders land back on the warship's deck.

The next instant, his body transformed again mid-air—his limbs stretched, morphing into a Panda Person as he landed lightly on the deck with both feet.

His mouth gaped wide as he reached inside and pulled out a baseball bat, slinging it over his shoulder.

He stood silently, staring at the lieutenant commanders ahead.

His mouth hung open, eyes bulging, causing the onlookers to gasp in shock. One lieutenant commander's lips twitched as he muttered:

"What the hell is this monster? What kind of Devil Fruit user is he?"

Another hesitated before murmuring, "Doesn't he look a bit like that rookie Mink bounty hunter who appeared near the Alabasta base over a year ago?"

A glint flashed in Jeff's eyes as he shouted at Moses, "Bounty Hunter, A Bao?"

Moses raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Yeah, that's me—A Bao."

"Why did you attack us?" a Marine lieutenant commander frowned.

Moses looked at him like he was an idiot:

"I was tired from flying and landed to rest. I was about to leave when your guys came at me first."

The man faltered, embarrassed.

That did seem to be the case.

Just then, Bogart emerged from the cabin, observing the standoff. He raised an eyebrow at Moses and said:

"If it's a misunderstanding, then leave now. This is a warship—not a place you can just board casually. Besides, you were just a bird earlier. How were we supposed to know who you were?"

Moses' lips curled as he tightened his grip on the baseball bat, pointing it straight at Bogart. "You seem pretty strong. Wanna spar?"

A battle junkie?

Bogart's eyes gleamed with interest as he chuckled:

"Fighting me is fine—but if you lose, you join the Marines. Otherwise, get the hell out."

This Panda Person intrigued him. His life energy felt young, yet he was clearly skilled.

"Beat me first, then we'll talk."

Moses grinned and dashed forward, swinging his bat in a smooth arc aimed straight at Bogart's head.

Bogart's eyebrow lifted as he drew his sword—a flash of cold steel.

Clang!

The long sword and baseball bat clashed heavily against each other.

Sparks flew as a shockwave expanded between the two men.

Moses took a step back, then charged forward again.

In the next instant, Moses swung his baseball bat so fast it left afterimages.

A relentless barrage descended upon Bogart.

A sharp glint flashed in Bogart's eyes as he swung his long sword with powerful slashes, precisely blocking every strike from Moses' bat.

Unnoticed by most, the blade of the sword had taken on a dark hue—Armament Haki now coated its surface.

The pressure suddenly intensified.

Breathing heavily, Moses began circling Bogart rapidly, his heavy baseball bat stirring up fierce winds that formed a whirlwind, trapping Bogart within.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sharp metallic clashing sounds rang out like a blacksmith's hammer.

Bogart watched this scene with surprise before taking a deep breath and abruptly accelerating his sword swings.

Whoosh!

A dazzling vertical slash tore through the whirlwind.

The slash carried an unstoppable momentum as it aimed straight for Moses' chest.

Seeing the slash coming, Moses inhaled sharply, flexing his arm muscles. His right arm swelled as he swung his studded baseball bat horizontally—Bam!—shattering the slash.

At that moment, Bogart suddenly appeared at Moses' side, a cold glint flashing as his sword thrust toward Moses' chest.

Moses shifted his stance, his right leg snapping forward with a sharp whistle, his foot aimed squarely at Bogart's chest.

Bogart raised an eyebrow, altering his motion—changing the thrust into a downward slash.

Observation Haki allowed Moses to predict this perfectly. He swung his baseball bat toward Bogart's head with furious force.

Simultaneously, his right leg tensed, continuing its lightning-fast kick forward.

It was a desperate gamble—a leg for a head.

The surrounding marines watched wide-eyed.

A fierce glint flashed in Bogart's eyes. Did Moses really think he was inexperienced? Armament Haki suddenly coated the spot where the bat would strike his head.

His sword swings accelerated sharply.

That was his answer.

Then, a deep voice suddenly cut in: "That's enough."

A towering figure appeared between them, gripping both the baseball bat and the sword with his hands.

Moses' eyes flickered. He lowered his right foot and grinned at Garp. "Long time no see, Gramps!"

Bogart's eyes widened in shock as he stared at Garp, his expression seeming to say, "Damn, old man, you really don't discriminate, huh."

Though unspoken, Garp seemed to sense it. His eye twitched, and his fists clenched—delivering a punch to each of their heads.

Thud! Thud!

The next moment, Bear Cub let out a soft "Eep!" and plopped onto the deck, clutching his head as tears welled up. "Gramps, why'd you hit me?" he whined, looking at Garp with pitiful eyes.

Then, gasps erupted.

"The Panda Person just called Vice Admiral Garp 'Gramps'!!!"

With that, Bear Cub stuck his hand into his mouth, his body reverting to its original form before pulling Moses out from within.

Moses landed on the deck with both feet.

Stretching lazily, he shot Bogart a reproachful look. "Were you really trying to take my leg off just now?"

Bogart's lips twitched violently. The Panda Person who had been fighting desperately just moments ago turned out to be Moses.

Moses looked at Bear Cub sitting on the ground with a pained expression and hurried over to blow on and rub his injuries.

Suddenly, Moses lowered his head but abruptly stopped as a loud "thud" echoed—someone had delivered a fierce punch to his skull.

Gritting his teeth, he helplessly rubbed the large bump forming on his head and shot a resentful glance at Garp:

"You already hit me earlier, didn't you?"

Garp chuckled angrily:

"Cut the crap."

Moses rolled his eyes in exasperation.

At that moment, Bogart's surprised voice rang out, "What the hell have you been eating this past year? How'd you change so much?"

Moses replied nonchalantly:

"Ever heard of Life Return? Good food, plus some training—it's only natural I grew fast."

"Natural?" Bogart gave him a strange look and couldn't help but retort, "Natural my ass. And since when is Life Return so easy to learn?"

"You're Moses?"

Just then, Moses heard a surprised voice and turned to see Lieutenant Jeff, nodding at him with a smile.

"That's me."

"You've changed so much—you're so tall now."

"Just average, really."

After exchanging a few words, Garp interjected, "Come on, follow me to my room first. If you don't give me a satisfactory explanation, you're in for it."

Moses sighed but knew he couldn't avoid this. He picked up Bear Cub and followed.

Once inside, Moses made himself at home, pouring tea for the three of them before settling onto the sofa.

Bear Cub sat beside Moses, occasionally sneaking wary glances at Garp.

Bear Cub held grudges.

Noticing Garp's unfriendly gaze, Moses coughed and recounted his experiences over the past year and a half.

A short while later, upon learning that Moses had been living in Skypiea all this time, Garp was speechless.

But he was also curious—he had never been there himself.

After some casual conversation, Garp's anger subsided, partly thanks to Moses pouring him tea.

Smiling, he looked at Moses with satisfaction, patting and poking him all over.

"Seems like you've been training hard this past year."

"Just decent, nothing special."

Curious, Moses asked, "So, where are you taking me this time?"

Garp glanced at him. "How about Marine Headquarters?"

"No."

Moses answered instantly.

Garp's face darkened, but there was little he could do. He sighed and said,

"A few days ago, one of our undercover agents reported a troublemaker moving from the New World toward the first half of the Grand Line. Since I was nearby, the HQ strategists narrowed down a few likely destinations, so the Fleet Admiral sent me to check it out."

"I figured I'd bring you along to broaden your horizons."

"Who is it?" Moses grew intrigued. "Must be someone noteworthy if they've got your attention, right?"

"Heh, you'll find out soon enough."

Moses sensed the warship changing course. Garp added,

"The place we're heading is a lawless zone—no rules, no governance. Worse than Mock Town."

"Be mentally prepared."

Moses nodded in understanding.

...

A day later.

In the distance, an island came into view.

A small landmass covered in dark brown boulders.

Steel Island.

"Now this is chaos."

Moses stood atop the ship, gazing at the island shrouded in smoke, where the faint sounds of artillery could be heard.

"Not bad," Bogart remarked casually as he walked over. "That used to be a small resource island rich in copper, fought over by several neighboring affiliated nations."

"It changed hands several times until the copper mines were exhausted, and the place was abandoned. Due to the periodic swirling currents around the island, the surrounding countries turned it into a dumping ground for exiles."

"Criminals, bandits, and fallen nobles were all exiled here. Over time, after generations, the local culture has grown fiercely savage, turning it into an ungoverned lawless zone."

"Because of that, lawless individuals often come here to recruit thugs."

"So, that mysterious guy from the New World might come here?"

Listening to Moses, Bogart chuckled. "The odds are good. Whether he's here or not, we'll stake out the place first."

"As long as this is his target. If not, no big deal—we'll just treat it as a paid vacation."

"You wage thief."

(End of chapter)