One Piece: The Template System-Chapter 144: Thriller Bark - 8

Flashback - Mary Geoise, The Room of Authority

High above the clouds, atop the Red Line, the Room of Authority in Pangaea Castle was cloaked in a heavy, oppressive silence. The Five Elders, the highest-ranking Celestial Dragons in the world, sat in their respective chairs.

On the low table in the center of the room lay a stack of photographs and a comprehensive intelligence report detailing the absolute destruction of Enies Lobby.

Saint Jaygarcia Saturn leaned heavily on his cane, his eyes narrowed at the glossy photograph of Monkey D. Luffy grinning.

"Enies Lobby has fallen," Saturn stated, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "A stronghold of Justice, annihilated by a rookie crew from the East Blue. And CP9, our most elite covert unit, was dismantled without the pirates suffering a single casualty."

"It is not just the destruction of the island that concerns us," Saint Marcus Mars added, his sharp mustache twitching. "Look at the composition of this syndicate. The surviving demon of Ohara. The Giants of Elbaf. And this man... 'The Magician', Edgar D. Benjamin. He utilized technology and spatial manipulation that defies our current understanding of science."

Saint Topman Warcury crossed his arms, his massive forehead creased in thought. "The crew is a severe threat, yes. But the true danger is the captain. Monkey D. Luffy."

Warcury pointed a finger at the photograph of Luffy's rubbery fist stretching to strike Rob Lucci.

"The Gomu Gomu no Mi," Warcury said grimly. "For eight hundred years, that fruit has evaded us. We had it secured twelve years ago, only for Red-Haired Shanks to steal it. Now, it has manifested in the grandson of Garp, the son of Dragon. If he awakens the true power of the fruit... the balance of the world will shatter."

"He must be eradicated before he learns what he truly is," Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro agreed, resting a hand on the hilt of his sword. "We cannot allow the warrior of liberation to enter the New World."

"We know their trajectory," Saint Shepherd Ju Peter spoke up, looking at a map of the Grand Line. "They left Water 7. The Log Pose routes from that island inevitably lead through the Florian Triangle before reaching the Sabaody Archipelago."

"The Florian Triangle," Saturn mused. "Gecko Moria's hunting ground."

"Contact him," Mars ordered. "Moria is a Warlord. It is time he proved his worth to the balance."

A secure, golden Den Den Mushi was brought into the room. The call was placed. A few moments later, the sluggish, echoing laugh of the Warlord filled the austere room.

"Kishishishi... To what do I owe the pleasure of a call from the highest authority?" Gecko Moria's voice crackled through the speaker.

"Gecko Moria," Saturn spoke directly into the receiver. "We have a primary objective for you. The Straw Hat Pirates have left Water 7. They are currently navigating toward your territory in the Florian Triangle."

"The Straw Hats?" Moria paused, the sound of him shifting his massive bulk echoing over the line. "The ones who burned the flag at Enies Lobby? I read the paper. They have a combined bounty of over two billion berries. You want me to fight them?"

"We do not expect you to defeat them alone," Mars clarified coldly. "They possess immense strength and highly advanced technology. Your orders are simple. Lure them into the borders of Thriller Bark. Trap their ship."

"As soon as they set foot on your island-ship," Ju Peter continued, "you are to contact Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately. We will dispatch a fleet of reinforcements to eradicate them. Your only job is to stall them until the hammer falls."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Moria was lazy, but he was not stupid. He knew what a two-billion-berry crew was capable of. However, he also knew the value of the shadows such a crew possessed.

"You want me to hold the door for the Navy," Moria chuckled darkly. "Kishishishi... I can do that. The fog of the Triangle is my domain. Once they enter, they won't find their way out easily. But... stalling a crew of monsters comes with risks. I want compensation."

"You receive your Warlord immunity," Nusjuro said flatly. "That is your compensation."

"Not good enough," Moria countered. "If you are sending an execution fleet, there will be bodies. I have a very specific project in the works. I need strong corpses. If I stall the Straw Hats for you... I want exclusive rights to their remains. All of them. The rubber boy, the swordsman, and especially the Giants of Elbaf. I will take their shadows before you kill them, and I will keep their corpses for my army."

The Five Elders exchanged a brief look. Giving Moria the physical bodies of the Straw Hats was irrelevant to them, so long as the threat of Nika was permanently extinguished.

"We accept your condition," Saturn stated. "You will have the corpses. But do not fail, Moria. If they slip through your fingers, your title as a Warlord will be revoked."

"Kishishishi... Just send the ships. I'll make sure they don't leave."

Click.

The connection severed. The trap was set.

Flashback - A Hidden Harbor in the Grand Line

The sound of shattering glass and crunching metal echoed from the docks.

Eustass "Captain" Kid hurled a heavy iron crate against the side of a warehouse, his metallic, magnetic arm sparking with violent red electricity. He was breathing heavily, his face contorted in a mask of pure, unadulterated rage.

Scattered on the ground around his boots were several copies of the World Economy News Paper.

"Five hundred million!" Kid roared, kicking the newspaper into the dirt. "That bastard gets a five hundred million berry bounty?! And his sniper gets four hundred and fifty?! They destroyed one island and suddenly they're the kings of the first half of the Grand Line?!"

Killer, the masked first mate of the Kid Pirates, stood calmly a few feet away, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched his captain vent his frustration. Kid's current bounty sat at 315 million berries. For a long time, Kid had prided himself on having a higher bounty than other rookies, a metric he attributed to his own ruthlessness.

But Enies Lobby had completely eclipsed him.

"We've been slaughtering Marines and sinking rival crews for months," Kid snarled, his magnetic arm whirring as he pulled scrap metal toward himself. "And we are barely pushing three hundred! What do we have to do to get the world to respect us, Killer?! Do I have to burn down Marineford?!"

"Attacking Marineford would be suicide, Kid," Killer said, his voice muffled but entirely rational behind his blue and white striped mask. "Straw Hat didn't just attack an island. He dismantled CP9. The World Government raised his bounty out of fear. If we want a bounty that eclipses his, we need to hunt a target that strikes equal fear into the Navy."

Kid stopped pulling metal. He turned to Killer, his eyes narrowing. "A bigger target. Like what? An Admiral?"

"No. We aren't ready for an Admiral," Killer replied. "But there is another pillar of the Three Great Powers sitting right in our path to the Sabaody Archipelago. A Warlord of the Sea."

Kid's fierce grin returned. "A Warlord."

"Gecko Moria," Killer stated. "He resides in the Florian Triangle. He has a bounty of 320 million, frozen. He commands an army of the undead and has a reputation that spans decades. If we kill him, if we take the head of a sitting Warlord and destroy Thriller Bark, the Navy will have no choice but to recognize our superiority."

"I like it," Kid cracked his knuckles. "Let's set sail. I'll crush him myself."

"We cannot go alone," Killer cautioned, holding up a hand.

Kid scowled. "Why not? You doubt my strength?"

"I don't doubt you, Kid. But Moria is dangerous. He doesn't fight fair," Killer explained, pulling out a map. "He relies on shadows and an infinite army of zombies. If we go in with just one ship, we will be worn down by attrition before we even reach his castle. We need numbers. We need a vanguard to clear the trash."

"So what do you suggest?" Kid asked impatiently.

"An alliance," Killer proposed. "The other Supernovas are currently navigating this stretch of the sea. They all saw the newspaper. They all feel the exact same shadow of the Straw Hats hanging over them. If we propose a joint raid on Thriller Bark to take down a Warlord, they will listen. We use them to break the army, and we take the glory."

Kid stared at his first mate. He hated sharing glory. But he hated being second best to Luffy even more.

"Fine," Kid spat. "Set up the meeting."

A Few Days Later - The Supernova Summit

The meeting took place in a rundown, neutral tavern on a lawless island near the edge of the Florian Triangle. The air inside the tavern was thick with tension, cigar smoke, and the heavy auras of some of the most dangerous rookies in the world.

Eustass Kid sat at the head of the table, his boots propped up, Killer standing silently behind him.

Around the table sat the rest of the generation that would soon be known as the Worst Generation.

Trafalgar Law sat with his feet up, casually tossing a coin, his nodachi resting against his chair.

Basil Hawkins sat perfectly still, silently shuffling a deck of tarot cards.

Scratchmen Apoo was tapping a rhythm on the table, grinning a toothy, annoying smile.

Capone Gang Bege puffed on a thick cigar, his mafia subordinates lining the walls of the tavern.

Jewelry Bonney sat near the end of the table, aggressively eating a massive leg of meat, ignoring the tension entirely.

And Urouge, the Mad Monk, sat with a massive, serene smile on his face.

"So," Apoo broke the silence, his voice loud and grating. "Kid invites us all to a dump like this. You wanna hold hands and sing songs because Straw Hat made you look like chumps?"

Kid's hand twitched, metal silverware rattling on the surrounding tables. "Watch your mouth, Apoo, or I'll sew it shut with iron wire."

"Calm down," Killer intervened, placing a hand on Kid's shoulder. He looked around the table. "We are all here because the balance has shifted. Straw Hat Luffy has crossed a line we haven't. If we proceed to the New World as we are, we will be treated as second-rate. We need a statement."

"And your statement is Gecko Moria," Bege noted, his voice raspy. "You want to hit a Warlord's fortress."

"Exactly," Kid sneered. "We hit Thriller Bark. We crush his zombie army together. We take Moria's head, and we split the infamy. The Navy will have to reassess all of our bounties. It proves we don't fear the Seven Warlords."

"It's a bold strategy," Law spoke up, his eyes half-closed. He wasn't particularly interested in competing with Luffy's bounty, but taking down a Warlord aligned perfectly with his own long-term goals. If he could participate in the fall of Moria, it would create chaos in the Warlord system—chaos he needed to eventually maneuver against Donquixote Doflamingo. "A Warlord's island is well-defended. But with this much firepower in one place... it's highly feasible. I'm in."

"I have my own reasons," Bonney said, wiping grease from her mouth. "Moria works closely with the World Government. He knows the other Warlords. I want information from him. Information about Bartholomew Kuma. If you help me corner him, I'll help you break his zombies."

"Information, glory, chaos. It matters not," Bege puffed a cloud of smoke. "My syndicate operates on power. Taking a Warlord's territory expands that power. I agree to the temporary alliance."

Kid grinned. Four captains. It was enough. He looked at the remaining three.

"What about you, fortune teller?" Kid asked Hawkins.

Hawkins didn't look up. He drew a card from his deck and laid it flat on the wooden table. It was the Tower, reversed. He drew another. The Sun.

"I have read the probabilities," Hawkins stated in a monotone voice, his eyes devoid of emotion. "If we invade Thriller Bark... the probability of encountering a fatal threat is fifty percent."

The captains frowned. Fifty percent was a coin flip on their lives.

"However," Hawkins drew a third card, placing it down. The Wheel of Fortune. "The probability of unprecedented fortune and a shift in the era is also fifty percent. The cards indicate a storm is converging on that island. I will embrace the odds. I am in."

"Apapapapa!" Apoo laughed loudly, standing up. "A fifty-fifty chance to die or become a legend? That's the music I like to hear! Count the On Air Pirates in! We'll make it a symphony of destruction!"

Kid looked at the final captain. Urouge, the giant Mad Monk.

Urouge simply smiled, his massive hands resting on his knees. "A tempting offer to challenge the heights of the world. But my path lies elsewhere. The heavens do not guide me to the shadows of the Florian Triangle today. I will not tempt those odds. I decline."

"Suit yourself, Monk," Kid scoffed, standing up. He looked at the assembled captains: Law, Hawkins, Apoo, Bege, and Bonney. Six Supernovas. An unprecedented alliance of rookies.

"We set sail at dawn," Kid declared, his magnetic aura sparking in the dim tavern. "We breach the walls of Thriller Bark and we take the Warlord's head. Let's show the world that Straw Hat isn't the only monster in this generation."

Flashback - The Open Sea, A Stolen Galleon

The waves crashed violently against the hull of a stolen merchant galleon.

Marshall D. Teach, Blackbeard, stood at the bow of the ship, his massive hands gripping the wooden railing so tightly the timber splintered. He stared out into the vast, empty ocean, the memory of his failure burning in his mind.

Ace was gone. He had vanished into thin air.

Teach's grand plan to trade the Fire Fist for a Warlord title had evaporated in an instant. Without a massive bargaining chip, the World Government would never grant him the status he needed to access Impel Down and recruit his true crew.

"Captain," Lafitte approached silently, his cane tapping lightly on the deck. "We need a new heading. The Navy patrols will be increasing soon."

"I know!" Teach roared, spinning around. The dark aura of the Yami Yami no Mi flared aggressively around his shoulders. "That brat ruined everything! He used some kind of trick to escape! Now we have nothing!"

Van Augur cleaned his rifle, looking up at the sky. "The winds of fate are erratic, Captain. We must adjust our sails. If we cannot capture Portgas D. Ace, we must find another prize."

Doc Q coughed violently, slumping against his sick horse, Stronger. "A prize... yes... something valuable enough to buy a throne..."

Jesus Burgess crossed his massive arms. "What about Straw Hat Luffy?! The news says his bounty is five hundred million now! If we bring him in, the Navy will have to make you a Warlord!"

Teach grabbed the newspaper that was resting on a barrel. He stared at the front page. He saw Luffy. He saw the Magician. He saw the Giants of Elbaf and the sniper labeled 'God'.

Teach ground his teeth. He was ambitious, but he was also a master opportunist who survived by knowing when to fold.

"No," Teach grunted, tossing the paper aside. "Straw Hat isn't just a rookie anymore. Look at that crew. He's got giants. He's got tactical masterminds. And he just wiped out CP9. Engaging a crew that just decimated Enies Lobby is too much of a gamble right now. We aren't ready for a full-scale war with a crew like that. We need to be smart."

"Then what is our target, Captain?" Lafitte asked, tilting his top hat.

Teach rubbed his patchy beard, his sharp, tactical mind calculating new routes. He needed power. He needed leverage. If he couldn't get the Warlord title by giving the Navy a pirate, maybe he could take a Warlord's power for himself.

"Lafitte," Teach looked at his navigator. "Where is the closest Warlord territory?"

"We are currently sailing near the Florian Triangle," Lafitte answered promptly. "The domain of Gecko Moria."

Teach's eyes widened. A slow, cruel, incredibly dangerous grin spread across his face. The dark aura around him seemed to pulse with renewed excitement.

"Gecko Moria," Teach chuckled, the laugh growing into a booming roar. "Zehahaha! Of course! Moria is a shadow of his former self. He sits in his castle, relying on corpses."

Teach looked at his crew. "Moria possesses the Kage Kage no Mi. The Shadow-Shadow fruit. The ability to steal strength and build armies. And one of his top subordinates has the Suke Suke no Mi. The Clear-Clear fruit. Invisibility."

Teach raised his hand, black gravity swirling in his palm.

"If we can't buy our way into the Warlords, we'll steal their powers! We go to Thriller Bark! We kill Moria, we take his devil fruits, and we use that power to force the world to respect the Blackbeard Pirates!"

"WEEHAHAHA! Now that sounds like a plan!" Burgess cheered, slamming his fists together.

"Set a course for the fog," Teach commanded, his ambition reignited. "Let's go hunt a Warlord!"

Present Time - Thriller Bark

The heavy, oppressive fog of the Florian Triangle wrapped around the massive island-ship of Thriller Bark like a shroud.

Deep within the dark, gothic halls of the main palace, Gecko Moria sat upon his massive throne. He picked at his teeth with a long, pale fingernail, bored.

A few hours ago, his zombie lookouts had reported a red signal flare firing from one of the bait barrels near the outer perimeter. He had sent Absalom, his invisible commander, to investigate and bring back whatever fool had wandered into his trap.

But Absalom had not returned.

"Where is that invisible idiot?" Moria muttered, his deep, lazy voice echoing in the empty throne room. "Did he get distracted by a female pirate again? Useless."

Moria snapped his fingers. A small, bat-like zombie fluttered down from the rafters, landing on the armrest of his throne.

"You," Moria commanded. "Go to the perimeter. Find out what triggered the flare. If Absalom is slacking off, tell him I'll cut his shadow. Go."

The zombie bat squeaked a salute and fluttered out of the high window, disappearing into the mist.

Moria closed his eyes, intending to take a nap.

Twenty minutes later, the heavy doors of the throne room burst open.

The zombie bat flew in erratically, crashing into the stone floor before scrambling up to the throne.

"Master Moria! Master Moria!" the bat squeaked frantically. "Intruders! In the outer harbor!"

"I figured that much," Moria sighed, resting his chin on his hand. "Who is it? Some no-name rookies? Did Absalom catch them?"

"Absalom is gone, Master! We couldn't find him!" the bat reported. "But we saw the ship! It's a massive ship! The figurehead is a sun-lion! And the flag... Master, it's the Straw Hat Pirates!"

Moria's eyes snapped open. He sat up straight, the laziness vanishing entirely.

"The Straw Hats?" Moria repeated, his mind racing.

The crew that had destroyed Enies Lobby. The two-billion-berry syndicate. The crew the Five Elders had explicitly ordered him to trap.

They were here. Right on his doorstep.

A cruel, greedy smile stretched across Moria's stitched face.

"Kishishishi... So, the prey walked right into the web," Moria laughed, his massive body trembling with excitement. "A rubber body. Elbaf Giants. This is perfect. I will steal their shadows and put them in my Special Zombies. With Oars and the Giants of Elbaf under my command, I will crush Kaido myself!"

Moria didn't hesitate. He reached into the hidden compartment of his throne and pulled out a heavy, golden Den Den Mushi—a direct, encrypted line to Marine Headquarters.

He picked up the receiver.

Bacha-click.

"Sengoku speaking," the stern, authoritative voice of the Fleet Admiral echoed from the snail.

"Sengoku," Moria grinned, leaning into the receiver. "This is Gecko Moria. I am calling to cash in a promise from the Five Elders."

There was a brief pause on the line.

"Report," Sengoku ordered sharply.

"The prey is in the web," Moria declared, his eyes gleaming with malicious triumph. "The Straw Hat Pirates have landed on Thriller Bark. I have them trapped in the fog. Send the fleet. As the Elders promised, I want the corpses."

KRA-KOOOOOOM!

A massive, deafening explosion suddenly shook the entire palace. Dust rained down from the high ceiling of the throne room, and the heavy stone floor vibrated beneath Moria's boots.

"What was that noise, Moria?" Sengoku demanded, his voice sharp over the receiver. "Are you under attack?"

Moria sweat-dropped, his eyes darting frantically toward the heavy double doors. He desperately needed to maintain his image as an untouchable Warlord in control of the situation.

"Just... thunder, Fleet Admiral!" Moria lied smoothly, forcing a confident, booming chuckle. "The weather in the Triangle is terrible this time of year! Completely under control!"

"Understood," Sengoku's voice remained completely devoid of emotion. "Maintain your position, Moria. Do not let them escape. The hammer of Justice is on its way."

Click.

The moment the call disconnected, Moria's confident grin vanished entirely. He grabbed his hair, his eyes bulging in pure panic.

"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Moria screamed at the zombie bat. "GO SEE WHO JUST BLEW UP MY FRONT DOOR!"

Marine Headquarters - Marineford

In the highest office of Marineford, Fleet Admiral Sengoku set the receiver down. He didn't sit back in his chair. He immediately picked up a different, highly secure black Den Den Mushi.

He dialed the direct line to the Room of Authority in Pangaea Castle.

"Elders," Sengoku said grimly. "Moria has confirmed. The Straw Hat Pirates are on Thriller Bark."

"Excellent," Saint Saturn's voice replied coldly over the line. "This is our chance to rectify the failure of Enies Lobby. We cannot allow them to leave the Florian Triangle."

"I am deploying a Buster Call-level fleet," Sengoku stated, looking at the tactical map on his desk. "Six fully armed galleons. Three Vice-Admirals."

"That is insufficient," Saint Mars interrupted. "You are dealing with a crew that shielded themselves from cannon fire and defeated CP9 effortlessly. Do not underestimate the Magician or the Giants."

"I am aware," Sengoku narrowed his eyes. "That is why I am deploying the Admirals."

"Which ones?"

"Akainu," Sengoku said heavily. "Absolute Justice will ensure no survivors. And Aokiji. If they try to use that flying ship or their spatial magic to escape over the water, Kuzan will freeze the ocean for miles around the island. They will have nowhere to run."

"Acceptable," Saint Ju Peter agreed. "But the World Government will add our own insurance to this operation. We cannot leave anything to chance."

"Insurance?" Sengoku asked.

"We are dispatching three elite agents of CP0," Nusjuro stated. "Furthermore, Bartholomew Kuma is already en route. He will be accompanied by twenty Pacifista units. The cyborgs will overwhelm their frontlines, CP0 will neutralize their tactician, and the Admirals will execute the boy."

Sengoku took a slow, deep breath. Two Admirals. Three Vice-Admirals. Six Galleons. A Warlord. Three CP0 agents. Twenty Pacifistas.

It was a force large enough to wage war against a Yonko. And it was all converging on one single crew of rookies.

"Understood," Sengoku said. "The fleet deploys immediately."

Click.

Sengoku stood up, looking out the window of his office toward the dark, churning waters of the Grand Line.

The Florian Triangle Perimeter

Miles away, cutting silently through the dense, gray fog on the absolute perimeter of the Triangle, a solitary Marine battleship sailed without a sound.

Standing on the bow of the ship, perfectly still, was the massive, imposing figure of Bartholomew Kuma. He held his worn Bible in one hand, staring out into the mist. Behind him, rows of silent, deadly Pacifista units stood at attention, their robotic eyes glowing faintly in the gloom.

Kuma had heard the deployment orders. He knew the sheer, apocalyptic scale of the forces converging on Thriller Bark. Two Admirals. CP0. An armada of warships. It was an execution squad designed to leave nothing but ash.

But Kuma was not just a Warlord, and he was certainly not a loyal dog of the World Government. He was a founding member of the Revolutionary Army. And he knew exactly who Monkey D. Luffy was.

Dragon's son, Kuma thought, his face an unreadable mask behind his spectacles. They have grown too fast. The Government is moving to extinguish his light before it can truly shine.

Kuma opened his Bible, his eyes scanning the pages without truly reading the text. His mind was rapidly calculating probabilities, running through every possible tactical scenario. If the Admirals and CP0 cornered the Straw Hats, even with their new bounties and strength, they would be annihilated.

I cannot let Dragon's son fall here. Not when he carries the hope of a new era.

Kuma silently gripped the book, closing it with a soft thud. If the situation became completely unsalvageable for the young pirate crew, he would have to intervene. He would have to use his Paw-Paw fruit to scatter them to the winds, sending them far away from the World Government's clutches to ensure their survival—even if it meant blowing his own cover entirely and facing the wrath of the Five Elders.

Survive, Straw Hat Luffy, Kuma prayed silently as the ship sailed deeper into the fog. The world needs your dawn.