One Piece: From Ninja To Pirates

In the highest chamber of power within the Holy Land Mariejois, five elderly men sat with grim expressions.

They had been waiting for news from Kuma, but unfortunately, an entire day had passed without his return.

"What’s going on with Kuma?" Saint Nusjuro said irritably. "It’s been a full day—why hasn’t he reported back?"

Not only had he failed to return, but he hadn’t even contacted them via Den Den Mushi. What was the meaning of this?

Could he have been defeated?

Impossible... That was Kuma they were talking about!

"Perhaps... the battle isn’t over yet?" Saint Shepherd speculated.

"How could that be?" Saint Nusjuro retorted. "We know Kuma’s strength. The Straw Hat Pirates just went through a major battle—could they really fight him for an entire day?"

That was absurd.

Never mind the condition of the Straw Hat Pirates after their battle with Moria.

Just consider Kuma’s Devil Fruit—the Paw-Paw Fruit, a god-tier ability that had originally come from them!

With that power, Kuma was practically invincible.

"Indeed."

Saint Saturn nodded in agreement with Saint Nusjuro.

That ninja brat had managed to repel the Buster Call mainly because the battle took place at sea.

But if he fought Kuma on land, there was no way he could win. Kuma was no incompetent Marine.

"Then... could Kuma have—"

"Even less likely," Saint Nusjuro dismissed with a wave. "Given his daughter, betrayal is out of the question."

To save his daughter, Kuma had willingly undergone the World Government’s modifications, transforming into a human weapon.

If he defected, he knew exactly what consequences would follow.

"That’s true..."

"Speaking of which, his daughter recently set out to sea," Saint Warcury remarked. "What a reckless little brat."

"It just proves she’s fully recovered, doesn’t it?"

"Yes, that’s true."

"As long as that brat doesn’t interfere with us, let her play pirate if she wants," Saint Mars said indifferently.

As for her Wanted Poster?

The bounty was purely symbolic. Neither the World Government nor the Marines would actively pursue the girl.

If other pirates killed her... well, that was simply fate.

"By the way, you conducted experiments on that girl, didn’t you?" Saint Nusjuro glanced at Saint Saturn.

"I did," Saint Saturn confirmed. "It was a good opportunity to test how far her abilities could be developed."

Bonney’s Devil Fruit ability stemmed from one of his past experiments—an attempt to artificially create "god-tier ability users."

By injecting Devil Fruit extracts into infants who couldn’t naturally acquire powers, he turned them into ability users. Bonney had been one of those test subjects.

"How fortunate for her to have become Kuma’s daughter," Saint Saturn sneered inwardly.

Originally, Bonney, who had inherited the Blue Scale Disease, had been abandoned by him, but she was miraculously cured by Vegapunk, which once again drew the attention of Saint Saturn.

In his view, this was a good thing.

At the very least... it proved that this disease could be cured, making his experiments meaningful.

Thinking of Ginny, who had contracted the Blue Scale Disease due to his experiments, Saint Saturn’s inner sneer grew even colder.

As long as it meant granting the Celestial Dragons even greater power, he had no qualms about being more brutal.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Report to the Five Elders, Bartholomew Kuma has arrived at the Holy Land!" a guard announced. "Shall we summon him now?"

"Oh?"

"He’s back?" Saint Nusjuro spoke up. "Bring him in!"

"Yes!"

The five old men exchanged glances, silently agreeing to drop the previous topic.

If Kuma were to find out they were scheming against his daughter, that man might very well go berserk.

Though he posed no real threat to them, they had no intention of losing Kuma—their most perfect test subject.

Soon, Kuma’s massive frame pushed open the doors as he stepped inside.

Thud!

After closing the doors behind him, Kuma silently approached the group.

"What happened to you?" Saint Nusjuro frowned as he took in Kuma’s battered state. "Don’t tell me... the Straw Hat Pirates did this?"

Kuma’s body bore numerous slash marks, his clothes were torn to shreds, and his signature glasses were missing.

Just... what kind of brutal battle had he endured?

Did the Straw Hat Pirates really possess such strength?

Or... had they underestimated the Straw Hat Pirates’ power?

"The Straw Hat Pirates played a part in it," Kuma replied.

"Explain the details," Saint Saturn said coldly. "Leave nothing out."

Kuma’s expression remained unchanged as he spoke calmly. "After losing contact with you all, I went to seek the Blood-Eyed Ninja’s opinion."

"But unfortunately, he refused."

"Refused?!"

Saint Mars looked incredulous. He had actually refused?

He had offered him immense benefits!!

After all, the title of Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea was second only to the Four Emperors in the pirate world.

Not only that, but he had also granted him ample privileges—even if he didn’t want to use his strength to intimidate other pirates, it wouldn’t matter, as long as he cooperated with them here in the Holy Land.

Hell, if the man wanted a harem, he would’ve allowed it!

Power, wealth, beautiful women... he would have lacked nothing!

And yet... he still refused?

For a moment, Saint Mars couldn’t accept this.

That brat... was he looking down on the World Government?

Saint Saturn glanced at the furious Saint Mars before speaking. "Did you convey our message in full?"

"Yes."

"Then it seems this brat simply doesn’t know his place..."

"An ungrateful wretch."

Saint Mars’ face darkened. Just what did that damned brat take the World Government for?

He actually dared to refuse his request... If that’s the case, then we’ll have to resort to force!!

"Did you bring the person back?"

"No," Kuma replied. "The mission failed this time."

"Failed..." Saint Warcury frowned. "Is that little ninja really that strong?"

"He is indeed quite formidable," Kuma answered without hesitation.

"Even you couldn’t defeat him?"

"He possesses Lightning Release, which counters me effectively."

"Lightning Release..." The Five Elders furrowed their brows. As a cyborg, Kuma was particularly vulnerable to electrical attacks, which could short-circuit or outright destroy the electronic components in his body.

Once those components were damaged, Kuma, as a cyborg, would essentially lose his mobility.

"Even so, that shouldn’t have been enough to defeat you," Saint Shepherd interjected. "Your Devil Fruit ability allows you to repel injuries, doesn’t it?"

Even if struck by lightning, his systems would eventually reboot—after all, this was high-grade technology developed by Vegapunk!

Once his mobility was restored, Kuma could use his Devil Fruit ability to repel the damage.

"I did repel the injuries."

"Then why..."

"The state I’m in now isn’t entirely due to that ninja," Kuma explained.

"Continue!"

"After I recovered, Moria appeared."

"Moria..."

Hearing this name, Saint Nusjuro paused, then asked skeptically, "Didn’t you say he had been knocked unconscious by the Straw Hat Boy?"

This was precisely why they had ordered Kuma to act earlier.

A Royal Seven Warlord of the Sea being defeated by a rookie pirate meant there was no reason for him to remain in that position—hence their decision to abandon Moria without hesitation.

But now... Kuma was saying Moria was still alive?

What exactly happened?

"Moria was indeed knocked unconscious by the Straw Hat Boy earlier—that much is undeniable," Kuma said. "But due to the Blood-Eyed Ninja Meiser’s Lightning Release ability, he regained consciousness."

As for the specifics of how it happened, Kuma wasn’t sure, as he hadn’t been paying attention to that side of the battle.

It was simply an unexpected turn of events.

"Because of the electrical shock..." Saint Saturn murmured.

As the Five Elders’ Science Defense Warrior God, he was well aware of the effects an electric shock could have.

Perhaps Moria had been on the verge of death at the time, but the lightning’s energy caused his heart to resume a strong, rhythmic beat.

That must have been why Moria regained consciousness and stood back up.

This... was truly beyond his expectations.

Shaking his head inwardly, Saint Saturn pressed, "And then?"

"With the two of you working together, taking down the Straw Hat Pirates shouldn’t have been difficult, right?"

Two Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea joining forces—shouldn’t crushing the Straw Hat Pirates have been a simple task?

As for Moria’s removal from the Warlords...

As long as he hadn’t been officially defeated, he was still a Warlord, wasn’t he?

The only thing left was to eliminate all witnesses present at the scene, but for these two Warlords, that wouldn’t have been a problem.

"Unfortunately, the other party refused to cooperate with me."

"Why?"

"Because he learned the reason for my visit," Kuma explained.

Upon hearing this, Saint Nusjuro immediately furrowed his brows and said, "Wasn’t he unconscious before? How did he find out?"

They had specifically confirmed Moria’s condition before sending Kuma to carry out his task.

Yet... did that bastard Moria know everything that happened?

Could it be that he wasn’t truly unconscious at the time, but merely pretending?

But that didn’t make sense either—Kuma had clearly stated that Moria regained consciousness due to a ninja’s Lightning Release. So... what was going on?

"Perhaps it was because of his subordinates."

"Subordinates..."

"Oh, I see," Saint Warcury interjected. "He has an invisible man under his command."

The expressions of the other four darkened instantly.

That would explain how Moria had learned about the matter.

Most likely, that stealthy bastard had eavesdropped on their conversation and then reported everything to Moria.

Still, they didn’t blame Kuma. Who could have predicted that Moria would wake up again?

Moreover, without activating Observation Haki, it was impossible to detect an enemy in stealth mode, so failing to notice the invisible man was understandable.

"So, it was because of that invisible man that Moria learned everything and refused to cooperate with you?"

"Not just that," Kuma replied. "He even intervened to stop me, allowing the Straw Hat Pirates to escape successfully."

"He could stop you?"

"Yes," Kuma said solemnly. "I don’t know what exactly happened to Moria, but after he woke up again, his strength had undergone a dramatic transformation."

"How is that possible?"

"A loser who wallowed in despair for decades... has now managed to pull himself together?" Saint Warcury scoffed, disbelief written all over his face.

How could someone who had lost all ambition possibly regain his fighting spirit?

That was absurd!

If Moria had truly awakened to such resolve, he would have long since set sail again to challenge Kaido in the New World.

Instead of rotting away in that godforsaken place, playing around with zombies.

"He has regained his Haki."

The moment these words were spoken, the five elders fell into silence.

That single sentence made one thing clear—Moria had indeed made a comeback!

Because Haki was an extremely willpower-dependent ability!

Only those with sufficient spirit could draw out this power from within and manifest it as an invisible armor coating their bodies or weapons.

A man without conviction could never wield Haki.

This was precisely why they had looked down on Moria before—this failure couldn’t even use Haki. Against a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, he’d be lucky not to get himself killed!

Yet now... he had actually regained his strength?

"Regaining Haki would indeed provide a massive boost to his combat ability," Saint Saturn remarked. "But even so, with your strength, he shouldn’t have been able to stop you."

"The Shadow-Shadow Fruit’s abilities are formidable and unpredictable. Under his interference, I truly couldn’t pursue the Straw Hat Pirates," Kuma admitted.

Of course, whether he truly meant it or not, only he himself knew.

"Shadow-Shadow Fruit..."

Saint Mars narrowed his eyes. Could it be that Moria had mastered some new tricks with his Devil Fruit ability?

Combined with his regained Haki... if that were the case, it was indeed possible for him to stop Kuma.

"After all, he was once a man who could rival Kaido," Saint Warcury remarked with a sigh.

Though he had been defeated and spent decades in despair, who knew how strong he had become after regaining his resolve?

As one of the long-lived Five Elders, Saint Warcury understood all too well how much conviction could amplify one’s strength.

"So you fought him on the island and returned covered in injuries?"

"Yes."

"My ability, as you all know, allows me to expel injuries—but if they aren’t transferred to a host within a certain time, they return to my body," Kuma explained. "That’s why I couldn’t fight there for long."

"After sinking the island, I seized the opportunity to leave."

"Then why didn’t you pursue the Straw Hat Pirates?" Saint Saturn asked.

"Because the expelled injuries returned to my body, I was immobilized by then. That’s also why it took me so long to return."

Once those injuries reverted to him, he short-circuited, landing on an island until he recovered enough to return to the Holy Land.

Saint Saturn nodded, saying nothing more.

He was well aware of how Kuma’s Devil Fruit ability worked.

According to Kuma’s account, after being struck by that damned ninja’s lightning, he had expelled his injuries but failed to find a host to absorb them.

He then engaged in a fierce battle with Moria until he reached his limit, barely managing to escape—though he was left powerless to continue fighting.

One thing puzzled Saint Saturn, though: Why hadn’t Kuma simply dumped those expelled injuries onto some lowly commoners?

That way, he could have retained the strength to keep fighting Moria.

Yet he hadn’t done so... Was there no opportunity?

Still, he didn’t suspect Kuma too much. After all... this man bore the title of "Tyrant." Would someone like him care about mere commoners?

Most likely, the situation hadn’t allowed it.

"Truly... a case of losing the wife and the dowry," Saint Warcury muttered.

At those words, fury flashed in Saint Mars’ eyes.

If that damned ninja brat had just obeyed him, none of this would have happened!

Now, not only had they lost Moria as one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, but they’d also failed to bring back that ninja brat. The thought infuriated Saint Mars.

"Very well. We understand. You may leave."

Kuma nodded without another word and promptly turned to exit.

Once he was completely gone, Saint Mars growled, "That damned ninja brat... How dare he refuse!"

"Getting angry now is pointless," Saint Saturn said. "If that brat refuses to become one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea, then we’ll just have to force the matter."

"Find an opportunity to have CPO make contact with them. Work with the Marines to eliminate the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates and bring Meiser back."

"This time... there’s no problem with using him as an experimental subject, right?"

These final words were spoken by Saint Saturn to Saint Mars.

When he first learned of Meiser’s existence, he had wanted to use him as an experimental subject, but Saint Mars had disagreed.

According to Saint Mars, if that young man was willing to willingly serve as a dog for the World Government, it would be acceptable to offer him substantial benefits.

After all... he was a top-tier talent!!

But now things were different. That brat had rejected the World Government’s invitation, so there was no need to be polite anymore.

"I have no objections," Saint Mars said calmly. "But it would be best to extract everything of value from his mind first before using him for other purposes."

"Don’t worry, I’m more familiar with that than you are," Saint Saturn said with a dismissive wave.

As long as they brought that brat back, he was confident he could squeeze every last bit of value out of him.

Daring to reject an invitation from the gods... then be prepared to be destroyed by them!

Saint Mars nodded and said nothing more.

"However... Moria’s defection during this sensitive period is still a problem," Saint Nusjuro frowned.

"That’s true."

The Marines were currently gathering elite forces from across the seas, planning to use the public execution of Fire Fist Ace as bait to lure out the Whitebeard Pirates and deal them a fatal blow.

In this process, they also needed to summon the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea to Marine Headquarters.

But if these unruly individuals heard about Moria’s defection... would some of them get ideas?

Even if the World Government issued a statement claiming Moria had been defeated, those guys might not believe it.

After all... Moria was still alive!

If that guy came forward and said things unfavorable to the World Government, the other Warlords might grow suspicious. Ultimately... this time, it was indeed the World Government who abandoned Moria first.

If the other Warlords feared the World Government might turn on them and chose to defect... or even join the Whitebeard Pirates instead, it would be extremely disadvantageous for the World Government.

The losses for the Marines would be substantial then.

Although in their eyes, the Marines were just dogs they kept... if the guard dogs were killed, it would still be troublesome for them.

Thinking of this, Saint Nusjuro’s eyes turned cold.

"Send an Admiral to eliminate Moria before the public execution of Fire Fist Ace!" Saint Nusjuro said coldly.

"An Admiral?"

"Yes, an Admiral!" Saint Nusjuro said. "He fought evenly with Kuma—a Vice Admiral wouldn’t be able to take him down."

"Not everyone is called Garp."

Hearing this, Saint Warcury fell into thought before nodding. "That’s true."

It had to be said, Garp was indeed an anomaly.

Having the strength of an Admiral yet refusing to become one—how absurd.

"I think it’s feasible," Saint Shepherd nodded. "Let an Admiral handle it."

"That Moria guy is setting sail again, so he’s bound to head for the New World. That’s the only way he can evade the Navy’s pursuit."

"So... he’ll most likely go to the Sabaody Archipelago."

The World Government and the Navy have relatively weak control over the New World. As long as Moria is smart enough, he’ll flee there.

But this was something the World Government could not tolerate. This Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea... must die!!

They needed to show the other Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea what the price of defection was!

"Then have the Admiral intercept Moria at Sabaody Archipelago and eliminate him!"

"By the way, there’s also the Straw Hat Pirates. If those guys also head to Sabaody Archipelago, deal with them together!"

"Seconded!"

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