Chapter 25: Bartholomew Kuma

‘Blackbeard captured Ace and earned a place among the Shichibukai. It shouldn't be a major problem for me to capture Luffy and achieve the same result. After all, Blackbeard's original target was Luffy from the beginning.’

‘Although I don't particularly want to take action against someone with such a protagonist's aura, this represents the easiest path to completing my mission.’

‘If I can't become a Shichibukai, then I'll have to increase my bounty instead. The fastest way would be attacking the Celestial Dragons, but that approach carries far more complications.’

Yami sat in his quarters, carefully weighing the pros and cons of his current strategy.

He found himself wondering whether the situation would become more complex if a war erupted.

‘If both Luffy and Ace faced execution together, would the Revolutionary Army also intervene to rescue them?’

Garp certainly wouldn't stand by and watch both his grandsons die.

The prospect felt genuinely thrilling…

Nevertheless, compared to dealing with the Celestial Dragons, capturing Luffy remained the simpler option.

****

"This is a Shichibukai’s territory, specifically Gecko Moria's domain. Will Straw Hat Luffy really be here?" Kalifa examined the navigation chart and quickly identified their location as the Florian Triangle.

This region served as the territory of the Shichibukai member Moria.

His ship rarely remained stationary for extended periods, constantly moving throughout the area, which explained why she hadn't immediately recognized it from the chart alone.

However, after witnessing the characteristic black fog, she recalled previous intelligence reports and remembered the significance of this location.

"Just follow the orders," Shisui replied with calm authority from the helm.

Although he maintained his idealistic nature, he wasn't mentally impaired.

He could sense that Yami possessed an unexpected understanding of this world's intricacies.

Nearly all of his decisions followed the most efficient possible approaches, as if he had originated from this world rather than their own.

This included his interactions with CP9; he seemed to possess comprehensive knowledge of their capabilities.

The combat assignments he had given to Izumi and the others were indeed perfectly matched to their skill levels.

However, as long as Yami's actions benefited the clan, Shisui harbored no objections.

Kalifa nodded and said nothing further.

She remained deeply wary of Shisui, having witnessed him effortlessly subdue Rob Lucci.

His true strength remained impossible to assess.

Approximately six hours later, they finally received the anticipated news.

Itachi's shadow clone returned to deliver the report.

After continuing their navigation through the dense fog for two additional hours, everyone caught sight of the massive Thriller Bark, a ship so enormous it resembled an entire island.

Itachi and his team were already waiting for them at the shoreline.

The CP9 members had grown accustomed to seeing identical duplicate individuals by this point.

"A few team members have been deployed to infiltrate and assess the situation," Itachi reported with characteristic composure.

"However, there appear to be signs of ongoing combat. The specific circumstances remain unclear."

"Everyone maintain concealment and await my signal," Yami commanded.

He preferred not to reveal their presence prematurely.

Based on current conditions, a battle was likely underway, though the victor remained undetermined.

If they missed this opportunity, Yami would have no choice but to lead his forces to the Sabaody Archipelago to intercept their target there.

He paid little attention to Gecko Moria himself.

Initially, he had considered whether defeating a Shichibukai might allow him to claim their position.

However, that approach seemed unlikely to succeed.

After all, the Shichibukai answered directly to the World Government.

Capturing Luffy and delivering him to the World Government offered far better prospects for success.

Although the Uchiha now possessed sufficient power to defeat multiple opponents, Yami remained concerned about Bartholomew Kuma.

That individual had arrived here as an infiltrator, even sending a woman to Dracule Mihawk's location.

Bartholomew Kuma's exact strength remained uncertain, but he definitely didn't operate at the Admiral level.

However, he should rank among the top four within the Shichibukai.

He wouldn't be easy to handle.

"Aren't we going to take the initiative?" Jabra asked with obvious confusion.

"If Straw Hat escapes, it won't be easy to locate him again."

"This is Shichibukai Gecko Moria's territory. Is he waiting for the Straw Hat boy to defeat Gecko Moria before taking action?" Kalifa, serving as CP9's intelligence specialist, could somewhat deduce Yami's strategic thinking.

She sensed that regardless of which side emerged victorious, they would ultimately prove unable to resist these people.

She found their operational methods remarkably similar to CP organization tactics…

After waiting a full five hours, Uchiha clan scouts reported sighting the Straw Hat crew's ship with active personnel aboard.

Two hours earlier, a tremendous roar had echoed from the island.

Yami could even observe Oars' massive form with his enhanced vision.

BOOM

A tremendous shock wave rippled across the island.

Yami could clearly observe the giant Oars engaged in combat.

"Prepare for battle," Yami ordered.

The fight appeared to be concluding, and they could now begin implementing their plan.

Upon receiving the command, numerous Uchiha clan members immediately consumed soldier pills to rapidly restore their physical strength and chakra, ensuring they maintained peak combat condition.

"You're coming with me," Yami addressed the CP9 agents.

"Shisui, Itachi, await my signal."

Fighting Bartholomew Kuma alone would make Yami genuinely nervous.

However, this time they possessed three Mangekyō Sharingan users, plus a few jonins and special jonins.

With such formidable strength, they could easily destroy a minor ninja village.

Capturing a jinchūriki from any of the five major villages would present minimal difficulty.

With such power at his disposal, Yami felt confident they wouldn't fail.

Lucci remained under Yami's personal supervision, while Yami instructed Blueno to use his dimensional door ability to transport them to a closer position.

Through Blueno's powers, they could easily traverse the distance and reach the vicinity of Moria's castle.

"Straw Hat boy, get out of my way!" Gecko Moria bellowed in anger.

He had discovered that Luffy used shadow enhancement to become tremendously powerful, so he decided to attempt the same technique himself.

He even absorbed a thousand shadows simultaneously, but his capacity proved insufficient, and he couldn't prevent the shadows from spilling out of his mouth.

Then the predictable plot unfolded.

Luffy delivered a single punch that forced him to vomit, followed by a collision with the castle tower.

All the shadows were expelled and he lost consciousness simultaneously.

"YEAH!" The surrounding people erupted in joyful celebration as their shadows returned to them.

Being imprisoned in this dark place for countless years had filled them with unbearable frustration.

How could they not celebrate finally regaining their freedom?

Simultaneously, the dark clouds overhead began slowly dispersing, and beams of sunlight pierced through to illuminate the ground below.

"Moria suffered a devastating defeat," observed a calm voice.

"Is that man still breathing?"

"Uncertain." The same calm voice replied.

There was a bit of silence then.

"As long as he remains alive, after he recovers, he’ll continue serving as a Shichibukai."

"However, this matter must never be revealed. It would prove extremely troublesome.”

“You understand my meaning… There must be no witnesses who observed Moria's failure."

"Orders have now been issued, to eliminate all remaining individuals on this island, including the Straw Hats."

While Luffy and his companions celebrated their victory, a figure drew their attention.

Bartholomew Kuma was conversing with a Den-Den Mushi.

On the other end were the Five Elders.

"Understood," Bartholomew Kuma replied with characteristic calm.

The people below paled with terror, while many pirates displayed expressions of despair.

They clearly hadn't expected to encounter an even more dangerous opponent immediately after escaping their prison.

"Damn it." Zoro and the others also recognized the situation.

Their condition remained severely compromised, and Luffy had even lost consciousness.

If they had been at peak strength, they felt they might have stood a chance against this new threat.

However, something else happened at that moment.

"My apologies, but I require Straw Hat Luffy," Yami announced as he appeared, speaking with direct authority.

"It's them!" Zoro and the others immediately recognized the CP9 agents, their expressions becoming utterly grim.

They obviously hadn't anticipated encountering yet another group of troublesome adversaries.