One Piece: sign-in to Ryujin Jakka

At that moment, Sengoku let out a heavy sigh.

He could already feel the tendrils of Roman's ambition. If Aokiji didn't step up soon, there might not be another chance.

Leaving those thoughts behind, Sengoku buried himself back in work.

Meanwhile, Roman was sailing alone toward Punk Hazard aboard a battleship reserved for admirals. Standing on the deck with the assignment papers in hand, his mood was quite good.

The Science Force itself wasn't that strong in terms of combat, but Roman's real interest lay in one person—Vegapunk, a scientist said to be 500 years ahead of human intelligence. His terrifying scientific prowess made him a key target for Roman.

While sailing the Grand Line, Roman soon spotted a gloomy island drifting in his direction. With vision far beyond that of a normal person, he saw a flag flying atop it, depicting a flaming bat-winged skull with a flaming onion haircut.

The front of the island looked like a giant mouth, clearly designed to trap passing ships.

"This must be Thriller Bark… The so-called largest pirate ship in the world," Roman muttered.

But compared to his own ship Noah's Ark, it was still smaller.

"So, Moria must've lost to Kaido. And now he's blocking my path? Quite bold of him."

A faint smile curled on Roman's lips, his eyes flashing coldly.

In the palace at the center of Thriller Bark…

Perona, using her Ghost-Ghost Fruit to float in spirit form, gleefully flew around the island.

"Captain! This place is beautiful! I've never seen anything like it!" she squealed.

Moria let out his trademark laugh.

"Heeheehee! If only I had met you earlier, Perona. With your fruit's power, we could've disabled half of Kaido's crew and put them out of commission!"

Sighing in frustration, Moria grumbled, "We didn't even get to see Kaido's face, and already lost the battle. All those zombies wasted—damn it!"

But Perona wasn't listening. She was too focused on the cute, creepy décor around her.

"You've got weird tastes," Roman's voice suddenly came from beside her. "You're so cute, yet you like all this dark and creepy stuff?"

Startled, Perona snapped her head toward the stranger floating next to her—someone she'd never seen before!

Moria also finally noticed Roman on the ship, stunned by his sudden appearance.

"Marine?! How did you get in here?!" Moria shouted.

Suspicious, Moria took a battle stance. Once he figured out who this intruder was, he'd strike without hesitation.

But Roman merely floated there, arms crossed, emanating a faint yet overwhelming aura.

"You don't recognize me?" Roman asked, genuinely surprised.

His appearance should've been famous by now—how did these two not know who he was?

"Hey, you're thinking something rude, aren't you?" Perona grumbled.

"You caught me," Roman chuckled. "So here, I'll give you a reward—how about joining my crew?"

Arrogant. So arrogant.

Moria had had enough. He snapped, furious at the blatant disrespect

"I don't care who you are! You dare stand before me—don't expect to leave alive!"

Fueled by humiliation from his defeat by Kaido, Moria was eager to vent.

But if anyone on the sea heard what he was thinking, they'd all sarcastically applaud:

"Wow. Great idea, Moria. You go, champ."

Roman didn't even need to move. With a cold glance, his spiritual pressure surged like a beast, slamming into Moria like a tidal wave.

In an instant, Moria felt like he had plunged into a frozen abyss. His massive frame was paralyzed.

Just one look. That's all it took.

Moria's body gave out, and he dropped to his knees with a loud THUD.

Perona was stunned. Her mouth opened slightly, speechless.

"Captain… Why are you kneeling?!" she gasped.

Moria wanted to protest—he really did.

But under this pressure that felt like Conqueror's Haki, even his organs felt misaligned.

He couldn't move. He couldn't speak.

Don't provoke him! Absolutely do NOT provoke him!

Overwhelmed by the survival instinct, Moria fell forward and bowed, his forehead smashing into the ground with a crack and a trace of blood.

It was, hands down, the most sincere bow Roman had ever seen.

Satisfied, Roman slightly withdrew his pressure.

Moria felt the suffocating force lighten and breathed a little easier. Without hesitation, he pleaded, "I don't know who you are… But if it's Perona you want, take her. Just please… spare me!"