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"Hah... Hah..."
Moria and Perona watched anxiously.
Amidst the dazzling, holy radiance, the chilling air from the underworld gradually faded. Suddenly, Absalom, emaciated and pale, sat up with a gasp, panting heavily.
"I really thought I was dead!" he muttered, his face drained of color. His gaze landed on Wilhelm, and a deep fear crept into his eyes.
"Absalom... is that really you?"
Moria couldn't hold back any longer and rushed forward.
He grabbed Absalom by the shoulders, staring directly into his eyes, as if trying to confirm something. His grip tightened as he shouted, "Are you really Absalom?"
"Of course, Master Moria!" Absalom exclaimed. "Have you forgotten? We met three years ago, and I joined the Moria Pirates two years ago—"
He hurriedly recounted his past experiences in one breath. Hearing this, Moria, who had still been skeptical, finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Good, it's really you, Absalom! Hehehehe..."
Moria burst into laughter.
"You don't need to worry," Wilhelm said calmly. "Technically speaking, he was dead just moments ago. But it was more like a state of suspended animation.
His soul was temporarily imprisoned within my body through the powers of my Devil Fruit—the Fruit of the Underworld. Because of that, reviving him was a simple process.
Of course, I had to extract his Paramecia-type Transparent-Transparent Fruit ability in the process."
Wilhelm touched one of the ten rings on his fingers—the one containing the power of the Transparent-Transparent Fruit. He spoke lightly, "Resurrecting someone who's been dead for a long time—especially if their soul has already ascended—would require an immense cost.
So don't expect me to waste that kind of effort, not even for you, Gekko Moria."
"Hehehehe..." Moria's pupils shrank slightly at those words, but he quickly composed himself and let out a hearty laugh. "Looks like I misunderstood earlier!"
He had feared that, after losing his Paramecia-type Shadow-Shadow Fruit, Wilhelm would treat his corpse the same way he had done with the swordsman Ryuma—bringing him back in an alternative form for his own gain.
But now that things were settled, there was no turning back. He had made his decision, and he would not regret it.
"Eh? I can't use my Transparent-Transparent Fruit ability!"
At that moment, Absalom's eyes widened in shock as he realized his power was completely gone. His expression twisted in disbelief.
"Your ability is already here..." Wilhelm raised his left hand.
Moria, Absalom, and Perona watched in stunned silence.
Before their very eyes, starting from Wilhelm's arm, his entire body began turning invisible—his form vanishing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Wilhelm vanished before Smoothie, Moria, and the others.
Then, in the blink of an eye, he reappeared in the exact same spot—without having moved at all.
"Amazing... He's completely invisible to the naked eye!"
Smoothie observed Wilhelm carefully as he disappeared and reappeared repeatedly. "However, for those with strong enough Observation Haki, as long as they anticipate it, they can still track his location."
"It doesn't matter," Wilhelm replied with a faint smile. "There are only a handful of people in this sea who can truly rely on Observation Haki alone to replace their eyesight completely...
Besides, I still don't know if the Transparent-Transparent Fruit's ability can be pushed to its absolute limit—whether it could even make my presence and breath vanish entirely.
But such a unique power will always be useful!"
If he was going to rule the seas, he would do so as an undisputed overlord.
Once he had gathered enough Devil Fruits, he could carefully select the most powerful abilities in the world—reconfiguring the abilities within his rings to achieve the ultimate combination.
But for now, there was no need to dwell on that.
With a flick of his finger—
A strange-looking Devil Fruit suddenly materialized out of thin air and landed right in front of Absalom.
"Since you are one of Moria's subordinates, that makes you one of mine from today onward," Wilhelm said casually, watching as Absalom stared at the fruit in astonishment.
"I took your Paramecia-type Transparent-Transparent Fruit, but I won't leave you empty-handed...
This is the Zoan-type Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model—Allosaurus Form. How far you can go with it will depend on you."
"Dragon-Dragon Fruit? An Ancient Model?"
Absalom's eyes widened in shock. "That means... A dinosaur from legend?"
He had always been physically weak since childhood, something that had troubled him for years. He had longed for the raw, untamed power of a beast.
And now, Wilhelm had handed him such a rare and powerful ability.
His heart pounded with excitement and disbelief.
Absalom turned to Gekko Moria, his eyes burning with anticipation.
"Master Moria!"
"Hehehe~ A Zoan-type Ancient Model? That's quite a rare and valuable ability..." Moria chuckled before turning to Absalom. "Since it's a gift from Lord Wilhelm, you should accept it!"
"Yes! Thank you, Lord Wilhelm! Thank you so much!"
Overjoyed that Moria had no objections, Absalom bowed deeply to Wilhelm, his excitement barely contained.
"Work hard. I don't treat my own people unfairly," Wilhelm said with a nod.
He didn't expect Absalom to become a major powerhouse, but giving him an Ancient Zoan ability was hardly a loss.
Honestly, if he had simply given him an ordinary Zoan-type ability, it wouldn't have been an issue. But Moria had just pledged loyalty to him, along with two of his subordinates.
As a leader, it would be petty to be stingy at such a crucial moment. Generosity was key—after all, even an overpriced gesture could build loyalty, just like the old saying about buying a horse's bones for a thousand gold coins.
"Yes!"
Absalom, seeing his wish come true, was ecstatic. He wasted no time, immediately taking the Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Model: Allosaurus Form, eager to consume it.
Moria, meanwhile, gazed at Wilhelm—still absurdly young—his expression thoughtful.
This kind of presence and leadership truly impressed him.
Originally, Wilhelm had forcefully taken Absalom's Paramecia-type Transparent-Transparent Fruit ability. Moria had accepted it, but deep down, he had harbored some resentment.
But now? That small grudge had completely vanished.
After all, Moria was well aware of Wilhelm's string of earth-shattering feats in recent days.
The ability to strip others of their Devil Fruits, his daring infiltration of Mariejois—the very heart of the World Government—to steal a massive number of Devil Fruits, and his countless other insane actions.
There was no doubt—Wilhelm possessed an enormous stockpile of Devil Fruits.
And not just Zoan-type abilities.
Yet, without hesitation, he had handed over such a rare Ancient Zoan to a mediocre fighter like Absalom, just as compensation for taking his previous power.
His confidence, his decisiveness—it made it hard for anyone to be dissatisfied with him.