Afterwards, he became a fanatical fan of Cindry. Due to his treatment saving Cindry’s career, whenever they met, Cindry always greeted him with a polite smile.
This also deepened Hogback’s misunderstanding of her over time. He eventually chose to propose to her, but upon discovering that she had a fiancé, he decided to give up.
Now, seeing this kind of scandal, he found it difficult to accept for a moment.
If she has broken up with her fiancé, then why couldn’t he be her new partner? Why didn’t Cindry notice his feelings, and what was the reason behind her previous smiles?
Hogback became obsessed with this. Not only is he a renowned doctor in the West Blue, but also in terms of medical skills alone, he holds a high position in the world and is known as a genius surgeon.
Countless difficult surgeries were like games to him. However, despite his genius medical skills, he lacked any medical ethics.
He saved many critically ill patients through surgery, but these patients had one thing in common: they either had immense wealth or could bring him fame. For him, money and fame were more important than life itself.
He wouldn’t bat an eye if people without money were dying tragically before him.
Just as he was going crazy because of Cindry, a tall figure appeared.
One of the current Shichibukai, Gecko Moria.
After much consideration, Moria chose Hogback as his doctor. His exceptional surgical skills were exactly what Moria needed, and as for medical ethics, he valued the fact that the other party had no medical ethics.
After all, what he wanted him to do was to sew up corpses. If he had too high of medical ethics, he would think that it was an insult to the dead and would be difficult to deal with. Moreover, Hogback was also a very money-minded person, which meant that it was easier for Moria to recruit him.
Upon arriving here, Moria also heard the resentment in Hogback’s voice, which was perfect for him.
“Who are you!”
Seeing Moria suddenly appear in his room, Hogback was startled. The doors and windows were all closed; he didn’t know how Moria got in.
“Gecko… Moria…”
“Kishishishi, yes, it’s me. I didn’t expect you to recognize me. Well, that makes it easier. Hogback, I’m here to recruit you. Come work for me!”
As one of the Shichibukai, the government had previously promoted them, so Hogback recognized him.
Saying that, Moria brought in a large bag of treasures. He had just used his ability to switch positions with his shadow to get here, and these treasures were his gift.
Although the gleaming gold interested Hogback, he didn’t immediately agree.
“What do you want? Why should I agree to something like this?”
“Because I can help you achieve your goal. We have a common enemy.”
Saying this, Moria pointed to the newspaper on the table; the words “Beasts Fruits” at the top standing out to him.
Originally, it was because Cindry had tragically fallen to her death, becoming one of the few unfortunate souls to die from a fall in the one piece world. Moria’s reason for recruiting Hogback was to “resurrect” Cindry.
However, his ability wasn’t true resurrection. It was just him allowing Hogback to enslave Cindry’s corpse for a long time. It was only at the moment of true death that Cindry once again showed a genuine smile.
But now, an unexpected situation has appeared. Cindry had been signed by Tesoro and taken away, giving Moria a new reason. After all, the mastermind behind the signing was the “Beasts Pirates.”
He harbored nothing but hatred for the Beasts Pirates.
“A common enemy?”
“I heard everything before. She broke off the engagement to follow a colleague who is more handsome, wealthier, and more talented than you, isn’t that right?”
“…”
Listening to Moria’s words, Hogback felt a vein throbbing on his forehead. He distinctly remembered saying, “Is that b*stard more handsome than me? More talented than me? Or richer than me!”
But they became strange when they reached Moria.
“What nonsense are you spouting!”
“Kishishishi, don’t worry about these things. I know who’s behind them. As long as you cooperate with me, we can build a powerful undead army. After defeating them, that woman will naturally be yours.”
Afterwards, Moria explained his plan, and after painting a grand picture, Hogback believed his words and chose to join his camp.
“So, what do we do next?”
“Let’s go to the Land of Ice in the south. It’s said that the former Devil Oars died there. His corpse is bound to be of great use.”
…
Moria fooled Hogback and took him away, Tesoro signed Cindry, and in the distant East Blue, Shanks robbed Who’s-Who.
The current CP9 has two rising stars. One is Rob Lucci, a young man who has already shown his strength and ruthlessness, hailed as a rare genius in CP9.
The other is Who’s-Who. But when others mention him, he’s always seen as a genius on par with Rob Lucci, clearly showing that he’s been suppressed by the latter.
Currently, he’s on World Government’s assignment, escorting a seemingly ordinary “Gum-Gum Fruit.”
In the weakest sea which is cleared by Garp daily, Who’s-Who felt no tension. He didn’t think he’d encounter any trouble here, but a big problem arose at this moment.
“Sir, there’s a ship following us… It’s… it’s Red-Haired Shanks!”
Shanks, not yet among the Four Emperors, is still a powerful pirate in the Grand Line. Him appearing behind them made these people somewhat anxious.
“Don’t worry, it’s just an ordinary fruit. They should be just passing by.”
Who’s-Who didn’t think such a fruit would make them attack. But then… he was robbed.
Although Shanks didn’t kill him, Who’s-Who had no ability to resist him. The Gum-Gum Fruit fell into Shanks’ hands, and Who’s-Who was imprisoned for failing the mission.
“Shanks, is this for me?”
A girl with red and white hair glanced at the purple Devil Fruit in the box, her curiosity evident as she asked. However, this time Shanks didn’t indulge her like before.
“No, Uta, this isn’t for you.”
He put the fruit away and continued on in an unknown direction.
Meanwhile, Tesoro also left West Blue with Cindry. But their destination wasn’t Red Line, instead they were going to enter Grand Line through Reverse Mountain.
“Mr. Tesoro, where are we going?”
“Don’t worry, just going to pick up something.”
After obtaining the Gol-Gol Fruit, what he needed was a lot of gold, the more, the better. So, he planned to make a trip to Skypiea.
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