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Edward·Weevil, the self-proclaimed "Whitebeard II," was the one in the original story who cut off Zephyr's arm, later became a Shichibukai, and drove Zephyr to rage, wanting to destroy the World.
However, after Rowen came to this world, when the government tried to invite Edward·Weevil, he contacted Issho, who was still wandering the Sea at the time, and orchestrated that world-shaking battle.
Back then, Edward·Weevil was beaten to death.
Even the woman claiming to be his mother, MISS. Bakkin, was buried under the ruins, with almost no chance of survival.
Rowen trusted that Fujitora wouldn't lie to him, and besides, the… thing? in front of him clearly wasn't a living Edward·Weevil either.
"This is also Hogback's handiwork? Combined with Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit, they really can churn out all sorts of ugly monstrosities!"
Once again, it proved that on the Sea, nothing was too strange— only the unthinkable, never the impossible.
The thing before him had Edward·Weevil's unforgettable oversized head, with gray whiskers sticking out on both sides, and at a glance, it was nothing more than a zombie infused with a shadow by Moria.
But beside his neck… There was another head stitched on!
MISS.Bakkin!
"It hurts… it hurts so much, Mommy…"
"Don't be afraid, my good son— see that guy over there? Kill him, and it won't hurt anymore."
"Rea… really?"
Edward·Weevil's head said, sobbing.
"Naturally it's true— when has Mommy ever lied to you!"
"Kill him and eat him, and then we'll have the strength to deal with Moria… that asshole who wants to control us mother and son!"
Moria's zombie puppets drew their memories from the body and their personalities from the shadows— through the behavior of the two heads, Rowen confirmed at least three things.
First, this was indeed Edward·Weevil and MISS. Bakkin— the shadow owner's personality and memories would gradually fade over time, leaving only the original body's memories intact.
Second, for some unknown reason, Moria couldn't fully control this zombie he'd created, much like Oars, the "Demon of the Stolen Kingdom" infused with Luffy's shadow in the original story, requiring Moria to personally take the field.
But clearly, he didn't dare show himself.
Third…
"This body— it's ridiculously oversized. It's not the original, is it?"
Edward·Weevil's size still fell within the range of normal humans— figures like Moria, Kuma, and Whitebeard, at 6-7 meters, were considered normal, while anything over ten meters belonged to the Giant tribe.
But the zombie in front of him stood around twenty meters tall!
The two disproportionately small heads mounted on its neck were like two walnuts placed on a rice bowl.
"Chī Chī Chīchī chī, you're right, Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"
Rowen followed the sound and saw a zombie cautiously appear around the corner, holding a Den Den Mushi in its hands.
"Though I don't know who left it behind, they successfully fusion-ed Edward·Weevil's corpse with Big Mom's body cells, but it was just an empty shell with no use."
"But I… am a Shadow-Shadow Fruit Ability user!"
Moria's evil, wicked voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"I used my fruit's power to bring him back to life— this guy is stronger than I ever imagined!"
"Big Mom's body organization?"
Rowen jolted in shock.
Back when BIG·MOM was killed, Rowen had handed her head to the Marines, letting them use it to subdue the remaining stubborn members of the BIG·MOM pirate crew.
Her body, however, had fallen into the Sea, its whereabouts unknown.
Now it seemed…
"Some truly bizarre things have happened, huh!"
Rowen remarked with a sigh, pressing his hand to signal the soldiers' encirclement to pull back further.
To join this fight, forget Fusion with BIG·MOM's organization cells— even the original Edward·Weevil's corpse, if infused with the shadow of someone decently strong and paired with the physique Issho had evaluated as "somewhat troublesome," wasn't something these ordinary soldiers could handle.
Unless they brought out the Super Electromagnetic Cannon…
But the constructs on Thunder God island attracted lightning even more than a lightning rod.
This was also a key reason why the Gorōsei (Five Elder Stars) still valued the Peace Pacifista highly even after the Super Electromagnetic Cannon's debut— those robots could compensate for the Marines' lack of individual combat strength, and together, they formed a complete unit, one of the major projects for the Marines' large-scale military upgrades in recent times.
"So, what's next?"
Watching the soldiers retreat, Rowen stood with his arms crossed and said, "There's more to it than that, right, Moria?"
"It looks like he's devouring shadows— that's your ability, isn't it?"
On Edward·Weevil's body, the shadows that had just spilled out of the zombie soldiers' mouths were slithering upward along his legs and arms, seeping into the chilling stitched seams across his form.
For a moment, it looked as if he'd been tattooed with some peculiar design.
The attack on him wasn't because he was the target—it was because a large number of shadows had gathered in the hall, drawing it in.
"Chī Chī Chī, to be so understood by the great Marine Soryu (Azure Dragon)— should I feel honored?"
Moria laughed with an evil, wicked tone: "But that question— you can ask it when you're in Hell!"
"Kill him, special zombie '1800'!"
"I'd do it even without you telling me— wash your neck and wait, Moria!"
At that, the massive zombie Giant [EdwardXBakkin] roared in unison: "Kill you, eat you!"
Edward's crying abruptly stopped, replaced by an inhuman utterance— his shift from simpleton to ferocious reminded Rowen of a certain "Gluttony" from an alchemist's world.
"Arrogant!"
In response, Rowen's eyes narrowed, his right hand clenching into a fist aimed at the massive head lunging down.
"Soru!"
"And then… Super Electromagnetic Cannon!!"
In midair, Rowen suddenly turned into a black streak, dodging the mouth, and reappeared above the zombie Giant… right over its neck.
The heads were too small to bother with, so he targeted the fleshy layer supporting them— Rowen's arm surged with Thunderlight, cloud-like patterns glowing as he swung his fist with force.
"Hah!"
Bang!!!
The heavy punch landed, heaven bursts, earth cracks.
The violent shockwave stirred the air, forming a visible disc-shaped cloud that rapidly spread in all directions.
The deafening impact ruptured eardrums, accompanied by surging thunder, and this Twenty-plus-meter-tall zombie let out an eerie, discordant scream—a man's and a woman's—before slowly toppling backward.
Noticing this, the zombie soldier holding the Den Den Mushi trembled uncontrollably— if not for Moria's ability to control it, it would've jumped into the sea right then.
Death would be safer than staying here!
This was the special zombie "1800" that even Lord Moria couldn't handle!
And he knocked it down?!
Is that guy really still human?!
Amid the rolling dust, Rowen maintained a calm demeanor, shaking out his arm.
"Not bad defense—it's got some of Big Mom's level. If I let you loose, you'd indeed be a big problem…"
"But… despair, pirate!"
"Your opponent is me, the Soryu (Azure Dragon)!"
With that, the Thunder God seal appeared on Rowen's forehead, and he raised both hands to aim downward— bucket-thick bolts of lightning converged from the sky and ground in all directions, forming a viscous, heart-stopping pool of thunder.
It wasn't real liquid— just an immense concentration of electricity taking on a liquid-like appearance.
Such astonishing yet tightly controlled current, even for Rowen, who had developed the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder Thunder Fruit) to Awakening Third Stage, required the aid of Thunder God seal mode to manage steadily.
Awakening Technique · God's Cry · Thunderfall guns!
(End of Chapter)