Meanwhile, Luffy sprinted down the long, dim corridor. The walls trembled around him. The ground shook violently beneath his feet as dust fell from the ceiling.
"What was that?!" Luffy shouted as he skidded to a stop.
Gecko Moria laid on his back. His hands folded behind his head. "Probably just the ship caught in some strange current," Moria said with a smirk. "Now then what business do you have here, Straw Hat?" he asked.
Luffy looked at them. "You ripped my shadow away a while ago. I want it back. Zoro, Sanji, Brook and even that old zombie guy. I'll take them all," he said.
Moria chuckled. His sharp teeth glinted. "Quite the greedy brat. And how exactly do you plan to do it?" he asked.
"I'll kick your ass," Luffy snapped.
"Kishishishi," Moria burst into laughter. "With your current strength? You can't even touch me," he added.
"Alright then," Luffy growled as he stretched his arm back. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol," he added as his fist shot forward like a cannonball. However before it could land, a massive black shadow-hand erupted from the floor and intercepted the blow.
Luffy's eyes widened. "What the," he said.
Moria grinned. "Let's see how you fare against my clone," he said as a shadow twisted and rose. It formed into a towering silhouette of Moria himself. Its jagged grin mirrored his master's.
"I call him Doppelman," he said.
Luffy glared at the shadow. "Who's this guy supposed to be? Move," he said.
Moria's grin widened. "I don't need to lift a finger. Others will fight for me. Others will make me Pirate King," he said.
"Shut up!" Luffy roared. "I'm the one who's gonna be Pirate King," he added.
Doppelman swung its massive hand down like a hammer. Luffy leapt back and dodged the attack. The ground exploded where he had stood.
"Your zombie said the same thing once," Moria sneered.
Doppelman struck again. His fists pounded the floor like falling meteors. Luffy dodged as he jumped side to side. He then sprang up with a fierce kick. His foot connected with the shadow's chest, forcing it back a step.
"Out of my way," Luffy shouted as his arms blurred as he pulled them back. "Gomu Gomu no Gatling Gun," he said as a storm of fists went towards Moria.
Moria smirked. "Brick Bat," he said as Doppelman's body suddenly shattered into dozens of black spheres. Luffy's fists struck them but they absorbed the blows and halted his attack.
"Go," Moria commanded as the spheres twisted and writhed, transforming into a swarm of screeching bats. They shot forward in a black wave. Their wings sliced the air as they descended on Luffy.
Luffy braced himself. The bats hit his leg and his arm. "Ouch," Luffy said. The bats kept biting him.
"Don't worry, they won't suck your blood," Moria sneered as he smiled. "Kick my ass? Don't make me laugh," he added.
Luffy's eyes narrowed, but before he could respond, Moria tilted his head. "But… there's someone else here with you, isn't there?" he asked.
Suddenly, one of the shadow bats swooped down and sank its teeth into Luffy's face. Another latched onto his hand. "Let go of me," Luffy shouted as he swung his fist. His punch connected, sending the bats flying. They splattered against the wall like ink. They writhed and reformed and merged back into Doppelman.
"With me?" Luffy muttered as he tugged his straw hat down firmly. A grin spread across his face.
"It doesn't matter," Moria said coldly. "You'll all lose in the end," he added.
"I'm getting annoyed with you," Luffy snapped as he leapt from the railing and grabbed the edge as he swung himself forward.
"Are you trying to jump to your death?" Moria mocked.
"Gomu Gomu no Stamp," Luffy said as he stretched his leg downward and then swung upwards into the floor beneath Moria. The ground cracked and shattered, and the force of the blow launched Moria into the air. He crashed back down with a thunderous thud.
Moria groaned. He pushed himself up. "That hurt, you stupid brat," he said.
Luffy smirked. "See. I touched you after all, you giant leek," he said.
Moria's eyes narrowed. He glared at Luffy.
Luffy just giggled. He bounced up and landed on the platform. "We can beat you," he said.
Then the ground shook violently. From the massive hole in the floor, a colossal figure emerged. Oars stood there.
"He's huge," Luffy muttered. His eyes were wide. "Bigger than a giant," he added.
"You've finally come, Oars," Moria said with satisfaction. "The body and shadow have merged at last," he added. He leaned forward."Tell me, are you a fully obedient zombie now? Who is your master?" he asked.
Oars' massive head tilted down. "My master is Moria," Oars responded.
"Why?" Luffy shouted as he clenched his fists.
"Kishishishi," Moria laughed.
"Hey! What are you saying?" Luffy yelled up at Oars. "Are you really my shadow? Don't listen to him!" he added.
Oars squinted. "Who are you, Straw Hat guy?" he asked.
Moria smirked. "Then I'll give you your first order. The Straw Hats are rampaging across Thriller Bark. Hunt them down," he said.
He tossed a bundle of bounty posters into Oars' massive hand. The giant zombie studied the faces.
"Those are the Straw Hats," Moria said. "Pulverize them without mercy. Send them crawling back to their ship. Whether they live or die. I don't care. Don't hold back. Show them your power," he added. Moria thought there was more but they would be squashed in the process.
"Found you, Straw Hat," Oars said.
"Wait," Luffy shouted.
"See you later, Straw Hat," Moria taunted as he ran away.
"Get back here," Luffy yelled as he sprinted after him.
Oars tilted his head as he watched Luffy run. "Wait, I can't go there," he muttered. "I will go after you later," he said.
Luffy chased Moria down. "You can't get away from me," Luffy shouted.
"Try and catch me, then," Moria responded as his laughter bounced off the walls.
"Stop," Luffy roared. The corridor grew darker, the air colder, until suddenly they burst outside. Fog rolled across the ground.
"Stop," Luffy shouted again as he leapt forward. He grabbed Moria by the shoulder and pushed him to the ground.
The shadow turned. Luffy looked. He saw that it wasn't Moria. It was Doppelman.
"Hey, when did you switch?" Luffy demanded. "Where's the real Moria?" he asked.
The shadow clone smirked silently before sinking into the ground like tar.
Luffy's fists trembled. "Damn it. I was tricked," he said.
He pulled his hat low and gritted his teeth. "Tch. This isn't over," he said.