Moonlight pooled in silver ripples over the graveyard's tilted headstones as the six Straw Hats confronted their unholy foes. Moss-slathered slabs leaned crookedly against damp earth, long grass swaying in a chill breeze.
One of the newly risen zombies—a hunchback in tattered robes—threw a clawed hand toward Luffy and snarled, "Let's show them how dangerous zombies can be!"
A dozen grinning corpses advanced, voices rasping. Their hollow eyes glowed with malice as they shuffled forward across the uneven ground.
Lucas smirked, stepping from the circle of his friends. He swallowed a laugh. "Well, at least I can let loose—since you're already, you know, dead." His figure brightened in the gloom. As he marched, his form shimmered and ignited into his Heatblast state—though the flames that flickered across his flesh were not orange but a deep magenta dancing as he walked forward.
Beneath their feet, the stones trembled as Lucas raised a fist. A dome of roaring magenta flame burst from his hand and spread in a dome overhead, crackling against the night air. In an instant, the entire graveyard—headstones, grass, and all—erupted in a ring of searing light. The bones of the zombies, once brittle and cracked, blackened and snapped in an explosive eruption of fire. The ground shuddered under the concussion, flinging pebbles skyward. Trees bowed under the thermal shock, their brittle limbs shedding splinters like hail.
Within seconds, the fire pillar subsided, leaving a carpet of ash where the undead horde had stood. Holly smoke drifted over charred earth, petals of burnt grass curling at the edges.
Sanji, wiping soot from his eyebrows, blinked in disbelief. "Wasn't that a bit… overkill?"
Lucas extinguished his blaze, reverting to his normal form. His hair settled back into place as embers hissed in the puddles. "Just enough to scorch them, not disintegrate," he replied, voice smooth as silk.
Luffy bounced on his heels, eyes shining. "That was so cool!"
A distant groan drifted from the ashen ground. Slowly, one zombie clawed itself free from the rubble and rose on shaking knees—then another, until all they all sat panting in a semicircle, limbs trembling. Their once-proud expressions replaced with fear.
Luffy strolled forward, hands clasped behind his back. "So, uh… what are you guys doing here?" His tone was casual curiosity—eyes scanning each ashen face.
The nearest zombie—a man in a bloodstained shroud—mumbled, "We're… zombies…"
Another rasped, "We… were buried…"
A third groaned, "Our flesh… was rotting…"
Luffy cocked his head. "Are you guys messing with me?" His voice sharpened with sudden annoyance.
Lucas stepped in beside him, arms folded and lips curved into a menacing smile. The zombie's hollow eyes darted to Lucas's feet. The corpse in the lead gulped. Lucas's grin widened as he remembered the iconic duo from Greatest Estate developer—Lloyd Frontier's good cop and Javier's bad cop.
Luffy raised his voice. "Hey, did you see a long-nosed guy with a girl who has orange hair… and a raccoon dog that looks like a reindeer? They passed through here recently?"
The zombies shrank back, voices rising in a terrified chorus. "Y—yes, but we can't say…!" "We're not supposed to tell!"
Luffy frowned. "You still won't talk?"
Lucas's eyes glinted. His right hand blazed in miniature heat-tinged magenta. The zombies recoiled as though struck by sunlight.
"They—their in that mansion there!" one stammered, pointing with a jerky finger.
Luffy whipped around, scanning the fog-shrouded mansion ahead. "Those are my nakama! Did you mess with them?!"
They cowered, avoiding his gaze, wringing their hands until they started accusing one another—an accusatory uproar that only grew until the Straw Hats had no choice but to shove them back into their graves. A few swift kicks and a whoosh of Lucas's flame-turned-barrier sealed the tombs once more.
Breathing hard, Luffy turned back to his crew. "Let's get out of here."
They strode across the scorched earth, gravestones receding as they approached the shaded mansion. At the edge of the clearing, a feeble voice called out: "H–hey! Wait!"
The Straw Hats froze. A figure in ragged bandages bolted from behind a mossy obelisk—skin mottled, eyes pleading. "You guys… you're strong. Please—hear me out!"
Luffy, halfway across the lawn, paused. "An old man… with injuries?!"
Sanji waited behind him, face scrunched in disbelief. "No… it's a zombie! Can't you get it through your skull?"
The bandaged man staggered forward, voice hoarse but urgent: "No, no—I'm not undead. I'm an old man with injuries. I have a favor to ask." His fingers shook as he knelt, pressing his palm to the stone floor.
Franky knelt beside him. "Can't you just be a zombie?" he asked practically.
The old man's voice cracked. "There's someone I want you to beat. With your strength, I know you can do it."
Lucas reddened slightly—flattery polishing his pride. "Oh come on now. I know I'm strong, but buttering me up won't get me to take on some random mission."
The others exchanged skeptical glances.
"I… I lost my shadow," the old man whispered. "And there are others—victims suffering the same fate. We all fell prey to a man named Moria."
Luffy's eyes sharpened. "Moria?"
Robin's voice dropped to a whisper. "It can't be… you don't mean Gecko Moria?"
The old man nodded. "Yes… it was he who stole our shadows. Without a shadow, you can never walk under the sun again. Some of us were trapped in this forest, haunted by zombies. Others sailed the seas, doomed to eternal night." He shivered in his tattered robes.
Franky's voice cracked with genuine sorrow. "So… that's how it is. You all had to live like that?"
Lucas rubbed his chin. "Imagine being free, then mistaken for a vampire because of your lack of shadows."
Luffy's grin returned, fierce and bright. "Well, you're in luck—because we're looking for someone who steals shadows. If Moria's after us, we'll just have to kick his ass and get your shadows back!"
A low rumble rolled overhead; thunder grumbled in the distance. Zoro glanced up. "Huh… looks like rain."
Franky patted his goggles. "Better head inside that mansion to wait it out."
Luffy squinted at the dim silhouette beyond the wrought-iron gate. "Wait—what's that mark on the building? A flag?"
As the fog parted under a wavering moonbeam, they all gasped. The so-called mansion wall was actually a massive hull, planks stretching into darkness like ribs of a whale.
Zoro's jaw dropped. "Wait—it's a sail."
Lucas's face lit up with realization. "Then we're… on a ship!"
The old man offered a brittle smile. "Yes. Thriller Bark—an island carried by the world's largest pirate ship. Under the main mast—where the flag stands—is the residence of Gecko Moria."
Luffy's eyes gleamed like polished onyx. "Then it's time to I guess we should head in and kick Moria's ass and save those shadows!"
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