Boom!
A fierce and razor-sharp slash of sword wind tore through the air.
With a single strike, Absalom collapsed.
"Ehhh!?!?"
Perona's mouth fell open, eyes wide in disbelief. She had just witnessed her companion fall in a single blow—even after being hit by her own Negative Hollow.
"No way… Negative Hollow should bypass mental strength! It has to! So why… why can he still attack?"
But Rengoku gave no answer to Perona's shock and questions.
"A spirit… How can I possibly strike something without a body? Someone as weak as me…"
Despite his self-deprecating words, his lungs and limbs said otherwise.
"Lightning… That might work."
The image of the previous Thunder Hashira, Kuwajima Jigorou, flashed in Rengoku's mind.
In his childhood, he had seen Jigorou demonstrate Thunder Breathing just once. The blinding speed of that thunderous flash had left a deep impression.
"Shhh…"
Thunder Breathing, First Form: Thunderclap and Flash.
With immense leg strength forged through Moonwalk, Sky Running, Unknowing Fire, and more, Rengoku's execution of Thunderclap and Flash was lightning incarnate.
0.1 seconds? No, 0.01 perhaps.
Before Perona could even blink, Rengoku stood right in front of her.
"Eek! Wh-When did you—?!"
In that moment, he raised his Armament Haki-coated blade and slashed.
CRACK! BOOM!
Thunder roared as if the heavens split apart.
The blade missed.
As expected, it was a clumsy attempt—another's breathing style used while mentally shaken. But the raw power was enough to terrify Perona into fainting.
As Perona lost consciousness, her ability wore off, and all the Marines who had fallen into extreme negativity snapped back to their senses—Rengoku included.
"Hm! So that's the countermeasure. Simpler than expected."
His mind had been clouded, but his memories remained.
Though Perona had vanished from sight, Rengoku was content with having figured out how to neutralize her attack.
"Vice Admiral!"
"Hm? What is it?"
"There's a girl unconscious in the storage hold!"
...
"Mmph! Mmph-mmm!!"
"Mmmrrgh!!"
With both Absalom and Perona secured in Seastone handcuffs, they were restrained on the deck as Rengoku's battleship entered Thriller Bark.
"If you're a Warlord's subordinate, you shouldn't be attacking the Navy, you idiots."
Jose kicked Absalom's side with a scolding tone.
"Mmph-mmm!"
Absalom seemed to have something to say, but no one cared.
After all, you don't trust pirates.
Following the direction Absalom indicated with his head, they soon spotted a massive tooth-shaped structure, and the ship approached directly.
"Hmph. Sending two Devil Fruit users to infiltrate a Marine vessel—Warlord Gecko Moria's crime is severe. I'll interrogate him personally."
"I'd like to accompany you!"
Vivi stepped forward at Rengoku's words.
"Very well. Gaining experience is important. Jose, you're in charge of the ship. Make sure these two are detained in separate cells."
"Yes, sir!"
Just in case, Rengoku did a full circuit around the ship to personally inspect the defenses and issued strict orders for all personnel to remain in position.
A transparent man, a ghost princess, and a ship called Thriller Bark floating inside the Florian Triangle… if a vampire or werewolf appeared next, it wouldn't even be surprising.
"Now then, Lieutenant Vivi and I will meet with Warlord Gecko Moria. Maintain high alert while we're gone. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Good. I'll leave the ship in your hands."
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
"Let's enter Thriller Bark. Keep up using Moonwalk!"
"Yes, sir!"
...
Leaping from the battleship, Rengoku and Vivi dashed forward using Geppo (Moonwalk). Before long, their feet landed on the solid ground of Thriller Bark.
"Hmm... This isn't a ship. It's more like an island."
"Right? Maybe they're moving an entire island across the sea?"
"That could be it. We won't know for sure until we speak with Moria."
Rengoku scanned his surroundings, and his sharp eyes soon caught sight of a towering palace in the distance.
"Generally speaking, the leader tends to reside in the tallest building. Let's head that way."
"Yes, Vice Admiral!"
Meanwhile, a bat with a human face flying high above spotted the arrival of Rengoku and Vivi.
"Grrr... Rengoku the Flame Pillar has arrived!? I have to report this to Lord Moria immediately!"
Flapping its wings, the bat—Hildon—raced toward its master.
"Master! Master!"
Seeing his frantic scout return, Moria tilted his head.
"Kishishi... Hildon, what's the rush?"
Moria sipped his tea calmly, glancing at his panicked minion.
"R-Rengoku the Flame Pillar has landed on Thriller Bark!"
"Pfft!!"
"You alright, sir?"
"Cough cough! Wh-what?! Him?! Why is he here?"
Moria sputtered and coughed, caught off guard by the unexpected name.
"I-I believe the Navy picked up the Sea God Offering decoy we sent out earlier..."
"And what about Absalom and Perona?"
"N-Nowhere to be found, sir... Judging by the situation, they've likely been captured by the Navy."
"...This is bad. Tell the zombies: no one is to show themselves."
As one of the Warlords, Moria had heard enough rumors and intel about Rengoku the Flame Pillar to know one thing:
That man must never discover the secrets of this place.
If he did—even the title of Warlord wouldn't save Thriller Bark from total ruin.
"Understood, sir!"
With that, Hildon flew off, and Moria massaged his aching temples with a long sigh.
"Ugh... Just my luck. Of all people to find that decoy... it had to be the Navy."
"Hohoho... Such a troubled look on your face, Lord Moria."
"Hogback?! You need to hide too! If you're discovered, Thriller Bark is done for!"
Seeing his master panic like that, Hogback raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"What in the world happened?"
"What happened?! Rengoku the Flame Pillar—Vice Admiral of Marine HQ—is here! If he lays eyes on the zombies... this place is finished!"
"Hmm. But Lord Moria, you once crossed blades with the Emperor Kaido himself, didn't you? He's just a Vice Admiral."
Compared to the tense Moria, Hogback still seemed out of the loop.
Moria had a thousand things he wanted to say—but now was not the time.
"I said hide! That man is on another level! He can cross swords with Dracule Mihawk, the world's strongest swordsman! He might even be able to kill Kaido!"
Although Moria's information about Kaido was outdated, the rumors alone were not to be taken lightly.
"If he's that strong... why not steal his shadow and put it into Ryuma's body?"
Hogback, ever reckless in his ignorance, offered a bold counterproposal.
"W-What...?"
"Ryuma—the Sword God of Wano! The Blade Saint! Compared to his body and the legendary black blade Shusui, the current shadow's swordsmanship is pitiful."
Hogback stated his case without hesitation.
"If we steal Rengoku's shadow and insert it into Ryuma's corpse, we could create a zombie swordsman even stronger than Mihawk! Perhaps even someone that could take on the revived Oars himself!"
At that moment, Moria's heart skipped a beat.
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