In the central courtyard, a group of zombies surrounded Merry and the others, eyeing Meiser warily.
"What's the deal with this guy?"
"Not sure. That little girl slapped her hands on the ground and he suddenly appeared."
"What kind of ability is this?"
For the moment, they were genuinely intimidated and didn't advance further.
Standing beside Merry, Meiser surveyed the surrounding zombies in prolonged silence.
He'd been about to use Lightning Release to restrict Ryuma's movements so he could purify him with Fire Release. But before he could even activate the ninjutsu, Merry had summoned him using the Reverse Summoning Technique. He honestly didn't know what to say.
"Ah... thank goodness. With Meiser here, we're safe now," Nami sighed in relief. She'd been absolutely terrified earlier.
Being chased through the castle by zombies and then surrounded by these grotesque undead creatures had nearly scared the piss out of her.
"Hey Meiser, I finally managed to summon you properly this time~" Merry grinned.
"Yeah, looks like you finally learned it," Meiser shook his head helplessly. What else could he say?
Well, might as well leave that zombie swordsman to Zoro. That battle-crazed swordsman would enjoy the fight anyway.
"So why exactly did you all come here?" Meiser asked. "I told you to go find Luffy."
If he wasn't mistaken, this was deeper into enemy territory.
"Well, it's a long story—"
"Then make it short!"
"Basically, the exit door got locked and we couldn't go back," Nami admitted awkwardly. "Then we ran into some mural zombies and ended up here."
They'd wanted to go back for Luffy, but there was simply no way through.
"I see..."
"Hey humans! What's going on here?" the hippo zombie shouted.
"Yeah! How did this man appear out of thin air?"
"Hey! We're talking to you!"
"Hmm?" Meiser glanced coldly at the group. "Are you addressing me?"
"Uh..." The hippo zombie instinctively took a few steps back, gulping. "Y-yeah... talking to you..."
"Who exactly are you?"
Why were this man's eyes so terrifying?
"Me? Just a ninja."
"A ninja?!"
"No way! An actual legendary ninja? Is this for real?"
The animal zombies stared at Meiser in disbelief—this was their first time seeing a living ninja.
Ignoring their reactions, Meiser frowned. "And what's the deal with this place?"
"Why is it all animals?"
Looking around, the area was filled with all sorts of bizarre creatures—like some kind of zoo.
Could it be...? Had Moria created some kind of zombie menagerie?
At this moment, Meiser recalled that brat who was afraid of cockroaches.
"Don't tell me... this is Moria's way of entertaining children?"
Who would have thought this Royal Seven Warlord obsessed with zombie research had such a side to him? Truly... unexpected.
"This is Perona-sama's Animal Land!" the polar bear zombie blurted out. "Of course it's all animal zombies here!"
"Perona?"
"Idiot, don't reveal Lady Perona's secrets!"
The white bear, realizing what he'd done, immediately covered his mouth. He seemed to have accidentally leaked information about Lady Perona.
Just then, several white ghosts floated through the air, laughing loudly.
"Horahorahora~"
"Welcome to my—"
"Eek!!"
Perona's words were cut short when she noticed Meiser standing below. She was so startled her hair practically stood on end.
"It's you!!"
Perona stared at Meiser in terror. Why was this fearsome ninja with a 400 million Berries bounty here? Had he come specifically to hunt her down?!
At that moment, the terrifying memory resurfaced in Perona's mind, sending her fleeing in panic.
"Lady Perona?"
The animal zombies were dumbfounded by the scene. Why did Lady Perona sound so frightened? Had something happened before?
"I see..." Meiser narrowed his eyes. "So this Animal Land was really created by Moria for this kid."
Could she be Moria's child?
Just then, a ghost cautiously floated back and shouted:
"Capture them!"
After delivering the order, it immediately zoomed away, terrified that Meiser might attack it again.
The scene nearly made Meiser laugh.
"Truly a child..."
"Quick! Lady Perona ordered us to capture them!" the elephant zombie yelled. "Charge!!"
Though he didn't understand why Lady Perona feared this man so much, as a zombie of Animal Land, he had to obey her commands. No matter how terrifying the opponent, they had to attack!
"Meiser!!"
The group showed fear but didn't approach Meiser for comfort this time. Instead, they assumed combat stances.
"Don't worry, I've got this."
"Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet!!!"
"BOOM!!"
A terrifying wave of flames erupted from Meiser's mouth, shooting toward the distant horde of animal zombies!
"BOOM!!"
"AHHH!!"
"Fire!!"
The moment the flames touched them, the already desiccated zombies ignited, letting out piercing screams. "Water!"
"Quick, get water!"
"No good... the heat's too intense. It's too late..."
Under the scorching flames, the struck zombies quickly turned to ashes. Countless shadows burst from the cinders, flying skyward to seek their masters.
The spectacle sent the remaining animal zombies scrambling backward in terror, staring at Meiser with horror.
The dramatic turn left Nami stunned. The same zombies who had been snarling moments ago were now wearing expressions of sheer terror?
"Ninjutsu... I'm so jealous..."
Chopper gazed at Meiser with envy. If he could use Fire Release techniques, would he no longer need to fear these zombies?
"So this is the power of a ninja..." Perona whispered from her hiding spot high above, her eyes filled with dread. Not only could he show her terrifying illusions, but he could also spew such horrifying flames.
This was practically the nemesis of their zombie paradise!!
"Ahahaha, now you know our power!" Usopp laughed loudly with hands on his hips. "If you dare attack us, be prepared to face death!"
"That bastard..."
The hippo zombie glared at Usopp with gritted teeth. It wasn't even him who produced the flames, so why was he acting so arrogant?
Wasn't this just a dog relying on its master's power?!
"You..."
"Hmm?"
A single glance from Meiser made the zombie retreat several steps in fear, terrified the ninja might hit him with another Fire Release technique.
That single attack earlier had wiped out most of their zombie forces, leaving only a handful survivors.
So this is what ninjas are like... If not for sheer luck, we would've...
Damn it, how were they supposed to fight enemies like this?
Just then, metallic scraping sounds echoed from the distance, as if an armored battalion was approaching.
The noise immediately caught Meiser's attention.
"What's happening?" Usopp nervously stared into the distance. "Don't tell me another horde of zombies is coming?"
The clanking sounded like armor—they hadn't encountered this type before. Could these be elite enemies?
Soon, the distant iron gates swung open, revealing a group of zombies clad in various battle armors marching forward with arrogant swagger.
"It's... the Zombie Generals!!"
"Thank goodness, we're saved!"
The hippo zombie looked at the newcomers with excitement, as if seeing saviors.
These Zombie Generals possessed strength far beyond ordinary zombies.
"Ah~"
"It's been a while since we last came out," John remarked.
"Haha, indeed."
"Are these guys our current enemies?"
"Isn't it obvious? There're only these few living humans here~"
The Zombie Generals turned their gaze toward Meiser's group, grinning widely.
Meanwhile, Perona's tiny ghosts floated down from above, observing the Zombie Generals from midair. "Why have you appeared here?"
She'd clearly seen Absalom getting knocked unconscious on her way back. Without his orders, how did these guys emerge?
"Ah~"
"Lord Moria awakened us," John answered.
Though it was strange that Absalom didn't come to wake them this time. Had that old pervert gotten himself into trouble during one of his escapades?
The thought almost made John chuckle.
"Lord Moria, huh..."
Perona nodded—that made sense.
Only Lord Moria and Absalom could command these unruly creatures.
"Are these the intruders?"
"Correct!" Perona confirmed. "That man with the long sword at his waist is a ninja—be extremely careful around him!"
"A ninja?"
Hearing this, the Zombie Generals grew visibly excited—this was their first time seeing a living ninja.
"Hey kid, do you know Ninjutsu?"
"Can you make shadow clones?"
"Meiser:..."
If the living humans acted like this, fine—but why were even the zombies complete goofballs?
For a moment, Meiser was at a loss for words.
"What are you all doing?!" Perona exclaimed in disbelief. "He's the enemy, the enemy!!"
"But he's a Ninja, Miss Perona..."
"Take this seriously!" Perona shouted. "He can summon flames—the bane of Zombies!"
If these idiots ended up burned to death, she truly wouldn't know how to defeat this terrifying Ninja.
"Flames..."
Hearing Perona's words, the General Zombies' expressions turned grave.
For Zombies, ordinary attacks were meaningless—they felt no pain, and their movements weren't driven by nerves.
As long as their bodies remained intact, they could fight endlessly.
But... flames could reduce them to ashes!
"It seems we'll have to be careful."
"Exactly. As long as we avoid his flames, taking him down shouldn't be hard," Perona declared, waving her hand dramatically.
"Because you are General Zombies—invincible!"
"Go, capture them!"
"Hahahahaha~"
As she spoke, the little ghost glanced smugly at Meiser—but the moment her eyes met his blood-red ones, she instinctively recoiled, then turned and fled without looking back.
While running, she shrieked, "I don't want to see giant cockroaches again!!"
The scene left John and the others stunned.
"What does that mean?"
Giant cockroaches?
What was that brat Perona even talking about?
"Tch, kids these days," Meiser muttered.
He hadn't even used an Illusion Technique—just a single glance from his Sharingan was enough to scare her off.
"Though we bear you no grudge... since you've come here, we have no choice but to capture you!" John declared.
Without hesitation, a gray-armored Zombie beside him unsheathed his sword and slashed!
"Whoosh—!"
A white Flying Slash shot straight toward Meiser!
"Clang!"
Meiser shattered the Flying Slash with his Grass Sword, grinning. "A Flying Slash?!"
"I see... so you were a Sword Master in life. No wonder you're called a General Zombie."
These guys must have been renowned figures when they were alive.
Combined with the Shadows of powerful individuals, they could create formidable Zombies.
"Ahahaha, you've got a sharp eye, Ninja boy~" The Zombie in silver-white armor chuckled. "Indeed, I was a Sword Master in life!"
As he spoke, he lovingly stroked his sword, as if lost in nostalgia.
"A Sword Master..."
Hearing Meiser's words, Usopp's face turned green. He stared at the distant General Zombies and cried, "H-Hey!!"
"Does that mean all of them are on Zoro's level?!"
If that was the case, they were utterly screwed!
He couldn't even handle one opponent of that caliber, let alone a whole group.
"Relax. I'll handle these guys," Meiser said. "You all focus on your own tasks."
Nami thought for a moment, then glanced back at the corridor behind them. "In that case..."
"Let's go find a way out of here."
She understood Meiser's meaning—staying here would only make them a burden.
With so many Sword Master-level opponents around, even a single Flying Slash landing on them could be fatal!
"But with so many enemies, should we really leave Meiser alone?" Merry said. "At least we could—"
3
As Merry spoke, several more Flying Slashes came soaring from the distance, startling the group.
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
Meiser precisely shattered all the slashes before saying, "Merry, they're beyond your capabilities."
"Go."
If they'd been facing those Animal Zombies from earlier, they might have stood a chance with effort. But opponents who could casually unleash Flying Slashes were absolutely beyond their ability to contend with.
Meiser even suspected these foes might all be at Ryuma's level.
Merry bit her lip—she desperately wanted to help Meiser.
"Let's go, Merry." Nami picked Merry up and said, "Meiser's right. We can't stay here and cause trouble for him."
Their top priority was reuniting with Luffy's group quickly so they could return to assist Meiser.
The Zombie Generals paid no attention to the four leaving—they were clearly weaklings unworthy of the generals' attention.
Their target was the Ninja before them.
As for Ninjutsu... once they captured this brat, they'd make him demonstrate it properly for them!
"Charge! Take him down!"
"RAAAH!"
The Zombie Generals brandished their various weapons and roared as they charged at Meiser, creating an overwhelming visual spectacle.
But Meiser showed no fear—instead, he smiled.
"Let me test your skills then!"