Watching Moria stand up again, Meiser remarked with surprise, "You've already recovered from paralysis?"
Could this guy's physical endurance possibly surpass even those Navy Vice Admirals?
"Hmph! The power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit exceeds your imagination!" Moria sneered.
His body was indeed still paralyzed, but he could manipulate his shadow through sheer willpower!!
'The relationship between shadow and body... I understand it perfectly...' Moria thought to himself.
When the body moves, the shadow follows.
Conversely, if the shadow moves independently, it can influence the body too!
This was precisely how he'd regained mobility.
"Shadow manipulation..." Meiser mused, stroking his chin. "So you're controlling your body through this ability?"
Meiser had roughly deduced the technique's principle - using shadows to affect one's physical form was indeed ingenious.
However, this meant the opponent couldn't simultaneously employ shadows for other purposes.
"Quite perceptive of you."
"Even if you can move now, so what?" Meiser declared. "I can still knock you down."
"Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The air vibrated as countless water molecules converged around Meiser, forming a massive swirling vortex.
Suddenly, a roaring Water Dragon emerged from the maelstrom, its furious cry echoing toward distant Moria.
"ROAR!!"
With this thunderous challenge, the aquatic beast charged at its target.
"Water Release?!"
Moria's face twisted in shock. After witnessing fire and lightning, now water-based techniques too?!
This was unbelievable!
If he summoned seawater, wouldn't that put me at a severe disadvantage?!
No way - must avoid direct contact with seawater at all costs!!
Without hesitation, Moria shouted: "Shadow Curtain!"
"Whoosh~"
His writhing shadow transformed into an enormous protective barrier.
Then...
"BOOM!!"
The colossal Water Dragon smashed against the shadowy defense, distorting its form violently.
Yet ultimately, Moria held his ground.
Observing the harmless water flowing beneath him, Moria narrowed his eyes. "Seems it's not seawater."
The liquid touching his skin caused no weakness - merely ordinary water. A small mercy amidst misfortune.
'As long as it's not seawater...'
Non-saline water meant neither he nor his Zombies needed to fear it!
The thought of Zombies reminded Moria of recently departed Oars, sparking an epiphany.
'With such a powerful Zombie at my command, why risk fighting this Ninja personally?'
He could simply command his undead forces to attack, eliminating any personal danger.
Having reached this conclusion, Moria decisively abandoned further combat, retracting his shadow to maintain mobility.
"Seems Water Release isn't very effective against you," Meiser observed.
"Naturally."
"Then try this move!" Meiser shouted: "Lightning Release: Earth Run!"
"Again?!"
Moria's eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn't expected this brat to attack him with lightning again. But this time, he didn't just sit and take it—instead, he used his shadow to propel himself up, swiftly darting toward a gap in the side.
Not only did this evade Meiser's lightning attack, but it also allowed him to charge straight for the opening.
"So shadows don't conduct electricity..." Meiser narrowed his eyes.
But... what was this guy planning by running toward the gap?
"Hmph, kid, have fun by yourself!" Moria sneered. "I'm outta here!"
"You're running away?"
Meiser stared at Moria in surprise. This guy was one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea—surely he wouldn't just flee without even putting up a fight.
"I've got no interest in fighting you. Why don't you try beating Oars first?"
With that, Moria leaped straight down through the gap.
"He actually ran?" Meiser muttered in disbelief.
Was he really this reliant on zombies, with zero fighting spirit of his own?
Even after hitting him with a full ninja combo of Release Techniques, the guy hadn't changed his mind... What a pathetic, broken man.
"Tch."
Clicking his tongue, Meiser quickly gave chase.
"Whoosh—"
His speed was incredible—in the blink of an eye, he shot through the gap and descended toward Moria below.
Raising his Grass Sword in his right hand, wind-attribute Chakra coiled around the blade.
"Gale Slash!!"
"Whoosh—"
"Swish, swish, swish—"
Countless azure wind slashes shot forth, homing in on Gecko Moria below!
Yet, faced with the attack, Moria showed no trace of panic. Instead, his lips curled into a grin.
"Shadow Warrior!"
"Thunk!"
In an instant, a black shadow replaced Moria's body, cleanly sliced into several pieces!
But the shadow wasn't harmed by the slashes. As it fell, it scattered into countless bats that swarmed into the sky.
"Teleportation?"
Meiser frowned at the sight.
"No... That can't be teleportation."
If this guy had been capable of teleporting from the start, there was no way he would've been hit by Meiser's Lightning Release.
So... was Moria using his own shadow to move?
Glancing at the retreating shadow, Meiser narrowed his eyes.
"Thud!"
He stabbed his sword into the nearby wall, using the weapon to slow his descent before landing firmly on the ground.
"Click—"
Looking up at the heights above, he muttered, "What a sneaky Shadow Doppelganger."
"Poof!"
A puff of white smoke erupted, and Meiser vanished on the spot.
High above, Moria lay sprawled on the ground, grumbling, "Ninjas... really don't mix well with me."
Meanwhile, Merry still had her hands pressed against the floor, her expression serious.
"So this is the Reverse Summoning Technique?"
Nico Robin and Franky watched with fascination as Meiser suddenly appeared. This ability was incredibly convenient.
With this, even if Meiser got lost, they could just summon him back.
"Yep, that's the Reverse Summoning Technique," Merry confirmed with a nod.
Just moments ago, after encountering Franky, they casually brought up Meiser's situation.
Having spotted Meiser's figure from a high vantage point, the two immediately rushed over, only to run into Merry and the others.
After some curious questioning, they learned that the person here wasn't Meiser's real body but a Shadow Clone.
Thus, Merry activated the Reverse Summoning Technique once again to summon Meiser over.
"What's going on?"
Meiser glanced around and found himself standing on a massive staircase with no enemies in sight, which left him puzzled. Why summon him if there were no threats?
"Let me explain," the clone said as it approached.
With those words, it immediately dispelled itself.
Meiser:
A simple yet brutal way to explain—it felt like knowledge was being poured directly into his brain.
After absorbing all the clone's memories, Meiser said, "Alright, I understand now."
"Eh?!"
Lola stared at Meiser in shock. They hadn't even explained yet—how did he already know?
Was it because of that disappearing clone just now?
"A clone's trait," Meiser explained. "I can see everything it witnessed."
"That really is a powerful ability."
Lola fully grasped the implications—Meiser could use his clones to infiltrate dangerous areas and gather intel without risking his own life.
Ninjas... truly formidable beings.
After sorting through the information in his mind, Meiser turned to Nico Robin and said, "So, you didn't encounter my clone, and those three idiots—Luffy and the others—had their shadows cut off by Moria?"
"Yes."
"Those morons," Meiser cursed.
They were wanted men, after all—couldn't they be more cautious on enemy turf?
If Moria had gone for the kill instead of just stealing shadows, they might already be dead!!
Thinking this, Meiser rubbed his temples in frustration. "There really are too many idiots on this ship..."
As he spoke, he shot a glance at Nami and the other four fools.
"Sorry..."
"Eh?!"
Franky was stunned as he watched the four of them bow apologetically to Meiser. "Why are you apologizing?"
Meiser had been talking about Luffy and the other three, right? Why were these four apologizing too?
Those three idiots getting caught had nothing to do with them.
"Seems like something interesting happened over here," Nico Robin chuckled.
She looked intrigued, genuinely curious about what had transpired with these four.
"We can talk about that later," Nami coughed lightly, steering the conversation. "Right now, the priority is waking up Luffy and the others."
What happened earlier was too embarrassing—if possible, she'd rather not bring it up.
With that in mind, Nami shot Meiser a pleading look.
Meiser rolled his eyes but didn't press the issue further.
"Alright, let's go!"
With that, Meiser scooped up Merry and dashed down the stairs, adding, "I saw Luffy's Shadow Zombie—it's enormous, at least several dozen meters tall."
As he spoke, the name of a technique surfaced in his mind.
Expansion Technique!
"We saw it too," Usopp gulped. "How are we supposed to fight something like that..."
"All we need to do is defeat Moria," Franky said.
Once Moria was beaten, his Shadow-Shadow Fruit powers would deactivate, and the problem would solve itself.
"Easier said than done," Meiser remarked. "That guy's as slippery as an eel."
Just thinking about Moria's escape tactics made Meiser want to scoff—it hardly matched the fearsome reputation of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea. But then again, considering the man had lost his fighting spirit, it made sense.
"We also encountered Sanji and Zoro's Shadow Zombies," Nico Robin added.
"Oh?"
"What were they like?" Meiser asked curiously.
"Well..." Robin wore a complicated expression. "Let's just say... they were exactly the same as always, constantly at each other's throats."
When they first ran into those two zombies, Robin had been stunned. Zoro's zombie still wielded his Three-Sword Style, while Sanji's zombie... was a penguin-dog hybrid! At first, the two had caused some trouble, but eventually, they ended up fighting each other instead. Robin didn't know whether to laugh or sigh—their personalities had actually worked in their favor.
"They fought each other?" Meiser's lips twitched. "Sounds about right."
Even as zombies, some things never changed. Typical of them.
"Oh, and we met Brook," Franky mentioned.
"Brook?"
Meiser raised an eyebrow, recalling the zombie named Ryuma, who possessed Brook's shadow.
"Yeah, Brook," Franky confirmed. "He said he was going to challenge his Shadow Zombie. No idea how that turned out..."
"Can he really win?" Merry asked worriedly. "That Ryuma zombie was supposedly a legendary Dragon-Slaying Swordsman."
The little girl's face showed clear concern for the skeletal musician.
"Dragon-slaying?"
"That fat pig-head said so."
"More accurately, a flying dragon," Usopp clarified.
"If that's true, then he must be incredibly strong," Lola remarked.
The others turned to her curiously. "Why do you say that?"
"I doubt he killed just any ordinary dinosaur," Lola explained. "More likely, it was a Devil Fruit user."
The only "flying dragon" ability user Lola could think of was that terrifying Emperor from the Land of Wano—a man who wielded the power of an actual legendary dragon. Anyone with that kind of power would be monstrously strong. So how powerful must the swordsman who slew him have been? The thought made Lola's expression darken with worry.
"A Devil Fruit user...?"
"Don't be so pessimistic," Meiser cut in. "A zombie's strength depends heavily on the shadow powering it. Brook might still win."
After fighting those general zombies, Meiser had figured it out—no matter how strong you were in life, without a powerful shadow, you were nothing.
This is probably why Moria wants the Shadows of strong individuals—weak ones are practically meaningless, only good for reviving some small fry.
"Let's hope so."
"Let's head back to the ship first," Franky said. "Even if we're going to help that guy, we should find Luffy and the others first."
The others agreed.
Glancing at the Thousand Sunny, now visible in the distance, Meiser remarked, "The ship... looks pretty messy. Did those guys flip our ship upside down while bringing Luffy and the others back?"
With his Sharingan active, Meiser could clearly see the state of the Thousand Sunny.
"What did you say?!"
Nami immediately bristled, her entire body reacting as if electrified, her speed skyrocketing!!
In the blink of an eye, she left everyone far behind, charging toward the ship at breakneck speed. In that moment, the image of that Ghost from earlier flashed through her mind.
"Damn Ghost woman, if you dare touch my money, I won't let you off!!"
"Uh... What's up with her?" Lola gaped at Nami's retreating figure. Wasn't she just supposed to be a support role? She's actually a strong fighter?
That burst of speed was faster than any of them.
Hearing Lola's words, the Straw Hat Pirates all wore complicated expressions. They knew all too well just how much their navigator loved money.
"Doesn't Nami keep all her money in Merry's pocket?" Meiser asked, puzzled.
"Not all of it~" Merry explained. "Nami said she needed to keep a few million Berries outside for daily expenses. She didn't put all the money in her little pocket. As Nami put it, 'What if Merry goes shopping with someone else and I need money?'"
Meiser:
So, a few million Berries was enough to send Nami into a frenzy like this.
Watching Nami sprint all the way to their ship, Meiser fell into deep thought.
A moment later...
"You bastards, my money!!"
-Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!