"Everyone, take these."
Usopp pulled out small bags of salt from his pocket and casually tossed them to his crewmates.
He had just found them in the kitchen, ground them up, and packed them into small bags.
Thankfully, the Zombies were afraid of this stuff—otherwise, he wouldn't have known where to get salt.
"What's this?"
"Salt!"
"So that's what you were grinding earlier." Nico Robin smiled with interest. "How thoughtful."
With this salt, they might be able to purify those Zombies easily.
"I don't need it." Meiser tossed the salt back. "That Oars is so huge, this tiny bit of salt won't do anything."
The amount Usopp gave him probably wouldn't even register as an ant to Oars—completely useless.
It'd be more effective to just pour seawater into him.
Usopp paused, then nodded. That was true.
Purifying something that massive with salt was nothing short of wishful thinking.
"Let's confirm our objectives."
"Franky and I will go after that legendary swordsman," Zoro said, gripping the hilt of his sword with a serious expression. "We'll get Brook's Shadow back first."
"No problem!"
Franky struck his signature pose and laughed. "SUPER!!"
"The rest of us will go after the others' Shadows," Nami said.
This time, their targets weren't just Zoro and Sanji's Shadows—Lola and the others were included too.
"Wouldn't it be easier if I just beat Moria?"
"You can't think like that, Luffy," Usopp said seriously. "Even though we're in this thick fog now, there's no guarantee sunlight won't break through."
"If the fight drags into daytime, you guys will be in danger."
He didn't want Luffy and the others to suddenly burn to ashes mid-battle—that would be disastrous.
"Is it really that dangerous...?"
"Long-nose's concern isn't unfounded," Lola said. "When strong fighters clash, battles can last an entire day."
Especially those monstrously strong ones—their fights are measured in days.
And this time, their enemy was one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea. No one knew how long the battle would last, so caution was necessary.
"Then let's focus on getting the Shadows back first," Nami said.
As she spoke, she glanced up at the sky. Though the thick fog still lingered, this was the Grand Line—the weather could change at any moment.
"Let's go, Zoro," Usopp called out.
"Huh?"
"You're coming with us?" Zoro asked, surprised.
Their only opponent was that swordsman. Wouldn't Usopp be more useful with Nami's group?
"I'm worried you'll run into that Ghost Woman," Usopp explained. "Her powers don't work on me."
"If I'm with you, we won't get wiped out by her ability."
"WHAT?!"
Franky stared at Usopp in shock. This guy was immune to the Ghost Woman's powers?!
"How?!"
"Well..." Usopp thought for a moment. "Maybe it's because I'm already extremely pessimistic by nature."
Franky:
"What kind of weird reason is this?"
"That strange sense of reliability... what's up with that?" Sanji quipped.
"You might not believe it," Usopp said, "but Nami isn't afraid of that Ghost Woman either."
"Whaaat?!"
Everyone stared at Nami in shock. Why wasn't she scared?
Could it be that she was also extremely negative?
"That jerk wanted me to be a penniless loser in my next life—of course I wouldn't stand for that!" Nami glared. "Just wait. If we run into her, I won't let her off easy."
After realizing the ghosts weren't real, Nami wasn't afraid anymore—in fact, she wanted to punch that woman.
"So Nami and the others are fine on their end," Usopp said.
"Then let's move out," Meiser said. "I'll handle Luffy's Shadow. The rest is up to you."
"Right!"
Atop the tallest building, Moria lay in his room, his gaze fixed on the distant sky with a complicated expression.
"Just wait... It won't be long before I avenge you all..."
"Moria-sama!!"
"Oh, Perona." Moria glanced at the small ghost floating toward him. "What is it?"
"Those three pirates who were knocked out have woken up!" Perona said urgently. "They're heading straight for us now."
"I see..."
Moria frowned and stood up. "They woke up already?"
"It must be because they met that skeleton. He knows what happens when a Shadow is stolen."
"Is that so... That's a real problem."
Oars still wasn't under control yet, so ordering him to kill those pirates wasn't an option.
In the end... would he have to deal with them himself?
Just thinking about that troublesome Ninja kid made Moria's head hurt. He wasn't fond of fighting that type of enemy.
"Perona, take my orders—send the remaining General Zombies to intercept them."
"But that Ninja..."
"If you encounter the Ninja, just let him pass," Moria said. "I'll find a way to deal with him."
Until Oars was fully under control, he'd have to handle that Ninja brat himself.
At least with the experience from their last fight, he wouldn't be at too much of a disadvantage.
"Understood." Perona nodded. "With the General Zombies acting, even if my powers fail, we won't be at a loss."
"Your powers failed?"
Moria stared at Perona in disbelief. "Your ability didn't work?"
"Yes."
"There are two people in the Straw Hat Pirates—one is a money-obsessed woman, and the other is a long-nosed guy. Neither of them was affected by my Negative Spirit."
Though there was also that Ninja who could attack her mentally... at least his clone couldn't resist her Negative Spirit.
"Something like this actually happened?"
"Yes."
"Why...?"
Confusion filled Moria's eyes. Even he couldn't resist Perona's Devil Fruit powers.
Yet those two could?
Wait... Could it be that they've mastered Haki?
If they had mastered sufficiently strong Haki, they could indeed resist Perona's abilities, but...
In a place like the Grand Line, do such people really exist?
"One is because he loves money, and the other is naturally pessimistic, so they're unaffected."
Moria: ...
So it all comes down to personality traits?
He could understand pessimism, but what the hell was up with greed?
For a moment, Moria's expression turned somewhat peculiar.
"Fine, I get it. Go capture them as soon as possible," Moria waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, and remember to send a few Zombies to protect Hogback."
"Understood."
"Hahahahaha~"
After receiving the order, Perona turned and left.
Soon, the Zombie Generals who had received Moria's command arrived in the corridor, led by Perona.
"You lot, stop the enemies below, got it?" Perona ordered.
By now, she could already see some figures approaching.
"Understood!"
"Miss Perona, mere pirates are no match for us. Leave them to us, hahaha!"
"Exactly!"
Seeing the Zombie Generals so confident, Perona relaxed a little. With these guys around, as long as that Ninja wasn't here, then...
"Huh?"
"Ninja?!!"
Spotting Meiser standing on the staircase, Perona immediately hid behind one of the Zombie Generals in fright.
"Well, well, if it isn't you again, little girl," Meiser grinned. "Not afraid of me anymore?"
"Pirate, who do you think you are?"
"With us here, how dare you threaten Miss Perona?"
The Zombie Generals were instantly displeased. What kind of bastard would dare scare Miss Perona right in front of them?
Ignoring them, Meiser looked at Perona and asked, "Answer me one thing—where's Oars?"
He had just stood atop the highest wall and looked around but hadn't spotted the giant's figure. He had planned to head to Moria's side with Luffy and the others to see if Oars was there.
But since the Ghost Woman had appeared, Meiser didn't mind trying his luck with her first.
"So your target is Oars?" Perona sighed in relief, then said, "He's at the highest point of this island!!!"
Moria-sama had said that Oars' power was unmatched—no one could possibly defeat him.
If this Ninja wanted to go get himself killed, she didn't mind helping him along. "The highest point, huh..."
Meiser walked over to a nearby window, squinting as he looked upward—more precisely, toward the direction of the sails.
If Oars was there, it made sense why he hadn't spotted him earlier.
"How dare you ignore us...!"
"Bastard, don't get too cocky!"
"Kill them!"
The Zombie Generals roared, their fury ignited by the sheer disrespect of being ignored.
With a collective howl, the Zombies charged downward.
But Luffy, who had been itching for a fight, moved even faster!
"Get outta my way!"
"Gomu-Gomu Gatling!!"
"BOOM!!"
A storm of fists rained down on the Zombies, sending them flying backward and slamming them hard into the side walls.
"BOOM!!"
"What the hell is up with this guy?!"
The General Zombie stared at Luffy in disbelief. During their previous encounter, the opponent hadn't possessed such explosive power—how had his strength become so overwhelming this time?
Seeing Luffy take action, Sanji and the others immediately charged forward, engaging in a fierce brawl with the Zombie Generals.
In just the first exchange, the group gained the upper hand!
However, since their opponents were zombies, quickly finishing them off wouldn't be easy.
"Feed them salt!" Nico Robin said.
As she spoke, Robin used her Devil Fruit ability to purify one of the Zombie Generals on the spot.
Watching the shadow fly away, Robin smiled faintly—this tactic seemed to be working well.
As the battle raged on, their positions gradually reversed.
The Zombie Generals were beaten down to the lower stairs, while the Straw Hat Pirates moved up to the higher level.
"Moria!!" Luffy roared. "Get out here!!"
After shouting, Luffy quickly dashed into the distance—clearly, he had no interest in fighting these zombies.
Meanwhile, Meiser scanned the surroundings and, noticing that the Ghost Woman had already fled, remarked, "There's no point lingering here to deal with them. Might as well let me burn them all."
If Luffy hadn't already charged into the fray earlier, Meiser would have used Fire Release to incinerate them. Now that both sides had separated, there was no need to hold back.
"Fire Release: Great..."
Before Meiser could complete his Ninjutsu, a massive shadow plummeted from above, crashing violently onto the corridor.
"BOOM!!"
The terrifying force shattered the staircase into pieces.
"Ah!!"
The Zombie Generals below were directly struck by the falling figure, tumbling down with the rubble toward the ground.
The sight left everyone stunned.
"Cough..."
Meiser, forced to retract his half-formed technique, coughed reflexively.
"What the hell was that?!" Sanji exclaimed in shock.
An enormous figure had just fallen from above, utterly demolishing the corridor.
Had they not been lucky enough to move to the higher level, their fate might not have been any better than those zombies.
"If I'm not mistaken... that was Luffy's Shadow Zombie," Meiser said.
As he spoke, he walked to the broken edge and glanced down—immediately spotting the colossal figure of Oars!!
"So it really is this guy..."
"He's... this huge?"
Sanji was so shocked that the cigarette fell from his mouth. The sheer size of the figure was overwhelmingly oppressive.
How was Meiser supposed to fight something that massive?
"Hey, Meiser, you're seriously planning to take on an opponent like that?" Lola asked, staring at him in disbelief.
The sheer scale reminded her of the Giant Prince who had once proposed to her—Loki!!
That guy's strength had been terrifying. So how powerful must this similarly sized creature be?
Could Meiser really handle it?
"Yep, leave him to me."
"But how are you gonna fight him...?"
"I have my ways," Meiser grinned. "You all focus on what you need to do."
"Uh..."
"Alright, I got it."
Although the crew didn't know how Meiser planned to fight such a monster, since he said so, they chose to believe in him.
This was trust between comrades!
Seeing Lola still wanting to say something, Nico Robin stepped forward and pulled her away, saying, "Trust Meiser.
He doesn't do things he isn't confident about."
Whatever this man said, he would definitely accomplish!
Lola opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing, choosing to trust Meiser as she led the others away with Nico Robin.
After watching his comrades leave, Meiser leaped down from the second-floor corridor, landing on the lower level.
This corridor, dozens of meters above the ground, only reached Oars' chest, showcasing just how massive he was.
"Oww, oww..."
On the corridor, Franky clutched his head and groaned, "What the hell just happened?"
They were about to cross this corridor to reach the distant building when suddenly, it got smashed to pieces?
What could possibly shatter such a massive corridor?
"Clearly, something fell down."
"What was it?"
"It's... it's Luffy's Zombie!!" Usopp stared in shock at the colossal figure before them, his body trembling uncontrollably.
The thing was so huge that just one of its fingers was bigger than his entire body!
What kind of terrifying enemy was this?!
Click
"Yep, this is Luffy's Shadow Zombie," Meiser said with a grin as he landed steadily on the ground.
"It's a punching bag delivered right to our doorstep."
He'd wanted to beat up that idiot Luffy for a long time—now that a substitute had come knocking, how could he not be excited?
Seeing Meiser's wicked smile, Franky paused. He couldn't shake the feeling that what Meiser really wanted to punch was Luffy himself.
"So this is Luffy's Zombie... It really is enormous..."
The sheer visual impact of this behemoth was overwhelming. Even having seen giants before couldn't calm their nerves.
Just then, Oars moved.
He glanced around and immediately spotted something he wanted on the corridor, reaching out with a massive hand to grab it.
"Ahhh!!"
"He's attacking!!"
"No, he's not trying to attack us," Meiser said, his Sharingan active.
He could tell—this wasn't an offensive move. Instead... it seemed like Oars was trying to take something?
What was he grabbing?
As they watched in confusion, Oars picked up a triangular-shaped rock and placed it on his head like a hat.
The sight was like a pirate finally finding his signature captain's hat.
"Ahahahaha!" Oars laughed heartily. "Now this feels right~"
"Alright!"
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King!!"
Oars threw his head back, laughing with his hands on his hips, the sound waves practically rattling their eardrums.
Watching Oars lumber away, Usopp gritted his teeth. "Is this guy... roleplaying as a pirate?"
"Obviously, that's exactly what he's doing."
"His shadow comes from Luffy, so his personality is naturally similar," Meiser explained.
In short, this guy was just a big idiot right now.
He even suspected that if he performed Ninjutsu for the other party, the opponent might just walk right into the attack.
At this thought, Meiser's expression turned strange.
"Seriously, this bastard has smashed the entire corridor to pieces..." Franky said with frustration, "Now we have to fix it."
After shaking his head, Franky took out some tools and began his miraculous work.
"Hey, Meiser, how do you plan to fight him?" Usopp asked worriedly. "One punch from him can shatter an entire building."
In the opponent's eyes, Meiser must look as small as an ant.
"Don't worry, it's no problem," Meiser replied. "More importantly, should I send you guys over? This corridor is—"
"Huh?!"
Before Meiser could finish, he noticed that a wooden bridge had somehow appeared over the broken section of the corridor, reconnecting the gap.
This sight left Meiser and the others utterly stunned.
"Whoa!!"
Seeing Franky crouched on the bridge, inspecting the decorations, Meiser exclaimed in shock, "You built a bridge in just this short time?"
The speed of construction was almost on par with that wolf's.
Wait, where did the wood and stones even come from?
"Ah, I'm just not satisfied with this decoration," Franky muttered, stroking his chin.
"It's just a temporary bridge. Do you really need to fuss over the details?"
"Of course! Do I look like the kind of guy who cuts corners?!" Franky stood up, glancing at his companions. "Even if it's just made of these stones and wooden scraps, I'll build this bridge properly!"
For him, constructing such a bridge wasn't an issue at all.
Though Meiser could have used Water Release to ferry them across, that would waste his energy—and if it affected his upcoming fight with Oars, that wouldn't be good.
A drop of sweat rolled down Usopp's face. As expected of a master shipwright—his craftsmanship was truly impressive.
"Now that there's a bridge to cross, you guys go ahead," Meiser said, stepping onto the bridge and looking toward Oars in the distance. "I'm going to go punch him."
Without waiting for a response, Meiser leaped off the bridge.
"Hey, it's dozens of meters high!!" Usopp shrieked in terror.
Falling from this height would mean certain death!!
But the next moment, something even more shocking happened.
"Super Size Amplification Technique!!"
"BOOM!!"
Meiser's body rapidly expanded mid-air, growing into an enormous giant in the blink of an eye.
"WHAAAT?!!!"
Usopp and the other two stared at Meiser in disbelief, their eyes bulging and snot flying uncontrollably.
The guy who had seemed no bigger than them had suddenly become as massive as Oars?!
"H-how did you do that?!"
"Hey, Meiser, are you from the Giant Tribe?!" Zoro asked.
"Giant Tribe?"
Hearing Zoro's question, Meiser glanced back at them and grinned. "Nah, I'm no Giant. This is just my Ninjutsu."
"You guys go do what you need to do. I'll handle that big guy over there."
With that, Meiser strode forward on his long legs, step by step, toward Oars in the distance.
That incredibly heavy weight made the ground tremble with every step!
"Now Meiser truly has the power to fight that guy..." Franky gulped and said.
The only question was - what exactly was the name of this Ninjutsu? It could instantly make Meiser grow so enormous.
"Let's go, it's time we do what we came for."
Zoro quickly regained his composure, glancing at the building ahead as he said, "As for this Ninjutsu matter, we can discuss it with Meiser later."
Their time for battle was already limited—they couldn't afford to waste any.
"Oi!"
Soon, the three of them left the area.
Meanwhile, Meiser walked up to a spot not far from Oars and called out to the Giant, who was squatting on the ground, seemingly searching for something: "Hey!"
"Big dummy!"
"Let's have a match."
Meiser's voice was incredibly loud, and with that one shout, he immediately drew a flood of attention.
The Zombies stared at the newly appeared colossal figure in horror, exclaiming, "Wh-what... what is this now?!"
"Why has another Giant appeared?!"
One had already been more than they could handle—now there was another?
Just what kind of day was this?!