By the time Badak and his crew arrived at Troy Island, dawn had yet to break.
Of course—Badak had used the Somersault Cloud to carry the White Dragon Horse through the air directly.
Robin, gazing at the distant harbor lights, asked, "Badak, Troy Island isn't small. How do you plan to find Moria?"
"That is a problem. None of the ships in the harbor are flying a pirate flag. A notorious pirate like Moria wouldn't lower his flag so easily. Did he dock at another port?"
Using his Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze, Badak scrutinized every ship in the harbor but found no trace of Gekko Moria's vessel.
Then, Daz Bones spoke up. "Many experienced pirates avoid official ports, preferring hidden natural harbors instead. We don't know where, but if we circle the island, Boss should be able to locate him."
"Good, let's do that. Robin, take control of the ship. I need to prepare and recover my strength. After all, we're about to face Gekko Moria, with a bounty of 320 million Belly—I can't afford to be careless."
Badak lowered the ship onto the sea and began devouring food ravenously. Having mastered Life Return, his body digested the food instantly, leaving his stomach flat as ever. Every so often, his gaze swept the shoreline, searching for Moria.
"Hey, Badak, are we really going up against Gekko Moria? He's a legendary pirate—do we have to provoke someone like that?"Perona had heard of Moria's name since she was little. Legends said Moria had a green face with fangs, horns on his head, and would devour children one by one. She couldn't help feeling a bit scared.
"Don't worry, Perona. I'm strong too! And I have your help. All of Moria's crew were lost in the New World. He's alone now, nothing to fear."
Badak continued eating when he suddenly remembered something and added, "The zombies Moria creates are quite troublesome with their undead nature, but their weaknesses are fire and salt. Make sure to carry plenty of both later."
"Salt? Got it," Robin nodded.
"Alright."
Perona was still afraid, but thinking of her companions by her side, she mustered her courage and refused to back down. Besides, she could leave her physical body here and follow everyone in her spirit form. She could leave a few Negative Hollows behind to protect her body.
"Stop! I see it! That must be the ship. Robin, scout ahead. We're getting closer."
In a deserted area of Troyard Island, Badak spotted a pirate ship quietly anchored by the shore.
"That's the one. But Moria isn't here right now. There are many zombies on board, just as you described, Badak."
Robin quickly confirmed everything.
"Then let's loot his treasures first and wait for him to return," Badak decided immediately.
The White Dragon Horse approached Moria's ship. This wasn't the Thriller Bark, likely just Moria's usual means of transportation.
As the ships drew near, the zombies left on guard immediately noticed. They gathered noisily on the deck.
"A ship is approaching, everyone come quick!"
"Are they enemies?"
"Damn it, the master isn't here, and now this..."
"Capture them! The master will be pleased when he returns!"
"More shadows joining us? A bunch of shadows disappeared suddenly before."
"Make way!"
A special zombie pushed through the crowd of ordinary zombies and stepped forward. The others immediately retreated, clearing a path for him.
Badak's eyes lit up when he saw this zombie—it was actually Ryuma of Shimotsuki.
In Badak's memory, Ryuma should have been turned into a zombie later after Hogback's modifications, with Brook's shadow implanted by Moria. He hadn't expected him to be active this early. Could he be incomplete? Hogback shouldn't have joined Moria's crew yet.
With a clang, Badak drew his sword and casually unleashed a Flying Slash.
This was just a test, but the zombies on the other side panicked.
Zombie Ryuma unsheathed his blade and struggled to block the slash, only managing to deflect it after several seconds.
"Not even swordsman level... What a waste! That black blade is wasted, and so is this body."
Badak immediately lost interest. "Bonis, you handle them. Bring back that black blade."
"Yes, boss."
Daz Bones leaped across the gap between the ships and began cutting through the zombies.
Soon, all the zombies, including Zombie Ryuma, were struck down. Yet they were still "alive"—or rather, since they were zombies, they still retained consciousness.At this moment, Robin and the others stepped forward, quickly feeding each zombie a bit of salt. One after another, black shadows were spat out, swiftly disappearing into the distance as they returned to their original owners.
Daz Bones handed Shusui to Badak, who drew the blade with interest, examining it closely.
"The blade features a chaotic reverse T-shaped edge, with a dark purple body and red serrated patterns. One of the 21 Great Grade swords, the prized weapon of the Dragon-Slaying Swordmaster Shimotsuki Ryuma of Wano Country. Excellent—and it's a black blade too. Perfect for me to study how to temper White Iron into a black blade as well."
Badak's Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze scrutinized the sword inch by inch from tip to hilt, while he also employed Observation Haki to probe its composition. He gained some insight, though not much. Swinging it a few times, he found it quite comfortable to wield. He then hung it at his waist alongside White Iron—now wasn't the time for research.
Truthfully, Badak had a concern. He was nearly ten years old but already stood over 180 cm tall. No matter how you looked at it, he was bound to grow into a giant. People grow, but swords don't. Wouldn't that leave him without a suitable sword, forcing him to rely on the Somersault Cloud as a substitute?
How exactly did Zoro wield Enma? His height was less than half of Kozuki Oden's. In theory, a sword perfectly suited for Oden would be unusable in his hands.
"Kishishishishishi..."
"Moria's back. Stay out of this—I want to face him myself."
Badak rushed toward the source of the voice. He couldn't stay on the ship; the real fight would be on land. Robin and the others followed behind, also tracking the sound.
"So tall!"
That was the first impression of those behind him. Standing before Moria, Badak looked like a man facing a devil over two stories high.
"So terrifying!"
Perona, momentarily forgetting to leave her body on the ship, stared uneasily at Moria's fangs and horns.
"Kishishishishishi... So you're the ones who attacked my zombie army?"
Moria's shrill voice carried over. Though he seemed to be laughing, his tone was icy cold.