By the time Bardock and his crew arrived at Troia Island, the sun hadn't even begun to peek over the horizon.
It made sense; rather than sailing normally, Bardock had simply summoned the Flying Nimbus to lift the massive White Dragon out of the water, flying them straight there through the night sky.
Standing on the deck, Robin looked out at the distant lights of the port town. "Troia Island isn't exactly small, Bardock. How do you plan on finding Moria?"
"That is a pretty tricky problem," Bardock admitted, rubbing his chin. "There aren't any ships flying Jolly Rogers in the port. And honestly, an infamous pirate like Gecko Moria wouldn't just lower his flag and hide in plain sight. Did he dock at a different port?"
Bardock activated his Fiery Golden Eyes, his irises flashing as he meticulously scanned every single ship in the harbor. None of them matched the description or vibe of a Warlord's vessel.
"Most experienced veteran pirates won't drop anchor at an official port," Daz Bonez chimed in, his arms crossed. "They'll find a hidden natural cove or a deserted stretch of coastline to dock. We don't know the exact location, but if you fly us around the perimeter of the island, Boss, I'm sure we'll spot him."
"Good idea. Let's do that," Bardock agreed. "Robin, take the helm. I need to make some preparations and recover my stamina. The guy we're about to face has a bounty of 320,000,000 Berries. I can't afford to be careless."
As Robin steered the flying galleon around the island's coastline, Bardock sat cross-legged on the deck and began rapidly inhaling a massive pile of food. Having fully mastered Seimei Kikan (Life Return), the moment the food hit his stomach, he instantly commanded his body to digest it, turning the calories directly into raw energy while keeping his stomach completely flat. Between massive bites, his glowing eyes constantly scanned the dark shores below.
"Hey, Bardock... are we really going to fight Gecko Moria?" Perona asked, hovering nervously nearby.
Growing up in the West Blue, she had heard all the terrifying legends about Moria. Rumor had it he was a towering demon with blue skin, giant horns, and razor-sharp fangs who ate children in a single bite. Just thinking about it made her tremble. "He's a massive, world-famous pirate! Do we really need to provoke a monster like that?"
"Relax, Perona. I'm incredibly strong too!" Bardock grinned, tossing a chicken bone aside. "Besides, I've got all of you backing me up. Moria lost his entire crew in the New World. Right now, he's just a lone wolf. There's nothing to be afraid of."
He paused, remembering something crucial. "Oh, by the way. The zombies Moria creates are pretty annoying because they don't feel pain and won't die from normal attacks. But their fatal weaknesses are fire and salt. Make sure you all grab some salt from the kitchen before we head down."
"Salt? Understood," Robin nodded.
"O-Okay..." Perona muttered. She was still terrified, but knowing she was surrounded by strong crewmates gave her a bit of courage. She decided she wasn't going to back down. 'Actually,' she schemed internally, 'I can just leave my physical body safely on the ship and project my astral form to go with them! I'll just leave a few Negative Hollows behind to guard my body!'
"Stop! I found it!" Bardock suddenly pointed downward. "That should be his ship. Robin, get a visual! We're moving in!"
Docked in a completely desolate, rocky cove far away from human civilization sat a massive, eerie-looking pirate ship.
Robin crossed her arms, using her Flower-Flower Fruit to sprout eyes on the ship's mast. "Yes, that's definitely it. However, Moria isn't currently on board. The deck is swarming with those zombies you mentioned."
"Perfect. Then we'll loot his treasure vault first and wait for him to get back," Bardock decided instantly.
The White Dragon descended, gently settling onto the water right next to Moria's ship. This vessel clearly wasn't the colossal Thriller Bark island-ship he would use in the future; it was likely just a temporary transport ship he was using to navigate the West Blue.
The moment the White Dragon pulled up, the zombies guarding the deck immediately noticed them. The undead crew gathered at the railing, causing a chaotic, noisy ruckus.
"A ship! Another ship is approaching!" "Are they enemies?!" "Dammit! Why did they have to show up when the Master isn't here?!" "Capture them! When the Master gets back, he'll be thrilled to have fresh test subjects!" "Ooh, are we getting new shadow recruits? A bunch of our shadows suddenly vanished a few days ago!" "Out of the way! Move!"
A distinct, commanding voice cut through the undead chatter. The ordinary zombies frantically parted, making way for a very specific figure.
Seeing the zombie that stepped up to the railing, Bardock's eyes lit up.
It was Shimotsuki Ryuma!
Bardock was genuinely surprised. From what he remembered, Ryuma's corpse wasn't properly animated until Dr. Hogback modified it and Moria shoved Brook's shadow into it years later. To see him active this early in the timeline was completely unexpected. 'Hogback hasn't even joined Moria's crew yet. This version of Ryuma must be an unfinished, prototype product using some random swordsman's shadow,' Bardock deduced.
Schwing!
Without a word of warning, Bardock drew his sword, White Iron, and casually flicked his wrist, launching a sharp flying slash across the gap between the ships.
It was merely a probing attack, but the mob of zombies shrieked in terror as the compressed air blade hurtled toward them.
Zombie Ryuma stepped forward, drawing his legendary black blade, and swung hard to intercept the attack. Their blades clashed, but Ryuma visibly struggled. His undead boots skidded backward across the deck, taking him several grueling seconds to finally deflect the flying slash into the sky.
"He isn't even at the Master Swordsman level yet," Bardock sighed, instantly losing all interest. "What a waste. He's wasting that Black Blade, and he's completely wasting that legendary body."
He sheathed White Iron and glanced at his bounty hunter. "Bonez. Clean them up. And bring me that black sword."
"Yes, Boss."
Daz Bonez leaped effortlessly across the gap, landing on the enemy deck, and immediately began a one-sided slaughter.
In a matter of minutes, he had diced every single zombie on board into pieces, including the prototype Ryuma. However, because they were animated by Moria's Devil Fruit, the severed zombie pieces were still squirming and conscious, technically still "alive."
Robin and the others quickly boarded the ship. Following Bardock's instructions, they tossed a handful of coarse sea salt into the mouths of the squirming zombie heads. Instantly, dozens of pitch-black shadows erupted from their mouths, shooting off into the horizon to return to their original owners.
Having finished the cleanup, Daz Bonez walked over and handed the legendary katana to Bardock.
Bardock eagerly drew the blade from its sheath, examining it closely under the moonlight. "A black-purple blade, adorned with a crimson, zigzagging Hamon (temper line). One of the 21 Great Grade Swords. The treasured blade of the legendary 'Sword God' of Wano, Shimotsuki Ryuma... Shusui. What an absolute beauty."
He used his Fiery Golden Eyes and Observation Haki to inspect the blade at a microscopic level, trying to discern the exact structural changes that occurred when a sword was permanently forged into a 'Black Blade' via Armament Haki. He gained a few minor insights, but it wasn't enough for him to replicate the process on White Iron just yet.
After taking a few practice swings and finding it incredibly well-balanced, Bardock securely strapped Shusui to his waist right next to White Iron. Now wasn't the time for scientific research.
As he adjusted the scabbard, a random, bizarre worry crossed his mind. 'I'm not even ten years old yet, and I'm already over 180 cm (5'11") tall. I'm definitely going to grow into an absolute giant. But swords don't grow with you. Am I going to outgrow all these legendary blades and be forced to just use the Flying Nimbus as a bo staff?'
He couldn't help but wonder how Roronoa Zoro managed to use Enma so perfectly, considering Kozuki Oden was nearly twice Zoro's height. By all logic, a sword perfectly sized for Oden should have been an unwieldy greatsword in Zoro's hands.
"Kishishishishishi...!"
A chilling, bizarre laugh suddenly echoed from the dense forest near the cove.
"Moria's back," Bardock said, his eyes narrowing. "Everyone, stand back and do not interfere. I'm taking him one-on-one."
Bardock leaped off the ship and sprinted toward the tree line, preferring to fight on solid ground rather than a cramped deck. Robin, Bonez, Perona, and the dwarves quickly followed behind to watch.
When they finally broke through the trees and found the source of the laughter, they stopped in their tracks.
"He's... he's so tall!" was the collective thought running through the crew's minds.
Standing right in front of the Warlord-to-be, Bardock looked like a completely normal kid standing at the foot of a demonic two-story building. Moria was an absolute giant, standing at nearly seven meters tall, with deathly pale skin, stitches across his throat, and a massive, disproportionate body.
"H-He's terrifying!" Perona squeaked. In her rush to follow the group, she had completely forgotten to leave her physical body on the ship! Staring up at Moria's demonic horns and jagged, razor-sharp fangs, she felt a profound sense of dread.
"Kishishishishishi..." Moria looked down at the boy standing in his path. His laugh was high-pitched and grating, but his tone was incredibly dark and filled with killing intent. "Are you the little brats who just ruined my zombie army?"