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In a dark room in a dark castle, a giant with a massive waist was tossing and turning in his sleep, sweat beading on his brow.
"No... don't..."
Moria woke from the nightmare, the same nightmare of that battle, his face twisted in pain and regret.
"To be alive is to lose..."
"It's better to just sit back and let others do the work."
"A good crew is the key to becoming the Pirate King. I'll just have them do it for me."
Moria wiped the sweat from his brow.
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The darkness and fog had little effect on the Empress. Its Haki radar had already locked onto the island's location.
Along the way, they encountered a number of "ghost ships," but no sign of Brook. That guy was another mystery.
Soon, the dark silhouette of an island appeared through the thick fog. The demonic carrier approached quickly.
The image grew clearer.
Collapsed ruins, covered in moss. A dense, withered forest, like a collection of ghosts in the darkness...
Massive iron chains stretched out into the unknown.
"Is this it?" Robin asked, gazing at the island.
"Yep. Thriller Bark."
The carrier docked.
Jin reeled in his line and leaped onto the shore.
The fog was thick and eerie.
The crumbling ruins spoke of a long and storied history.
The demonic carrier suddenly opened its massive maw and sucked in a ghostly figure.
[Soul Crystal +1.]
Farther away, another spirit, startled, drifted into the strange forest.
"Are those... ghosts?" Robin asked, surprised.
"Probably," Jin said thoughtfully. This strange stretch of sea was actually a good place to collect soul crystals.
Due to the environment, the souls of those with strong wills lingered after death, gradually merging with the sea, becoming a kind of "spirit."
There were, in fact, "spirits" in the world of One Piece, like the Klabautermann of the Going Merry... or the Homies of Totto Land.
It was hard to explain scientifically.
Jin looked toward the forest. A rustling sound, and then a group of bandaged zombie soldiers charged out.
Robin crossed her arms, and flower petals bloomed.
"Dos Fleur: Twist!"
Wherever she looked, hands sprouted from the zombie soldiers, twisting their bodies and sending them crashing to the ground. In an instant, they were all defeated.
"They've found us?" Jin smiled. "Time to say hello to Moria."
A golden spark flashed in his eyes, and an invisible aura spread out across the entire island.
Conqueror's Haki.
In that instant, a powerful pressure rolled over the island. The world went silent, and a crushing sense of dread fell over everything.
Even the waves of the nearby sea went still, as flat as a mirror.
The unrestrained wave of Conqueror's Haki washed over the entirety of Thriller Bark.
"What??" Moria looked up, stunned. The pressure was immense. All around him, his zombie servants had collapsed.
"Who is it?" Moria said, his shock turning to anger. How could someone with Conqueror's Haki be here?
This was a clear provocation. He was one of the Seven Warlords, for God's sake. Did this person have no respect?
Moria rushed out of the castle. The path was littered with the bodies of his zombies.
Even the genius surgeon, Hogback, who had created the zombies for him, was out cold, the whites of his eyes showing.
Although the bodies he and Hogback had reanimated were powerful, they were controlled by the shadows of ordinary people.
Against a user of Conqueror's Haki, they had no resistance at all.
Even Perona had been knocked unconscious. She was lying on the ground, motionless.
In an instant, the island had fallen silent.
The ghosts, the zombies, all of them were down.
Moria had been right not to go after Kaido. If he had, he would have been wiped out, with no chance of survival.
When Jin retracted his Haki, the waves of the sea began to churn again. He waited for a moment. The island was silent.
"Not going to welcome your guests?" Jin raised an eyebrow.
"Shall we go in?" Robin asked. She was quite interested. Unlike most girls, she enjoyed this kind of dark, eerie, and terrifying atmosphere.
And the ancient ruins on the island had piqued her curiosity.
"Alright."
Jin and Robin walked toward the towering castle. Their path was clear.
Suddenly—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The ground shook.
A massive figure blocked their path. It was 67 meters tall, ferocious and terrifying, its rough skin a deep red.
Oars the Continent-Puller.
"He's even taller than a giant!" Robin exclaimed.
The giant slammed his fist into the ground, and the earth buckled, a cloud of dust and debris erupting around him.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he boomed.
"He's all yours," Jin said to Robin, stepping aside.
Robin looked up at the giant.
"Cien Fleur: Delphinium!"
A hundred arms sprouted from Oars's body and twisted his upper torso.
But Oars was too strong. He didn't even budge.
He went berserk, swinging his massive arms at Robin.
She leaped back, dodging the attack.
"Cien Fleur: Big Tree!"
Two giant hands sprouted from the ground and grabbed Oars's legs, sending him stumbling to the ground.
"Gigantesco Mano: Spank!"
Another giant hand appeared and slapped Oars across the face.
While they were fighting, Jin walked into the castle. He suddenly spun and kicked, and the wall caved in.
In the shattered wall was a strange man with a lion's jaw.
"Gwah..." he coughed up a mouthful of blood, stunned. This man... he was terrifying. How could he have seen through his invisibility?
"Your sound and your smell... you can't hide those, Absalom," Jin said.
A flying slash came at him.
Jin slapped it aside and turned. It was a zombie general, wrapped in bandages. He wore a blue scarf, and his body was covered in stitches. He was wearing a kimono with the character for "dragon" on the sleeves.
"Yohohoho..." he laughed.
He swung his sword again.
"Aubade Coup Droit!"
The zombie Ryuma, with Brook's shadow.
The two figures passed each other in a blur.
The zombie Ryuma was still standing, but he was now holding only his scabbard. His other hand, and the sword it held, were gone.
"Nice sword," Jin said from behind him, tossing the severed hand aside and picking up the black blade. "I'll be taking this."
One of the 21 Great Grade Swords, Shusui.
A black blade with a red, serrated hamon. A powerful, hard, and incredibly heavy sword.
A samurai who has lost his hand and his sword...
The zombie Ryuma was filled with shame.
He turned to face Jin. "I acknowledge your strength. Please, end my existence here."
"A pity you're just a corpse," Jin said.
Although the zombie Ryuma was controlled by Brook's shadow, it was still influenced by the residual will of the great samurai himself. So much so that Brook couldn't even fully control him.
"The dragon-slaying samurai... you live up to your name," Jin said.
He swung the sword, carving an "X" in the air. The sword-wave cut down the zombie Ryuma, and Brook's shadow flew out.
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