"Reno?!" Hearing that name, Hogback, who was slurping soup, shot up from his chair, panicking: "Are you talking about Reno with the 3 billion bounty?!"
Perona replied without looking back: "It's him, hurry up."
Hogback didn't dare to hesitate, quickly wiped his mouth, and hurried out of the restaurant.
Did Lord Moriah's words come true? He really came.
On the other side.
Deep within the castle's dungeon.
Here, the corpse of the ancient Giant, Oars the Devil, was imprisoned.
It was also Gekko Moria's most anticipated creation.
As long as a strong person's shadow was placed into Oars the Devil's body, he would immediately possess the most ferocious and powerful zombie in the world!
Gekko Moria had been waiting for the day Oars the Devil would revive, for that would be the day he would avenge himself against Kaido.
At that time, he would definitely make Kaido cry out.
Every day, Gekko Moria would fantasize about a beautiful future at this very spot.
"Lord Moriah, Lord Moriah!!!"
Just then, Perona's anxious voice came from outside the door.
Moriah showed no displeasure on his face, only asking in confusion: "Perona, what's got you so flustered? Has another new Pirate Crew broken in?!"
After speaking, he realized something was off; a typical Pirate Crew could be handled by Absalom and his zombie army.
It wouldn't be enough to scare Perona to the point of losing her composure.
Perona floated in front of Moriah, holding her little umbrella, and said frantically: "Lord Moriah, Reno is here, and he means trouble."
"I... I didn't dare to attack him."
Perona stammered, admitting she was indeed scared by Reno.
She was even more afraid that Reno would harshly spank her.
Moriah froze, then revealed his sharp teeth and burst into laughter: "Kishishishishi... I wondered what it was, he's welcome!!!"
"My Oars the Devil has been sleeping here for so long, finally waiting for his '933' shadow."
If Reno had earned his 3 billion bounty by defeating a Yonko or an Admiral, he truly wouldn't dare to attack Reno.
But Reno had only destroyed Judicial Island, so it seemed today he could only accept the opponent's shadow with a smile.
"Perona, where is Reno now?!" Moriah's voice was urgent.
"At their speed, they'll reach the castle in less than ten minutes. I've already informed Hogback to gather the zombie army."
"Good!!!"
"Once I capture Reno and create the strongest zombie, I'll make sure those guys out there know that I am the strongest Shichibukai!!"
Gekko Moria looked smug, already imagining the scene of Kaido under his foot.
When Reno arrived at the castle gate with the women, all the zombie army had already assembled.
Standing at the very front was none other than the pot-bellied, corpulent Gekko Moria.
To his left, Hogback, one of the Three Eccentrics.
To his right, Ghost Princess Perona, also one of the Three Eccentrics.
"Hmm? Where's Absalom??" Gekko Moria frowned, scanning his surroundings.
Such an important matter, had Absalom not heard a thing?!
"Absalom, stop using your invisibility! Come out now!!" Gekko Moria shouted to both sides.
But... no one responded.
"Gekko Moria, stop shouting. Absalom is already dead," Reno said calmly, staring at Moriah.
"What did you say?!" Gekko Moria's face changed drastically, and he roared through gritted teeth: "You killed Absalom?!"
"Hogback, Perona, have you seen Absalom?!" Gekko Moria looked at the two with a last shred of hope.
Hogback and Perona exchanged glances, then both shook their heads.
Gekko Moria's heart sank, and he was instantly consumed by rage.
His Three Eccentrics were like his family.
Reno actually killed Absalom?!
This was beyond endurance!
Gekko Moria bared his fangs and said grimly: "Zombie Legion, attack!!!"
Roar!!!
Roar!!!
Roar!!!
All the zombies, receiving the command, simultaneously let out furious roars and charged towards Reno and the women, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws.
"Robin, Kalifa, Doll, take them down!!"
"Understood!!"
"Yes, Captain!!"
"..."
The three women flashed forward, directly plunging into the zombie horde as if entering an uninhabited land.
Their every punch and kick were deadly blows to these weak zombies.
"Sound Soul Explosion!!"
"Thirty-Flower Bloom: Gigantesco Mano!!"
"Rankyaku!!"
As the three unleashed their killing moves, the zombie horde visibly diminished, offering no resistance whatsoever.
Moriah's face trembled with anger; his zombie army, which he had spent so many years creating, had dwindled by a tenth in no time at all!!
Furious, Moriah turned to look at Ryuma beside him.
The former Dragon-Slaying Samurai.
He was also the strongest zombie Moriah had created, besides Oars the Devil.
"Ryuma, go kill them!!!"
Clang!!
The black blade shuusui was unsheathed instantly, Ryuma's eyes flashed, and he quickly charged towards Robin and the other two.
Although Brook's shadow was inserted into Ryuma's body, due to his immense strength in life, the zombie Ryuma's displayed power far surpassed Brook's.
The moment Ryuma made his move, Brook, who was behind, immediately became excited.
To reclaim his shadow, he had challenged Ryuma numerous times, but unfortunately, each time ended in failure.
Whether he could reclaim his shadow depended on this moment.
Ryuma's speed was very fast, and in the blink of an eye, he was about to rush into the battlefield of the others.
In a flash of lightning, a long sword suddenly appeared, cutting across Ryuma's path.
Tashigi, holding Wado Ichimonji, stared intensely at Shuusui in Ryuma's hand.
It was not only one of the twenty-one great grade swords but also a black blade.
It was even slightly superior to her Wado Ichimonji.
Such a sword could only shine in her hands.
"Your sword, I want it!!" Tashigi raised her sword and pointed it at Ryuma from a distance, her aura suddenly changing!
Ryuma said nothing, swung his sword, and charged forward!!
Tashigi was not to be outdone, meeting him with her sword!!
The great battle was about to erupt!
"Kishishishishi... Reno, I've already seen your bounty poster. Let me see how much value there is in your 3 billion bounty!!" Gekko Moria's face was cold and disdainful; he didn't put Reno in his eyes at all.
Reno shook his head, looked at Nami beside him, "Your opponent isn't me, it's her."
"Nami, go."
"I'll take care of him right away," Nami said proudly, raising an eyebrow at Reno.
Boom boom boom
Boom boom boom!
In the sky, sudden claps of thunder roared.
"Gekko Moria, watch how I deal with you!"
"Falling Thunder!!!" Nami pressed her right hand down, striking in a rage.
Thunderbolts as thick as bowls crashed down, continuously striking Gekko Moria.
"Hee hee hee hee, deal with me?! You'll have to see if you're even worthy!"
"Shadow Spear!!!"
Gekko Moria was almost laughing from anger.
A mere navigator from the Reno Pirates dared to speak so arrogantly.
His shadow instantly transformed into a jet-black long spear, shooting towards Nami in the sky at an extremely fast speed.
"I thought you were more impressive," Nami pouted.
A crisp snap of her fingers.
Boom!!!
A massive thunderbolt violently struck down, directly shattering the Shadow Spear.
"What?! How is this possible?!" Gekko Moria's eyes widened in disbelief.
Having been lying dormant in Florian Triangle for ten years, he still thought his strength was the same as it was a decade ago.
"I don't believe it, Fragment Bats!!!" Gekko Moria roared, unleashing another killing move.
The shattered Shadow Spear transformed into countless black bats, flapping their wings and baring sharp fangs, tearing towards Nami in the sky.
"Child's play!"
"Cloud Cone Pierce!!!"
Nami clenched her right fist, and numerous triangular spikes, compressed to their limit, materialized out of thin air, with pure Armament Haki instantly clinging to them.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
With bursts of whooshing sounds, the cloud cones shot out, impaling all the incoming bats through their cores, completely annihilating them.
"Damn it, what kind of joke is this!!!" Moriah suddenly looked up, letting out a hysterical roar.
Reno was one thing, but a navigator, how could she block his attacks?!
He was a man who had challenged Yonko Kaido; how could he possibly lose to an unknown woman?!
Moriah couldn't accept it, and he wouldn't accept it.
"Unforgivable, unforgivable!!!"
The thoroughly enraged Gekko Moria let out a beast-like growl, and a giant shadow puppet separated from his body, rushing towards Nami like a ghost.
"shadow puppet! Kill her for me!"
Nami shook her head in disinterest, launching another counterattack.
Reno glanced at their fight, then moved his gaze away, losing interest.
Gekko Moria still hadn't recognized reality, still thinking he was the same as he was ten years ago.
After so many years of decadence, he couldn't even use two types of Haki, only indulging in idealized fantasies every day.
And he still wanted revenge on Kaido?!
Let's just say, Beasts Pirates' Fifth Emperor, Bat-Man, for your information.
"Lord Moriah, you can do it, defeat her!!!"
"Lord Moriah, hit her, hit her!!!"
"shadow puppet, go!"
"..."
Perona, floating in the air with puffed cheeks, was fully focused on cheering for Moriah.
In her eyes, Lord Gekko Moria was the strongest and would definitely defeat all enemies to achieve ultimate victory.
"Do you think Gekko Moria will win?!"
"Of course, Lord Moriah is the most amazing," Perona answered subconsciously.
The next second, her eyes suddenly widened, and she turned her head to meet Reno's deadly gaze.
"Ah!!!!" In her panic, Perona lost her grip on her umbrella, and it fell to the ground.
Perona didn't care about anything else and immediately prepared to fly away.
Fly? Why couldn't she fly?
She glanced back and saw that her pigtails had been caught by Reno at some point.
Reno stared at Perona, a slight smirk playing on his lips, and gently pulled her back.
"Ah!!!! No, no... don't pull my hair, don't pull my hair!!!"
Perona's eyes welled up with tears from the pain.
"Are you still going to run?!" Reno looked at her with a smile.
It had to be said, Oda's character creation was truly brilliant.
Every beautiful woman brought him a different sense of novelty.
The same hairstyle, on other beautiful women, would definitely not have the same feeling as Perona.
Was it due to a preconceived notion?
"You... you big scoundrel!!! When Lord Moriah defeats that woman, he definitely won't let you off!" Perona glared fiercely at Reno.
"You... you just wait!"
Reno shook his head speechlessly at Perona's utterly unthreatening harsh words.
The situation was already so clear.
Doll, Robin, and Kalifa charged into the zombie army, completely crushing them. Wherever the three women went, zombies fell in swathes, like wheat being harvested.
Tashigi had also gained the upper hand in her battle with Ryuma, and victory was only a matter of time.
As for Nami and Moriah...
Reno looked at Perona, who was staring intently at him, and raised an eyebrow upwards.
Perona instinctively looked up.
She saw Moriah, completely charred, clearly having been struck hard by lightning.
"Lord Moriah!!!" Perona's pupils contracted, and she cried out anxiously.
She wanted to go support Moriah, but Reno's large hand was firmly gripping her pigtails, preventing her from escaping.
"Let go of me, you scoundrel! I'm going to save Lord Moriah!"
"You quickly let go of me... Waaah waaah waaah... You scoundrels, don't hurt Lord Moriah."
With no hope of rescue, Perona broke down in tears, looking at Moriah with a pained expression.
"Cough cough cough," The injured Moriah clutched his chest, casually wiping away the blood from the corner of his mouth, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes.
He couldn't lose, absolutely couldn't lose!
Absalom was already dead; Perona and Hogback absolutely couldn't die!
Even if it cost him his life, he would make sure the two of them escaped!
"Reno! I'll fight you all to the death!!!" Gekko Moria's eyes were bloodshot, letting out an unyielding roar, "Shadows Asgard!!!"
Accompanied by a furious roar, the shadows beneath Gekko Moria's feet rapidly shot out black lines in all directions.
Wherever they went, the shadows attached to all the zombies seemed to be pulled, completely detaching from their original bodies and simultaneously converging into Gekko Moria's body.
This move was Gekko Moria's strongest technique developed from his Devil Fruit Ability.
Through his Devil Fruit Ability, he could absorb all shadows into his body.
The more shadows he absorbed, the stronger he would become.
In the original story, Gekko Moria absorbed the shadows of 1000 people, but unfortunately, without strong mental support, and coupled with Gekko Moria's decade of decadence and greatly diminished strength, he suffered a backlash after absorbing too many shadows.
As Moriah absorbed more and more shadows into his body, his physique and the aura within him surged at a visible rate.
Even Vivi, Kaya, and others in the distance could clearly sense this powerful aura.
However...
Reno glanced indifferently, a cold sneer playing on his lips.
Shadows Asgard, unlike other killing moves, had too long of a wind-up.
"Heh heh heh... Gekko Moria, you wouldn't think I'd wait for you to finish absorbing, would you?!"
While Nami pouted, her movements were not slow at all.
Reno had once told her that in battle, she must never give the enemy a moment's respite.
"Ten Thousand Thunders: Heavenly Pull!!!"
Accompanied by a crisp, cold shout, thunderclouds rolled, and the sky-filling lightning, like divine punishment, descended from above.
Boom boom boom!!
Boom boom boom!!!
The lightning surged, and a silver ocean instantly enveloped Gekko Moria.
"Ah!!!"
Shadows Asgard was directly interrupted, Gekko Moria's mouth wide open, all the shadows he had just swallowed spewing out.
Terrifying electric arcs, like venomous snakes, frantically weaved around his body, even surging into his internal organs, frantically destroying his bodily functions.
Intense pain instantly swept through his entire body, and Moriah writhed in agony on the ground.
Rumble rumble!!
Rumble rumble!!
The ground was repeatedly struck, leaving charred marks.
Moriah's screams grew fainter and fainter until the sky-filling lightning ceased, leaving his body covered in torn flesh, a gruesome sight.
The ground, moreover, was covered with scattered bloodstains.
"Ah!!"
Moriah lay spread-eagled on the ground, his body twitching uncontrollably.
Though not dead, he was severely wounded!
At this moment, Gekko Moria no longer had any combat capability; the residual Thunder Power within him was destroying his internal organs every minute, every second, causing him immense pain, making even breathing a luxury.
"Lo-Lord Moriah!"
Seeing this scene, Perona, whose pigtails were still being held by Reno, burst into tears.
"You... you scoundrel, quickly let go of me! I'm going to save Lord Moriah!"
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