Sanji flicked his foot. "Enough talk. Look down on the Straw Hats' cook, and you'll be in for a world of pain!"
Gurgle, gurgle!
Captain John paid him no mind, even taking another swig of his sake.
"But you're the ones at a disadvantage now."
With Nika—their enormous fighting force—out of commission, the remaining zombie generals and the horde of ordinary zombies began closing in on Brook and the arrived group of Vivi, Robin, Usopp, and Chopper.
The roars, the clashes of blades, the howls of zombies, and the crash of collapsing buildings from every corner of the battlefield plunged all of Thriller Bark into chaos.
"They've already started fighting?"
Luffy, with Nami on his shoulder and little Merry at his side, was heading toward the source of the biggest commotion. But he soon found himself face-to-face with a group of zombies with a very unique aesthetic.
An animal zombie army made up of cute little creatures!
There was a fluffy panda zombie with fierce eyes, a koala zombie who had been napping against a tree trunk before being dragged out, and a boxing kangaroo zombie hopping around.
This army was furiously chasing after another group.
The remnants of the Rolling Pirates, led by Lola.
There were still living people here?
That was quite something.
"Moria-sama's orders—catch them!"
A spoiled, slightly childish voice came from behind the animal zombies. A young girl in Gothic Lolita attire, carrying a parasol, floated in the air. It was Perona, the Ghost Princess—one of the Three Freaks.
This was the full counteroffensive of the zombie army.
Perona was relaxed.
As long as she didn't run into that Straw Hat brat who could punch her physical ghosts, she was invincible!
She had even brought out all her animal zombies. This collection was her private menagerie, living in a place called Perona's Wonder Garden. Aside from Perona herself, no one else seemed to appreciate this bizarre, cutesy aesthetic.
"Get out of my way!"
Luffy watched the charging animal zombies without so much as a frown. He simply focused his gaze.
HUM—
An invisible wave of Haoshoku Haki rippled outward like a shockwave!
The animal zombies, which had been bearing their fangs moments before, suddenly froze like ducks with their necks wrung. The ferocity in their eyes was replaced by terror. Many lost consciousness on the spot. Those still standing scattered in panic, leaving behind a mess and the dumbfounded members of the Rolling Pirates.
"EH?! My zoo!"
Perona was dumbstruck at the sight of her subordinates fleeing in an instant.
And when she realized who the newcomer was, she nearly fainted from sheer terror!
She had personally witnessed this Straw Hat brat punch her prized Negative Hollow into oblivion.
"S-Straw Hat!" Perona's voice cracked. Her legs went weak, she couldn't even float steadily, and tears welled up in her eyes.
"She's crying already?" Luffy hadn't even done anything.
The Rolling Pirates immediately pointed her out. "Straw Hat, she's one of Moria's subordinates!"
"One of Moria's men?!" Then she could definitely lead him to Moria. Luffy dashed toward her.
"KYAA!"
Seeing Luffy approach, Perona let out a shrill wail, as if she had just laid eyes on the most terrifying monster in the world.
"Moria-sama, save me!"
"Hey, the only one who can save you right now is yourself. Take me to Moria—"
Before Luffy could finish, Perona's eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.
"Luffy, what did you do to a girl?" Nami couldn't help asking.
Luffy spread his hands innocently. "I just wanted her to take us to Moria."
Just then, an ear-splitting roar echoed from nearby, accompanied by the ground-shaking sound of destruction!
"Sake! Meat! Give me everything!"
Luffy and the others looked up. Emerging from the thick fog, an enormous shadow slowly rose to its feet.
It was a red-skinned giant, nearly seventy meters tall!
Two large horns jutted from its head, golden hair flowed from the back of its skull, and sharp fangs curled from its lips. It looked around groggily, radiating a primal, savage presence.
"What kind of monster is that?!" Nami cried out.
It was even bigger than Nika. But having seen Luffy's giant form, Nami found it still within the realm of acceptability.
When it came to sheer size, no one could beat Luffy.
That was Nami's official certification.
"That's Moria's super zombie—Oars, the ancient giant corpse."
A sturdy woman with thick lips stepped out from the shadows nearby. She looked at the giant with complicated emotions, then glanced at the boar zombie beside Nami. Her voice was heavy. "Judging by his state, he's already received a powerful shadow. He's been awakened."
"Who are you?" Luffy asked. He could easily connect this woman to the boar bride next to Nami.
"I'm the captain of the Rolling Pirates—Lola the Proposer!"
Lola introduced herself out of habit, then said to Luffy without a second thought, "Mighty warrior! Please marry me!"
"No."
Luffy refused without hesitation—not even a second of doubt.
Nami was stunned. She instinctively stepped in front of Luffy and shouted at Lola, "Hey! What's wrong with you?! Why are you suddenly proposing again?!"
What was this terrible sense of déjà vu? This had definitely happened before.
Seeing Nami's instinctive, possessive reaction, Lola's eyes lit up with understanding and a hint of envy. She grinned. "I get it, I get it! My apologies, beautiful lady. I wish you both happiness!"
Nami's cheeks flushed bright red in an instant. "You're just like the other Lola!"
"Because I am Lola."
Lola stood up, staring at the boar zombie. Her gaze carried a trace of bitterness. "My name is Lola. I can feel that she has my shadow."
A shadow?
So they were all victims of Moria.
Luffy looked at this group and asked, "So what exactly are you trying to do?"
"We're here to give you power!"
Lola said seriously. "Luffy-san, you're planning to defeat Moria and that giant, aren't you?"
"That's right."
Luffy grinned, brimming with confidence. "I don't need you to give me anything. I could take both of those guys at once."
What a... what a confident man!
Just then, from the rooftop closest to Oars, Moria let out a proud, shrill laugh:
"Kishishishi! Finally complete—my ultimate zombie, Oars! Look this way, my zombie weapon. From now on, I am your master. Obey my commands, defeat my enemies, and help me become the Pirate King!"
Oars, the Devil. Nicknamed the "Country Puller."
Legend had it that in life, after conquering a country, he would carry the entire island back to his territory.
Five hundred years ago, he was a legend villain of the highest order.
He had frozen to death while attacking Ice Country. His corpse was discovered by Gecko Moria and had been preserved in a secret freezer ever since.
From this moment on, with Nika's shadow, he would see the light of day once more!
Moria would ensure that Oars saw only one sun in his heart—Moria himself!
"Oars, let me into your cockpit," Moria said.
"Yes, boss."
The power of the Kage Kage no Mi made Oars obey Moria's every command. Obediently, Oars reached out, scooped up Moria, and placed him inside the custom cockpit that Hogback had built within his body.
This allowed for easier control while preventing the enemy from capturing the leader first.
Moria was thrilled.
He felt the throne of the Pirate King was within his grasp. "Test your strength, Oars!"
"OOOH!"
Oars punched his own castle.
CRASH!
A fist larger than a house came down. The sturdy castle wall instantly shattered, leaving a gaping hole. Rubble, bricks, furniture, and zombies burst out like fireworks.
"Excellent, excellent! This power is incredible!"
Moria laughed like a gleeful child inside the cockpit. "Now, try using your ability!"
"What is that? A zombie?"
"We're on your side! We're allies! Don't hit here!"
"A monster!"
The surviving zombies fled, cursing. But when they looked back, they witnessed something even more astonishing!
Oars leaped into the air and stretched his arm.
Like rubber, he punched the ground!
BOOM!!
The ground cracked. The shockwave sent everyone stumbling.
"Luffy! Isn't that your power?!" Nami exclaimed. "Did Moria steal your shadow?"
Luffy looked down at his feet. "My shadow's still here."
According to Brook's explanation, shadows carried their owner's personality and abilities.
Since his shadow was still there, that meant—
"It must be Nika's. That guy really isn't careful—letting his shadow get stolen."
The members of the Rolling Pirates: "???"
Is this really the time to be excited?
Luffy was very excited. Seeing a giant use a rubber-like stretching ability didn't scare him—it only made him more eager. "A giant using that kind of ability? That's cheating!"
Those are literally your moves!
Merry pointed ahead. "Luffy, Vivi and Robin are over there."
"Then we can't let that guy run wild." Just as Luffy was about to move, Lola and her crew quickly stopped him and explained.
About the power boost from shadows.
Lola's words caught Luffy's interest.
They explained that they had collected many of the shadows Moria had stolen. Using a special method, they could temporarily stuff these shadows into a living person's body, stacking their combat power!
But the recipient needed a strong will and a powerful physique.
And Luffy was, without a doubt, the perfect candidate!
They wanted Luffy to defeat Moria and reclaim everyone's shadows.
"Stack combat power?" Luffy had never heard of such a thing.
"Yes. One person's power is limited, but the power of shadows is limitless! In theory, stacking shadows together makes you invincible!"
"Sounds interesting. I want to know how strong I'll be with stacked shadows."
Luffy said, "Come on. Bring out all the shadows!"
***
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