"Good. As long as you understand, that's enough," Jin said with a nod.
Having a kind heart wasn't a bad thing—but kindness also depended on who it was given to.
If shown to the wrong person, it could easily end up hurting oneself instead.
That Chopper was able to realize this now was for the best.
"And you three," Jin added, glancing at the others,
"you've learned not to trust strangers so easily now, right?"
"Sorry…"
"There's no need to apologize to me," Jin said calmly.
"As long as this incident helps you remember the lesson."
"…Mm."
The three nodded seriously.
This experience had truly taught them something.
Some people looked gentle and harmless—but in truth, they were anything but.
"Then…"
Jin shifted his gaze toward the terrified murals.
"It's time to deal with these guys. They're getting a bit noisy."
He raised both hands.
"Fire Release — Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
A barrage of fireballs shot from Jin's mouth, striking the murals with pinpoint accuracy and igniting them instantly!
"AAAAH!!"
Shrill screams echoed through the hall.
The mural zombies struggled violently, trying to tear themselves free to extinguish the flames—but their very structure made escape impossible.
In the end, they could only be burned down to ash.
"Impossible…"
Puchichak stared in disbelief.
The long-nosed man using gunpowder was one thing—but this man was creating fire out of nothing?!
Just who was he?!
"What… what are you…?"
Jin ignored him and turned to his companions.
"Let's go. We'll find Luffy and the others."
"Yeah!"
"Hey! Don't ignore me!!" Puchichak roared furiously.
"Did you forget I'm still here?!"
"I'm Captain Puchichak—the commander of the mural zombies!"
Hearing this, the carpet bear lying on the ground pretending to be dead didn't dare move a muscle.
Captain, please stop talking…!
If that monster got angry and burned the whole place down, he'd die too!
"Commander?" Jin glanced at Puchichak.
"You?"
"What about me?!"
"…Can you even move?"
Puchichak fell silent.
His entire body was embedded into a display frame—only his pig head and arms were exposed.
Aside from flailing his hands, he couldn't do a thing.
Seeing this, Jin lost interest entirely.
"Luffy and the others should be landing by now," Jin said.
"Let's go meet them."
"The fighting can wait until we regroup."
Nami and Merry had spent nearly half an hour bathing—more than enough time for the others to reach shore.
The only question was whether his clone had already found them.
"Then hurry up. This place smells awful," Nami said with disgust.
The stench from the burned zombies was indescribable—she seriously suspected it might be toxic.
"…Feels like we washed for nothing," Merry muttered, looking at the ash on her arm.
"That can wait until later," Nami said gently, brushing the ash off her.
"Alright, let's—"
Before she could finish, a familiar laugh echoed through the hall.
"Yohohoho~"
"You've certainly made quite a mess here."
"Who's there?!"
They all looked up—
and saw a samurai zombie stepping out from the stairway.
"Ah!"
"Ryuma!"
Puchichak's face lit up with excitement, as if he'd seen a savior.
"Ryuma! These bastards burned all our companions to death!"
"Don't let them get away with it!"
The mural unit had never suffered losses like this.
Usually, intruders only screamed—they never fought back.
But this time…
"Yohohoho~ leave it to me," Ryuma said calmly.
"Who are you?" Jin asked.
"As for me…" Ryuma replied politely,
"I'm merely an ordinary swordsman."
His modest tone surprised Jin—this was nothing like the arrogant zombies they'd met so far.
"Heh heh, you're finished now!" Puchichak sneered.
"Ryuma is a swordmaster from Wano Country—a warrior who once slew a dragon with his own blade!"
"You have no chance of surviving!"
His arrogance was absolute, as if Ryuma's presence guaranteed victory.
"Slayed… a dragon?" Usopp gasped.
"H-hey, is that for real?!"
A swordsman who killed a dragon?
Wouldn't that make him even stronger than Zoro?!
"More importantly…" Nami swallowed nervously,
"why does his laugh sound exactly like Brook's…?"
"Don't tell me—"
"He's Brook's shadow zombie!"
The realization made her eyes light up.
If they defeated him, wouldn't that mean they could avoid fighting a Shichibukai altogether?
"That's quite the coincidence," Jin grinned.
"Brook's shadow came to us all on its own."
Usopp got excited.
"Jin, take him down! Then we won't have to face the Shichibukai!"
"Even if we beat him, we'll still face the Shichibukai," Jin replied without turning around.
"Give up that fantasy."
"Don't forget Hogback. Do you really think Chopper will let him go?"
"Never!" Chopper said fiercely.
"I'll never forgive that man!"
Usopp: "..."
Yeah… there was no escaping it after all.
"Yohohoho~ such sharp confidence," Ryuma said as he descended the stairs gracefully.
"You really picked up Brook's habits."
"Yohohoho~ the afro skeleton?" Ryuma laughed.
"Perhaps there are some similarities."
Jin narrowed his eyes.
Strange…
He doesn't seem to know Brook very well.
The shadow clearly came from Brook—but his understanding felt incomplete.
Did shadows gradually lose memories after leaving their owners?
That was something even Lola's group hadn't known.
Click.
Ryuma stepped onto the floor and looked straight at Jin.
"You're from Wano Country as well?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Ninjas are unique to Wano."
"Eh?!" Puchichak stared in shock.
"You're from Wano too?!"
If that was true… didn't that mean this man might rival Ryuma himself?!
Cold sweat poured down his face.
Jin ignored him and replied calmly:
"Sorry. I'm not a ninja from Wano."
"Instead… since you're from there, could you tell me about Wano Country?"
He'd heard that name far too many times not to be curious.
"…So you aren't," Ryuma murmured, momentarily confused.
In his understanding, only Wano had ninjas.
After a pause, he said slowly:
"That's a pity…"
"You won't talk about it?"
"It's not that I won't," Ryuma replied.
"It's simply that I remember very little."
"But you said you're from Wano," Usopp said.
"Yohohoho~ indeed," Ryuma laughed.
"I was once the dragon-slaying swordsman of Wano. But I am already dead."
"The one standing here now… can be said to be him—or not him."
The memories remaining in his mind were fragmentary at best.
He didn't dwell on it.
Placing his hand on Shusui at his waist, Ryuma said:
"Enough talk. Please accompany me."
In the next instant—
he vanished.
Nami's pupils shrank.
He disappeared?!
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out as two weapons collided in front of Jin.
"Yohohoho~ as expected of a powerful ninja."
"You're not bad yourself, Dragon-Slaying Swordsman," Jin grinned.
"That strength… impressive."
"Nami—take them and find Luffy."
"Got it!"
Without hesitation, Nami grabbed Merry and dashed for the exit.
Usopp and Chopper followed immediately—they knew staying would only get in the way.
Someone who could vanish in an instant was far beyond them.
Ryuma didn't stop them.
Once Jin was dealt with, the rest would be trivial.
"Facing a ninja truly makes my blood boil~" Ryuma laughed.
"Though sadly, I'm a mummy and have no blood!"
"Yohohoho~"
"Classic terrible joke," Jin replied dryly.
His eyes flicked to Ryuma's blade.
"That sword of yours looks pretty good."
"Oh? Got your eye on it?"
"My partner's missing a blade," Jin grinned.
"Yours will do nicely. How about handing it over?"
"That won't do," Ryuma said politely.
"This is one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords—Shusui."
"It was my weapon in life."
"I have no intention of giving it up."
Unless—
he was defeated.
"Then I'll just take it!"
Jin lunged forward with a punch.
Ryuma instantly retreated, narrowly avoiding it.
Their eyes met—
then they clashed again, steel ringing furiously.
With the Sharingan's terrifying perception, Jin blocked every single strike!
"So this is the power of a swordmaster—now this is exciting!"
Jin's face lit up with battle hunger.
"Yohohoho~ seems my skills disappoint you," Ryuma said.
"Then try this!"
"Barrel Waltz — Backstep!"
Shusui thrust forward at blinding speed—like dozens of blades attacking at once.
Yet the Sharingan instantly saw through it.
Clang!
"Yohohoho~ you saw through it?" Ryuma stared at Jin's eyes.
"Is it because of those eyes?"
Crimson pupils… spinning tomoe.
He had never seen eyes like these before.
A Devil Fruit?
Or some rare bloodline?
"Before these eyes," Jin said calmly,
"no secret can hide."
He disengaged in an instant.
"Fire Release — Great Fireball Technique!"
BOOM!!
A massive fireball roared toward Ryuma.
As a zombie, Ryuma's expression changed immediately.
He dodged sideways without hesitation.
BOOM!!
The fire missed him—
but the carpet bear wasn't so lucky.
It was instantly engulfed and reduced to ash.
"…Huh?" Jin blinked.
That thing was alive too?
"Carpet Bear…"
Puchichak nearly cried.
Now he was the only one left.
Worse—
the entire room was on fire.
Soon, the flames would reach him too.
"Elemental ninjutsu…" Ryuma said in shock.
"Truly beyond my expectations."
"But using fire at such close range—aren't you afraid of burning yourself?"
Jin didn't answer.
Instead—
"Water Release — Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
BOOM!!
Water surged and gathered, forming a roaring dragon that charged straight at Ryuma!
"What—?!" Puchichak gaped.
Fire was one thing.
Now water too?!
Was this the true power of ninjas?!
If he could summon seawater—
that would be a natural nemesis to zombies!
"So there's Water Release as well…" Ryuma said gravely.
"Unexpected indeed."
Wano's ninjas could do no such thing.
"Night Bright Song — True Thrust!"
A flying slash burst forth, piercing the dragon's head.
Yet—
he failed to destroy it completely.
"BOOM!!"
The water dragon smashed into Ryuma, slamming him into the wall and shaking the entire castle.
At the same time, the water extinguished all flames, plunging the room into darkness.
But for Jin—
darkness was meaningless.
The Sharingan could see perfectly.
"Yohohoho~"
"What… tremendous power…"
"Simple impact isn't enough to kill zombies like you," Jin narrowed his eyes.
He recalled Lola's information.
Salt—born of the sea—could restrain zombies.
Fire could destroy them.
But fire was slow, and fast opponents like Ryuma were difficult to hit.
In that case—
"Then let's try this!"
"Lightning Release—"
Before he could finish, his expression changed.
Poof.
White smoke burst—
and Jin vanished.
"…Hm?"
"…Gone?"
Ryuma stood stunned.
That wasn't speed.
He hadn't moved.
He had simply disappeared.
"Yohohoho~"
"I don't understand it… but ninjas truly are fascinating."
With a shake of his head, Ryuma turned and left.
The mission could no longer be completed.
All that remained was Puchichak, staring blankly—feeling as though he had just witnessed gods fighting.
...
"What was that shaking just now?"
Outside the castle, Luffy and the others looked toward it in confusion.
"That was definitely a fight," Sanji's expression darkened.
"Could Jin already be engaged?!"
"Then let's hurry," Luffy said.
"Let's go find them!"
The area was clearly in ruins—battle had already happened.
They needed to catch up fast.
"Yeah!"
Meanwhile—
on the other side of the island, Jin stood by the shore with Lola and her group, staring at the sea.
"…So," Jin said slowly,
"where's our ship?"
Where the hell did those idiots take it?!
If you're docking, at least dock properly!
Did they land somewhere else?!
If so, they'd missed each other perfectly.
Just thinking about it made his head hurt.
"Ninja bro, maybe check the other side," Aiko suggested.
"There's a huge spider web near the entrance. They might be there."
That was where their own ship had once been caught—giving Moria's zombies their chance.
Otherwise, they could've smashed the wall and escaped.
"…That's our only option," Jin said.
He glanced back toward the castle.
"Let's hope those idiots didn't move too fast."
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