Seeing Moria stand up again, Jin raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"So you shook off the paralysis that quickly?"
Was this guy's physical constitution even stronger than that of Marine Vice Admirals?
"Hmph. The power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit is far beyond your imagination," Moria snorted.
His body was indeed still partially paralyzed—but he could control his shadow through sheer will.
'The relationship between shadow and body… I understand it better than anyone,' Moria thought coldly.
When the body moves, the shadow moves.
But likewise—
if the shadow moves on its own, it can also influence the body.
That was exactly how he had regained mobility.
"Your shadow…" Jin stroked his chin.
"So you're using it to forcibly control your own body?"
He had more or less figured out the principle.
Using the shadow to influence oneself—an interesting method.
But in doing so, Moria wouldn't be able to use his shadow for anything else.
"Sharp observation."
"Even if you can move again," Jin said calmly,
"I can still knock you flat."
"Water Release — Water Dragon Bullet Technique!"
The air trembled.
Countless water particles converged around Jin, forming a massive, spiraling vortex.
In the next instant, a roaring water dragon burst forth.
"ROAR!!"
With a thunderous cry, it surged straight toward Moria!
"Water Release?!"
Moria's eyes widened in shock.
Fire, lightning—and now water too?!
That was absurd!
If it were seawater…
Then he'd be in real trouble!
"No—my body must not be hit directly by seawater!"
Without time to think, Moria shouted:
"Shadow's Hold!"
"Buzz—"
The shadow beneath his feet twisted violently, expanding into a massive black barrier in front of him.
The next moment—
BOOM!!
The water dragon slammed into the shadow curtain, warping it violently.
But in the end, it held.
Moria glanced at the water flowing past his feet and narrowed his eyes.
"So it's not seawater…"
The liquid touched his body without weakening him.
That meant it was ordinary water.
Unfortunate—but also fortunate.
'As long as it's not seawater, I don't need to fear it.'
And neither did his zombies.
Thinking of zombies made Moria recall Oars, who had just left.
A new idea formed in his mind.
'I already have such a powerful zombie… do I really need to fight this ninja myself?'
There was no reason to risk his own life.
He could simply use zombies to deal with this brat.
Having made up his mind, Moria abandoned any intention of continuing the fight.
He drew his shadow back beneath his feet to stabilize his movement.
"Looks like Water Release doesn't do much to you," Jin said.
"Of course not."
"Then try this."
"Lightning Release — Ground Walk!"
"Again?!"
Moria's eyes widened.
He hadn't expected Jin to use lightning again so soon.
But this time, he didn't wait to be hit.
His shadow lifted him upward, launching him toward a nearby breach.
Not only did he avoid the lightning—
he also escaped through the opening.
"So shadows don't conduct electricity…" Jin muttered.
But then—
Why was this guy heading for the gap?
"Hmph. Kid, play by yourself!" Moria sneered.
"I'm done entertaining you!"
"You're running?" Jin looked genuinely surprised.
A Warlord of the Sea—retreating without hesitation?
"That's right. Go deal with Oars first!"
With that, Moria leapt straight down through the opening.
"He actually ran…" Jin said in disbelief.
So this guy really intended to rely entirely on zombies—
without the slightest desire to fight himself.
Even getting hit by a full ninja combo hadn't changed his mind.
Truly a man who had lost his fighting spirit.
"Tch."
Jin spat lightly and chased after him.
"Whoosh—!"
His speed exploded.
In the blink of an eye, he shot through the opening and pursued Moria from above.
He raised the Kusanagi Sword.
Wind-attribute chakra wrapped around the blade.
"Gale Slash!"
"Whoosh—!"
"Whooosh—!"
Numerous azure wind blades tore through the air, flying straight toward Gecko Moria below!
Yet Moria showed no panic at all.
Instead, he grinned.
'Shadow Doppelman!'
Psh!
In an instant, a black shadow replaced Moria's body—
and was sliced into several pieces midair!
But shadows feared no blades.
As they fell, they scattered apart, transforming into countless bat-like forms that soared into the sky.
"Teleportation?" Jin frowned.
"No… that's impossible."
If Moria had possessed teleportation from the start, he wouldn't have been hit by Lightning Release earlier.
So—
he was moving by swapping positions with his shadow.
Jin narrowed his eyes, tracking the retreating darkness.
"Thunk!"
He stabbed his sword into the wall, using it to slow his fall, then landed steadily on the ground.
Looking upward, he muttered:
"What a slippery shadow mage."
"Poof—"
A burst of white smoke erupted, and Jin vanished from the spot.
High above, Moria lay sprawled out.
"…Ninjas really are my natural enemy."
Meanwhile, elsewhere—
Merry still had both palms pressed to the ground, her expression serious.
"So this is Reverse Summoning?"
Nico Robin and Franky looked in fascination at the suddenly appearing Jin.
This ability was far too convenient.
If Jin ever got separated again, they could simply summon him back.
"That's right. Reverse Summoning," Merry nodded.
Earlier, after meeting Franky, they had mentioned Jin.
Robin and Franky had spotted him from above and rushed over—
only to run into Merry and the others.
After asking around, they learned the Jin they saw wasn't the real one, but a shadow clone.
So Merry immediately performed Reverse Summoning and pulled the real Jin over.
"…What's going on?"
Jin glanced around.
They were standing on a massive staircase, with no enemies in sight.
Why summon him here?
"I'll explain," the clone said, walking forward.
As soon as he spoke, he dispersed.
Jin: "..."
A very direct explanation.
After absorbing all the clone's memories, Jin nodded.
"Alright. I understand now."
"Huh?!"
Lola stared at him in shock.
They hadn't explained anything yet!
Was it because of that clone?
"The nature of clones," Jin said.
"I receive everything they've experienced."
"That's… terrifyingly useful," Lola muttered.
With that ability, he could gather intelligence from the most dangerous places without risk.
Ninjas truly were frightening.
After organizing the information, Jin looked at Robin.
"So—you didn't run into my clone, and those three idiots had their shadows cut by Moria?"
"…Yes."
"Those three morons," Jin cursed.
They were all wanted criminals—did they really not know how to be cautious on enemy territory?
If Moria's goal had been murder instead of shadows—
they'd already be dead.
"Too many idiots on this ship…" he muttered.
As he spoke, his gaze swept across Nami and the others.
"Sorry…"
"Huh?!"
Franky stared in shock.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Wasn't he talking about Luffy and the other two?
Why were these four apologizing too?
Something interesting must've happened here, Robin thought with a smile.
"I'd really like to hear that story."
"Let's talk about it later," Nami coughed lightly.
"Right now, we need to wake Luffy and the others."
She shot Jin a pleading look.
Jin rolled his eyes but didn't pursue the topic.
"Fine. Let's move."
He picked Merry up and rushed downward.
"I saw Luffy's shadow zombie—huge. At least dozens of meters tall."
As he spoke, a technique name surfaced in his mind.
Expansion Technique.
"We saw it too…" Usopp swallowed nervously.
"How are we supposed to fight something like that?"
"As long as we defeat Moria, it's over," Franky said.
Once Moria fell, the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's effects would vanish.
"That's assuming we can catch him," Jin replied.
"That guy's slipperier than an eel."
Remembering Moria's escape, he couldn't help but complain.
Hard to believe such a coward was one of the Seven Warlords.
But once he remembered that Moria had lost his fighting spirit—
it all made sense.
"We also encountered Zoro and Sanji's shadow zombies," Robin added.
"Oh?" Jin looked curious.
"What were they like?"
"…How should I put this…" Robin said with a complicated expression.
"They're exactly the same as always. Fighting nonstop."
Zoro's zombie still used Three-Sword Style.
And Sanji's shadow?
A penguin-dog.
Those two had even caused trouble at first—
but halfway through, they started fighting each other instead.
Robin didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"…That's perfectly in character," Jin sighed.
Even as zombies, nothing about them changed.
"By the way, we also ran into Brook," Franky said.
"Brook?"
Jin raised an eyebrow, thinking of Ryuma—the zombie who carried Brook's shadow.
"He said he was going to challenge his own shadow zombie," Franky added.
"No idea how that turned out…"
"Can he handle it?" Merry asked worriedly.
"That Ryuma guy is supposed to be a legendary dragon-slaying swordsman."
"That pig-head said so," Usopp added.
"More accurately, a flying dragon," he corrected.
"If that's true," Lola said seriously,
"then his strength wouldn't be weak."
Everyone looked at her.
"Why?"
"I don't think he slew an ordinary dinosaur," Lola said.
"The one most likely is a Devil Fruit user."
A 'flying dragon'—
the only one she could think of was that terrifying Yonko from Wano.
A man who truly possessed the power of a dragon.
Anyone capable of killing such a being…
would be unimaginably strong.
Concern flashed through her eyes.
"A Devil Fruit user…" Jin murmured.
"Don't be too pessimistic," he said.
"A zombie's strength depends heavily on the shadow."
He had already confirmed that against the general zombies.
No matter how strong they once were, without a powerful shadow—
they were nothing.
That was precisely why Moria coveted strong shadows.
Weak ones were only good for reviving fodder.
"I hope you're right."
"Let's get back to the ship first," Franky said.
"We can't help anyone without finding Luffy."
Everyone agreed.
As the Thousand Sunny came into view, Jin narrowed his eyes.
"…The ship looks messy."
"Did they ransack it while returning Luffy and the others?"
"What?!"
Nami instantly exploded.
Her speed skyrocketed.
In the blink of an eye, she left everyone far behind, charging straight toward the ship.
Her mind filled with the image of that ghost girl.
"Damn ghost woman—if you touched my money, I'll kill you!!"
"…Uh."
Lola stared blankly at Nami's disappearing figure.
"What's wrong with her?"
Was she not just a navigator?
That speed was insane.
"Isn't Nami's money all in Merry's pocket?" Jin asked, confused.
"Not exactly," Merry explained.
"She said she keeps tens of millions outside for daily expenses."
Jin: "..."
So that meant—
a few tens of millions of Berries had triggered this reaction.
Watching Nami charge toward the Sunny like a berserk storm, Jin fell silent.
A moment later—
"YOU BASTARDS—MY MONEYYYY!!!"
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