A furious roar echoed from inside the cabin, making it clear to everyone that the money Nami had left on the ship had truly been taken.
"This is absolutely not the time to provoke Nami…"
"Yeah, definitely not."
The men exchanged glances and instantly reached a consensus.
When they returned to the deck, Nami came storming out of the cabin, shouting angrily, "We absolutely cannot let those bastards get away with this!!"
The overwhelming rage radiating from her made everyone's eyelids twitch.
"Nami, calm down a bit," Jin said. "That money is just being kept for us temporarily. They'll return it later—with interest."
"Don't forget, over a hundred ships disappear here every year. There's definitely a huge amount of treasure."
As he spoke, Jin recalled what the so-called Treasure King had mentioned earlier. When the time came, he could also check whether that so-called treasure contained any strange bracelets.
The moment Nami heard his words, the anger on her face vanished instantly. Her entire expression brightened, and an intense golden gleam burst from her eyes.
"Money!!"
That's right—this time, the treasure Moria possessed might be even greater than that of the bounty hunter family they had encountered before!
Just thinking about it made Nami even more excited.
With a whoosh, she flashed in front of Jin, grabbed both his hands, and said earnestly, "Jin, you're right! This time, please—don't hold back at all!"
Jin: …
"Yeah, got it."
"As expected of Jin," Usopp and the others sighed in admiration.
With just a single sentence, he had completely reversed Nami's berserk state. Was this the insight of a ninja?
Meanwhile, Lola and the others, who had witnessed everything from start to finish, were utterly stunned.
It was their first time seeing someone change expressions that fast. And those eyes glowing with golden light—what was that supposed to be?
Were they seeing things?
After glancing around, Franky said, "Those bastards really didn't show any mercy."
Just on the deck alone, several chairs from the dining hall could be seen scattered about—clearly thrown out.
If the dining hall looked like this, the rest of the ship probably wasn't any better.
"Nami, did you see any zombies?" Usopp asked.
"No."
"Then what about Luffy and the others?"
"Didn't see them either."
"Didn't see them…" Usopp frowned. "Don't tell me they weren't sent back?"
That shouldn't be possible. That fat garlic-head clearly said he'd have the zombies bring them back.
"I only checked the bedroom," Nami said. "I haven't looked anywhere else yet."
"Chopper, take a sniff," Jin said.
With such a perfect biological radar available, why not use it?
"Oh, right!"
Chopper immediately reacted. His nose was extremely sensitive—he could definitely track Luffy's scent.
Without hesitation, he transformed into his reindeer form and began sniffing carefully.
"Found them!" Chopper's eyes lit up.
He immediately rushed toward the dining hall, his target crystal clear.
But the moment he ran inside, he let out a startled cry, his face filled with shock.
"Lu—"
"What happened?!"
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat. That cry sounded seriously wrong—had something happened to Luffy and the others?
Without hesitation, the Straw Hats rushed into the dining hall.
"Let me see—what happened to Luffy—"
The moment Usopp squeezed in and saw the three of them, he froze completely, his jaw dropping to the floor.
"Th-this… aren't those zombies going way too far?!"
Looking at the utterly wrecked state of the three, everyone was stunned.
"Damn it! How could they treat Luffy like this?!" Merry said angrily.
As she spoke, she hurried over and tugged at them. "Hey! You three, get up!"
"We're going to get revenge!"
Unfortunately, the three showed no reaction at all, as if they couldn't hear her.
"Let me handle it."
Franky clenched his fists and stepped forward. "It might be a bit rough, but we don't have time to worry about that."
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
"Get up already!"
One punch each—he smashed all three flat onto the floor.
Silence filled the air.
The three still lay there like corpses, completely motionless.
"Hey… seriously?" Franky said in disbelief. "Do they not even have pain receptors?"
He hadn't held back at all. Huge bumps had formed on their heads, yet they still hadn't woken up.
"I'll do it!"
Nami clenched her fist and walked over, ready to hammer them.
"No—this one's better left to me," Usopp said, stopping her.
If Franky's punches didn't work, Nami's probably wouldn't either.
After clearing his throat, Usopp stepped in front of the three under everyone's puzzled gazes, then shouted at the top of his lungs:
"The beautiful swordswoman brought meat!!"
The next second, the three bodies that looked like corpses suddenly twitched—actually reacting!!
Under everyone's stunned gazes, the three pushed themselves up with trembling arms and shouted:
"Beautiful?!"
"Swordswoman?!"
"Meat?!"
"These guys are beyond saving…" Jin covered his face.
He truly hadn't expected Usopp to wake them up like this.
It was… an incredibly precise special attack.
The three who had just regained consciousness were still stuck at the moment their shadows were stolen by Moria.
"That bastard! He actually dared to take my shadow!!" Luffy jumped up furiously, roaring, "Give my shadow back!!"
"Hey, Luffy, it's me!" Usopp said blankly. "Why are you charging at me?!"
Bang!
After Nami smashed Luffy into the ground with one punch, she snapped, "Behave yourself, you idiot!!"
"Na… Nami…"
That familiar level of pain—yeah, definitely Nami.
"Where are we?" Sanji asked in confusion.
He sat on the floor, staring around blankly.
"The Thousand Sunny."
"We're back on the ship?" Zoro frowned. "Did we never go ashore in the first place?"
"Or were we just dream—"
Before he could finish, Zoro noticed something beneath him.
The lights were right above his head—but below him, there was no shadow at all.
"So… it wasn't a dream…"
Realizing the truth, Zoro's expression darkened.
His shadow was really gone.
How humiliating—being taken down by an enemy's trick like that made his blood boil.
Sitting cross-legged, Zoro unconsciously gripped his sword hilt, veins bulging on his arm.
"So what exactly happened?" Jin asked. "How did you three idiots get captured?"
"It was something like a spider," Sanji said. "It was insanely fast. In the blink of an eye, I was tied up and taken away."
"The web was extremely tough—I couldn't break free."
He had struggled with everything he had, but it was useless.
"A spider, huh…"
"Anyway," Nami said with her hands on her hips, "you three idiots understand the situation now, right? Your shadows were stolen by that Shichibukai—Moria."
"So get fired up!"
"A Shichibukai?"
Sanji and Zoro both looked surprised. They hadn't expected their opponent to be one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Still, neither of them was afraid. They'd beaten Shichibukai before.
"That bastard Moria…" Luffy growled. "He actually dared to steal my shadow!!"
"I'm gonna punch him flying!"
Nami nodded in satisfaction. "Not just the shadow—we're also taking our money back!!"
"Huh?!"
Zoro stared at her in shock. Is now really the time to worry about money?
"What are you looking at me like that for?!" Nami snapped. "That was tens of millions!!"
"That's enough to buy you a good sword!"
Zoro shot to his feet, veins bulging. "Then we're cutting them down!"
He didn't care about money—but he cared about swords!
As a three-sword-style swordsman, using only two blades was unacceptable!
Just then, Luffy's stomach let out a loud growl.
Instinctively, he went to look for the bento Sanji had prepared—but found nothing.
"Damn it… my pirate bento got stolen…"
"Sanji, I wanna eat!"
Before Sanji could reply, Jin spoke first.
"That's probably not happening."
"Why?!"
"Because our food storage has already been completely emptied."
He had checked the warehouse earlier—everything inside was gone.
"What?!"
Luffy exploded in rage. "That bastard Moria even stole our food?! I'll never forgive him!!"
Stealing treasure was one thing—but food?!
That crossed the line.
"I think it was that ghost girl who did it," Usopp said.
She had mentioned it before while they were inside that stuffed toy body.
"Ghost girl?"
"Yeah. She has the ability to make people extremely negative."
Franky: …
As if recalling something horrifying, Franky's face turned pale.
He had experienced that negativity firsthand.
That Devil Fruit power was truly terrifying.
"I don't care who it was!" Luffy shouted. "I'll beat all of them up!!"
"If it's just food," Lola said as she entered with Bucktooth and the others, "we have some."
They had stayed outside earlier to keep watch for zombies, so they hadn't followed in.
"Huh?!"
"Who are you guys?"
Luffy and the others looked at them in confusion.
"They're friends I met," Jin explained. "Their shadows were also taken by Moria. My information came from them."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lola walked up to Luffy and the others with a serious expression.
Everyone else immediately covered their faces.
"…What now?"
"You three—who wants to marry me?"
The three: ?!!
"Who proposes on the first meeting?!"
"I refuse!!"
They hadn't even known each other for ten seconds!
Wasn't that way too outrageous?!
"How could this happen…" Lola said gloomily.
She had thought she might finally get married this time—yet failed again.
"Hahahaha! Captain's 4,450th proposal failure!!"
Zoro: …
What kind of number was that?!
"Ahem. Straw Hat big brother, didn't you say you wanted food?" Aiko said, stepping forward with a backpack.
He placed it on the ground. "Eat. It's all food inside."
"Huh?!"
"You're really treating me?! Thank you!"
Luffy happily opened the bag—and his smile grew even wider when he saw the contents.
"So much meat!"
"Delicious!"
"As long as you're happy," Aiko said with a smile.
Since Ninja Big Brother treated them as friends, they naturally wouldn't be stingy with a bit of food.
He knew better than anyone how painful hunger could be.
"Why did you even bring food?" Jin asked in surprise.
They hadn't planned that beforehand—he had thought the bag contained things like salt for zombies.
"We weren't sure how long the fight would last," Aiko said with a grin. "So we brought some just in case. And look—it came in handy."
At that moment, Aiko felt incredibly glad they had brought food.
If the Straw Hat captain went into battle hungry, he might actually lose—and then they'd all be doomed.
"So good!" Luffy said while stuffing his mouth. "Thank you! You're all really good people!"
"Ninja Big Brother treats us as friends and promised to help us get our shadows back," Aiko said. "Of course we wouldn't hold back food."
"This much is nothing."
To him, friendship was priceless.
"Then we're friends too!" Luffy grinned. "Leave your shadows to us!"
"Thank you!"
"No problem! Hahahaha!"
"As long as we defeat Moria, everything will be solved," Jin said. "Everyone's shadows will return."
"Moria's mine," Luffy said without hesitation.
That damn fat garlic-head—he wouldn't let him off.
"Alright." Jin nodded. "Now let's confirm the intel."
"First—Luffy's zombie. That thing is at least dozens of meters tall. It should be a giant's corpse."
"Huh?!"
"My zombie is a giant?!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Yes."
"That's not an ordinary giant," Usopp said. "The giants we've met before weren't that big."
Brogy and Dorry were only a little over twenty meters tall, and the giants at Enies Lobby were even smaller.
"Th-then if it goes berserk…" Chopper swallowed nervously.
With a body that massive, even a casual slap could flatten them.
It was far more terrifying than an ordinary giant.
"It's fine," Jin said calmly. "I'll handle that one. I won't let it interfere with your fight."
"Okay," Luffy agreed instantly.
"Huh?!"
"Jin, you can deal with that thing?!" Usopp stared at him in shock.
"I can." Jin nodded calmly.
Seeing his confidence, Usopp fell into deep thought.
Did Jin still have some powerful ninjutsu they hadn't seen yet?
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.
Next, Robin spoke. "Then there are Sanji's and Zoro's zombies. One is a three-sword-style swordsman, and the other is… a penguin dog."
Sanji: …
"Pe… penguin dog?!"
Sanji looked utterly shattered.
The next second, he opened his mouth wide like a shark and roared, "Why does that moss-head get a human zombie while mine turns into a penguin dog?!"
"Why?! What am I worse at than him?!"
"Tch. With your shadow, that's about the best you could manage," Zoro scoffed.
"What did you say, you bastard?!"
Sanji's temper exploded as he charged at Zoro.
The two immediately started fighting in the dining hall, full of energy.
"Enough!!"
Bang!
Bang!
Nami smashed both of them into the floor with one punch each.
"So… so brutal…" Aiko and the others instinctively backed away, staring at her in fear.
This woman could knock down those two monsters so easily—combined with what they'd seen earlier…
Was her strength actually on par with Ninja Big Brother's?
Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
Once the two finally settled down, Nami said, "We'll handle those two zombies. Sanji, you're coming with me."
"Yes~"
"Nami-swaaaan~!"
Sanji instantly sprang up, twisting his body as if he'd just been entrusted with a sacred mission.
Zoro looked up at Nami and frowned. "Then my zombie—"
Before he could finish, Nami cut him off. "Zoro, there's a legendary samurai here—someone who once cut down a dragon. I think you'll be far more interested in him."
"A legendary samurai?!"
Zoro's eyes immediately lit up.
Fighting powerful swordsmen was exactly what he lived for—it honed his blade and strengthened him.
"Not only that," Jin added. "He wields a Great Grade blade—one of the 21. The famed Shusui."
"I'll take him!" Zoro said without hesitation.
A man aiming to become the world's greatest swordsman would never pass up such a weapon.
"Are your two swords alright?" Jin glanced at Zoro's waist.
Bucktooth and the others froze.
Everyone knew the Pirate Hunter was a three-sword-style swordsman.
So why two swords?
"It's nothing," Zoro said. "I lost one due to… special circumstances."
"In that case, please use mine," Bucktooth said, stepping forward.
He pulled the sword from his back. "It's not a Fine Grade blade, but it's still a decent weapon."
He had picked it up from a Marine corpse—it looked good, so he'd kept it.
"You're lending me your sword?"
"Yes!"
Without the slightest hesitation, Bucktooth handed it over.
Zoro drew it and glanced at the blade. "It's a good sword…"
At the very least, it was far better than the ones he used back in the East Blue.
"Then—"
Before Bucktooth could finish, Jin asked, "What will you use afterward?"
Seeing the concern in his eyes, Bucktooth scratched his head and smiled.
"I'll manage without one," he said. "You guys are far more important in this fight."
His strength was limited—at best, he could deal with ordinary zombies.
But Ninja Big Brother and the others were the true core of this battle.
So even giving up his weapon—he had no regrets.
Zoro fell silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly.
"Thank you."
That was yet another reason to help them reclaim their shadows.
"No need to thank me, hahaha!"
Bucktooth laughed brightly.
At that moment, Luffy—having completely wiped out the food—stood up and looked around.
"Have you guys seen Brook?"
Their main reason for coming to the island was to find Brook and reclaim his shadow—but they still hadn't found him.
That made Luffy anxious.
He hoped Brook hadn't been killed by zombies—that was someone he had already acknowledged as a companion.
"We didn't see Brook," Merry said, "but we did see his shadow zombie—the dragon-slaying swordsman."
"The way he talked was exactly like Brook."
Zoro froze.
So that samurai's shadow… was Brook's?
That added yet another reason to cut him down.
Zoro quietly sheathed the sword Bucktooth had given him, his expression growing solemn.
This blade wasn't just a weapon—it carried Bucktooth's trust.
He would not betray that trust.
"I saw him," Franky said. "He's the one who told me that salt works on zombies."
"And about you making it back to the ship…"
He paused, then continued, "Luffy, I talked with him for a long time. That guy is a real man!"
"A real man?"
"That's right. He's honoring a promise—a promise he's kept for decades, even after death!"
"What promise?" Jin asked curiously.
"A truly touching story," Franky said seriously. "At a distant place called Twin Cape, there's an island whale named Laboon waiting for him. That's why he must reclaim his shadow!"
"He's a real man!"
At those words, Nami and the others froze.
That name was far too familiar.
"La… Laboon?!"
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