This was the second Warlord of the Sea that Chiyu's party had run into.
But unlike Crocodile, Gecko Moria had suffered not just defeat but total annihilation—his crew was wiped out, his spirit shattered, and his strength a mere shadow of its former self.
Once passionate and ambitious, and once aiming to become Pirate King himself, he lost all fighting spirit after that battle against Kaidō of the Four Emperors.
Now he shrank back inside Thriller Bark. Though he claimed he was rebuilding his forces for a comeback, he failed to see that this behaviour was defeatism in disguise.
The very instant he spotted Chiyu, fear sprouted in his heart.
"Y‑You… you're Uchiha Chiyu?!"
By now Chiyu had not only cleared out the East Blue and defeated Crocodile; he had burst onto the scene as a new power within the Navy.
After the fight at Water Seven, the name "Chiyu" resounded across the world.
Single‑handedly he wiped out all of CP9—!
Single‑handedly he even repelled the legendary Buster Call—!
Wielding the thunder of the Rumble–Rumble Fruit, he was truly invincible: if gods blocked him he killed gods, if Buddhas blocked him he killed Buddhas.
Uchiha Chiyu had become a by‑word for terror.
He would kill not only pirates but even fellow marines.
And yet he had faced no serious punishment; the Navy and the World Government had, to a certain extent, tacitly approved his actions.
Overwhelming power, ruthless methods, acting without scruple—
Who wouldn't be afraid of such a man?
Even so, Gecko Moria clung to a shred of hope. "Hmph! Even if you are Uchiha Chiyu, I'm a Warlord of the Sea. The Warlords cooperate with the Navy—you can't lay a hand on me!
"I'm not Crocodile; I haven't tried to overthrow any country!"
Chiyu answered blandly, "You know perfectly well what crimes you've committed."
Moria's heart instantly went cold.
"Uchiha Chiyu! Don't get too arrogant!
"Do you really think I, Gecko Moria, would fear you?!
"Let me show you…
"…the power I've been saving up all these years!"
At his shout, his three commanders—famously called the "Three Freaks"—appeared at once:
The genius surgeon Dr. Hogback;
The Clear‑Clear Fruit user Absalom;
The Ghost‑Ghost Fruit user Perona;
Together they led a zombie army—"Surprise Zombies," whose elite were called…
General Zombies!
Among them were Jigorō of the Wind, the legendary swordsman who once slew seven thousand pirates to protect his family;
Shimotsuki Ryuma, the greatest swordsman in Wano's history, bearer of the national treasure Shusui, slayer of a dragon and famed as the Dragon‑Slayer Swordsman;
Also present were former Pirate King Roger crewman Captain John;
Boar Zombie Lola; the spider‑monkey hybrid Tararan; the animal zombie Three‑Headed Hellhound; the man‑headed bat‑bodied Hildon; the gentleman hippo, and countless other monstrous troops.
Faced with this tableau, even Marine Headquarters' elite were startled—
It was like the fabled hell on earth.
So many monsters, zombies, demons and ghosts gathered in one place, as if they had walked onto the set of some twisted horror film!
Rear Admiral Hina roared in fury: "Gecko Moria, how many people have you killed, how many atrocities have you committed, to gain this warped power?!"
Gecko Moria laughed wildly. "Well? Astonishing, isn't it?!
"Even you lot will bow before my zombie army!
"Advance, my zombies!"
In an instant the horde surged forward like a tidal wave—vast, unstoppable.
Yet these soldiers were Headquarters elites, veterans who had fought at Chiyu's side. Though shocked, they did not panic.
They opened fire at once; shells and bullets poured down like a fiery rain upon the advancing zombies.
What puzzled Moria was—
Uchiha Chiyu still hadn't moved!
He simply let his subordinates clash with the zombie horde.
"What is he thinking?"
"I see—king does not meet king, eh?
"As long as I hold back, he doesn't dare move either…"
Moria sneered but likewise stayed his hand.
"Fine—let my zombies wear out all his forces. Once he's exhausted, I'll reap the spoils."
At that moment—
Absalom the Invisible Man had set his sights on Rear Admiral Hina. Brutal and lecherous, he lusted after her long pink hair and graceful figure.
He turned invisible, crept toward her, and stretched his modified hands out to grope—
But—
"Keep your filthy hands to yourself!"
Hina had sensed him long ago. With a sweep of her arms she turned them into dark iron bars that shot forward and clamped Absalom fast.
"W‑What?!"
Absalom panicked; how had she spotted him while he was invisible?
In fact, Chiyu had already briefed them on Thriller Bark and its odd fighters.
From the moment Absalom vanished, Hina was on guard. She used her Observation Haki to track and capture him in one move.
Ever since Chiyu publicly revealed the secrets of Observation Haki, Armament Haki and Rokushiki, Hina was the first to master Observation Haki.
Overpowered, Absalom screamed; his body was forced back to visibility.
He begged, "Please, spare me!"
Hina showed no mercy. "Scum and fool like you has no right to live."
She warped her iron cage and drove it straight through the immobilised Absalom.
This upgraded use of the Cage‑Cage Fruit she called—
"Cage‑Wing Slaughter!"
Absalom died on the spot.
Gecko Moria shrieked, livid. Evil though he was, he had feelings for his subordinates.
He started to strike at Hina, but seeing Chiyu still unmoved, he dared not act rashly.
"Damn it! Cursed marines!
"Looks like I'll have to ready that ultimate weapon…"
His figure melted into the shadows—clearly preparing a trump card.
Chiyu noticed but ignored him, still watching the battlefield.
Just then Ghost Princess Perona unleashed her power.
"Negative Hollows!"
A flock of little ghosts burst from her body and swept toward the marine elites.
Swords, bullets, any physical attack was useless.
Once a Negative Hollow passed through a soldier, he instantly sank into abject despair, unable to fight.
"Being born is a sin…
"I'm not fit to fight with everyone…
"I'm worse than a mackerel… I should just die…"
Nami saw this, both shocked and furious.
"What kind of dirty trick is that?!
"Marines, snap out of it!"
But no matter how she shouted, the marines knelt, hope and will drained away…
Franky exploded in anger. "You freak—using such perverse moves!"
Seeing the pair, Perona instantly sent two more Negative Hollows at them.
Franky and Nami knew how deadly they were and scrambled to dodge.
"Fire Breath!"
Franky spewed flames, but the hollows ignored the blaze and flew through him.
Thud—
Franky fell to his knees, sobbing, "Sorry… I'm SUPER useless… I don't deserve to live…"
Nami shouted, "Franky, what are you doing?!"
The next moment another hollow flew at her.
Nami broke into a sweat. "Th‑This is bad!"
At the critical instant—
Nami cried out and pushed her Slip‑Slip Fruit power to the extreme.
Whoosh—
With a faint sound the hollows did not pass through her; they skidded off her body!
"Huh?!"
Perona and Nami gasped in unison—neither had expected that.
"W‑What's going on?!"
Nami stared, then realised:
"Looks like when my Slip‑Slip Fruit is at full strength, even your ghosts just slide away!"
"Slip‑Slip… Fruit?!"
Perona was dumbfounded; her ghosts had never failed before.
Nami smirked, raising her iron staff. "I'll take you on, Ghost Girl!"
Perona snapped, "Don't get cocky!
"Mini‑Hollows—Ghost Bombs!"
Tiny ghosts shot out again, encircling Nami.
She yelped, "Ghost bombs? D‑Don't tell me…"
Her Slip‑Slip power could fend off any physical strike—but its sole weakness was…
It could not block explosions!
She screamed and bolted.
Perona flicked her finger, sneering, "Explode—Mini Ghost Bombs!"
BOOM‑BOOM‑BOOM!
Countless ghost bombs detonated; Nami dodged with all her might, battered and bedraggled.
Perona smiled. "So your slip‑slip power can't block blasts…
"In that case…
"…here's a big surprise!"
"Gigantic Hollow—Divine Wind Bomb!"
She conjured a ghost colossal as a giant's head, mouth wide, chasing to bite Nami down!
"Nooo!"
Nami shrieked and ran.
"If that thing goes off I'll die for sure!
"What do I do… what do I do…
"Am I really going to die?!"
In that instant the huge ghost bomb snapped Nami up—
A thunderous blast rang out—
BOOOOM!
"Nami!"
Rear Admiral Hina and the others screamed in horror.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— This Fanfic is Completed in Patreon!