It had been a month since Yoriichi and his team began tracking Moonlight Moria.
The lead came while they were resting at the Navy base. They overheard a passing merchant recounting a strange tale from the sea. On one voyage, the merchant's ship was caught in thick fog, during which they spotted what seemed like an uncharted "island." Thinking it was an opportunity to resupply, they landed, only to encounter a horde of zombies.
The terrifying sight sent them fleeing back to their ship, escaping just as the fog began to lift. Once it cleared, there was no sign of the island.
To the merchants, it was nothing more than a spooky story, a supernatural sea legend they now shared over drinks. But Yoriichi had a different reaction.
He took it seriously.
The Navy branch's construction required a massive amount of materials and daily wages. Though the project was nearing completion, there was still a shortfall of nearly one billion Berries. At their current cash flow, they could only sustain the operation for two more weeks.
Initially, Yoriichi thought that the New World, infested with pirates, would naturally provide the bounties needed to fill the gap. With King Riku's cooperation, and their own strength, capturing bounty heads should've been easy.
But to his surprise, once the news of Yoriichi's division being stationed in Dressrosa spread, all the pirates seemed to vanish. None dared challenge them.
Where once they might occasionally stumble across sea criminals, now not even their shadows were visible.
It was then that Yoriichi realized he had underestimated the weight of his name.
He had naively thought himself only modestly known in the New World. After all, the Navy had only publicized three events: his suppression of Shiki the Golden Lion's airborne fleet, his "rescue" of kidnapped children from the Roger Pirates, and the annihilation of the Bloodshade Pirates, whose captain, Bloody Kevin, carried a 1 billion bounty and whose crew totaled nearly 1.5 billion.
In Yoriichi's view, these were just minor side tasks. The future would see Shiki defeated by Luffy, the "rescue" was more political fiction than reality, and Bloody Kevin was little more than a troublesome thug.
But each of those acts, to the world, was seismic.
Just defeating a pirate with a 1 billion bounty was rare enough. Even most of the future Warlords hadn't reached such numbers when first invited.
And so, as Yoriichi's reputation surged, pirates smartened up, steering clear of Dressrosa's waters. Which meant fewer captures. Less income.
Forced to act, Yoriichi began launching expeditions.
When he gave King Riku the Giant Pirates' heads to exchange for bounty cash, Marine HQ already knew something unusual was going on.
Bounties were symbolic in most cases. Pirate hunters capable of claiming high-reward targets were few. Most bounty holders either died in skirmishes with the Navy or disappeared under pirate betrayal.
But in Dressrosa? Bounties were being claimed in bulk, and frequently.
HQ wasn't blind. They knew what was happening.
Still, Fleet Admiral Kong chose to turn a blind eye. After all, Marines had to choose between bounties and accolades. If Yoriichi was choosing money, that saved Kong a political headache, because giving a seventeen-year-old the rank of Admiral would spark chaos in the World Government.
Thus, an unspoken agreement between HQ and the Dressrosa branch was born.
"We've been at sea for over ten days now, and still no sign of Moria," said Kyros, returning to the deck after inventorying the ship's dwindling supplies. "Considering how much we've consumed, and the time needed to return, we may need to start heading back soon."
Standing at the ship's bow, gazing across the vast ocean, Yoriichi's brows were slightly furrowed.
"To think I was being overly optimistic," he muttered. "That so-called island… must've been a ship. Zombies… it has to be Moonlight Moria."
"But in this endless sea, finding them is like finding a needle in a haystack."
He turned slightly and gave the order, "Tell the crew we'll continue for two more days. If we find nothing, we return."
Yoriichi had left Koshirō behind to supervise base construction. This voyage, he brought only Kyros, Issho, Mihawk (still under "labor reform"), and a small team of soldiers.
He was even considering building some fast patrol vessels. The main warship was simply too massive, and expensive to operate. Without rewards, every voyage was burning money.
Only now did Yoriichi truly appreciate the meaning of, "you won't know the cost of oil and salt until you run the household."
Kyros saluted and left.
Moments later, dark clouds gathered overhead. Rain began to fall, thin but steady.
Then, ahead of the ship, a fog bank rose from the sea.
Yoriichi squinted at the sudden change in weather. "The New World really doesn't joke around."
"Reduce speed," he shouted toward the cabin. "Switch on the searchlights!"
The magnesium beams cut through the mist, and the ship slowed as it entered the eerie fog.
Rain seemed to vanish inside the fog. The heavy mist quickly soaked Yoriichi's hair, but there were no raindrops falling. Soon, Issho, Mihawk, and Kyros returned to the deck, having noticed the ship's deceleration.
As they stepped out, the thick white haze greeted them.
"Vice Admiral," Kyros asked excitedly, "could this be the place?"
Yoriichi shook his head. "I can't sense any human presence with Observation Haki… might not be it."
Thud!
A deep boom echoed from beneath the sea. The ship rocked violently, throwing Marines to the deck.
"Something hit the bottom!" Mihawk barked, leaning over the edge, squinting through the water and fog.
"I can't feel anything," Issho added, confused.
Neither could Yoriichi. Their Haki was sensing nothing.
And yet, something was definitely there.
Another impact slammed into the hull, harder than the last. The ship lurched again, this time nearing the point of capsizing.
"Issho!"
Before Yoriichi even finished the call, Issho drew his blade and released his gravity powers. The ship froze mid-tilt, then swiftly corrected itself.
But just as relief came, another hit struck.
BOOM!
This time, the sound was clear, and urgent alarms wailed across the deck.
"Incoming water in the lower hull?!" Kyros cried out, stunned.
Yoriichi glanced sharply at Issho.
Without waiting for a command, Issho unleashed more force, lifting the entire warship into the sky.
"I want to see what the hell this is!"
Before anyone could stop him, Mihawk had already drawn Yoru and leapt off the side.
Even he felt uneasy. Their Haki wasn't working.
Only his sword could ease the doubt.
As Mihawk vanished into the mist, a blue slash split the sea. Massive waves erupted, scattering fog like smoke.
A huge shadow surfaced.
Black-red blood stained the water. A stench filled the air.
A monstrous fish-like creature, hundreds of meters long, emerged.
"A Sea King?" Kyros muttered, eyes wide. "But… how did Issho not sense it?"
"No," Yoriichi said grimly, stepping toward the edge. "It's not alive."
The stench of rot was overwhelming. The corpse's head had separated from its body. Its mouth was sewn shut with rows of iron plates.
Judging by the state of decay, it had been dead for at least a month.
"What the hell is this?" Kyros nearly gagged.
Yoriichi narrowed his eyes, thinking.
Finally, he said, "This must be Moria's doing."
"He's a Shadow-Shadow Fruit user. He can place stolen shadows into corpses, creating undead puppets."
"Our Haki couldn't detect it… because it was already dead."
"But I didn't expect puppets to move underwater."
He paused, uncertain.
"Issho, get us out of here. Let's repair the ship and track the source."
"Corpses may be invisible to Haki, but Moria and his crew are not."
"We're in the right place. We can't waste this chance."
Issho nodded and lifted the ship to a new location before gently returning it to the sea. The hull was tilted just enough so the damaged section stayed above water for repairs.
The crew scrambled into action.
Yoriichi stood silently, spreading his Haki once more.
Eventually, the patchwork held. The ship began to move again, slowly patrolling the mist.
Then-
Yoriichi's eyes narrowed.
He had sensed something.
The enemy was near.
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100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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