A dense fog concealed what appeared to be a small island.
But calling it a small island wasn't exactly accurate. The marine warship Yoriichi and his crew had arrived at was actually beside a sailing ship.
It was simply that this vessel was so massive it could be mistaken for an island.
The Terror Bark, hailing from the West Blue, was the world's largest known pirate ship, the personal flagship of Gecko Moria.
That, in truth, was what this so-called "island" Yoriichi and the others had landed on really was.
The ship slowly docked. Yoriichi and several marines stood along the rail, gazing into the island's interior. The structure of the Terror Bark no longer resembled a ship at all. Its deck had long since been swallowed by thick layers of soil. Various plants grew atop it.
Perhaps due to the complete absence of sunlight in this region, most of the vegetation was withered. Bare tree trunks swayed eerily in the breeze.
Near the port, countless mounds of earth were scattered chaotically, interspersed with crooked tombstones and tilted crosses.
Will-o'-the-wisps floated gently in the thick fog, their green glow flickering faintly. The place resembled a medieval European mass grave, silent, grim, and bone-chilling.
"Holy crap..."
"What is this place...?"
"Would anyone even live here? Vice Admiral, shouldn't we just turn back? This kind of place, there's no way there are pirates here!"
One of the younger marines shivered at the eerie view, his skin crawling. He was in short sleeves, and the cold mist caused him to rub his arms nervously.
"Turn back?"
"My Haki isn't mistaken. There are people on this island, in the central area."
"You should've already reviewed Gecko Moria's intel. He's from the West Blue."
"His bounty's over 200 million. He came all the way to the New World from there and took down quite a few pirate crews."
"This sort of environment probably results from his Devil Fruit."
"You've all seen the juvenile Sea King earlier, right? Controlling zombies using shadows, that's his fighting style."
"I'd wager every grave under our feet holds one of his 'subordinates'."
It was normal for rookies to be unnerved by such a disturbing atmosphere. Yoriichi didn't scold the soldier, instead, he cracked a dry joke.
Though truth be told, it didn't help.
The marine grew even more terrified upon hearing that Moria's minions might be buried beneath them.
"Oi, don't be scared!"
"We're marines, dammit! How can we be afraid of pirates?"
Captain Kyros slapped the young man on the back. The encouragement backfired, the marine's legs gave out and he collapsed onto the deck.
"Captain Kyros, sir! That's not funny!"
"I wouldn't fear fighting pirates, but... this clearly isn't normal pirate stuff!"
Propped up by his comrades, the young man groaned in protest.
Since Yoriichi entered the New World, many of his crew had been promoted significantly.
While the high-bounty pirates they took down became "bounties collected," not every member of a pirate crew had a reward on their head. But after so many raids, the crew's cumulative achievements were considerable.
As a Vice Admiral, Yoriichi had the authority to appoint officers below the commander level. After reporting to headquarters, Kyros had now become a full Captain. Issho, who joined later, also held a Captain rank. Koshiro, still stationed at Dressrosa, remained a Lieutenant.
As for Mihawk, well, he was technically a penal laborer. His contribution didn't earn him official titles, but he was clearly different from the rest.
Despite not holding a formal marine rank, no one on the ship treated Mihawk like a prisoner.
Whether aboard the warship or back in Dressrosa, Mihawk roamed freely. The rank-and-file marines admired his strength, already accepting him as one of their own.
Seeing the rest of the marines still uneasy, Mihawk closed his eyes. Once the ship steadied, he lightly gripped the rail and leapt down onto shore.
He scanned the environment briefly before turning back toward the deck.
"No danger. You can all come down."
"Man, Mihawk's really reliable."
Yoriichi smiled as Mihawk landed. Just as he was about to order the others to disembark and search the area, he noticed the look of sheer terror on his men's faces.
The same marine who had previously collapsed pointed a trembling finger toward the island.
"Z-z-z-zombies!"
A chorus of panicked screams rang out, making Yoriichi flinch. He turned to look and saw several ragged corpses crawling from the mounds of earth.
"Hehehehehe!"
One of the corpses grinned with a row of buck teeth and began crawling toward Mihawk.
Even Kyros looked dumbfounded for a moment. The bizarre scene shattered any preconceived notions he held. Issho tilted his head slightly, his brows furrowing.
This place disturbed Issho greatly. His Observation Haki, normally serving as his eyes, was partially ineffective here. It was as if he'd truly gone blind. Although, technically... he already was.
As they stood frozen in place, hundreds of zombies emerged, shuffling toward Mihawk.
"Intruders! Looks like the Navy?"
"Offer them to Lord Moria. He'll be thrilled, hehehehehe!"
Unlike the rotting Sea King they fought earlier, these shadow-infused zombies could still speak.
Their bodies were fairly well-preserved, with minimal rot, though the scent of soil was thick.
They had clearly been buried underground for decades, ancient corpses, not freshly dead.
Mihawk showed no fear as the grotesque undead surrounded him. Calmly, he gripped the hilt of Yoru, his massive black sword, and drew it across his chest.
"Those who defile the dead... are unforgivable."
With one swift motion, he slashed horizontally. A wave of energy shot forward, cutting through dozens of zombies, carving a trench in a small hill. Shards of rock flew, and the boom echoed across the island.
The zombies fell apart at the waist, tumbling to the ground.
But even then, they didn't stop moving. Their mouths continued shouting.
"What the hell? Why'd I fall?"
"That was a slash! That navy bastard slashed us!"
"You bastard! What did you do to us?!"
"Quick, tell Lord Moria! A strong Navy guy is here!"
The shadows embedded in these corpses retained their owners' humanity. These zombies could be considered individual people. With personalities. With emotions. Despite being corpses long buried, they could still feel fear, and anger.
The marines on deck shuddered as the dismembered corpses wailed on the ground.
It was more horrifying than when they had first risen from the earth.
"What are these things?!"
One marine asked, stunned, still gripping his rifle. Before Yoriichi could give the order, a more hot-headed soldier fired a shot at one of the downed zombies' heads.
Bang!
The bullet embedded into the skull, leaving a gaping hole.
But,
"You bastard! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
"I'll kill you, you son of a, !"
Despite the head wound, the zombie lifted its face and cursed the marine.
The shooter nearly dropped his rifle in panic.
"There are just too many strange things in this world."
Yoriichi chuckled, surprisingly intrigued. With a casual leap, he landed next to the screaming corpse, drew his blade, and sliced off its head. He plunged the blade into the skull and tossed it into the sea.
The moment it hit the water, a dark silhouette shot from the torso and fled toward the island's center at lightning speed, too fast for the eye to follow.
Once the shadow vanished, the zombie's body went limp.
"A shadow... so it really is Gecko Moria."
"Everyone, throw the corpses into the sea."
"Don't be afraid. It's just a Devil Fruit user's trick."
"Issho, Mihawk, come with me."
"Kyros, you take the rest of the men and guard the ship. If you're attacked, prioritize survival."
"If it's another Devil Fruit user and you can't beat them, take the fight into the sea."
Yoriichi gave the command and stepped over the fallen corpses, heading toward the heart of the island. Issho jumped down and followed with Mihawk trailing.
"Yes, sir!"
Captain Kyros saluted and began directing the soldiers. One by one, the now-lifeless bodies were dumped into the ocean.
As each one sank, their shadows darted off toward the center of the ship.
At the core of the Terror Bark stood a massive castle, built from bluish stone. It spanned thousands of square meters. The ancient walls had turned dark green from age, vines crawling across the surfaces, moss growing thickly.
A relic of the past, broken and forgotten.
Inside a chamber, Gecko Moria reclined on a velvet sofa, swirling a glass of red wine.
Suddenly, shadows gathered outside his window, blocking the light. He turned, sensing something, just as the shadows slipped through the cracks and shot toward him.
"Hmm?"
With a slight murmur, Moria extended his hand and grabbed the shadow. As it reached him, it transformed into humanoid shapes that struggled in his palm.
"What's going on?"
He opened his mouth and devoured the shadow whole. Immediately, information poured into his mind.
One of his Shadow-Shadow Fruit abilities allowed him to read all memories contained within any retrieved shadow.
A moment later, Moria shot to his feet, eyes wide.
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni?!"
His expression twisted into a snarl.
"He stole my Flame-Flame Fruit and dares show up here?"
"Damn Navy!"
But just as quickly, Moria's mood shifted. His snarl turned into a grin, and then into maniacal laughter.
"Gixixixi"
"A Vice Admiral, huh? I'll make your corpse into one of my strongest soldiers."
"Gixixixi"
His laughter echoed through the castle.
Meanwhile, Yoriichi and his group continued forward. Along the way, they encountered more of Moria's zombie minions, though none were strong enough to stop them.
Eventually, they reached the center of the island and came face-to-face with the castle. Its gates were shut. The interior was pitch black.
"He's in there. Let's wrap this up quickly and go home."
"This damp air is awful."
Yoriichi's hair and uniform were soaked by the mist. The feeling of wet fabric sticking to his skin was unpleasant.
He far preferred sunlight.
As Mihawk stepped forward to push open the doors, they creaked open on their own.
Clip... clop... clip... clop...
The sound of wooden sandals echoed.
A silhouette emerged from within.
A corpse. A shadow-infused corpse dressed in a white kimono, bandages wrapped around its face, wooden geta on its feet, a long katana at its hip.
It walked forward and came to a stop before them, empty sockets seemingly staring at the marines.
Though it was just a corpse, it radiated tremendous "presence." Not killing intent, battle intent.
In Yoriichi's all-seeing gaze, the entity before him glowed like the moon in the night sky, impossible to ignore.
"Strong."
Issho, rarely able to sense such things here, muttered in surprise and stepped forward to shield Yoriichi.
Mihawk did the same, but not to protect. He was eager to face the corpse in battle.
He sensed it.
A swordsman.
"A dragon-slaying samurai from Wano... Ryuma."
"So Gecko Moria really did reach Wano...?"
Yoriichi recognized the corpse before them.
It was the legendary swordsman from Wano who lived a century ago, Ryuma, the dragon slayer.
He hadn't expected... to see him here.
Even though the world had changed... Moria still made it to Wano?
✦✦---------------------------------------------------------------------✦✦
100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter
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