Ryuma, standing in front of Yoriichi Tsugikuni, said nothing. His withered hand slowly reached for the sword at his waist. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he unsheathed the black blade, Shusui, one of the twenty-one O Wazamono grade swords and a national treasure of Wano.
As the blade drew free from its scabbard, a formidable aura burst forth from Ryuma's body. It felt so real, it practically became a wind, pressing toward Yoriichi and the others.
The chilled air, laced with the scent of earth, entered Yoriichi's nose. Looking at Ryuma, blade in hand, Yoriichi's instincts took over, and his hand also moved to the hilt at his side.
"He's just a corpse... so why is his presence this overwhelming?"
"And more importantly..."
"I can feel Haki!"
Yoriichi's expression turned grim. Ryuma's corpse was more than he expected. It had already been shocking that Moria managed to steal the corpse and Shusui from Wano. But now, the sheer pressure this body exuded truly defied Yoriichi's expectations.
How much power could a dried-up corpse, stuffed with a shadow, possibly wield? It lacked muscles, flesh, real vitality.
In the future, even the inexperienced Zoro had defeated Ryuma's corpse after it was possessed by Brook's shadow. Compared to Luffy's crew from that time, Yoriichi and his group were leagues beyond.
Truthfully, Yoriichi had underestimated Moria, not out of arrogance, but because the people accompanying him were simply too powerful. With a team like this, Yoriichi couldn't even imagine how Moria could hope to escape alive.
But that thought ended the moment Ryuma appeared.
This... was a threat.
Ryuma's presence alone was enough to make even Yoriichi reconsider. Whatever shadow Moria had used to animate this body, its strength couldn't be ignored.
Voom!
Without a word, Ryuma moved. He had no intention of speaking with them. The moment he drew his sword, he unleashed a flying slash toward them.
The green arc whistled through the air, slashing horizontally toward both Mihawk and Issho. It spanned several meters in width. Instantly, both men braced themselves.
"Here it comes, Issho," Mihawk warned.
He raised his blade vertically, not yet countering. He wanted to test Ryuma's strength first. A smarter fighter wouldn't bet their life on a slash just to gauge its power, dodge first, always. But Mihawk had faith in himself. This slash? He could do that too.
Issho also drew his sword, cutting into the oncoming slash.
Boom!
With a muffled crash, the slash met their blades and vanished without a trace. The violent wind burst outward from their positions, sweeping through the area.
Neither Mihawk nor Issho took a single step back.
Mihawk assessed the strength and looked slightly disappointed. He said casually, "So-so. Should be fun, at least."
"Issho, this one's mine. Let the swordsmen handle it."
With that, Mihawk gripped his blade in both hands and vanished with a sudden lunge. When he reappeared, he was already in front of Ryuma, slashing directly at his chest with his black blade.
He didn't use Haki. Not even his full physical strength. Mihawk wanted to see what Ryuma could handle first.
Clang!
Ryuma blocked instantly, but the clash sent him flying. The impact carved deep trenches into the ground from where his wooden sandals scraped.
The difference in raw power was clear.
"If that's all you've got, this'll just be annoying," Mihawk said coldly.
"The way you stood there... I expected more."
Despite the overwhelming pressure Ryuma had radiated earlier, after just two exchanges, Mihawk had already lost interest.
His opponent's slash was average. His strength, lacking. Not worthy of standing before Mihawk.
"His physical power doesn't match his presence."
"Is it because this body is just a corpse?"
Yoriichi had been watching the fight closely. Even he found it odd that Ryuma, despite his aura, was so easily knocked back.
These zombies... they kept exceeding expectations.
A swordsman's strength was easier to judge than a Devil Fruit user's. It came down to three things: physical strength, Haki, and swordsmanship.
Ryuma's body had the pressure, but its physical capabilities were far below Mihawk's. And a corpse couldn't use Haki. As for sword skill? That meant nothing if your strength and Haki were inferior.
Just like Yoriichi's early days in this world, no amount of sword skill mattered when facing monsters like Garp and Zephyr.
Mihawk was done playing. He raised his sword and unleashed a powerful slash toward the recovering Ryuma.
A brilliant green arc burst from his black blade, tearing deep gouges in the ground as it sped toward its target.
Ryuma raised his sword just in time to block. The slash struck his chest, exploding in a burst of energy.
Clang!
Whoosh!
Green light swallowed Ryuma's body. The next second, he was sent flying like a missile, crashing into the castle gates behind him. A massive hole several meters wide was left in the gate before Ryuma vanished into the darkness beyond.
"Hmm?" Mihawk blinked.
He hadn't expected that outcome. With that power, Ryuma's corpse should've been bisected, even with the block.
"Did... he block it?"
Mihawk frowned, confused.
Yoriichi glanced at Mihawk and said, "You didn't notice?"
"That sword. It's Shusui, one of the 21 O Wazamono."
"From the look of it... it's already close to becoming a black blade."
"Before your slash hit, he raised it and blocked. If it were any ordinary sword, it would've snapped in half. But Shusui...?"
Yoriichi cut himself off mid-sentence.
Suddenly, without turning, he unsheathed his own blade and swung behind him.
At some point, two withered arms had extended from the earth beneath his feet. Each finger was tipped with steel claws, coated in some kind of glowing purple liquid.
They had been silently reaching for his ankles.
But Yoriichi had heard the faint sound of them emerging.
Slash!
The blade of his sword turned crimson mid-swing, fire swirling around it. He cleanly sliced through both wrists, severing the claws.
Then, he leapt several meters away without hesitation.
The arms, now aflame, gave off a pungent burnt stench.
Mihawk, watching Yoriichi's sudden movement, turned to look at the ground where he'd been standing and saw the smoldering limbs. His eyes narrowed.
"What the hell is that?"
Yoriichi spared only a glance and replied, "Stay alert. Something's underground."
"Gecko Moria... pretty underhanded, even using poison."
Whatever that purple stuff was, it wasn't medicine.
This was clearly another modified zombie, like the mutated Sea King earlier.
But just as Yoriichi finished speaking, the ground beneath him shifted again. He didn't wait, jumping instantly and slashing downward mid-air.
Can't waste any more time.
Moria may have more tricks than I gave him credit for.
If I let my guard down, I could die here. That ambush just now... if it had landed, that would've been it.
When I get back, I need to recruit better ship doctors... just in case.
Landing again, Yoriichi looked toward the distant castle.
"Follow me. We're ending this."
"Pull Moria out and eliminate him."
With a burst of force, he launched into the air, using Moonwalk to dash straight toward the castle. He had already sensed many human presences within. No more delay, he would strike the heart of the enemy.
"Sōka!"
"Understood!"
Issho nodded, then crouched slightly. His blindfolded eyes opened, revealing stark white pupils. His staff rested against his chest as he drew a piece of his blade.
The power of his Devil Fruit surged.
Whhhhhhoooosh!
Boom!
A sharp whistling tore through the air. The gloomy sky, long hidden by fog, suddenly turned bright red. As the roar grew louder, the clouds began to part.
Yoriichi, mid-flight, sensed the change. Looking up, he saw it, a massive meteor, dozens of meters wide, wrapped in fire, piercing through the clouds and falling directly toward the castle.
"..."
Who could understand this feeling?
Your own subordinate dropping a meteor on your head?
"Issho did that on purpose..."
Yoriichi felt speechless. After soaring over the castle wall, he dropped into the courtyard.
"...I'll deal with him later."
He looked up at the falling meteor, drew his blade, and his face hardened.
When the meteor was less than a hundred meters from impact, Yoriichi struck.
Thunder boomed across the land. Dozens of slashes shot upward, slicing into the falling rock.
Moments later, the meteor shattered.
A blazing rain of fragments poured down.
Boom!
Crash!
BOOM!
The falling chunks slammed into the earth. Fire erupted everywhere. The castle was engulfed in flames.
Inside, Moria, who had been observing the fight, was dumbfounded.
By the time he reacted and ordered an evacuation, it was too late.
The sudden bombardment left no time to prepare. Buildings collapsed. Pirates perished without even knowing what had hit them.
And now, even Moria had to admit, this group of Marines was far beyond his ability to handle.
Part of him already wanted to flee.
But abandoning the world's largest ship like this... that, he couldn't accept.
At the very least, he had to face his enemies head-on before retreating.
If he left without even seeing their faces, how could Gecko Moria show himself again on the Grand Line?
Even so, despite everything, Moria didn't believe they could catch him.
Right now, he was still full of confidence.
To him, there was no one on this sea he feared.
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