Chiga patted Moria's arm and said,
"You know Brook, right? Didn't you use his shadow for a zombie? Bring that one here."
Hearing this, Moria's eyes widened sharply. How does he know that?
The zombie containing Brook's shadow wasn't just any undead. It was none other than Shimotsuki Ryuma, a legendary swordsman from Wano Country known as the Sword God.
In his lifetime, Ryuma's strength was top-tier. When Moria escaped from Kaido long ago, he'd stolen Ryuma's corpse, making him one of his strongest zombie creations.
Unlike other zombies, Ryuma retained fragments of his past life's memories. If not for the power of the Kage Kage no Mi, someone like Ryuma would never obey Moria.
Now, Moria had a dreadful feeling—Ryuma might be destroyed today.
He was reluctant to part with the powerful warrior, but since Chiga had requested him, Moria didn't dare argue.
He activated his Devil Fruit ability, summoning Ryuma, then nodded at Chiga.
"Admiral Purple Kirin, Ryuma is on his way and should arrive shortly!"
"Good. I'll be taking Brook's shadow back from him. Any objections?"
"Of course not!" Moria replied quickly, then hesitated. "But, may I ask… what's your relationship with Brook?"
"I owe him a favor."
"…?"
Moria stared in disbelief. To him, Chiga's strength was practically divine. How could someone like that owe anything to Brook?
Brook, who couldn't even defeat a zombie?
Chiga offered no further explanation. His Heavenly Net had already spread over the entirety of Thriller Bark, and through his magnetic field sensing, he detected Ryuma's approach.
Just then, a strange voice echoed through the air.
"Horo horo horo…"
Chiga looked to the side and spotted a ghost doll grinning mischievously as it floated toward him with ill intent.
Up on the chandelier, Perona watched with excited eyes. Unlike the others, her fear of Chiga was minimal—her curiosity far outweighed any caution.
She had long wanted to see for herself what kind of man this so-called strongest Marine Admiral truly was.
And Chiga didn't disappoint. His overwhelming aura weighed down on the room like gravity, leaving a deep, unforgettable impression on her mind.
But this only made her more excited. What would happen if someone like him got hit with my Negative Hollow?
She narrowed her eyes and giggled softly.
The ghost doll crept closer, just inches from Chiga's body.
But then Chiga's Rinnegan met its gaze.
His expression was calm, utterly unmoved—but the ghost doll instantly froze in mid-air. A flicker of raw fear spread across its face, something even Perona had never seen before.
She gasped. I've… lost control of it?!
What happened next shocked her even more.
Chiga calmly extended a hand and placed it on the ghost doll's head.
Ghosts were intangible. Normal people couldn't touch them—they'd just pass through.
But this one—Chiga actually gripped it and lifted it in front of him like a toy.
Perona finally lost her composure. She flew down in a panic, hovering so close to Chiga that her face nearly touched his.
Her expression mirrored that of the ghost doll—complete disbelief. It made Chiga chuckle softly.
The Human Path of the Rinnegan naturally suppressed spiritual energy like souls. Add to that the overwhelming pressure from his Haki-enhanced presence, and the ghost doll behaved like a frightened child.
Perona, clueless about the Rinnegan's nature, asked urgently,
"How can you touch my ghost?!"
"Forget that," Chiga said with a serious expression. "Shouldn't you be thinking about the consequences of trying to attack me?"
Perona flinched, stepping back and—plop!—fell to the ground in fear.
Before Chiga could say anything else, she suddenly hugged herself and burst into loud sobs.
Chiga blinked, speechless. He had only meant to scare this eccentric Gothic girl a little—not actually traumatize her.
Moria quickly stepped in, trying to mediate.
"Admiral Purple Kirin! Please don't take her behavior seriously, she's just—"
He stopped mid-sentence. Chiga had turned his gaze onto him—and the chill that followed made Moria's skin erupt in goosebumps.
"I won't take her seriously," Chiga said coldly. "But as her captain, shouldn't you bear some of the consequences?"
Without waiting for a response, Chiga snapped his fingers. The ghost doll, still under his control, phased through Moria's body.
Moria dropped to his knees like a collapsed tower. A gloomy shadow settled over him, and he mumbled weakly,
"If there's a next life… I want to be a happy black pig…"
"…?"
Absalom and Hogback clamped their hands over their mouths. Their faces turned red from holding back laughter.
But soon, they too slumped down beside Moria.
"If there's a next life, I want to be a delicate woman…"
"I'm just a fat, useless pervert…"
"Horohorohoro!"
Perona had stopped crying by then. She clutched her stomach, laughing so hard that tears spilled from her eyes.
Chiga rose from the sofa and walked up to her, squatting slightly.
"Not scared anymore?"
Perona froze. Her laughter vanished. She nodded quickly, completely subdued.
Chiga reached out and gently ruffled her pink twin-tailed hair, then stood and turned toward the entrance of the hall.
There, a figure in a white kimono with a katana at his waist appeared.
It was his true target—Shimotsuki Ryuma, now in zombie form.
Ryuma pointed his black-bladed Shusui directly at Chiga. Because of Brook's shadow within him, some of his mannerisms remained—like his habit of letting out a "Yohohoho."
But in front of Chiga's overwhelming presence, something long dormant stirred within his decaying body.
It was the first time in ages he had felt the pressure of a truly powerful opponent.
Ryuma's eyes narrowed with clarity and resolve.
"Unknown warrior… could you grant me my release today?"
Chiga smiled.
A deep purple blade of pure energy appeared in his hand—a weapon formed from his Susanoo.
Even without summoning the full construct, Chiga had long since mastered using its weapons independently.
The Susanoo Sword pulsed with terrifying power as he raised it toward the swordsman.
__
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