Boom!!!
A colossal bolt of purple lightning tore down from the sky and slammed into the area where the Terrorist Castle stood.
The overwhelming force shook the entirety of Thriller Bark as if the island itself were trembling in fear.
…
Deep within the forest of Thriller Bark.
"That power… It's horrifying!"
The crew members of the rolling Pirates stared at the distant sky in stunned silence, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
One pirate clawed at his hair in disbelief and shouted,
"What kind of monster was that black giant dragon?! It even summoned lightning as if the heavens answered its call!"
Captain Lola looked toward the sky where the dragon had vanished, her expression filled with shock and uncertainty.
"Gekko Moriah absorbed so many shadows into his body, yet he was completely suppressed by that monster from the very beginning. Where did such a terrifying existence come from? That creature might even be stronger than Moriah!"
Having been trapped on Thriller Bark for far too long, the Rolling Pirates had long since lost contact with the outside world.
They knew nothing about Shirogai.
"That was a giant dragon. A real giant dragon!"
Another crew member trembled as fear overtook his voice.
"That has to be Kaido of the Beasts, one of the Four Emperors! Captain, we need to run now! If he notices us, we will be wiped out without a trace!"
Among pirates, Kaido's reputation was legendary.
One of the Four Emperors. The strongest creature in the world. A being rumored to be immortal.
His name alone was enough to sober the drunkest of pirates.
"No, that was not Kaido," Lola said firmly as she shook her head.
"I have seen Kaido's transformation into a dragon. That dragon was different. Kaido's dragon is bluish black, not the pitch black monster we just saw."
"Whether it was Kaido or not, whoever that was, he is terrifyingly powerful," the older brother of the Rikki brothers said with panic written all over his face.
"We should hide immediately. If we are discovered by someone like that, we will be silenced without question."
Lola hesitated and glanced in the direction of the distant Terrorist Castle.
"Or perhaps… we should go see who it is. If that powerful person is here to deal with Moriah, this could be the opportunity we have been waiting for to escape."
…
"Whoa!!! That lightning was huge!"
Luffy gripped a pair of leg bones and arm bones in his hands, his eyes glittering with excitement as he stared into the sky.
"Shirogai looks like he is doing something really fun again. I have to hurry over!"
"Big Brother!"
Right at Luffy's feet, a zombie that had lost both arms and both legs lay helplessly on the ground, leaving only its torso and head. It looked up at Luffy with teary eyes.
"Please, please give me back my arms and legs."
"Ah! Sorry about that, hahaha. I will fix you right up!"
Luffy turned around with a wide grin and casually shoved the bones back into the zombie's body.
"Thank you… Uh…"
After standing up, the zombie froze.
Something was very wrong.
Its arms and legs were completely mismatched.
It looked down in a daze and saw its legs attached where its arms should be, and its hands sticking awkwardly out of its thighs.
Before it could even react properly,
Bang!
The stunned zombie was struck hard by a blow and sent flying, its body shattering in mid air.
"Idiot! That thing is your enemy! Why would you help it recover?!"
Nami lowered her Wand as faint sparks of lightning flickered along its surface. She glared fiercely at Luffy.
"I just thought it was funny," Luffy replied as he pointed weakly, looking completely wronged.
"What exactly are these monsters?" Sanji muttered as he stood to the side smoking calmly. He casually kicked a zombie's head clean off its shoulders.
"They really do not die."
He watched as the headless body staggered around, following the distant shouts of its own head that was still barking orders.
"Idiot body, a little to the left. No, too far. Wait, wait, you stepped on me!"
Usopp trembled beside Sanji, clutching his slingshot with shaking hands.
"I, I do not know what these things are, but that skeleton guy said there were monsters all over this island. He must have been talking about these. Sanji, you have to protect me!"
"Protect you? Not a chance," Sanji scoffed.
"If I am protecting anyone, it will be Nami-swaaan."
He turned instantly, heart shaped eyes forming as he faced her.
"Nami-san, do you require your knight's protection?"
"Nope. I do not need it," Nami replied briskly.
Then her eyes suddenly lit up with excitement.
"Also, I can feel gold on this ship!"
A small sphere of gold floated above her palm and reshaped itself into an arrow pointing eagerly toward the distance.
"The power of the Gold-Gold Fruit really is amazing. I can sense exactly where the treasure is. The gold is straight ahead!"
"Just controlling gold. That does not sound that impressive," Usopp muttered bitterly, watching the shifting gold with open jealousy.
"But now you cannot swim at all."
"Even if I cannot swim, it is still worth it," Nami said proudly, sticking out her tongue.
"If there were fruits that controlled diamonds or silver, or even Berries, I would make you eat one too, Usopp. Then we would become the richest pirate crew in the world!"
"Diamonds? That sounds incredible!" Usopp's eyes sparkled with excitement at the thought.
"Let's go, Pegasus!"
At the front, Luffy had already mounted a bizarre zombie animal with the body of a donkey, the head of a horse, wings like a bird, and the tail of a peacock.
Riding it with wild excitement, he kicked off and charged ahead at full speed.
"That looks awesome!"
Usopp yelled happily as he chased after them.
"Luffy, wait for me!"
Nami suddenly turned around and looked around in confusion.
"Wait… where did Zoro and Chopper go?"
"They probably got lost," Sanji said calmly as he exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"With Chopper with him, that directionally challenged swordsman should still manage to find his way back… somehow."
…
In a secluded corner of Thriller Bark.
"Zoro!!! Where did you bring us?! Are we even still on the ship?!"
Chopper stared in horror at the unfamiliar surroundings, his eyes filled with panic.
"I should never have trusted you! You are the worst with directions, and I actually let you guide us. I am such an idiot!"
"I did not go the wrong way," Zoro replied as he stared up at the towering wall in front of them.
"It was just a slight deviation."
"Slight?!"
Chopper stuck out his tongue in disbelief.
"We ran straight into a wall! Luffy, Usopp, where are you?! Please come save me, it is way too scary here!"
The shadowy environment made Chopper's legs tremble nonstop.
This time, however, it truly was not Zoro's fault.
Chopper had been startled by a sudden swarm of bats and accidentally ran off in the wrong direction.
Zoro chased after him immediately and promised to take him back to the others.
And then…
They became completely lost.
____
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