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[email protected]/Heroicverse
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"Yohohoho..."
Seeing living people, Brook was overwhelmingly excited.
"It's been so long since I've seen a living person! I'm so moved, I could cry!"
"Though I have no eyes to cry with!"
A classic Brook-style self-deprecating joke.
Although Auguro had previously mentioned that Brook was a living skeleton, seeing him for the first time still startled Nami and the others.
"Devil Fruits truly are amazing; they can even alter the boundary between life and death!" Robin couldn't help but sigh.
Brook, however, suddenly shot toward Robin, chuckling lecherously.
"Yohoho! Miss, could I possibly see your panties?"
Even after being dead for so many years, his lecherous nature hadn't changed!
Thud!
Brook's figure suddenly flew backward, smashing heavily onto the deck, several cracks appearing on his bones.
Auguro lowered his right leg and said coldly, "I don't care if you're a pirate from decades ago. This is not a place for your cheap jokes. Apologize to my companion immediately!"
"Otherwise, I don't mind taking your corpse to see Laboon!"
Being a pervert is one thing, but if you dare to harass a companion, don't blame me for being severe!
Perhaps it was the first time she had been protected so fiercely, and Robin was slightly taken aback. A gentle smile then spread across her face.
This is what it feels like to have someone to rely on, isn't it? It feels wonderful!
"You—you said Laboon? You know Laboon?"
Brook leaped up instantly, his two empty eye sockets staring directly at Auguro.
Auguro pointed at Robin and said coldly, "Apologize first!"
"I am terribly, terribly sorry! I was completely out of line!"
Without hesitation, Brook performed a full dogeza (bow of total submission) toward Robin.
Only after Robin waved her hand, indicating she forgave him, did Auguro's expression soften.
He said faintly, "We were entrusted by Laboon at Reverse Mountain to come and rescue you."
Auguro then fully explained how Laboon was daily smashing the Red Line, trying to reunite with the Rumbar Pirates.
Brook immediately let out wailing sobs.
"Laboon! We broke our promise! We let you down!"
Seeing this, Nami asked Auguro confusedly, "Lord Auguro, didn't you say he was trapped? He seems perfectly free to move around?"
Brook proactively explained.
"Miss, Gecko Moria's ability is very peculiar! He can manipulate people's shadows!"
"He stole my shadow! If I now step into the sunlight, I will immediately die!"
Nami understood.
"Ah, so that's it!"
She then smiled at Brook.
"Hehe! Then you're really lucky! Lord Auguro happens to be heading to deal with Moria!"
Brook was overjoyed.
"Really? Thank you so much!"
But immediately, he worried.
"But Moria is incredibly strong! He's one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, rumored to be a rare powerhouse in the entire Grand Line! Do you... have confidence?"
At that, Nami couldn't help but burst into laughter.
As Brook looked at her confusedly, Robin smiled and said, "A Warlord has already died at Lord Auguro's hands."
"And two days ago, we fought against a Marine Admiral, Aokiji, and it ended in a stalemate!"
"What?!"
Brook was dumbfounded. The title of Warlord was a new concept to him. But he was very clear about the power of a Marine Admiral! In his era, the Marine Admiral was the famed Kong the Steel Fist—now the World Government's Fleet Admiral!
To fight a Marine Admiral to a draw, a mere Moria would certainly pose no problem!
Auguro waved his hand.
"Alright! Let's get this done quickly!"
A mere Moria, who was already at the bottom of the Warlords' strength rankings, was not worth Auguro's attention!
Brook boarded the Desert Rose to serve as a guide, and the group sailed toward Moria's base, Thriller Bark.
Thriller Bark.
Due to its immense size, Nami and the others initially mistook it for an island.
"Everyone, be careful!" Brook said gravely.
"This ship is full of Moria's zombies, and they can only be repelled by salt!"
"You go deal with Moria, and leave the zombies to me!"
Over the years, Brook had constantly tried to reclaim his shadow, so he had prepared a large supply of salt.
As if to confirm Brook's words, just as he finished speaking, mounds of dirt swelled up on the ground ahead, and a dense swarm of zombies crawled out.
"Tsk! How utterly disgusting!"
Rangiku Matsumoto wrinkled her nose in distaste.
The others had similar expressions.
"Toying with the living and the dead... Lord Soul King, this person absolutely must not be forgiven!"
Surprisingly, the previously quiet Hanatarō Yamada suddenly spoke up, deeply agitated.
Auguro understood him well. As a doctor, seeing these zombies being arbitrarily modified, his moral code and principles were being utterly trampled upon!
"Don't worry!" Auguro's eyes were cold.
"I didn't intend to spare his life when I came here!"
While the Moria who clashed with Kaido might have been considered a hero, the current Moria was a complete and utter scumbag. He had committed wanton slaughter, grave robbing, and modification of the dead to create his zombie army, utterly devoid of humanity!
Dozens of zombies charged forward. They were low-level Zombie Soldiers, easily handled even by ordinary Marines with weapons.
Brook weaved among them, scattering large handfuls of Sea Salt. The zombies immediately went limp, and their shadows swiftly returned to their original owners.
The group smoothly arrived before a massive castle.
"This is Moria's main base!" Brook stated gravely.
Inside the castle, a pink-haired Gothic Lolita was listening to a report from a ghost.
"Someone actually dared to invade Lord Moria's territory! Have Absalom capture them immediately!"
The girl was the Ghost Princess Perona, one of Moria's Three Mysterious Individuals (Three Major Subordinates). She was a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user, the Hollow-Hollow Fruit (Horo Horo no Mi) user, who commanded the Animal Zombies and the Scary Zombies. The entire castle was under surveillance by her ghosts.
Absalom was also one of the Three Mysterious Individuals, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user, the Clear-Clear Fruit (Suke Suke no Mi) user, who commanded the Zombie Soldiers and Zombie Generals. He was responsible for the external defense.
Receiving Perona's notification, Absalom mobilized all the Zombie Soldiers to surround Auguro and the others. At the same time, he activated his Devil Fruit ability, turning completely invisible, and quietly followed behind the zombies.
In the castle hall, Auguro's group had just entered when they were completely surrounded by over a hundred zombies.
"Ah! I might be a little overwhelmed by this number!"
Although Brook had prepared a large quantity of sea salt, he only had two hands. Dealing with over a hundred zombies simultaneously was somewhat difficult.
"It's alright! Leave this place to me!"
Rukia Kuchiki stepped forward, drawing her Sode no Shirayuki.
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!"