NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 18: Gecko Moria’s Fury
"Roger? I vaguely recall a rookie by that name."
During the gathering of Supernovas preparing to enter the New World. When the Straw Hat crew was stunned to learn that Rayleigh was the former first mate of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King, it was Brook who nonchalantly spoke those words.
His bounty of 38 million berries had been issued over fifty years ago, a time when he knew both Roger and the Pirate King's doctor, Crocus. This indicated a formidable strength, proven over decades.
But after all this time – accounting for the years he spent laying his former crewmates to rest, searching for the head of his comrade Yorki, and even the decade spent evading Moria after losing his shadow – shouldn't he have been training rigorously to regain his strength?
The Straw Hats, scattered by Kuma to different islands for two years of intense training, had returned with their power amplified exponentially. There was something peculiar about Brook's journey.
He had mastered the art of soul projection, wielding the chilling Soul Solid attack fueled by the cold of the underworld. He also possessed remarkable regenerative abilities, able to recover from broken bones as long as they weren't completely destroyed. Based on these skills, his talent shouldn't be underestimated.
Many fans speculated that he was secretly a legendary figure, reminiscing about his past exploits.
Brook and Red-Haired Shanks were shrouded in mystery. Shanks, with his formidable strength and connections, was a former member of Roger's crew, a current Yonko ruling the New World, and even had ties to the Five Elders, the highest authority in the World Government.
"Mr. Ian, are we departing then?" Brook asked, shaking his skull. Having arrived at Thriller Bark, how could Ian possibly forgo the opportunity to absorb the souls inhabiting this island? He could sense a powerful presence awakening within the eerie castle.
It was Gecko Moria, the Warlord of the Sea who had challenged Kaido and lost, his crew decimated, yet still possessing the terrifying power of the Kage Kage no Mi, the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
Deep within the gloomy castle, a massive black coffin lay in the center of a chamber. Suddenly, it burst open with a resounding boom, and a figure emerged. He resembled a vampire, with a bulbous head, small horns protruding from his temples, pointed ears and teeth, and stitch-like scars crisscrossing his neck and head. He wore a shirt with a bat-shaped collar, gothic-style clothing, and his skin was deathly pale. His body was obese, but his head was elongated and thin.
"What's going on? Why are my zombie soldiers disappearing at such an alarming rate? There are barely any left!" He exclaimed in frustration.
He had been peacefully slumbering when he sensed a drastic reduction in his zombie army. While losing a few here and there was normal, this sudden and massive disappearance was infuriating.
The stolen shadows he had implanted had also vanished, returning to their rightful owners. While he could recapture them and repeat the process, it was a tedious and time-consuming endeavor. The priority was to address the root cause of this issue, preventing further losses.
"Absalom!" He roared into a Den Den Mushi, a transponder snail used for communication. As captain, he focused on creating zombies, delegating other responsibilities to his subordinates, the Mysterious Four. Absalom, the invisible lion-man, was responsible for commanding the zombie army.
"What happened? Why are so many zombie soldiers missing? Investigate this immediately!"
However, despite ringing for a considerable time, the Den Den Mushi remained silent. This was inevitable, as the lecherous Absalom had been eliminated by Ian. Receiving a response would have been truly supernatural, even with Brook, a literal ghost, standing beside him.
"Master, you're finally awake! Disaster has struck! Someone has infiltrated Thriller Bark and is slaughtering our zombies!"
Moria contacted another member of the Mysterious Four, his voice laced with panic.
It was Hogback, a brilliant surgeon whose skills were employed to stitch together various corpses for Moria to implant with stolen shadows. He had created numerous animal zombies, including a spider monkey, a cerberus, and others.
"Impossible! My zombies are invincible! How could they be killed?" Moria roared in disbelief.
Zombies were composed of inanimate corpses, devoid of sensation or life, animated solely by the implanted shadows. They weren't easily defeated.
Their weaknesses were fire, salt, and the separation of shadow from body. Salt, containing the energy of the sea, disrupted the Devil Fruit power that animated the zombies. The amount of salt required depended on the zombie's size. This was demonstrated during the Paramount War when Jinbe, a Warlord of the Sea who controlled water, defeated Moria using Fish-Man Karate and seawater.
Another weakness was overwhelming force, which could forcibly eject the shadow and return it to its owner. And finally, defeating Moria himself, the creator of the zombies, would also render them inert. He was, after all, a Warlord of the Sea recognized by the World Government.
At least publicly, his strength was second only to the Yonko and the Admirals. He was, however, aware of his limitations, choosing to remain in the Florian Triangle, capturing passing ships and wreaking havoc in the relatively weaker first half of the Grand Line.
But he had never revealed these weaknesses, not even to the Mysterious Four. He couldn't comprehend how someone could be systematically dismantling his army unless they possessed fire or seawater powers, a stroke of incredibly good luck.
"Master, I wouldn't dare lie to you! Even the samurai zombie Ryuma and the warrior zombie Jigoro have been defeated!"
"What?! I'll kill this intruder and turn him into a zombie!" Moria bellowed, enraged. Creating samurai zombies required exceptional materials, both the shadow and the body belonging to powerful individuals. He only had a dozen or so.
Losing even a few was a significant blow. His shadow pulsed with unrestrained fury.
Without even summoning the Mysterious Four, he decided to confront this intruder personally, this individual who had defied all odds. To his knowledge, there were few pirates in the first half of the Grand Line who could rival his strength.
Unless some anomaly had wandered in from the New World.
High above Thriller Bark, shrouded in a thick layer of fog, Gion, clad in her pink attire, hovered in the air using Geppo.
Her powerful Observation Haki allowed her to observe Ian's actions, her surprise growing with each passing moment. He possessed Conqueror's Haki?
This confirmed her belief that she had found a true gem. A Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user, incredible physical abilities, and formidable swordsmanship – he had the potential to reach Admiral-level strength.
She was more than happy to see Moria weakened, but her position as a Marine made direct involvement risky. Having Ian, who wasn't yet officially a Marine, handle this situation was the perfect solution.
She would intervene when Ian was discovered or overwhelmed, claiming him as a Marine recruit. Moria, reliant on the World Government's protection, wouldn't object.
It was a brilliant strategy. And Shusui, the legendary katana of the Wano Country samurai Ryuma, renowned for its sharpness, durability, and attack-boosting properties, with his enhanced physical abilities. would be an ideal weapon for Ian,