The composition of Thriller Bark was simple. Before it became a terrifying forest filled with artificial zombie creatures, it had been something like a town surrounding the entrance, though now only ruins remained.
At the center of Thriller Bark stood the mansion where Hogback conducted his experiments, along with several other places nearby, such as a chapel and Perona's tower. But the most important structure was the massive tower that rose behind the mansion. It was so enormous that it made the mansion look small.
That was where Gecko Moria currently lived, snoring away, completely unaware of what was happening.
He wasn't worried—but why would he be?
For many years, Hogback and his zombies had rarely needed help capturing or killing pirates, adventurers, or travelers. And if they ever did, Absalom, Ryuma, and Perona were ready to assist him. So even after hearing that a 500 million pirate had arrived, he decided to take a nap.
Boom
The tower shook, causing Moria to wake up in confusion.
"What? What happened?!"
If Moria had been awake, he would have realized what he had felt was Conqueror's Haki. Unfortunately, his arrogance worked against him.
"Hildon, go see what happened!"
"Yes, Moria-sama!"
The humanoid bat flew toward the top of the tower to head outside. Along the way, the massive silhouette of a monster could be seen standing in the middle of the tower.
Motionless and terrifying, several times larger than a giant, it had a demonic appearance, pink skin, enormous fangs, and horns on its head.
This ancient being from a forgotten era was the corpse of the one known as Oars.
The zombies were an immortal army—or so Moria believed—but the true crown jewel, his strongest weapon and ultimate trump card, was Oars, the creature he was trying to revive at any cost.
Once he succeeded, Moria would leave the Florian Triangle and return to the New World, this time with an army that didn't bleed, didn't feel pain, and didn't die.
"Kishishishi! Soon! Soon Oars will be revived, and those idiots from the World Government who think they can use me—and that bastard Kaido—will pay for everything! Kishishishi! KISHISHISHI!"
....
The mansion had fallen silent, and the girls waited outside alongside Cindry.
The zombie girl explained how the place worked, including that she wasn't the real Cindry, but the shadow of a maid named Margaret.
She had been forced to act as Cindry, and all she could feel was pity for the poor girl who had been unable to rest in peace until now. Even so, she was happy that it would finally come to an end and that Cindry would be able to rest peacefully.
Just as everyone was beginning to worry, footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Allen's figure appeared, making Nami and Vivi let out sighs of relief. They knew Hogback wasn't a threat to Allen, but they couldn't help worrying about him.
Allen smiled at everyone.
"Well, Hogback is on his way to hell."
"Hehe, that crazy old man was no problem for our captain!~" Mikita exclaimed.
"I'm glad Kaya-chan didn't see him, or she would've been disappointed in him," Robin said.
"So we won't tell her?" Vivi asked.
"It's better this way," Uta said with a shrug.
The girls fell silent as they watched Allen walk toward Cindry. Once he stood before her, the zombie lowered her head awkwardly, because the words directed at her weren't truly meant for her. The young man's anger hadn't been for her sake, and his gratitude belonged to the real Victoria Cindry.
"It's a tragedy for Victoria... but also for you, Margaret."
Cindry looked up, her eyes widening in surprise.
How did Allen know who she really was?
"I'm not going to force you to give the body back. In the end, you're a victim too."
Cindry smiled.
"No... I have to return to where I belong. I only felt obligated not to leave Victoria in that bastard's hands. But if it's you, I can leave her with you."
Allen looked at Margaret before nodding firmly.
"Don't worry. Leave it to me."
Traces of shadow began leaving Cindry's body, and soon she lost all movement and collapsed. Allen caught her in his arms. Looking at Cindry's face, she simply seemed asleep, still wearing a smile.
Somewhere out at sea, a young maid with brown hair and freckles dropped a plate onto the floor. Her master rushed over in alarm, only to find her crying because she had regained her shadow.
Every one of Moria's zombies had an owner, because the condition for their existence was that their original counterparts had to remain alive. But losing your shadow was a tragedy. Not only was a part of your soul extracted, but you also lost the ability to live under sunlight, because the moment it touched you, you would disappear.
The girls looked at Allen with concern and sadness. They didn't know the full story, but this woman must have been someone significant in his life.
"What are you going to do?" Uta asked gently. "Do you think you can bring her back to life?"
She asked because they knew Allen had access to every Devil Fruit, and since fruits capable of manipulating souls like Big Mom's existed, there was a chance one might be able to resurrect people.
"Me?" Allen smiled faintly. "I don't have that right. Victoria Cindry was an incredibly kind woman. I was just one of the countless lives she touched. Our connection was nothing more than gratitude, and I don't think disturbing her soul in the afterlife would be right. I'll simply take her somewhere beautiful where she can rest."
"Lenalee."
[Yes.]
A scroll unfolded before Allen, and while still holding Cindry against his chest, he searched through the shop.
Once he found what he was looking for, he bought it, and a massive chest appeared. From inside it came a crystal coffin. Allen gently placed Cindry inside and closed it.
"Won't anything happen to her body?"
[Don't worry. That coffin can preserve anything inside it in a state of suspended time.]
Once he finished, Allen turned to the girls.
"I'll be back in a moment. I'm taking this back to the ship."
Allen knelt, placed one hand on the coffin, and teleported to the storage room aboard the Black Pearl.
Kuma's teleportation was complicated, so it worked best when returning to places he had already visited.
He didn't forget to inform the girls—especially Nojiko—about what had happened so they wouldn't be frightened.
Kaya, Hina, Nojiko, and Conis were surprised to learn that Thriller Bark belonged to Gecko Moria, though Kalifa and Gion looked uncomfortable because they already knew.
Moria was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It was only natural that a high-ranking Marine officer and a CP9 agent would know where he lived, since he was occasionally summoned by order of the World Government. Naturally, they knew Moria lived here and what he did.
Once he finished, Allen left, leaving the girls deep in thought.
In the awkward silence, Hina was the one who finally spoke.
"This is why I left the Marines," Hina said. "It's not that I hate them, but the current Marines aren't somewhere I want to return to. Tashigi feels the same way."
Gion and Kalifa remained silent.
Hina smiled. "But Captain promised that when he rules the world, he'll change the Marines into what they were always meant to be. He even promised me an admiral's position."
Kalifa and Gion widened their eyes.
Did this woman truly believe Allen would rule the world?
....
"So we're splitting up?" Uta asked with a smile.
Allen chuckled.
"Yeah. I think you should use this opportunity to train against some real opponents."
"But is it safe?" Nami asked worriedly.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, woman," Mikita said in exasperation. "You have the Lightning Logia, you know Haki, and you're still afraid of Moria's pirates? Just go back to the ship!"
"Shut up! I'm not scared, I'm just being careful!" Nami snapped. "Besides, don't forget there are invincible ghosts around here!"
"Stop arguing. I've already scanned the entire island with my Observation Haki. You can fight without worrying. None of them have Haki, so as long as you're careful, you'll hardly be in any danger," Allen said thoughtfully.
"Alright, we'll split up. There's a chapel with nearly a hundred presences stronger than the regular zombies. They're wearing armor and seem to be warrior zombies. Uta, they're all yours," Allen said with a smile.
Uta grinned wickedly.
"My pleasure, Captain~"
"There's also that invisible bastard. He escaped after leaving a samurai fighting Tashigi. He's all yours, Mikita." Allen smiled coldly. "That bastard had indecent thoughts about my beautiful crew. Make him suffer."
Mikita smiled with both amusement and cruelty.
"It'll be my pleasure~."
"Somewhere else, there's some kind of giant spider-monkey hybrid. It must be the owner of the web that tried to catch us... Robin?"
Robin smiled softly.
"Understood."
"Lastly, there's a girl in a tower surrounded by ghosts. Nami, she's yours," Allen said with a teasing smile. "You're practically a living bolt of lightning. Have some confidence. Dodge the ghosts and find the girl's real body."
Nami, who had gone pale, widened her eyes before blushing. Despite becoming stronger, a person's mindset didn't change overnight, so Nami still behaved like the same girl she had always been.
As Allen looked at her, she slapped both of her cheeks and nodded.
"You're right! I'm the World King's navigator! I can't stay a coward forever!"
Everyone smiled.
"That's the spirit!" Allen laughed.
"But..." Nami said shyly.
Allen tilted his head for a moment before understanding and smiling.
"Of course. I'll be keeping an eye on you. If you're ever in danger, I'll teleport right to where you are."
Nami's eyes sparkled. She jumped toward Allen and kissed him.
"I love you, Captain!❤️"
Before she could continue, Mikita and Vivi pulled her away in jealousy.
"By the way, sorry, Vivi. There isn't another opponent for you this time."
"It's okay. I'll just go with you~" Vivi replied with an awkward smile. Even knowing these zombies were artificial, they still gave her the chills, and she was relieved she wouldn't have to fight them.
"Alright, we're heading to the giant tower. Gecko Moria is there," Allen said. "Girls, you're stronger now, but don't let your guard down. This is still the hideout of one of the Seven Warlords."
"Yes!" everyone answered.
Everyone split up, except for Vivi, who followed Allen.
....
A few minutes later, Allen noticed Vivi was in a bad mood.
"Something wrong, Princess?" he asked.
"I've been thinking about Cindry-san... no, about all the zombies. Maybe Hogback was the one who created them, but Gecko Moria was the one who gave them life... isn't that right?" Vivi asked.
"Yeah. It seems he has the Shadow-Shadow Fruit," Allen replied.
"That makes me angry!" Vivi clenched her fists.
"..."
"That man is one of the Seven Warlords! Once again, a pirate approved by the government is allowed to do whatever he wants right under their noses," Vivi said angrily.
"That's true. From the very beginning, the Warlord system has been a mistake. But it's also a reflection of today's Marines. Compared to desecrating corpses, the Celestial Dragons do even worse things to the living. To them, ordinary people simply have no value..." Allen gently stroked her hair. "But don't worry. I'm here, and I won't stop until I erase the past that's holding this world back."
Vivi looked at Allen as her anger gradually faded. Then she leaned against his shoulder as they walked slowly forward. Around them stood dozens of frozen zombie statues. They had all tried to attack Allen, only to be frozen before they could even get close.
"And I'll be by your side to help you. We all will," Vivi said with a warm smile.
"Thank you."
Allen stopped walking and looked at her.
The beautiful blue-haired girl felt her cheeks grow warm and her body drawn toward Allen like a magnet. Before she realized it, she was already in his embrace.
Surrounded by zombies wasn't exactly the most romantic setting, but that didn't stop the two of them from becoming lost in their own world, and before they knew it, they were kissing.
Vivi's soft, addictive lips made it impossible to stop.
The moment seemed to last for hours, and when they finally pulled apart, they simply gazed at each other in silence.
"Weren't we supposed to level up?" Vivi asked playfully, making no move to leave his embrace.
Every day, "leveling up" became less of a real excuse and more of a convenient pretext for moments like these. On Allen's side, it was an excuse to pretend he wasn't a shameless womanizer. For the girls, it was a way to avoid the embarrassment of admitting they'd fallen in love with that same shameless bastard.
Even so, deep down, everyone already knew the truth. All that was missing was a little honesty from both sides.
"Hm?"
Allen frowned while still holding Vivi. He looked up at the sky and spotted Hildon flying overhead.
Without a second thought, he pointed at him, and a laser shot from his fingertip pierced straight through the bat.
"Ahhh!"
Hildon cried out as he crashed heavily onto the ground. He didn't move after landing, but Allen looked at him with contempt.
"Hey, bastard. I know you're conscious. You're a zombie, after all."
The zombie got back to his feet in terror. He had no idea what to do. He had come to see what was happening, and the first thing he found was a couple affectionately walking toward Moria's tower without a care in the world.
Worse still, every zombie that had tried to capture them had ended up frozen. It was terrifying that someone so powerful had come to Thriller Bark.
"I-I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to spy on you! I was just passing through!" Hildon said fearfully. Even though he couldn't feel pain, all the frozen zombies had lost their shadows, proving that Allen could undo Moria's power.
"Stop pretending. I know you've been spying on me ever since we arrived on the island. You're one of Moria's underlings, aren't you?" Allen mocked him. "I only have one question for you. Your master's name is Gecko Moria, right?"
Vivi looked up at Allen in confusion.
Why would Allen ask something like that when he already knew?
"Yes," the zombie replied.
"His name is Gecko Moria, right?" Allen narrowed his eyes.
"Y-Yes, sir! My master's name is Gecko Moria, one of the Seven Warlords!"
"..."
Allen remained silent.
"Allen?"
Allen shook his head and smiled at Vivi before kissing her on the forehead.
"It's nothing. I was just thinking... what a waste of potential. But I suppose you can't expect more from a broken man."
====
A/N: Well, at this rate, Thriller Bark will be over in two chapters lol. If Cindry hadn't been there, Allen would have handled everything much more calmly.
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