Kaito patted Moria's arm and said,
"You know Brook, right? Didn't you stuff his shadow into one of your zombies? Bring that zombie over."
At those words, Moria's eyes widened sharply. He couldn't help but wonder how Kaito knew about that.
After all, the zombie infused with Brook's shadow was a special case—he was Shimotsuki Ryuma, a legendary figure from Wano Country centuries ago, revered as the "Sword God."
In his lifetime, Ryuma had been a top-tier powerhouse. When Moria escaped from Kaido back then, he'd stolen Ryuma's corpse along the way, turning it into one of his strongest zombies.
Moreover, unlike other zombies, Ryuma retained his memories from life. If not for the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, there's no way a warrior of his level would obey Moria's commands.
Moria had a bad feeling—Ryuma was probably going to be scrapped today.
He was, of course, reluctant to part with such a formidable zombie, but since it was Kaito asking, he didn't dare protest.
Moria directly used his power to summon Ryuma, then nodded toward Kaito and said,
"Admiral Shikiryū, Ryuma is on his way. He'll be here shortly!"
"Good. I'll be extracting Brook's shadow from him later. You have any objections?"
"Of course not! I just wanted to ask... What's your relationship with Brook, Admiral Shikiryū?"
"I owe him a favor."
"..."
Moria stared at Kaito in disbelief. In his mind, Kaito's power was already close to divine—how could someone like him possibly owe a favor to anyone?
Especially someone like Brook, who couldn't even beat a zombie?
Kaito offered no explanation. His Heavenly Net had already spread across the entire Thriller Bark, and he sensed something moving toward him through the magnetic field.
Just then, a strange laugh rang out:
"Hehorohorohoro..."
Kaito glanced sideways and saw a ghost doll with a grinning face mischievously trying to brush up against him.
Up on the chandelier, Perona watched eagerly from above. Unlike the others, this rebellious girl wasn't too afraid of Kaito—in fact, her curiosity outweighed her fear.
She'd long wanted to see for herself what this so-called strongest Marine Admiral, Shikiryū, was really like.
And the result didn't disappoint. That suffocating aura of overwhelming strength struck her soul like a thunderclap, leaving an unforgettable mark.
But rather than being scared off, it only made Perona more eager to see what would happen if someone like Shikiryū got hit by her "Negative Ghost."
The very thought made her squint and giggle to herself.
However, just as the ghost doll was about to touch Kaito, his Rinnegan locked eyes with it.
Kaito's expression was calm and unmoved, and there wasn't the slightest ripple in his Rinnegan—but the ghost doll froze in midair.
A terrified look appeared on its face, one that even Perona had never seen before. It didn't dare move another inch.
Perona froze too—she realized she had lost control of the ghost doll!
And then came an even more shocking sight.
Kaito slowly reached out and placed his hand on the ghost doll's head.
Normally, ghost dolls were intangible. Ordinary people trying to touch them would just pass right through.
But Kaito actually grabbed it by the head and lifted it right in front of him.
Perona completely panicked. She dropped down from above, face practically pressed against Kaito's.
Now she wore the same dumbfounded expression as the ghost doll—utter disbelief—which made Kaito chuckle.
The reason he could grab the ghost doll was because the Human Realm path of the Rinnegan naturally suppressed soul-related energy.
Coupled with the Rinnegan's immense pressure, the ghost doll in front of him was no more threatening than a naughty child.
Perona, of course, had no idea about the Rinnegan's capabilities. She anxiously asked,
"How can you touch my ghost?!"
"Rather than that, shouldn't you be thinking about the consequences of attacking me?"
Kaito shot back with a serious face.
Perona was so startled she stumbled back two steps and landed flat on her butt.
Before Kaito could say anything else, she wrapped her arms around herself and burst into tears.
Kaito looked at her, speechless. He had only meant to spook the quirky gothic girl a bit, not actually punish her.
Moria hurried over to smooth things over and said,
"Admiral Shikiryū! Please don't take her seriously, she's just—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Because he realized Kaito's gaze had shifted to him, and that look made goosebumps rise all over his body.
"I'm not going to take it out on her," Kaito said. "But as her captain, you should take responsibility, right?"
Before Moria could react, Kaito commanded Perona's ghost to pass straight through his body.
Moria dropped to his knees on the spot. It was as if a dark cloud had descended over him—he looked utterly drained.
"If there's a next life, I want to be a happy black pig..."
"..."
Absalom and Hogback quickly clamped their hands over their mouths. Judging by their purpling faces, they were barely holding in their laughter.
But it didn't last long—they soon followed in Moria's footsteps and collapsed to their knees.
"If there's a next life, I want to be a frail, delicate girl..."
"I'm just a fat, ugly pervert..."
"Hehorohorohoro!"
Perona, who had been crying a moment ago, was now clutching her stomach and laughing so hard that tears streamed down her face.
Kaito stood from the sofa, walked over, and crouched in front of her.
"What? Not scared anymore?" he asked.
Perona's face froze. She quickly stopped laughing and nodded furiously, completely subdued.
Kaito reached out and ruffled her pink twin-tails with a smile. Then he stood and turned toward the entrance of the hall.
A figure dressed in a white kimono and holding a katana had already arrived.
It was the target of Kaito's visit—zombie Shimotsuki Ryuma.
Ryuma pointed the black blade, Shusui, directly at Kaito. Because Brook's soul was inside his body, some of Brook's traits had rubbed off on him. He even occasionally let out that signature
"Yohohohoho" laugh.
But now, facing Kaito, Ryuma's decayed body felt something it hadn't in a long time—true pressure, the kind that only top-tier warriors exude.
In that moment, Ryuma's own will seemed to resurface. His expression turned solemn as he said in a low voice,
"Unknown warrior... I wonder if today... you'll be the one to grant me release?"
Kaito smiled. A deep violet energy blade appeared in his hand.
His mastery of Susanoo had reached its peak—he could summon its weapons even without entering full form.
This deep violet energy blade had a name: The Sword of Susanoo.
It gleamed in his hand like a perfectly obedient schoolboy.
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
+100 chapters and support me on Patreon(.)com/Jixo