"What happened?"
"It looks like something fell?"
"Is it a meteorite?"
"It looks like a bird?!"
"..."
The sudden commotion caused over a hundred zombies present to cry out in alarm. Hearing the familiar voice emanating from the dust, Moria's pupils suddenly contracted to pinpricks, and he couldn't help but show a look of shock and fury.
Whoosh—
The next moment, a strong gust of wind swept through, dispersing the rolling dust on Thriller Bark.
A silver giant eagle with a wingspan of over five meters stood on the deck, slowly retracting its wings. On its back stood a handsome young Marine, a katana at his waist, his coat of Justice fluttering in the wind.
Moria quickly turned to look, and a familiar face appeared in his sight, making him involuntarily grit his teeth and say in a hoarse voice, "Marine brat!"
"Moria-sama, is he your friend?" Perona, in her spirit form, floated to Moria's side, curiously examining the imposing Cross.
Moria glared at Cross with a dark look, not answering Perona. Cross, unafraid, met Moria's gaze.
"Kishishishishi~"
Suddenly, Moria laughed instead of getting angry, saying, "You damned brat, you should have been celebrating when I didn't kill you back in Whiskey Peak. Now you've come to my territory to walk right into a trap. You're not still thinking of inviting me to be a Warlord of the Sea, are you?"
"Stop spouting nonsense, Moria. Since you refused the invitation and continue to oppose the Marines, then I can only uphold 'Justice' and eliminate you, a great pirate who brings disaster to the world!" Cross said with a calm expression and righteous indignation.
As Cross spoke, the zombies on Thriller Bark had already surrounded him, glaring fiercely at him. Among them were several strong, armored zombie generals wielding weapons.
"You're quite arrogant, you stinking brat!" Moria wasn't angry; he still grinned at Cross, but his tone was confident. "I admit you have some strength, but if I'm not mistaken, the World Government invited me to be a Warlord of the Sea because the Marines didn't intend to start a war with me. Attacking me is just your personal action, isn't it?"
Cross casually glanced at the group of zombies surrounding him, indifferently spreading his hands. He chuckled, "That doesn't matter. As long as I lock you in Impel Down or return to Marineford with your head, both the World Government and Marine Headquarters will only commend me!"
"Kishishishishi~ It's good for young people to be confident, but there's a very high chance that I'll be taking your shadow, or turning your corpse into one of my zombie subordinates!" Moria chuckled mischievously.
"It seems these moving corpses have given you a lot of confidence. I just wonder who it was that got cut twice back in Whiskey Peak!" Cross looked at Moria with a detached gaze, his tone subtly laced with mockery.
At this, Moria's face instantly turned ashen, and he said with barely suppressed rage, "You stinking brat, I originally intended to spare your life and just take your shadow! Now I've changed my mind; just your corpse will be enough!"
"Hahahaha~"
Cross burst into laughter, looking at Moria with contempt, and said sarcastically, "I already told you, if you've got the guts, come at me, you defeated dog!"
"You bastard! Minions, get him!" Moria's veins bulged on his forehead, his inner fury instantly overwhelming his reason, making him growl almost like a roar.
"Kill!—"
At Moria's command, the zombies on Thriller Bark, who had long been itching for a fight, roared in unison and swarmed towards Cross.
"Iaido: Morozan!"
In an instant, Cross's eyes turned cold. He suddenly gripped the hilt of Kagehide at his waist and decisively drew his sword.
A loud clang echoed as the blade rubbed against the sheath, and the famous sword Kagehide burst forth like a black flash, instantly slicing through over a dozen zombies within a three-meter radius at their waists.
Although these zombies were supposedly 'undying', in reality, if their bodies sustained severe damage, such as being severed or burned to ash by flames, they could still be killed.
"Nani?!"
"You've got to be kidding me!"
"..."
Upon seeing this, the remaining dozens of zombies on Thriller Bark collectively froze, their expressions aghast as they stared at Cross.
"Only killed a dozen, huh... How troublesome!" Cross looked around, realizing he might have underestimated the toughness of these 'zombies'' bodies, and couldn't help but mutter to himself.
Immediately, he sharply crouched down, touching the oak deck beneath his feet with one hand, and solemnly shouted:
"Enliven: Ship!"
Whirr—
An invisible, barely visible bright light rapidly spread throughout the entire Thriller Bark. Immediately, Thriller Bark seemed to come alive. The neatly coiled ropes on the deck began to sway on their own, as if uncontrolled, and even the ship itself vibrated slightly, a tremor different from the rocking caused by ocean waves.
"What did you do?" A zombie general, clad in full ancient armor, stepped forward, pointing his greatsword at Cross, and demanded sharply.
"Moria revived you, so I revived this ship. Let it play with you!" Cross grinned, his tone full of playful mockery.
As his words fell, dozens of ship's ropes, some thick, some thin, suddenly shot out like lightning, quickly coiling around the zombies like pythons.
"What's happening?"
"Why are these ropes moving on their own?"
"Help me get free!"
"Cut them with your swords! Cut the ropes!"
"..."
In an instant, the dozens of zombies on the deck fell into complete chaos. Many were trapped by the ropes, suspended in mid-air, and then tossed into the sea.
"Moria-sama, look! Those ropes are moving on their own!" Perona exclaimed, unable to stop shouting as she watched what was happening on Thriller Bark.
Moria was somewhat dumbfounded at this moment, completely unable to understand what was happening on Thriller Bark. Why were the ship's ropes moving on their own and attacking others? Could it be true, as the opponent said, that he had revived the ship?
"Revive... making a ship come alive... how is that possible...?" Moria suddenly thought of what happened in Whiskey Peak, and muttered to himself, both shocked and angry, "Wait, at that time, when he controlled the mud and rocks on the ground to form giant tentacles, was he making the ground come alive too?! What a strange Devil Fruit ability!"
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