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SHIIIIIINNNNG—!
The smug look on Moria's face instantly turned to one of absolute horror.
The moment Atlas sheathed his sword, countless deep, bone-exposing gashes appeared all over his suddenly swollen body.
A massive amount of blood sprayed out, and... countless black shadows fled from the wounds!
PFFFFFT—!
Moria's entire body deflated like a leaking doll, his figure shrinking rapidly. The terror on his face intensified.
No matter how hard he tried to control it, more wounds appeared on his body, and the shadows within him scrambled to escape!
THUD!
Finally, Moria returned to his original height of six meters and then collapsed heavily to the ground. His already pale skin took on a bluish-black tint from the massive blood loss.
Defeated... again...
Lying on the ground, Moria stared blankly at the darkening sky, a sense of desolation in his heart.
"Huh? How did this guy get a little taller?" Atlas leaned in closer. Does 'Shadows Asgard' have the side effect of making you grow?
It could be just Moria's second growth spurt. Atlas didn't understand it. Moria wasn't young when he fought Kaido, yet he had managed to grow this tall later in life. It was just absurd!
SHING!
Futsunomitama was unsheathed once more!
With the blade pointed at Moria, Atlas couldn't be bothered with any more talk. He was prepared to end the man with a single blow.
He wasn't a Warlord yet, so he was completely at Atlas's mercy.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, a black shadow shot out from the side, blocking Moria's body.
Atlas's eyes narrowed, and he paused his sword, carefully observing the young man who had suddenly appeared.
He was fair-skinned and beardless, with long, curly hair cascading over his shoulders.
His expression was cold, and his eyes met Atlas's without a shred of fear. He wore a black suit with a cloak, and the rolled-up sleeves revealed arms covered in tattoos.
"Cipher Pol?" Atlas was slightly surprised.
The young man looked somewhat familiar, and the cold aura he exuded was easily associated with the World Government's intelligence agency—CP.
"Rob Lucci, agent of CP9. You cannot kill him!"
Rob Lucci's features were still youthful, but the coldness in his expression was enough to make one overlook his age. And the truth was just as chilling.
Atlas had indeed read a report about Rob Lucci a few years ago. During a training mission, the man had slaughtered 500 soldiers of a kingdom and had subsequently joined CP9.
The CP agencies had ten divisions, from 0 to 9, each with different responsibilities.
CP0 was responsible for protecting the Celestial Dragons, while CP9 was the purest intelligence unit, with assassination and undercover espionage as their main tasks.
Like the Marine recruit camp, the CP agencies also had an assessment and assignment system, though it was far more brutal.
Every year, the World Government would gather talented children from all over the world and subject them to rigorous training from a young age, teaching them loyalty to the World Government.
Charlotte Linlin had almost become one of them back in the day, if not for Carmel's mysterious disappearance.
Perhaps there would be no Emperor Big Mom today, but instead, the ace agent of CP, Charlotte Linlin!
After their training, they would be assessed through missions. Rob Lucci, being the most talented of his generation, was naturally assigned the most difficult task.
He had unexpectedly solved it with ease and had then brutally murdered the 500 captured soldiers afterwards.
For this, he was inducted into CP9, a firm believer in the philosophy that "weakness is a sin."
The current Lucci was already beginning to earn the title of "the strongest in CP9's 800-year history."
"And who do you think you are? Daring to give me orders?" Without another word, Atlas showed the CP prodigy no courtesy.
He lunged forward and delivered a front kick straight to Lucci's chest!
POW!
Caught off guard, Lucci was sent flying, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, but he didn't say a word in rebuttal. It was true.
As a Marine Admiral Candidate, Atlas's actual authority far surpassed his, even if they were in different departments.
"Moria has already received an invitation from the World Government and is about to become the next Warlord of the Sea.
You Marines have no authority to execute him!" Lucci's expression remained unchanged.
His mission this time was to invite Moria to fill the vacancy among the Warlords.
The basic balance of power on the seas had to be maintained; this was the Five Elders' firmest bottom line.
"You mean..."
"You were just here to invite him. He hasn't given you a reply yet, has he?" Atlas's eyes were playful.
Not good! Lucci's expression changed, and he opened his mouth to shout!
Unfortunately... it was too late!
A cold light flashed. A slash that seemed to cut through space itself descended upon the half-dead Moria. The wind pressure swept past, and a shockwave rose.
SHIIIIIINNNNG—!
A large head soared into the sky, a beautiful arc of blood spraying out. Moria's face was still frozen in disbelief.
From the day he set out to sea, growing from a hero of the West Blue to a rival of Kaido, he had never imagined he would die so quietly—not in a world-shaking battle, but in the forgotten Calm Belt where no one would know.
"You..." Seeing this, Lucci's cold expression wavered slightly.
This guy... is serious!
"What's wrong? I'm a Marine of justice. Is there a problem with a Marine killing a pirate?" Atlas provoked him nonchalantly.
He was goading him. If Lucci dared to attack him, he would have a reason to cripple the "strongest in CP9's 800-year history" on the spot.
He was confident that even Lucci's superiors would have nothing to say.
"..." Lucci remained silent, but his clenched fists did not relax.
Even though he had mastered the Six Powers and was unrivalled within CP9, as a fellow subordinate agency of the World Government, he knew the weight of the man before him.
This was not an existence he could contend with.
As expected... weakness is a sin!
Lucci slowly unclenched his fists, the blood returning to his white knuckles. But his face remained cold, making Atlas wonder if the guy had facial paralysis.
"I will report this exactly as it happened." After throwing out this sentence, Lucci turned and left.
Further entanglement was pointless. He was a CP agent. For him, any dispute of pride was an external matter. Only the mission mattered.
"Tch~ I thought you were going to attack me. What a pity..." Atlas sighed with mock regret, but his words sent a chill down the spine of the retreating Lucci.
This guy... wanted to use this as an opportunity to attack me!
Lucci did not doubt that Byakuya was capable of such a thing.
He had heard of the man's reputation. The youngest Admiral Candidate, with methods no less cruel than Akainu's. A man who was extremely decisive in killing!
"Lord Moria should have dealt with the intruder by now, right?"
Inside the castle, the key figure in Moria's zombie army plan, the genius surgeon Hogback, sat before his operating table and slowly put down his surgical tools. The room was filled with corpses.
"Fos! Fos! Fo—s!"
Hogback had naturally heard the huge commotion on Thriller Bark, including the scream of that useless Absalom.
Now that everything seemed to have returned to calm, he, who couldn't use Observation Haki, naturally assumed that Moria had dealt with the intruder.
This was based on his absolute trust in Moria's strength. A great pirate with a bounty of 320 million Beri, and with such a bizarre Devil Fruit ability that could control the dead!
Just... thinking about it is so exciting! Hogback couldn't help but let out a perverted smile, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.
"What... are you so excited about?"
After dealing with Moria, Atlas had naturally appeared inside the castle, looking expressionlessly at the self-exciting Hogback.
His stylish fishnet shirt, the sharp teeth revealed by his crazed laughter—all of it froze. His tiny sunglasses covered his eyes, and sweat quickly beaded on his sharp, sawtooth-like nose. Hogback turned his head stiffly, his voice trembling.
"A Marine—!!?" A sense of foreboding washed over him.
Before he could ask for confirmation, a vacuum bullet flew out!
Flying Finger Pistol!
Hogback's vision spun, and the sound stuck in his throat could not come out. A bloody hole appeared between his eyebrows; the vacuum bullet had pierced straight through his head.
THUD!
In the end, Hogback made no sound. His lifeless body fell backwards, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Afterwards, Atlas looked around. The corpses were piled against the walls, but their physiques were clearly not very strong.
They were just ordinary materials. Moria wouldn't have stored the samurai corpses he brought back from Wano so carelessly.
"Go, blast that door open, Baby-5!" Atlas pointed to the iron door next to the hall and ordered Baby-5 behind him.
"Ah~ I'm needed again! This is such a blessing!" Baby-5 replied with a dazed look.
At the same time, her hands transformed, and a small grenade launcher appeared before her.
Although its power wasn't great, it was more than enough to break down the iron door of a freezer.
BOOM!!!
The door burst open, and a cloud of cold fog billowed out. Baby-5, who was hit head-on, couldn't help but shiver, but her eyes were still curious as she looked into the gradually revealed cold storage.
In the very centre, the corpse of a man sat cross-legged. He wore a tattered kimono and old wooden geta sandals, with a longsword in a black scabbard at his waist.
The corpse looked ancient, its flesh and bones mostly disintegrated. White bandages were wrapped around its head, exposing its nasal cavity and teeth to the air.
Its face was withered and rotten, as if it would fall apart at the slightest movement.
"The swordsman, Ryoma..."
Atlas's eyes narrowed. He was no stranger to this corpse. Clearly, Moria hadn't had time to do anything with him yet and had just stored him here for preservation.
Atlas didn't know much about the deeds of the swordsman Ryoma, only that he was a legendary dragon-slaying samurai.
According to Kozaburo, his own sword, Futsunomitama, had some connection to Ryoma.
Swish!
With a flick of his finger, Ryoma's corpse rose from the ground without changing its posture, completely defying gravity as it floated horizontally to Atlas.
"Waah—!!"
The sudden appearance of the corpse clearly caught Baby-5 off guard. She was, after all, still a child, despite having received some training from the Donquixote Family.
"The famed sword, Shusui. I'll be taking this..." Atlas's gaze rested for a moment on the black-scabbarded longsword at Ryoma's waist. He continued, "In return, I will handle your remains properly."
Atlas wasn't the type to take things for free. Having taken Ryoma's sword, it was only right to help him with his final arrangements.
Of course, Atlas already had the Supreme Grade Sword, Futsunomitama. Shusui was a bit redundant for him, but if Zoro needed it in the future, he could give it to him.
After all, a good saddle for a good horse!
SHING!
With Shusui in hand, Atlas curiously drew the longsword. It was heavier than ordinary famed swords.
The spine was thick, the blade had an irregular, large inverted choji hamon, and the blade itself was blackish-purple with a red, sawtooth-like pattern.
It looked incredibly hard, its sturdiness no less than that of Atlas's Futsunomitama.
"Tsk tsk, as expected of a black blade forged with Armament Haki..."
Perhaps Shusui's original quality wasn't the best, let alone compared to Atlas's Futsunomitama.
Still, after being forged into a black blade, it had directly entered the ranks of the 21 Great Grade Swords.
"Alright, let's head back to Marine Headquarters now."
Atlas looked at a small, raised mound of earth in a corner of Thriller Bark, dusted off his clothes, and turned to Baby-5.
"Also..."
"Little one, you've been following us all this way. Aren't you tired?"
As soon as he spoke, a little girl with pink twin-tails and round eyes shyly walked out from behind a large tree.
She was dressed like a normal little girl, clutching a large stuffed doll in her hands, and looked at Atlas and Baby-5 with innocent eyes.
"Oh! What's your name?"
First surprised, then excited to see someone her own age, Baby-5 ran toward the little girl.
Still silent, the little girl stretched out her palm, and a cute little ghost emerged from it, rushing toward Baby-5!
"Someone as useless as me should just go and die. I don't deserve to live in this world..."
Baby-5, who had been skipping just a moment before, instantly collapsed, kneeling on the ground and muttering depressing words.
Negative Hollow!
The little girl was the user of the Paramecia-type Hollow-Hollow Fruit. Anyone touched by the Negative Hollows she created would become extremely pessimistic.
"Your name is Perona. Would you like to come back with us?" Atlas asked, a harmless smile on his face.
"..."
Without speaking, Perona continued to look at Atlas silently, and there were already signs of another ghost forming in her hands.
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