"Rear Admiral Hawke..."
Bartholomew Kuma forcefully suppressed the surge of shock flooding his chest.
Though their time together had been short, he had already sensed it… the young Rear Admiral before him was anything but ordinary.
He took the initiative and asked,
"Moria has appeared. Do you need me to intervene?"
"No need."
Hawke waved his hand lightly.
"This is their trial."
"…"
Kuma hesitated, then nodded slightly, falling silent.
He still didn't understand why Rear Admiral Hawke wanted to attack a fellow Shichibukai who also served the World Government.
But judging from the current situation, he was being treated as one of their own.
So long as he stayed put and observed quietly, he would eventually learn the final answer.
"…"
High above, their conversation was naturally unheard by Gecko Moria.
All Moria saw was that Kuma had spoken and then stopped moving altogether.
He lowered his head and looked down at his proud zombie army… only to see them being slaughtered by the Marines.
Every passing second, dozens of zombies he had painstakingly collected were being cut down, never to rise again.
The black shadows — the very source of his power — were leaking out from the corpses like punctured balloons, dissipating into the air.
If this kept up, his army would be wiped out completely!
This was the elite force he had spent countless effort assembling — powerful corpses and shadows gathered from across the world, painstakingly fused together to form his trump card army, meant to challenge Kaido once again!
"Jihihihihi!"
"I can't let them run wild any longer!"
Moria let out his eerie laugh, then turned to issue orders to his most trusted subordinate.
"Absalom! Go!"
"Let them see what true terror the Thriller Bark holds!"
"At once, Moria-sama!"
A voice rang out beside him.
It came from a towering man with the face of a lion.
The Clear-Clear Fruit user — Absalom.
Absalom bared his sharp teeth in a sinister grin as his figure gradually blurred, fading into the air until he completely vanished.
"Let me… turn their beautiful female officers into my brides!"
Clang—!
At that moment, deep within the castle, the sharp cry of a blade echoed.
A figure emerged slowly from the darkness.
His hair was completely white, his body wrapped tightly in layers of bandages, with visible stitch marks from repairs.
He wore a blue scarf around his neck, a white kimono with the character "龍" printed on both sleeves, a blue sash with whirlpool patterns tied at his waist, and traditional wooden clogs on his feet.
At his side hung one of the 21 Great Grade Blades — the black blade Shusui.
The legendary dragon-slaying samurai of Wano Country — Ryuma of the Shimotsuki Clan!
Ryuma.
Though now merely a zombie implanted with a shadow, the sword aura he had honed for centuries still cut sharper than steel.
His gaze pierced through barriers, locking precisely onto the green-haired figure on the battlefield.
"Hm…?"
In the middle of cutting down zombies, Zoro suddenly froze mid-swing.
He instinctively turned his head, his sharp eyes instantly drawn to Ryuma… and the blade at his waist.
A black blade!
Just like Hawk Eyes Mihawk's "Yoru," this was a blade permanently dyed black through countless battles, infused with Armament Haki until it became unbreakable.
This zombie… in life, he must have been a master swordsman!
Bzzz—
The moment Ryuma's sword aura reached him, the Wado Ichimonji in Zoro's hand began to emit a faint hum.
Excitement.
The blade was excited!
Zoro's blood boiled as his lips curled into a grin. Without hesitation, he charged straight toward Ryuma, slicing through the zombies blocking his path as though they were paper.
"That samurai… is mine!!!"
And then—
BOOM—!
BOOM—!!
The entire Thriller Bark began to tremble violently.
Behind the castle, an enormous body sealed in ice for hundreds of years slowly began to stir.
It was a silhouette far larger than even the giant race — just standing up brought its head crashing into the dense fog above.
The ancient giant — the demon Oars!
"Jihihihihi! Rise, my strongest zombie!"
Moria spread his arms wide and let out a mad cackle.
"..."
The Marines stared at the mountain-sized giant, their breaths hitching for a moment, but strict discipline kept them from panicking.
"All units, reform ranks! Target the giant's joints! Sniper squads, aim for vital points!"
"Yes, sir!"
Just then, a lecherous laugh suddenly whispered into Kujaku's ear.
"Hahahaha—"
"My lovely Marine lady… how about becoming my bride?"
An invisible hand reached for Kujaku's shoulder!
"Hm?!"
Kujaku's reaction was lightning-fast, her Observation Haki instantly locking onto the malicious intent behind her.
She whipped her arm back, lashing out with the whip in her hand.
"Whiplash!"
Crack!
The whip cracked loudly through the air, striking nothing.
That same disgusting voice came again, but now it was behind Hibari.
"Oh? This one isn't bad either… such a tough choice!"
"You bastard—!!!"
A furious roar exploded like thunder.
Sanji's figure descended from above like a blazing orange-red comet, his right leg engulfed in flames as it crashed down precisely toward the source of the voice.
BAM!
With a heavy thud, an indistinct figure was violently kicked out of thin air, tumbling across the ground in a miserable heap.
It was Absalom.
Clutching his chest where he'd been kicked, his lion-like face twisted in disbelief.
"You… you can actually hit me?! I ate the Clear-Clear Fruit! How could you possibly—"
"Don't tell me… you know about my ability?!"
"...!!!"
Sanji landed lightly, exhaling smoke as he flicked away his spent cigarette. He reached into his pocket, pulled out another, and lit it with a slow, deliberate motion.
Every small movement carried the weight of a storm about to erupt.
"Know it…? I know it better than anyone!"
Memories from his childhood instantly resurfaced — that page in the encyclopedia, the dream fruit that had haunted him for years.
The Clear-Clear Fruit.
The fruit that could make a man's ultimate fantasy come true.
The power he had always dreamed of possessing.
Whoosh—
Sanji took a deep drag, the veins on his forehead bulging as his anger roared like an inferno.
An indescribable fury, mixed with the crushing despair of his broken dream, detonated inside his chest.
That ability…
That fruit that carried every childish fantasy he ever had…
Was eaten by this ugly, lion-faced freak?!
Unforgivable.
Absolutely unforgivable!
Sanji's gaze shifted — jealousy, rage, and killing intent swirling in his eyes.
"You…"
"Thief who stole the Fruit ability from me… die!"
----------------
Fanfic is finished on Patreon (227 chapters in total.)
Patreon(.)com/Jixo (for only $4.50, read this entire fanfic)