Moonlight poured through the fractured ceiling, illuminating a battlefield already scarred by destruction.
Broken pillars.
Cratered stone.
Deep gashes carved into the walls.
Zoro stood at one end of the ruined hall, swords raised.
Across from him—
Ryuma stood unmoving.
Wind drifted between them, carrying dust and fragments of stone.
Zoro exhaled slowly.
"…You're no ordinary zombie."
Ryuma's hollow eyes remained fixed.
"You carry yourself as a swordsman."
Zoro grinned.
"Good."
Zoro's gaze narrowed.
"And that presence…"
He tilted his head slightly.
"…Feels familiar."
Zoro smirked.
"I can tell."
"That thing inside you…"
He pointed his sword at Ryuma.
"…It's Brook's shadow."
Zoro rolled his shoulder.
"And I'd be pissed if Brook's shadow was stuck in some weakling."
Ryuma shifted his stance.
The air changed.
Pressure rolled outward.
Zoro's grin widened.
"Oh?"
"You're actually trying now?"
Ryuma spoke calmly.
"You desire my blade."
Zoro tilted his head.
"My sword broke back at Enies Lobby."
"That black blade of yours…"
"Looks like fate to me."
Ryuma raised his katana.
"Then prove yourself worthy."
They vanished.
BOOOOM!
Steel screamed.
The shockwave alone shattered what remained of a nearby pillar.
Zoro skidded backward, boots grinding against stone.
Ryuma slid only a step.
Zoro clicked his tongue.
"Damn… heavy."
Ryuma attacked again.
Three slashes.
Zoro blocked two—
The third grazed his shoulder.
Blood splattered.
Zoro laughed.
"Nice!"
He surged forward.
"SANTORYU!"
Blades spun.
Ryuma met the assault head-on.
CLANG—CLANG—CLANG—CLANG!
A blur of motion.
Their swords sparked so rapidly it looked like lightning filled the hall.
Ryuma suddenly disappeared.
Zoro's eyes widened.
"Behind—!"
He twisted.
A blade slammed into his guard.
The floor beneath Zoro cracked.
Zoro gritted his teeth.
"…Fast bastard."
Ryuma pressed forward relentlessly.
"You hesitate."
Zoro snarled.
"Like hell I do!"
Zoro kicked off the ground.
"TATSUMAKI!"
A spiraling slash tore forward.
Ryuma cleaved straight through it.
The wind blast exploded behind him.
Zoro blinked.
"He cut my attack?!"
Ryuma spoke as they crossed blades again.
"I hail from the Land of Wano."
Zoro blocked.
"…Wano?"
"A nation where samurai reign supreme."
Steel clashed.
"I was once called…"
Ryuma's eyes burned.
"The Dragon Slayer."
He unleashed a massive downward strike.
Zoro barely caught it.
The impact drove Zoro to one knee.
Stone shattered outward.
"…You killed a dragon?"
Ryuma nodded.
"With this blade."
Zoro slowly rose.
A grin spread across his face.
"…Now I REALLY want it."
They exploded apart.
At that moment—
Footsteps echoed.
"Zoro!"
Franky burst into the hall, followed by Robin and Brook.
Franky stared at the devastation.
"Super… what happened here?!"
Brook froze.
His empty eyes locked onto Ryuma.
"…That samurai."
A chill passed through him.
"That is the one who carries my shadow."
Robin's gaze sharpened.
"So defeating him returns your shadow."
Brook nodded.
Zoro spat blood to the side.
"Good to know ."
He rolled his shoulders.
"I'm ending this."
Ryuma raised his blade.
"You possess formidable spirit, swordsman."
Zoro planted his feet.
"You're not the first strong guy I've cut down."
Ryuma shifted into a new stance.
"Show me your resolve."
Zoro made an X stance.
"Two Sword Style…"
The air vibrated.
"RASHOMON!"
Zoro became a spinning vortex of steel.
Ryuma responded instantly.
"DRAGON CLEAVER!"
They collided.
A titanic explosion of force blasted outward.
Franky braced himself.
Robin shielded her face.
Brook nearly fell.
The hall was engulfed in smoke.
Silence.
Then—
A thin line appeared across Ryuma's torso.
Zoro stood behind him, chest rising and falling, steam rolling off his body.
Ryuma remained kneeling.
Then—
Slowly…
He looked down at himself.
Cracks spiderwebbed across his arms.
Across his chest.
Across his legs.
Black fissures glowing faintly.
"…Magnificent."
Ryuma exhaled.
He turned his head slightly toward Zoro.
For the first time—
A genuine smile formed on his decayed face.
"You have surpassed me."
Zoro said nothing.
His grip tightened around his swords.
Ryuma studied him quietly.
"…Tell me something."
Zoro frowned. "What."
Ryuma's eyes narrowed.
"…Are you… my descendant?"
Zoro blinked.
"…Descendant?"
"What are you talking about?"
Ryuma closed his eyes briefly.
"I sense it."
"Your spirit."
"Your killing intent."
"Your blood."
He opened them again.
"You are a Shimotsuki."
Zoro stiffened.
"…Huh?"
"That's the name of my village."
Ryuma's smile widened slightly.
"So it is…"
Zoro scratched his cheek.
"There was also an old geezer back home."
"Kozaburo."
Ryuma's breath caught.
"…Kozaburo…"
He chuckled softly.
"So that brat lived long enough… to pass it on."
Ryuma looked at Zoro with something close to pride.
"Then there is no doubt."
"You are of my line."
Zoro stared.
"…Tch."
"Doesn't change anything."
Ryuma shook his head.
"No."
"But it means…"
He slowly reached forward, placing both hands on his katana.
"I am glad."
"That someone continued my bloodline."
"That someone still walks the path of the sword."
He extended the weapon toward Zoro.
"You deserve this blade."
"Take care of it."
Zoro reached out.
The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt—
The sword felt heavy.
Not in weight.
But in history.
Ryuma spoke one last time.
"My blade…"
"Shusui."
Zoro's eye widened slightly.
"…Shusui."
Ryuma's body began to crumble.
Ash flaked from his shoulders.
From his arms.
From his face.
"…Thank you."
The wind passed through the hall.
Ryuma scattered into dust.
Only Zoro remained.
Holding the black blade.
A shadow peeled free and flew into Brook.
Brook gasped.
He collapsed.
Franky shouted.
"BROOK!"
Brook's body trembled.
Then he stood.
He touched his arm.
His leg.
His ribcage.
"…I feel warm."
Tears streamed from his empty sockets.
"…My shadow… has returned."
Brook looked up at Zoro.
"When I fought him before…"
"He barely even drew his full strength."
He bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
Zoro slid the black blade into his sheath.
"…Tch."
"Don't make a big deal out of it."
Franky grinned.
"Damn, swordsman."
"Super impressive."
Robin smiled gently.
"Our priority now is finding the others."
Brook nodded.
"Yes."
Franky cracked his knuckles.
"And hopefully before Luffy breaks something important."
Zoro smirked.
"Too late for that."
They turned and headed deeper into Thriller Bark.
———————-
The laboratory reeked of rot and chemicals.
Dim lamps flickered weakly, casting warped shadows across long metal tables.
Stitched limbs lay piled like discarded trash.
Glass jars held floating organs.
Half-finished corpses twitched faintly.
Usopp covered his mouth.
"I'M GOING TO DIE FROM NIGHTMARES."
Chopper's knees knocked together.
"T-this isn't medicine…"
"This is… blasphemy…"
Hogback licked his lips. "I will dissect you both gently."
Usopp screamed. "THIS IS NOT WHAT I SIGNED UP FOR!"
Hogback snapped his fingers.
Zombies burst from hidden doors.
Dozens.
Armed with cleavers, scalpels, and saws.
"Kill them."
Usopp grabbed Chopper. "I DON'T WANT MY AUTOPSY PERFORMED BY THE GUY WHO KILLS ME!"
Chopper's eyes hardened. "Usopp… get behind me!"
"GUARD POINT!"
Chopper's fur exploded outward.
His body ballooned into a massive fur sphere.
Blades clanged uselessly against thick hair.
Zombies bounced off.
Usopp stared.
"YOU'RE A FLUFFY TANK!"
Chopper rolled forward.
CRASH.
Zombies were crushed beneath his bulk.
He unrolled—
"STRONG POINT!"
Muscles surged.
Chopper leapt.
BOOM.
A single punch blasted three zombies into the wall.
He spun.
Another punch.
Crack!
A skull shattered.
Usopp's jaw dropped. "THAT'S MY DOCTOR!"
Hogback screamed. "STOP DESTROYING MY MASTERPIECES!"
Usopp loaded his slingshot.
"EAT THIS!"
"EXPLODING STAR!"
BOOM!
Zombies flew apart in pieces.
More poured in.
Usopp panicked.
"This is too many!"
Then—
Usopp's eyes gleamed.
He reached behind his back.
"Time to use my ultimate weapon."
He pulled out a massive hammer.
Painted metal.
Ridiculously oversized.
"10-TON HAMMER!"
Hogback's eyes bulged so far they looked ready to pop out.
"T-Ten tons?!"
He staggered backward, nearly tripping over a severed arm.
"That's impossible!"
Usopp planted his feet.
Veins popped in his forehead.
"DIEEEEEEEE!"
Hogback shrieked.
"WAIT!"
He pointed at Usopp's skinny arms.
"H-How can someone with your weak, malnourished physique even LIFT a ten-ton hammer?!"
Usopp roared louder. "WITH THE POWER OF BRAVERY AND TERROR!!!"
The massive hammer rose overhead.
Hogback dropped to his knees.
"I SURRENDER!"
"I'LL BECOME A GOOD PERSON!"
"I'LL OPEN A FREE CLINIC!"
Usopp didn't slow down.
"TOO LATE!"
The hammer came down.
CRASH!!!
The entire laboratory shook.
The floor spiderwebbed with cracks.
Dust exploded outward like a bomb.
Zombies were launched into the air, limbs flying everywhere.
Hogback screamed.
"IMPOSSIIIIIBLE!!!"
In reality—
The hammer was hollow rubber.
Light as air.
But Hogback believed with his entire soul that he had just witnessed divine punishment.
He scrambled backward on his hands.
"Y-You're a monster!"
"You're worse than me!"
Chopper's eyes sharpened.
"Don't call my friend that!"
He charged forward.
"HORNN POINT!"
Chopper's horns glowed.
He slammed straight into Hogback's chest.
BOOOOM!
Hogback flew like a ragdoll.
He smashed into a shelf packed with jars.
CRASH!
Glass exploded.
Pickled organs rained down.
Hogback slid slowly down the wall, twitching.
His eyes rolled back.
Tongue hanging out.
Unconscious.
The laboratory fell eerily quiet.
Zombies froze mid-step.
Chopper clenched his fists, breathing hard.
"Don't…"
"Touch…"
"My friends!"
He slammed his fist into the floor.
BOOM!
A shockwave rippled outward.
Nearby zombies lost their footing.
Some collapsed.
Others' heads popped off.
Remaining bodies fell limp.
Silence.
Drip.
Drip.
A jar rolled across the floor.
Clink.
Usopp's hammer slipped from his hands and bounced harmlessly.
He stared at his palms.
Shaking.
"…We…"
He swallowed.
"…We won?"
Chopper blinked.
Slowly.
"…We won."
Their faces twisted into massive grins.
They grabbed each other.
"WE'RE ALIVE!!!"
"WE DID IT!!!"
They jumped in circles.
Behind them—
A zombie finger twitched.
Slowly.
Usopp noticed.
His soul left his body.
"AAAAAAAAAA—"
Chopper spun and punched without even looking.
POW!
The zombie's head flew off.
It collapsed.
Silence returned.
Usopp fell onto his back.
"I hate this island."
Chopper nodded seriously.
"…Worst hospital ever."
They both stared at Hogback's unconscious body.
Chopper crossed his tiny arms.
"…I'm never becoming a doctor like him."
Usopp sighed.
"Good."
Fog crept slowly under the laboratory door.
The shadows shifted.
Somewhere deeper inside Thriller Bark—
Something enormous began to move.
And the nightmare continued.
————————
Candles rattled as shockwaves rippled through the ruined chapel.
Splintered pews lay shattered across the floor.
Cracks ran up the stone pillars.
Nami lay unconscious at the altar, dressed in white.
Absalom staggered backward, blood trickling from his mouth.
Sanji slowly straightened, flames flickering faintly around his leg.
Absalom wiped his face, scowling.
"…You bastard!"
Sanji didn't answer.
His eyes were locked onto Nami.
Veins pulsed along his temple.
Absalom tilted his head.
"Why are you so angry with me?"
He laughed.
"I mean, I didn't kill her."
"I didn't break her."
"I'm just marrying her."
Sanji took a step forward.
The floor cracked beneath his shoe.
"…Say that again."
Absalom frowned.
"What?"
Sanji's voice trembled with fury.
"Why are you so calm. You're forcing someone to marry you"
Absalom scoffed.
"Tch."
"So that's it?"
"Jealous?"
Sanji's eye twitched.
"No."
He pointed straight at Absalom's face.
"I've hated you since the moment I learned what power you had."
Absalom blinked.
"…Huh?"
Sanji growled.
"Ever since I was a kid…"
"I made a decision."
"I would never eat a Devil Fruit."
Absalom laughed.
"Then you're dumber than you look."
Sanji snapped back.
"I wanted to keep my ability to swim."
"But…"
His voice lowered.
"If I ever found one specific Devil Fruit…"
"I would eat it without hesitation."
Absalom crossed his arms.
"…And?"
Sanji's eyes burned.
"The Clear-Clear Fruit."
Absalom paused.
"…This one?"
Sanji shouted.
"YOU STOLE IT!"
Absalom burst out laughing.
"Stole?!"
"You idiot!"
"I found it first!"
Sanji clenched his fists.
"That fruit's power…"
"Invisibility!"
"With it, I could move through the shadows!"
"I could protect women!"
"I could save them without being seen!"
Absalom stared.
Then smirked.
"…You mean sneak into baths."
Sanji snapped.
"I'M NOT LIKE YOU!"
Absalom leaned forward, grinning.
"Yes you are."
Sanji's eye twitched violently.
"I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU!"
Absalom pointed at him.
"You're a pervert."
Sanji pointed back.
"YOU'RE A CRIMINAL!"
Absalom puffed his chest.
"But I'm better."
"I'm a SUPER pervert!"
Sanji vanished.
Absalom's eyes widened.
"Huh—?!"
A kick smashed into his ribs.
CRACK.
Absalom flew through a pillar.
Stone exploded.
He rolled across the floor, coughing blood.
Absalom turned invisible.
"Hehehe…"
"You can't hit what you can't see!"
Sanji stood still.
Cigarette burning.
"…I don't need to see you."
Absalom rushed forward—
THUD.
His body jerked.
Sanji had intercepted him mid-charge.
Absalom became visible again, stunned.
"H-How?!"
Sanji's leg ignited again.
"DIABLE JAMBE."
Flames spiraled around his shin.
Absalom's eyes widened in terror.
"WAIT—"
Sanji disappeared.
A flaming kick slammed into Absalom's jaw.
BOOOOM.
Absalom rocketed upward, crashing into the ceiling.
Sanji leapt after him.
"CONCASSÉ!"
Another blazing kick smashed Absalom back down.
He cratered into the floor.
Flames flickered out.
Smoke curled upward.
Absalom lay twitching.
Eyes rolled back.
Unconscious.
Sanji landed.
Breathing heavy.
He turned slowly toward the altar.
"Nami-san…"
He rushed over, gently lifting her into his arms.
Her breathing was steady.
Alive.
Sanji exhaled shakily.
"…You're safe."
He glared back at Absalom's broken body.
"Rot in hell."
Candles continued to flicker.
The wedding lay in ruins.
—————————-
Fog rolled thick across the broken courtyard, crawling over shattered stones and collapsed walls like living smoke.
Footsteps approached from multiple directions.
Zoro emerged first, swords resting on his shoulder.
Behind him, Robin and Franky stepped through the mist.
Brook followed, cane tapping softly against the ground.
From the opposite side—
Usopp and Chopper came running, panting.
"ROBIN!"
"FRANKY!"
"ZORO!"
They nearly collided as they met in the center.
Chopper spun around in panic.
"Everyone's here!"
Sanji arrived last.
Nami lay in his arms, unconscious but breathing.
Sanji looked down at her, then up at the group.
"She's safe."
Relief rippled through the crew.
Usopp wiped his eyes.
"I thought we were gonna die like twelve times…"
Chopper sniffled.
"I don't wanna split up ever again…"
Brook straightened his posture.
"Well! It seems fate has reunited us!"
He smiled.
"Yohohoho~!"
Robin's eyes scanned the fog.
"…Almost everyone."
Usopp blinked.
"Huh?"
He looked around.
"…Where's Luffy?"
Silence.
Only distant wind.
Franky frowned.
"Knowing him… he probably wandered into the scariest place possible."
Zoro crossed his arms.
"…Or picked a fight."
Sanji scowled.
"Idiot captain."
Suddenly—
BOOM.
The ground shook.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the courtyard stones.
Everyone staggered.
"What was that?!" Usopp yelled.
Another step.
BOOM.
Trees bent.
Loose debris rattled.
A massive silhouette emerged from the fog.
Slow.
Heavy.
Colossal.
Chopper's jaw dropped.
"…W-What the hell is that giant?!"
The fog peeled back.
Revealing—
A stitched, monstrous giant.
Rotting skin.
Massive limbs sewn together.
Horns protruding from its head.
Glowing eyes burning with madness.
Usopp screamed.
"WHY IS EVERYTHING HERE BIG AND HORRIBLE?!"
The giant leaned forward.
Its mouth stretched into a huge grin.
"MEAAAAAT!"
Silence followed.
Then—
Robin's eyes widened slightly.
"…That voice."
Brook stiffened.
"…No…"
Usopp looked between them.
"W-What?"
Robin spoke quietly.
"That speech pattern…"
Sanji's cigarette fell from his mouth.
"…You're kidding."
Nami slowly stirred.
"H-Huh…?"
Brook swallowed.
"…That is Luffy's shadow."
Usopp screamed.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN LUFFY'S SHADOW?!"
Nami pushed herself upright in Sanji's arms.
"Wait—what do you mean that's Luffy?!"
Zoro clicked his tongue.
"That idiot probably got his shadow stolen."
Franky clenched his metal fists.
"So that thing has Luffy's personality…"
Chopper trembled.
"…In a giant zombie body…"
The giant sniffed loudly.
"MEAT…"
"WHERE'S MEAT?!"
It stomped forward.
BOOM.
Another shockwave.
Usopp grabbed his head.
"This is the WORST possible combination!"
Zoro drew a sword.
"So Moria already made his move."
Sanji's eyes darkened.
"If Luffy's shadow is gone…"
Nami clenched her staff.
"Then he's in danger."
Brook looked up at the towering monster.
"…And we now face the captain…"
"…In the body of a demon giant."
Oars grinned wider.
"MEAAAAAT!"
The fog churned violently around the courtyard.
The nightmare had taken shape.
And Thriller Bark laughed.