Just as everyone entered the port of Thriller Bark, they discovered a massive, thick spiderweb blocking their path.
Most importantly, hanging ominously in the center of this enormous spiderweb, there was an incredibly huge spider.
Upon closer inspection, the creature had the head and tail of a monkey—a truly bizarre, grotesque chimera.
"What in the world is this?" Gin asked, his hand instinctively moving to his tonfas, his expression one of pure, puzzled disgust.
Before he could finish speaking, the spider-monkey moved, shooting a thick, sticky strand of silk straight at Gin.
The sudden attack caught Gin off guard.
However, his strength and reflexes were undeniable.
Just as the silk was about to hit him, he used Soru and vanished from his spot, reappearing ten meters away, his eyes narrowed.
"Interesting!" Lina couldn't help but grow intrigued, her hand already resting on the hilt of Frost Demon.
But someone was faster than her.
It was Zoro.
With a powerful burst of strength from his legs, he shot forward like a cannonball, leaping high into the air to land right above the massive spider's head.
"One Sword Style: Hiryu: Kaen!"
His new sword, Kashuu, instantly left its sheath.
Zoro executed a swift, powerful downward slash while still mid-air.
His Sword slash condensed in an instant, taking the illusory form of a fiery dragon.
It surged down toward the spider below.
It was extremely fast—in the blink of an eye, Zoro's blade struck the spider, leaving a terrifying, deep gash on its body.
He then landed lightly back on the ground, sheathing his sword.
The moment Zoro returned to his spot... the spider's wound suddenly erupted with high-temperature blue flames, swiftly engulfing the entire creature before reducing it to nothing but ashes in a matter of seconds.
Witnessing this, Lancelot's mouth twitched involuntarily.
One had to admit—Zoro was truly Zoro.
But... Lancelot mused, sometimes, the fans really hit the nail on the head. That Flame-Flame Fruit really isn't anything special compared to this.
....
Just as Zoro obliterated the spider with a single strike, a shadowy, ethereal form drifted out from its disappearing corpse, rapidly heading toward the central, gothic castle in the distance...
"Hmm?"
Gecko Moria, who was conducting shadow experiments inside the castle's main hall, raised an eyebrow at the approaching shadow, which phased through the wall and returned to its unconscious owner.
"Intruders? Could it be that skeleton, Brook, causing trouble again?"
Although he had his suspicions, he still called out loudly, his voice echoing through the massive chamber.
"Absalom...!"
Soon, a tall, long-haired man dressed extravagantly in a fur-lined coat, but with a terrifying, patchwork-like appearance, entered.
This was Absalom, the General of the Zombies.
He addressed Moria respectfully, "Yes, Moria-sama!"
Moria, lounging on his throne, gestured lazily.
"A shadow just returned from the perimeter. There must be intruders. Go investigate."
Absalom saluted. "Yes, Captain!"
It had to be said that Absalom was exceedingly, almost fanatically, loyal to Moria.
....
Given the overwhelming strength of Lancelot's group, there were no lesser zombies or creatures on the island capable of stopping them.
Soon, they caught sight of the massive, dark castle in the distance.
Nami, looking up at the imposing structure, remarked nervously, "That should be where Moria is located, right?"
Lancelot nodded. "Right..."
Before he could finish speaking, his expression shifted slightly.
His Observation Haki flared, sensing an invisible presence moving fast.
In an instant, he used Soru to flash in front of Nami, shielding her behind his towering frame.
Then, he lifted his leg and kicked, his boot imbued with Armament Haki.
"Bam!"
Under the immense force, something invisible was sent flying, crashing with a distinct, fleshy sound.
"Crash..."
Along its path, a large, dead tree was snapped clean in half by the flying, invisible body.
The falling trunk shook the ground upon impact, kicking up a large cloud of dust.
It was only within this swirling dust cloud that a human figure was finally, faintly, revealed.
"This is..."
Whether it was Zoro, Gin, Nami, Lina, Vivi, or Igaram—everyone was stunned.
Lancelot declared, his voice cold, "Absalom, one of the 'Three Freaks' under the Shichibukai Moria. A Paramecia-type Suke Suke no Mi (Transparency Fruit) Ability User."
"A Transparency Fruit Ability User?"
The group was astonished once more.
Though Devil Fruits came in all sorts of bizarre varieties, this was the first time they had encountered one that granted invisibility.
Lancelot nodded. "That's right. This ability allows the user to turn their body, and anything they touch, transparent. Even... Observation Haki... can't directly detect them, as it only senses their 'presence,' not their form."
"What?!" Zoro, Gin, Nami, and Lina exchanged uneasy glances.
If they couldn't be seen with the naked eye and even Observation Haki was hampered, how were they supposed to fight something like that?
Seeing their reaction, Lancelot chuckled.
"But now, you can see him, can't you?"
The four of them froze for a moment before understanding dawned.
'Right!' The dust cloud.
While this Devil Fruit was troublesome, it wasn't invincible—it had a major, environmental weakness.
'But...' Zoro thought, 'there had been no dust before Lancelot kicked him. How had he detected him in the first place?'
The four were puzzled.
At the same time, they began observing their surroundings more carefully.
Soon, Nami noticed a small blade of grass trampled flat right in front of where she had been standing.
Looking at the direction it fell, it was clearly stepped on by someone approaching from the front.
But there had been no one there just now...
'I see.'
They all realized: don't overlook the small details.
If they had known in advance that there was a Transparency Fruit user, they could have detected it, too, by looking for subtle clues.
At the same time, they couldn't help but admire their leader sharpness for noticing it immediately.
Otherwise... they couldn't help but glance at Nami.
Nami broke out in a cold sweat.
She knew that if Lancelot hadn't reacted so quickly, she would, at best, be in the enemy's hands right now, or, at worst... already dead on the spot.
"Marines!!!"
At that moment, Absalom, realizing his cover was blown, revealed himself directly.
His appearance immediately caught everyone's attention, and their expressions shifted slightly.
Absalom no longer looked entirely human.
He was practically a humanoid beast.
His nose, mouth, and jaw—they were like a lion's.
His skin was thick and grey, like an elephant's.
From time to time, he even let out low, beast-like growls.
He was a patchwork of animal parts, a creation of Dr. Hogback.
"It's been a long time since we've had Marines here... Interesting!"
He then scanned each of them one by one.
Finally, his gaze landed on Nami, who was standing behind Lancelot.
His leering, predatory gaze lingered, making Nami shudder.
Lancelot frowned, his eyes turning cold.
The way Absalom looked at Nami made him extremely uncomfortable.
He turned to Gin and said, "I leave this guy to you. But... remember to keep him alive. I'll have a use for his Devil Fruit later..."
Upon hearing this, Gin grinned, though his smile was somewhat ferocious, revealing his own sharp teeth.
"As long as he doesn't die, right, Captain?"
Ever since he learned that this was another Shichibukai's territory, he had been itching for a real fight.
"Tch..." Absalom, seeing this, sneered disdainfully.
Not only did he look down on Gin, who was "merely" an Ensign (he hadn't seen the new uniform yet), but he didn't even regard Lancelot, a Rear Admiral, as a serious threat.
"Shisha no Te (Dead Man's Hands)!"
What appeared to be an air cannon fired with his bare hands was actually an attack using a transparent rocket launcher he was holding.
However, Gin seemed to have predicted it, dodging the explosive attack with a swift sidestep.
Then, pushing off with his legs, he used Soru and charged straight at Absalom.
"Prediction..." Lancelot, Zoro, and Lina's eyes all lit up simultaneously.
Gin was already beginning to grasp the basics of Observation Haki.
----------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator