Ch. 20- The Warlord, Gecko Moria
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard © Me
The giant spider-monkey gasped as blood dripped from a long gash running along his back. However, like all zombies, he began to get right back up. He coughed up a little blood as he did.
"It's no use!" Franky cried, struggling to get free from the spider-monkey's web. "No matter what you do, he's just gonna right back up!"
"Bastard…" the spider-monkey hissed, venomously when his eyes fell on Brook. They seemed to widen in surprise. "Hey, wait a minute…! Haven't I seen you before?"
"Yo-ho-ho-ho…" Brook chuckled. "Don't worry about that. I've handled it."
"Handled it?" Franky repeated, questioningly.
"Indeed," Brook answered. "Even zombies have a weakness."
Before they could question Brook further, the skeleton suddenly pulled something out from behind his back. The next thing the spider-monkey knew, Brook shoved a small pouch of something into his mouth. Whatever it was, it appeared to have a negative effect on the spider-monkey, for he found himself choking and gagging before…
He fell backwards…and he didn't get back up.
The giant spider-monkey…was dead.
Franky and Robin looked on with slacked jaws and wide eyes. Suddenly, Franky spotted something.
"Hey, what's that?" he asked.
The thing he saw…it looked like some purplish-black blob, seeping from the spider-monkey's mouth.
"That is the zombie's 'soul'," Brook answered Franky.
"IT'S SOUL?" Franky barked, questioningly. "YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE IT!"
"Oh, no!" shrieked one of the spider-mice.
"Commanding Officer Talleran!" cried another.
"You…you killed him," Franky said. "But how?"
"I purified him, of course," said Brook.
The spider-mice gasped as Brook turned to face them.
"Now I recognize that guy!" exclaimed one of the spider-mice. "It's that skeleton! The 'Humming Swordsman'!"
"The guy who came to Thriller Bark five years ago!" added another.
"Quick!" said another spider-mouse. "We must report this to Master Moria!"
With that, the spider-mice scurried away.
"The webs," Brook said. "They're invincible when it comes to physical strength, but as for fire, that's a different story."
"If that's the case," said Franky. "Fresh FIRE!"
FWOOSH! Franky set the webs on fire, causing them to burn away and freeing him.
A moment later, he managed to free Robin.
"Bones, we need your help," said Franky. "Straw Hat and the others! They've been captured! You know just about every nook and cranny about this island, so we figured we'd ask you!"
"Well, that's true," said Brook. "But where do I start from…? Well…if we try to save them now, there's a very high chance that we may be too late!"
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'TOO LATE'?" Franky barked.
"Oh, please," Brook said. "Don't shout so much, sir. My eardrums might burst! Oh! But I don't have eardrums! Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho! SKULL JOKE!"
Ka-chack! Franky aimed his left arm at Brook, but Robin stopped him.
"Calm down, Franky," she said.
"Anyway," Brook began, "I'll explain everything, so please listen and don't fool around."
Ka-chack! Franky armed himself with his arm-gun, again, but once again, he was stopped by Robin.
"I said 'calm down'!" Robin scolded.
"As you already know," Brook began, "there was a time when my ship's rudder was broken, and I sailed this sea for decades on end! As much as I wanted to leave, with the rudder broken, I could only drift along the waves! Then, by chance, I stumbled upon this island, five years ago. I was baited into coming into Thriller Bark, just like you and your friends."
Flashback
"I wanted to leave the Florian Triangle as soon as possible, but first, I did a bit of exploring, hoping that someone would happen to the parts I need to fix the rudder, but everywhere I went, there were zombies…"
Brook found himself getting chased by a horde of zombies.
"…monsters…"
Brook was chased through the forest by what looked like a zombie griffon, only it had a stork's upper body and a tiger's lower half.
"…and ghosts!"
Brook turned a corner, screaming as he was chased by a bunch of little ghosts.
"Ultimately, I was captured and they brought me to the dance hall. When I arrived…"
Inside the dance hall, Brook saw a man, swaying his head left and right in a rhythmic fashion. He was trapped in some silk webbing, just like Brook was.
"I saw the dancer who had arrived before I had, and nearby, they had what looked like a zombie in a casket!"
A shadowy figure appeared with a menacing smile.
"I looked up, and I saw this terrifying man. He pulled the shadow from the floor…and cut it off with a giant pair of scissors!"
Flashback end
"He cut off his shadow?" asked Franky.
"Yes!" Brook answered. "I would've believe my eyes, myself, but…I don't have eyes! Yo-ho-ho-ho-ho!"
"You can hit him, now," said Robin, who had lost her patience.
BONK! Franky slammed a fist into the back of Brook's skull.
"Now keep talking!" Franky snapped.
"Right, of course," Brook said, seething in pain.
Flashback
"I soon met the same fate, but the dancer fell. As for his shadow…"
A clawed hand pushed the shadow into the motionless zombie.
"It was pushed into the zombie, and then, out of nowhere…"
The zombie's eye suddenly opened, and he jumped out of the coffin, dancing the same as the man did.
"The zombie came to life!"
Flashback end
"So what are you saying?" questioned Franky.
"You see," Brook explained, "a shadow is also a person's soul. It follows its owner wherever it goes! The same thing goes for everyone's shadow, even yours! A shadow stays with since the day you are born since the day you die, and beyond! It has to follow you, always, and must never leave you. However, the man that has the power to take shadows from people, even animals, and make them his followers is the one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria, the user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit!"
"'Shadow-Shadow Fruit'?" Robin repeated questioningly.
"So it's a Devil Fruit?" asked Franky.
"Indeed," Brook answered. "With it, Moria can extract shadows and place them into the soulless corpses of his zombies. To make them even stronger, he has the famed surgeon Dr. Hogback on his side to create them! Combined with the doctor's abilities, Moria is able to revive the bodies of legendary from cemeteries from every corner of the world! The ones he hasn't used yet are kept in the research lab freezer."
"Dr. Hogback," Robin whispered. "Who would've thought that such a famed and prestigious doctor would help someone like that?"
"So he can make the zombies move and everything," Franky started, "but it's not like he can actually bring back the living dead."
"You're right," said Brook. "It's like this. The personality and fighting skills are all a part of the shadow's true master. The body's power depends on the physical strength of the zombie. If you combine a stronger body with a shadow, you have an even stronger zombie soldier! That's why Moria is after pirates with high bounties on their heads!"
"So it seems," Robin began, "that we've been targeted from the very beginning."
"That's the true story behind Thriller Bark," said Brook. "To Moria, zombies are useful to him since they're obedient, but naturally, it can be hard to bring in a warrior with a strong will. Therefore, if you just take the shadow that has the same fighting abilities as the actual person, then you simply have no need for the real deal, since he or she probably will refuse to listen to you. The ones who pass out are sent back to their ships to be set adrift."
"So what are we waiting for?" Franky cried. "We gotta save 'em, now!"
"Calm down!" Brook exclaimed. "We might still have some time! Now, I'll let you in on my plan, so please believe and listen to everything I have to say!"
A pause came.
"Why should we believe you?" asked Franky.
"DAH!" Brook gasped. "SKULL SHOCK!"
Suddenly, Brook began to spin around, gleefully.
"I've made a negotiation for the first time in years!" he cheered. "It's so much FUUUUUN~!"
"Brook, we're listening," said Robin, "so please continue."
"Right," Brook replied.
XXX
"OH, MASTER MORIA~!"
Nin and his two comrades arrived at the dance hall at the mansion, where they were greeted by a mysterious figure.
"Master Moria!" Nin said. "Lady Perona, Master Absalom, and Dr. Hogback are here!"
"Oh, that was fast!" said the figure. "Send them in!"
The trio of zombie imps nodded their heads in understanding before they turned to the door.
"Please, come in!" they declared.
Dr. Hogback, Perona, Absalom, Cindry, and Kumacy all entered the dance hall, where they were greeted by a gargantuan man with very distinct devil-like features. He stood at least 22'7" in height. His general appearance and the collar of his shirt seemed to represent a type of lizard. His overall figure seemed to be like that of a giant leek. His hair was purple, and it stuck straight up, splitting in two and curving down near the top. He had two horns protruding from the sides of his forehead as well as stitches running down vertically from the top of his face to the base of neck, which was rather long and thick in comparison to his body. He had pointed ears and teeth, and his lower body appeared to be fat and stubby compared to his head. His skin was a pale blue, and his laps had a darker shade to them
He had pale blue arm bands, as well as a pair of gloves with claws at the finger tips. His coat was black like his gloves and his pants were bright orange with pale window shapes imprinted on them. He also had a fishnet shirt, a cravat, necklace, and a blue crucifix-like ornament with claw-like appendages sprouting out from three of the cross' points.
This man must've been the mastermind behind this whole thing: the Warlord of the Sea, Gecko Moria.
"You're all just in time," Moria said, picking his teeth with a toothpick. "Now, come and make me the King of the Pirates, immediately!"
"WHAT?"
The group looked over and saw Luffy, still in his suit of armor, wrapped up in silk webbing. He was now trapped inside a cage.
"What do you mean YOU'RE gonna be the King of the Pirates?" he barked. "I'M THE MAN WHO'S GONNA BE THE KING OF THE PIRATES! Now lemme outta this cage so I can kick your ass! And what about my friends? Where's Zoro? Where's Sanji? Where's Nami, Usopp, and Chopper? WHERE'S MY DOG? WHERE ARE THEY? WHERE HAVE YOU TAKEN THEM? ANSWER ME, YOU BIG FAT LEEK!"
"Such a feisty young boy!" said Hogback.
"So you are 'Straw Hat' Luffy," said Moria. "You've been the 4th one that we've caught so far. 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro, 'White Wolf' Blizzard, and some man with a curly eyebrow."
"Hey!" Luffy said. "Sanji's got a curly eyebrow!"
"Hey, I think hear Luffy out there…!" Nami whispered from inside Kumacy.
"What?" Chopper whispered. "That means he got captured, as well as Zoro, Sanji, and Blizzard!"
"Oh, no," whispered Nami, a hint of concern in her voice. "How could this happen to our four strongest fighters, especially Luffy?"
"These guys must really be bad news…!" Usopp whispered.
"By the way, Perona," said Hogback. "What happened to those other three?"
"Oh, I don't know," answered Perona. "They were being brought here by the Risky Bros., but they escaped. I don't know where the hell they could be, now."
Kumacy began to wave his paw, trying to get Perona's attention, but he knew that the only way he could was if he could talk, but if he talked, he'd surely get scolded.
"Oh, no," Usopp whispered. "They're talking about us!"
"I hope this stupid bear keeps his mouth shut…!" Nami whispered, her franticness rising.
"Uh, excuse-" Kumacy began, but Perona interrupted him once again.
"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO KEEP QUIET, KUMACY!" Perona barked.
"Once again," Absalom said, "you are being too severe with Kumacy. Still, those three pirates that were in your garden, as well as my bride. Wait just a second…!"
Absalom turned to Hogback, angrily.
"HOGBACK, YOU BASTARD!" he roared. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER? Grr~!"
"The bride will not come for you," said Cindry, deadpanned.
"Cindry, no!" Hogback scolded. "You're just making it worse! Furthermore, why are you answering things before I can?"
"The bride will not come for you, either," Cindry said, turning to Hogback, who gasped.
"HOW CLEVER!" he exclaimed. "SHE THREW ME FOR A LOOP!"
"Silence!" Moria ordered. "Honestly, your chattering is so annoying! So what if those three ran off? We can always get them later! At any rate, I have gathered you all here to witness the birth of an extraordinarily strong zombie, and we shall celebrate it together!"
Suddenly, one of the three zombie imps screamed. Why? Luffy was escaping!
"Master Moria!" cried Nin. "He bit through the cage and now he's getting away!"
Luffy squirmed like a worm as he spat out the steel bars of the cage.
"You'll never get me alive!" Luffy declared.
"He ate…through the cage?" mumbled Moria, questioningly.
"FOS-FOS-FOS!" Hogback cackled. "He will certainly be of use to us, that's for certain!"
Absalom raised his hand, but Perona got in his way.
"Don't worry about it, Absalom," said Perona. "He won't get away that easily."
Perona threw her hands out, releasing many, many little ghosts and sending them after Luffy.
"Negative HOLLOW!" she shouted.
Luffy gasped. He remembered the last time one of those ghosts went through him. He wasn't going to let that happen again.
"You'll never get me again, you hear me?" Luffy exclaimed, sticking his tongue out.
Suddenly, one of the ghosts went right through Luffy, causing him to fall to his knees, once again, just like before.
"If I'm ever born again," Luffy began, sorrowfully, "I wanna be a sea cucumber. Somebody, kill me now."
Absalom felt shivers run down his spine.
"To have a man who wants to be the King of the Pirates say he wants to be reborn a sea cucumber has got to be the cruelest thing, ever," he said.
XXX
A moment later, they had Luffy (who was stripped of his armor) hanging by a silk web by the ceiling.
"Okay! Hit the lights!"
A giant lamp was turned on, casting Luffy's shadow against the floor.
"Damn you!" Luffy cursed. "What do you think you're doing? Lemme go! Lemme go, right now, or you'll regret it!"
Moria snickered as he…somehow peeled Luffy's shadow out from the floor, pulling Luffy down.
THUD! Luffy fell to the floor on his back.
"Huh?" Luffy muttered. "H-hey, that's…my shadow!"
Before Luffy could react, Moria pulled a giant pair of scissors, and…
SNIP! He cut Luffy's shadow from his feet!
Luffy gasped before his eyes rolled to the back of his skull and he fell back…unconscious.
"KISHISHISHISHI!" laughed Moria. He held up Luffy's struggling shadow in the air, triumphantly. "At last! I have it! The shadow of the boy worth 300,000,000 Berries! With his shadow, I will have the world's strongest Super Zombie at my command! KISHISHISHISHISHI~!"