Chapter 124: Wano Samurai! Ryuma and Takiyama Suro

"No, Sanji!" Vivi admonished as she and Robin dressed behind a screen, "we shall rescue Nami but I won't be doing it naked! And neither will Robin!" As soon as the invisible assailant had gone taking Nami with him, the chef had rushed to the window and prepared to give chase but he was stopped from doing so by Franky's restraining, and Robin's words of "we need a plan". "We can go and ask Hogback about it", Sanji snapped in the direction of the screen with the two females behind it. "No we can't!" Vivi retorted, "as according to Brook, Hogback is working for that warlord Gecko Moria, who runs this place".

Zoro was by the window, busy aiming a flare gun in the direction of the Sunny. "Good idea, Zoro", Robin spoke newly dressed in her purple dress, black leggings and flat sole shoes. Sanji practically growled in frustration and annoyance at having been unconsciously one upped by the swordsman. "Having a disagreement, are you?" a voice asked. Instantly the pirates' heads whipped around to land on Hildon who was hanging upside down from the chandelier. "I'm sure you can work it out tomorrow morning after a good night's rest. Allow me to show you to once more to your rooms." Taking flight, the vampire bat flew to the doors, and towards the stairs and gestured for the others to follow him. "No thank you!" Vivi growled, "We have to meet up with our friends, so we'll be going now."

However, just then two ghostly figures appeared through the wall and then proceeded to descend upon Sanji, passing through the chef's body and making him drop to his knees. "I'm not worthy to be amongst even the lowest of the low social scum..." he monotonously stated. "Negative...negative", the ghosts sang floating above and around Sanji's forlorn form. "Hildon! You've failed!" a woman's voice hissed, causing the vampire bat to flinch, "they have seen too much and can't be allowed to leave!" The voice continued. "Oh hell no!" Franky yelled, and puffing out his chest he then released a gush of fire from his mouth in the direction of the vampire and the ghosts.

Grabbing the downed Sanji, the shipwright jumped out of the window hastily followed by Zoro, Robin and Vivi. "I won't let any harm befall my friends". As the pirates fell to the ground, the first thing they saw was a huge conflagration of zombies, all gathered around in the adjacent graveyard and murmuring utterances about stopping "pirate thieves", and 'protecting' "master Absalom's ceremony". As if sensing their prey, the zombies spun around and started charging towards the escaped straw hats. "It's them", one zombie spoke, "absalom's foes! The ones trying to stop the wedding!" Sanji instantaneously saw red and bolted forwards with such speed that his legs burnt a trail of fire after him. "Nami-swan will not marry some zombie bastard! She'll marry me, as soon as she dumps my captain", the chef yelled, breaking through the initial wave of zombies.

"We seem to have some intruders," a low voice rumbled through the now dusty air. The words somehow had an echo to them, even though the speaker was outside and they was nothing for the voice to echo off. 'Clack, clack, clack'. Then through the dust cloud, created by Sanji's kick attack on the zombies, a tall regal zombie appeared. The creature was obviously another zombie but disinterested appear to be formed of two or more bodies stitched into one. Again, the clack clack clack, this time they group realised it was from the wooden sandals the creature was wearing as it moved over the uneven cobbled ground. Its yellow-greenish skin was mostly covered by white kimono emblazoned by a crane, it's wings circling its body. A blue scarf was wrapped around the zombies neck and a katana in a black-and-red sheath rested at its side. And although it lacked eyes, the second straw hat group felt very much it's gaze was on them. A thought that made Vivi shudder, and move backwards before taking a deep breath to re centre herself for a fight. "I guess it's my job to expel them. Yohohoho!" The zombie samurai started, with a familiar laugh.

"Well I guess we now know who has Brook's shadow..." Franky muttered. Yet, before anyone could respond, Zoro walked forward pointing to the creatures grey hair styled into a topknot. "You're a samurai aren't you?" The straw hat vice captain spoke tying his bandana around his head before drawing Kitetsu Yubishira and Wado Ichimonji. "You are

Observant and knowledgeable, young swordsman", the zombie replied. "That laugh..." Robin uttered, "do you know a skeleton...perchance".

The zombie remained stoic, if that was even possible for the undead. "I knew of no such person, but your saying the name Brook has now placed a name to the face I recall, I have for decades, battled against for possession of this shadow I hold. My name is Ryuma, samurai of Wano; guardian to the Kozuki Family and dead soldier sworn by devil fruit to the Warlord Gecko Moria". As with his piece said, Ryuma sped forwards and struck his blade against the two crossed swords that Zoro brought up in between his friends and the zombies samurai. "By a warriors honour, I will defeat you", Zoro muttered under his breath before yelling over his shoulder. "Go! Save Nami, leave mister dead samurai to me". "You better win!" Sanji yelled, as he and Franky led Vivi and Robin away in the direction of Nami.

"Yohohoho!" Despite Brook's annoying laugh, emanating from Ryuma's body, the samurai was a tough opponent but that was what Zoro liked in his opponents. Tough unwavering spirit, that was bound by nothing more than the enjoyment of sword fighting. Upon Ryuma's initial attack, Zoro had swivelled himself on the spot dodging a side strike intended to bisect him, and then he countered with a crisscross of strikes cutting through the mansions surrounding walls and decimating an annex built onto the side.

The zombie samurai jumped into the air and then flung himself directly at Zoro; sword held straight forward ready to impale his opponent. A few seconds. That was all he had to dodge again, as Ryuma slammed into the ground, creating a rippling oh cracks spreading out form him. "You have good mobility, and sharp senses young man. But you still lack the experience required to beat a trained Wano Samurai". Sensing a profound swordsman before him, Ryuma decided to test his opponent, so raising his katana in front of him and then, almost at light speed, slashing downwards he created a massive gorge tearing though the ground and towards the pirate swordsman. "Earth Splitter!"

A few seconds later, from deep inside the gorge itself, three diagonal slashes tore through the ground making an entrance walkway; that the pirate used to walk out of the gorge. Seeing this, Ryuma albeit with difficulty, smirked, knowing that his hunch had been proved correct. Yet, he now knew that wielding such a power could prove self destructive. "How did you do that?" He asked, wanting for his opponent to tell him personally, rather than it being his own deductions. This pirate swordsman, had the undead Ryuma looking at him in a new light.

The disgruntled look on Zoro's face vanished instantly, replaced by recognition. 'The Power of the Legend Sword - Elucidator'. Words of warning after his duel with the Admiral before the crew had landed in Water Seven, were brought forth. "I used this", Zoro stated moving two swords to one hand and holding the third sword, in his second hand, aloft. "...That sword—" the zombie samurai remarked, "...Takiyama Suro". Zoro remembered the name from the grave back in Loguetown, yet despite his curiosity to find out more about him, the crews actions since had thoroughly prevented any such research. No though, this dead samurai seemed to know this Takiyama Suro.

"Hey, Ryuma!" Zoro yelled. "You know..." that was as far as he got before a flash of metal slashed towards him. "You dare wield Elucidator! Only the truly great may wield a legend sword! So tell me, how did lowly pirate receive such a masterful blade?" Zoro dives out of the way as yet more sword strikes made their way to him but this time the power behind them was off, 'he's unbalanced...' Zoro realised. 'Takiyama Suro must be a friend'. "The anvil-grave which this sword was embedded in, and overgrown with ivy and bindweed, let me take it. I don't know how, all I know is that something allowed me to take it... but you will answer my questions Ryuma, Samurai of Wano. Who was Takiyama Suro?"

Not wanting to give anything away, out of honour to his kinsmen yet by his honour as a samurai; Ryuma was bound to answer. And so he did.

"Four hundred years ago, myself and Suro lived in a country in the New World called Wano, where we were imperial samurai to the then Shogun Kozuki Massao. Suro was the best samurai in the whole county and I was his younger brother. During this time Shogun Massao, inherited a declared state of emergency from his father, due to a horde of invading dragons; fleeing the dragon civil war that was raging across Ishgar, Alakitasia and Solana. These dragons raided our home, and killed many people in order to create land for their king to occupy. In response my brother, Takiyama Suro led a elite unit of samurai to slay all the invading dragons, and bring peace and stability back to the outer regions of Wano in which he was very successful. However, on his way back to the Flower Capital, he was captured by covert agents of the World Government, due to them wanting him to train marines to wield the powers and skills of Wano Samurai".

Ryuma lowered, and then sheathed his katana before siting cross legged on the ground. "Upon hearing of Suro's capture, Shogun Massao gave him up to the Five Elders; saying that he had to 'to protect Wano's safety'. In response, some thousand samurai, loyal to their commander defected from the Shoguns' elite army and travelled to Marineford and laid siege to the marines, I went as well but I refused to disavow my one country, and for eight years the navy was paralysed by war that we brought down on them but the government, back then, took Suro and executed him in the grounds of Pangea Castle in the HolyLand of Mariejois". Zoro looked on in shock at hearing the story of Ryuma and Suro, before glancing at Elucidator in his hand; horrified. "My brother was called the Titan King, partly due to the devil fruit he wielded, the ancient zoan God of War - Mars, but also because in combat he was the greatest swordsman alive. And yet, he died a hero of Wano in the land of false gods".