Chapter 125: Death, Re-Death and Survival
"You said your name was Ryuma, correct?" Zoro questioned, reaching up and untying his bandana from around his head. "The legendary swordsmen of Wano, 'Dragons Bane' Ryuma, and 'Titan King' Takiyama Suro". Retying his bandana to his arm Zoro laid Elucidator on the ground before the zombie samurai and bowed his head to him. "I am honoured to meet you, and to have fought against you, my only regret is that you are no longer of this world and can not properly enjoy such a fight".
Appraising the man before him, Ryuma moved forwards and laid his own katana down before kneeling as well. "There's a destiny about you... Shogun Massao spoke about Suro being the prophesied 'Hunter'". Then before Zoro could speak, he felt a katana being pushed towards him, "you have a swordsman's courage and will, carry this with utter determination and honour. Carry on your journey of progression, live and see your dreams manifest. Take my katana; Shusui, one of the 21 Great Grade swords," standing tall and regal zombie Ryuma looked out in the direction of the ocean. "One last thing, swordsman of the East Blue, to defeat master defeat master Moria's zombies you will need salt. It will purify the bodies and expel the foreign shadow hiding within".
"Wait!" Zoro uttered. Staring at the zombie before him, shocked by his giving of him another katana. "Why me? You yourself said that I shouldn't be wielding Elucidator, even after I explained about some force that granted it to me. So why are you trusting me with it and Shusui?" Ryuma turned around and placed a hand on the other swordsman's shoulder, "it is because you carry Wado Ichimonji and Kitetsu-Yubishira III. One day you will know more about what exactly that means but for now know this; I name you Daimyo of Arcadia". And then Ryuma took a black cygnet ring from his finger and handed it towards Zoro, who now wore a look of great severity on his face.
"Remember, you now posses three of the twenty one great grade swords, as well as one the three legend swords, forged in the New World and mastered in Wano. Protect them, and carry them with great honour", Ryuma spoke before he took a small bag from his kimono pocket and bit down on the contents, he emptied into his mouth. "I leave the rest to you, warrior of the East Blue", and then the zombie samurai dropped to his knees and fell face first onto the ground, with a black smoke like substance emerging from the body and then flying away in the direction of another huge mansion complex behind now visible, through the fog, towering above the home of Dr Hogback. Zoro was about to walk away and regroup with his friends but he shook his head and placed his swords down, found a shovel nearby, and dug a grave for Ryuma. "Rest in peace, Samurai of Wano".
Elsewhere, hovering above the now empty Thousand Sunny, a pink gothic princess floated. She appeared to be the same height as Vivi, and with pink curls that fell to her waist and big, black eyes she looked regal; in her own way. She wore a pink jacket over a white-black designer shirt, black leggings, pink skirt and red boots. And atop her head was a black gothic crown. "Horo-horo-horo-horo!" She laughed, as she floated down to several zombie animals that were stripping the captured ship of all food and valuables.
"I thought pirates were supposed to be wealthier than this..." she trailed off, "ahh well. Get this stuff back to my room". A pair of squirrels made of patchwork skins, looked up at the hovering girl, bowing in submission and hurrying off carrying a chest of gold and diamonds. "Yes mistress Perona!" The Risky Brothers replied disappearing into the castle nearby. Just as the ghost girl was about to float around the ship, to see if there was anything else to steal, she was suddenly made aware of a transponder snail being held aloft by more zombie animals.
She immediately knew who the call was from, her faithful and much beloved patchwork zombie teddy bear; Kumasi. Floating down to the deck, and motioning for the snail to be answered, she was taken aback by the stuttering in Kumasi's voice. "M-m-mistress Perona... Master Moria has requested your p-p-presence, something about 'Absalom's disappearance". Perona ran a hand down her face in frustration always having to fill in for her lecherous colleague; not that he had ever made any moves towards her, she would have killed him if he had. "Very well, I'll be back soon. So make sure that there are no enemies around my body when I return, Kumasi".
Little did Perona know, as she flew through the air; guarded by her two astrally created ghosts, she was watched by Luffy, Suki, Chopper and Usopp from the waters edge; who then followed her back to the Warlords castle. "There must be people that way," Luffy said, "if we follow her she'll lead us to the base of operations. And hopefully the others will be there as well". Usopp looked quizzically at his captain. "Not that I'm questioning you...", the sniper began, "but you aren't even a little bit afraid or even sceptical about this girl that's commands ghosts?" Before the captain could even respond, Suki raced past both older teenagers; Chopper in tow, and down the peat track path following the ghost girl. "Come on!" the twelve year old urged, "we move in first then we listen in, and then attack!" Suki giggled, pronouncing the last word with added intent.
Luffy simply smiled and hurried off after the artist ad the doctor, leaving Usopp to mumble "stubborn much", and then taking off after the others. As they approached the end of the forest track, the four StrawHats suddenly heard voices; one familiar and the other unfamiliar but stricken with terror, and looking through a mass of briars and elm branches they saw the tall skeletal Brook with a raised sword at the neck of a rotund man dressed in fishnets, an Whitt shirt and black jacket. "N-n-now h-h-h-hold on a moment," Hogback stuttered, as he fumbled against the wall he was pinned against, "C-can't we j-just talk about this?"
"Your master took my shadow. I want it back." The familiar voice of Brook, retorted angrily. "But how will killing me help you!" Hogback cried, desperately trying to inch his elf further down the outer wall of the castle. Pushing some brambles out of their line of vision, Luffy m, Suki, Chopper and Usopp sawa rotund man being held at sword point by a not so fun jolly skeleton. Brook stood nonchalantly facing his opponent with his sword-cane resting on the doctor's jugular, two bodies lay unmoving either side of him. The first was shrouded in the shadow of dead oak tree but the glow of a nearby lantern; on the castle battlements above, cast its light over the face of the second. Revealing the vacant dead eyes and cold emotionless expression of Cindrey, never again would she be able to throw anymore crockery or cutlery. Brook visible scowled at Hogback's response, "you're right. Your death wouldn't help me". The skeleton admitted. "But it would stop the creation of anymore zombies. At least for a year or two until Moria finds some new has-been-quack-doctor as crazy as you are."
"Ooh..." Chopper whispered, from the groups hiding spot. "Looks like what Brook Tor is was true", the little reindeer doctor clenched his hooves in anger as he glared at one of the three greatest doctors in the world. "Don't forget", Luffy added, "those two we fought back at that gully, the dog and that snakeman. They both were created by Hogback". That only seemed to add to Choppers growing ire, "doctors shouldn't play god! They have a morale duty and bound by ethics to aid the injured, infirm and dying. Not to use patients as lab rats for their own research..." Chopper was cut off by the sound of steel and a loud yelp.
"Listen careful, Hogback," Brook growled, "I may not like killing, but that doesn't mean I won't. I'm a pirate, after all, and can be reasonable. So give me one good reason why I should let you live". Hogback suddenly reached behind him and grabbed a large mace hidden in a crevice of the castle wall, and swung it towards the skeleton. "I am a doctor! One of the Three! And I will not be harangued by a weak willed man who lost his shadow and failed every time for forty years to retake it... I have saved thousands of people from countless diseases all over the world. As well as the ultimate disease; death..."
No sooner than Hogback had spoken, the hidden straw hats were aghast at the scene before them. "No one can truly conquer death, Hogback. We all die eventually." Light, and a very subtle flash, struck across the doctors throat and crimson liquid hung in the air for a mere seconds. Instinctively, Luffy and Usopp covered Suki's eyes, as Hogback's hands flew to his throat, clawing at the gaping wound now opened up from Brook's sword-cane, only to slump to the ground and collapse in his own blood, mace at his side.
Brook sighed heavily and wiped his blade clean on the deceased doctor's clothing, not noticing the horror on usopp and chopper's faces, as well as the currently covered eyes of Suki and the distress of Luffy. Luffy winced; for some reason he had felt Hogback's death coming, seen it. And yet, he understood why it had to be done, death was followed by sadness; which was natural. But this sadness created by a mad immortality obsessed man, who stole bodies sewed them together and gave them to a warlord to create an undead army, was beyond infuriating. Many people; relatives of the missing bodies and victims of the warlords shadow stealing powers, suffering unable to enjoy being in the sun.
"I have no choice now", Brook intoned, sheathing his sword. "If I am to travel with Luffy and his crew, then I must get my shadow back. Even if I defeat my zombie, I will not leave until Moria is stopped. I will not allow anyone else to fall to the same curse as I". From somewhere on Thriller Bark, bells chimed, signaling the coming of dawn and the first shot of the sun over the trees. "The dawn hunt is beginning," he muttered, turning around and following the walls onwards to the doors, humming 'Binks Brew' as he walked. So focused on his goal, he did not notice a black blob slithering along the floor before coming to rest under his feet. His shadow had returned. As Brook's form disappeared round the corner of the walls, and his humming vanished into silence, the four hidden straw hats were left motionlessly observing and evaluating the scene that had just occurred. All the while as the bodies on the floor were picked up by small spider mice and trundled off with them into the darkness.
