Disclaimer: Godzilla and One Piece are the sole properties of Toho Co. LTD and Eiichiro Oda respectively. KP360 claims no ownership of anything save for any OCs, abilities, and locations.
Thriller Bark Opening: Dead or Lie by TRUSTRICK
Color Spread: Triton fishing while a group of manatees watch him with rapt attention.
"Hang onto these salt pellets everyone." Usopp motioned as he passed the iodized balls around "Remember, these go inside the zombie's mouths."
"That's kind of your area of expertise isn't it, Usopp?" Zoro shrugged "I think it'll be better if we just cut them open and stuff salt into their wounds."
"It doesn't matter how, it just has to be inside them." the sniper clarified.
"Ok, then if everybody's comfortable with the specifics I'd say we all know what we're doing?" A bit of clattering sounded as the crew looked up to see Gian stumble out of the workroom, looking
"…What are you wearing man?" Sanji balked.
"…What?" Gian raised a hand, now sporting a layer of dark green leather camo suit as he made the final touches to a black face mask "We're going up against zombies, I have to dress the part and be prepared."
"You look stupid," Zoro grunted "and what's that you're holding?"
"Oh yeah, you've never seen a horror movie before, let alone a zombie one." Gian nodded towards the serrated power tool that he leaned against, one that nearly stood as tall as his body "Well, everyone knows one of the best weapons against zombies is a chainsaw right? It cut heads clean off. Which you can then put salt down the hole and all would be well! Or, if you don't get to do that, making them lose a head would still incapacitate them!"
"Ah! That's the ultimate weapon against zombies!" Luffy's eyes lit up.
"Wow, it's so cool!" Chopper beamed.
"If I could carry something like that I'd never be afraid of those zombies!" Usopp smiled.
"You certainly look ready to take on any threat." Robin chuckled.
"I guess he could do worse." Sanji shrugged.
"Is that the one in my workshop?" Franky gaped "How did you even get in there?"
"You didn't lock the door," Gian waved him off "And I kind of thought I needed another weapon and that was the first thing I saw. I'll make it up to you later, now are we ready to make the dead even deader or what?"
"...You could at least asked to borrow it…"Franky sweatdropped and shrugged "Whatever, we have shadows to find. I already know where I'm going; to tell the truth I'm kind of worried about Brook. Apparently his shadow is implanted in the body of a samurai warrior from a distant land, and though I've never seen one those dudes are apparently crazy skilled. I hope he's ok."
"Samurai warrior huh?" Zoro grinned "It would be rather ironic if he loses to himself. I think I'll come along with you Franky, I'd like to see this undead samurai myself."
"I'm going after Dr. Hogback!" Chopper almost immediately demanded "He's the one that created the zombies. Moria may be the ones putting shadows into them, but without the doctor they have nothing to inhabit!" the little deer tightened his hooves; the reason for his request was more of a personal level "All this time, I thought he was someone who could save anybody, yet he's sunk to this level!"
"If there really is someone out there making the corpse base for those zombies, then perhaps getting to him will grant us leverage." Robin mused "I think I will accompany Chopper, if anything we can get him to talk."
"Then I've found my zombie hunting party." Gian smiled as he gestured to the two "I remember that Doctor when Luffy and I were captured by Moria. I also do need my shadow back, and if he's the one that potentially made the body that it inhabits now, then he'll probably have a good idea where it is."
"Then it's up to me to find Nami-san!" Sanji declared loudly "In the clutches of that invisible freak, I can't imagine how scared she'd feel!"
"Oh yeah, didn't that Absalom say he's looking to get married tonight?" Gian mentioned to Luffy, who nodded when he remembered.
"WHAT?! WHO DOES THAT BASTARD THINK HE IS?!" the reaction was predictable, but the Kaiju-Zoan user enjoyed the chef's outburst nonetheless.
"Oh yeah, there's still the invisible man!" Usopp realized "That was who snuck up on us back at the mansion earlier! He even peeked on Nami in the shower!"
"Uh-huh, he did that." Chopper confirmed.
"WWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTT?!"
"Skrehaha, here it comes!" Gian chuckled, slipping on a pair of shades as the show was about to begin.
"That… SON OF A BITCH!" Sanji roared as a raging inferno blazed around him "HOW DARE HE… THIS IS UNFORGIVABLE!" As the flames grew in intensity, so too did the cook's expression morphing into that of some kind of demonic being. All the while, this display was witnessed by the whole crew with most of them being unsure of what to say in this situation.
"Oh my, he just exploded." Chopper commented.
"If this gets any more intense I think he might transform." Zoro gumbled.
"At least his anger is well directed, not to mention incredibly useful" Gian commented before raising his arm to show off a bundle of cooked hotdogs on sticks, cooked on the open flames of Sanji's rage while the cook was completely oblivious "Weenies, anyone?"
"OOH! GIMME!" Luffy cheered before immediately snatching up one and wolfing it down.
"Where did you even get those? I thought we were out of food?" Franky perked his head but thought no more of it. Everyone else simply obliged and took a sausage each as well, and that was that.
"Still, with what happened earlier, I feel really bad." Usopp grumbled as Sanji calmed down "Nami tried to buy us all some time, but she ended up paying with her capture. I'm going with you Sanji, I'm partially responsible for her getting caught and I'm gonna remedy that!"
"Then that makes everyone else preoccupied, it'll just be Moria left." Gian commented "Luffy, I'm assuming you've got this handled." The captain grinned before straightening his hat a little.
"The last we saw of him, it was at the top of that mansion back there." he nodded "He doesn't seem to be the kind of person to move around much, or at least he doesn't think he needs to. He probably doesn't even think we're capable of planning a counterattack!"
The sound of impact of Luffy's fist smacking into his palm was heard "If he's the one stealing shadows from everyone, then his defeat should free them, right? That's what that old guy we met said, so all I have to do is go up there and kick his ass!"
"That's the spirit, just don't forget to handle any zombies that get in your way." Gian grinned.
"Not to mention, your gargantuan of a monster is currently still frolicking somewhere on this island." Zoro reminded him "We can expect to run into him eventually, and that'll be a challenge to overcome."
"Then that will be our plan, we can keep things busy for our captain, while he takes on the key to freeing the shadows." Robin mused.
"There's also one more thing." Usopp spoke up "This is a lot more urgent. I have to remind everyone what happens when a being without their shadow comes into contact with sunlight. Right now there's a thick fog surrounding Thriller Bark, but there's no promise it'll be like that forever. It's a bit after midnight right now, and the sun usually comes up at around 5 in the morning, when that happens…"
He didn't need to finish; Luffy, Gian, Zoro and Sanji all looked at each other, the implications of the sniper's warning was clear in their heads. They've already seen the fates of those whose shadows were stolen by the Warlord, what they are cursed to endure without them. Now with them bearing that unfortunate curse, and time trickling down, they only-
"We have to move." Gian grunted "Fast."
"Alright!" Luffy barked "We have until dawn to beat up Moria! Right now he doesn't think we'll be fighting back, but he doesn't know that I'm pissed off! It's time to take what is ours back from him! We'll make him regret ever picking a fight with us and take all of his food as well!"
"THE SHADOWS! DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE SHADOWS!"
"That too!"
And with that, the crew turned towards the mansion, ready to begin a night of struggling with mere hours at hand.
Later:
"So this Dr. Hogback," Gian grunted as he removed Atom Splitter from the chest of a zombie, it's salt covered blade causing the undead corpse to convulse before regurgitating up its captive shadow. He, Robin and Chopper have been battling their way through the mansion, meeting waves of resistance from the zombie army. Thankful for discovering their newfound weakness, the trio went along purifying all they came across, though unfortunately for Gian, none bore his shadow, nor of that of anyone else's in the crew. "What do we know of him?"
Chopper glanced up at him, shifting out of Heavy point as he knocked a zombie away "Dr. Hogback was once a surgeon who's performed miracles at the operating table. His tireless efforts and drive to help people saved hundreds of lives." The little deer looked down "I've often read of his accomplishments in many of Doctorine's books, and he was one of the people I looked upon as an example of what a doctor should be… I never would've expected him to go back on the very oath he's sworn himself upon!"
"It's one of those cases, I see." Robin responded "It's like they say, never meet your heroes."
"It would also explain how those bodies are all able to move as well as they do, clearly the good doctor knows his anatomy." Gian mused "Might actually have to bust out the chainsaw later on."
"It'll be very likely we'll be seeing further opposition like this." Robin added, sprouting multiple hands to wrench open the mouths of a few corpses before flicking a salt pellet down each of them "It would be to our benefit that we try to find a way to clear a path to that doctor."
"And one of them could have mine," Gian growled "Chopper, did you see any particular zombie that stood out among the rest?"
"I don't know… we didn't get a good look before we had to escape." Chopper pondered "Oh wait, there is one! There's this one woman zombie that follows Dr. Hogback around everywhere! She has blond hair and doesn't like plates! I think Dr. Hogback called her Cindry or-!"
"Wait, Cindry?!" Gian gaped "Did you say Cindry? As in the Victoria Cindry?!"
"Yeah! That's definitely the name! Her name is Victoria Cindry, we found a shrine in the mansion dedicated to her!" Chopper nodded as he remembered.
"I don't believe it…" Gian whispered with awe "I actually get to see her in person…"
"Gian? Why do you know the name of a corpse?" Robin frowned.
"Seriously, girl? How have you not heard of her?!" the Kaiju-Zoan user looked back to his beloved with a look akin to disbelief.
"I haven't heard of the name either." Chopper added "What's so special about it?"
"Are you two actually-?" Gian sighed "I can't believe it… she the queen of the stage! The Belle of Theatre! She starred in so many famous plays and musicals!" that did not seem to resonate with his companions, so he pushed further "Really now? Spirit of the Auditorium? Nefarious? The Miserables?! You two haven't heard of any of those?"
"I didn't really get the chance to watch many plays." Chopper mused "Whenever I wasn't studying Doctorine's lessons I was usually out playing."
"And I think you remember my situations quite well, Gian."
"Oh, right… Sorry." Gian nodded "But I will have to get you two caught up; I'll have to get the entire crew to experience Victoria Cindry at least once. I can forgive some of them for not watching a horror movie in their life but this crosses the line!"
"You seem to be reacting quite a bit to the knowledge of her existing as a zombie." Robin can't help but chuckle.
"Are you kidding me? In terms of theatre her voice and presence on stage is second to none! It's said that the minute she took to the stage it seems like the entire story would revolve around her, and she made it show! Me and my adopted family are all huge fans of hers, we used to watch the recordings of her old plays every weekend!"
"Is that really everything?" Robin gave a knowing smile.
"…Ok, I admit I might've had kind of a celebrity crush on her back when I was 17…" Gian grumble "I was actually really sad when I found out she had passed away years before. Of course none of that matters now, I've grown past all of that and I'm with an actually living lady right now!" he hastily reassured the archaeologist, who only chuckled again.
"You assume too much, it's actually quite fun to know a bit of what you were like as a youth."
"Wow, she seems amazing!" Chopper awed.
"Yeah, and to think I'll actually see her for real today... Goro and the others would be so jealous...!" Gian sighed wistfully, before understanding hit him and his faced warped into one of disdain and anger.
"And, am I to understand… that that no good son of a bitch doctor had stuffed some no-name shadow into her to serve his demands?!"
"Uh… I don't know the exact reason but yes I-?" Chopper didn't finished as he yelped and hid behind Robin, the reason being that the Kaiju-Zoan user had just erupted in a pillar of blue fire.
"THE AUDACITY! HOW DARE THAT ASSWIPE EVEN CONSIDER DEFILING THE ANGEL THAT IS VICTORIA CINDRY WITH SUCH A CONDITION?! I'M GONNA HUNT THAT BASTARD DOWN! COME OUT YOU TWO BIT MEDICAL PRACTITIONER I'M GONNA-!" In his fanatic rage, Gian hardly considered that he just Partially Transformed. Several zombies leapt at him again, but they were all burned to cinders in a wave of atomic energy as Gian stormed forth, now making a beeline for the surgeon.
"THAT'S WHAT FIRES HIM UP?!" Chopper facefaulted as he watched Gian charge off deeper into the mansion.
"We had better follow him." Robin sighed "Who knows what kind of trouble he'll get into now." with that, the two tried to keep up.
Meanwhile:
"NAMI-SAAANNN! WHERE ARE YOU?!"
"Sanji! Slow down! You're drawing them all to us!"
They had ran the course through the mansion for a while now, kicking open doors to find their kidnapped navigator. But aside from hordes of zombies and opposition, there was no cat burglar to be found. Neither was the zombie that hosted Sanji's shadow, though they had managed to liberate many more. Usopp's superior marksmanship simply sniped salt pellet down the open mouths of zombies before they could react, and those who avoided those soon caught a hard kick to the face.
"There's one more door!" Usopp pointed to the large ornate gate that seemed to loom above the others. With one kick Sanji wrenched it open, only to find a dimly lit room, full of gothic furniture.
"Looks to be another dead end." Sanji hissed "Come on let's not waste time, this place is giving me the creeps."
"You can say that again! Look at it, it's like some disturbing playroom, who has that many stuffed animals?" Usopp agreed pointing to the large silhouettes littering a queen-sized bed.
Stuffed animals that promptly jumped up and blocked their exit, causing them to jump back in shock.
"Our Lady is expecting you, you are not to leave." The leader, a bear-like zombie with a medical mask covering its mouth spoke, its gravelly voice grating the ears of the two.
"Shit, it's an ambush!" Sanji cursed.
"Kumashi… I thought I told you not to speak without permission!" a higher pitched voice snapped.
"My apologies, Lady Perona…"
"AAAAAAHHHHHH! IT'S HER!" Usopp screamed as he realized the newcomer. Floating through the floor, the pink head of hair was a clear indicator that Perona arrived, a circle of wiggling spirits drifting around her as the giggled mockingly.
"Usopp, who's the cute girl?" Sanji asked.
"I didn't think you'd save me the trouble of looking for you on my own, Long Nose!" Perona grinned "My ghosts already foretold of your arrival, but it didn't think you'd actually have the courage to return!"
"You still have a shadow, Moria-sama has quite a need of them." The ghost girl pointed at Usopp, who jumped back with a yelp "So I will be bringing you with me now!"
"Sorry little lady, but we have places to be!" Sanji declared. Perona smirked at that.
"Oh, 'Black Leg' Sanji…" she chided "It seems you've forgotten a very important lesson…" a flick of her hand, and a long ghost flew towards the cook.
"Sanji, look out! Those ghosts we ran into earlier are under her control!"
"What? Is that-?"
*Fwip*
"…I should be reborn as a flatworm…"
"Horohorohoro!" Perona cackled as the cook fell to his knees in despair "You will never be able to withstand the Negative Hollows! Even those with the strongest wills will break down upon contact with my spirits!"
"Now to collect your shadow…" the woman grinned at Usopp, who hastily raised his slingshot.
"S-Stay Back! I'm armed to the teeth right now!"
"I don't have to get close to you to begin with, Negative Hollow!"
And Usopp offered no resistance as he toppled over, the negative emotions rose inside of him. Perona giggled in triumph. Even the most hardened people in the world would feel a rush of negativity the moment one of those ghosts phases through them, a scrawny weakling like the Long Nose would be absolutely crushed!"
"Hah! That didn't take long! I told Moria-sama I'd get it done quickly! That's one more shadow for him!"
"Lady Perona, what do we do with the other one?" Kumashi rumbled.
"I thought I told you to never open your mouth?!" Turning to her group of stitched up animal zombies, she quickly gave the directive "You can bring him back to the ship. We've already taken his shadow and he's of no use to us anymore as long as he lives. After that we-"
"En Boshi!"
Perona could barely react as, one by one, each of her zombie followers crumpled down, their shadows leaving their bodies as each salt bullet did their work. She could barely gasp as Kumashi, her main servant, gave a gurgle before the life exited his eyes. Glancing up, the next image gave her even more of a start: Usopp, standing defiantly with a glare in her direction, was up and seemingly ok.
"What did you do to my servants?!" She barked "And how did I miss my Negative Hollows?!"
"Leave Sanji alone…!" Usopp growled, his weapon raised as the usual fear from him seemingly dissipated. Perona scowled before more ghosts materialized around her, gathering them up one by one.
"Tch, you won't be so lucky this time!" Perona growled "Feel all the motivation drain out of you! Negative Hollow!"
"Usopp, look out!" Sanji shouted in alarm as the attack approached again, all for naught as the ghosts once again passed through the sniper. This time though, much to Perona's shock, Usopp not only didn't slump over, but continued to stand tall.
"Negative Hollow!"
"Negative Hollow!"
No matter what she did, her usual demotivating spirits were rendered useless by this lanky individual. Her greatest weapon, arguably one the reasons why she's nigh untouchable inside Moria's inner circle, now null in the face of Usopp.
And for once, Perona's confidence faltered.
"HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!" She shouted "Those ghosts are capable of bringing even the strongest willed individuals down to their knees! No one has been able to withstand their negativity! Just what are you?!"
"I knew it…" Usopp hissed "I figured that was how it worked on everybody else. Those spirits, upon entering the body, amplifies negative thoughts and emotions, overwhelming their senses with doubt. Well that's not gonna work on me! I'm completely immune to it! Why?"
"BECAUSE I'M ALWAYS NEGATIVE!"
"EEEHHHHHHH?!"
It was an explanation Perona just couldn't accept, even if there's no better reasoning for it. But here it is, with the one person completely immune to her powers staring right back at her. Her eyes bugged out of her head, the shock of the information coming close to overwhelming her.
"Usopp…" Sanji stammered, a smile growing across his face "Who could've guessed that that downer attitude would end up saving our asses today?"
"Don't worry about that fact! Don't you have somewhere to be?" The sniper snapped "Go on ahead and rescue Nami, I'll take care of her!"
"Heh, as you wish!" The cook grinned "Can't let you down now, especially not after that!"
Perona couldn't even react to Sanji sprinting out the room, her mind still trying its best to process the sad fact. How was this person even capable of continuing with life in his state? Doesn't he feel slightly sorry for himself?
"I don't know what you did, or how you ended up this way, but don't think just because you've avoided my ghosts that you've accomplished anything!" the ghost princess snapped.
"I won't let you come near my nakama ever again! I'm not afraid of you!" Usopp declared, already readying his weapon. Even though he's bought some time, how much of an advantage that earned him still remains to be seen.
Leaving the sniper behind, Sanji continued through the mansion, finally back in the night air upon reaching the balcony. Scanning the area for any signs of a wedding, he was about to turn and look elsewhere when he finally heard it.
"That sounds like organ music…" the cook growled "There's only one reason they could be playing something like that!"
Leaping down from the top, Sanji landed in the garden, running in the direction of the sound. Through the hedges and brush, he soon found the target: a moderate sized church.
"I can't believe I almost missed that." the cook muttered "And from the sound of it, they're about half way done."
Even through the door, he could hear that the ceremony had already begun long enough to get to the vows. Indeed, inside the church zombies in attendance were seated in an orderly manner. It seems Absalom believes there was nothing else to bother him, and actually made an attempt to keep up appearances of a grandeurs wedding. Before the lion man, Nami's eyes were closed, motionless. When she'd wake up, she'd find that she was wed.
At least that was the plan.
"…And if anyone would like to object to this union, speak now or-!"
"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT CREEP!"
The massive gate nearly flew off its hinges as Sanji dove in. Absalom hardly had any time to react before the chef's foot planted clean into his face, sending him flying back into the wall with a yowl. It was a good thing too; by this moment Absalom was inches away from sealing the marriage. As every other zombie stood up shocked and horrified, Sanji barely minded them, instead cradled Nami gently and lowered her to the floor.
"Such a beautiful dress, in it Nami-san is nothing less than an angel." The cook mumbled "It's ok now, I'm coming to take you home." The navigator didn't hear any of it, still unconscious, but Sanji didn't mind.
"This guy just stopped Absalom-sama's wedding!"
In the corner of his eyes, he could see the zombies coming to intercept him. A few kicks and salt pellets was enough to get most of them to back off, however.
A loud growl made him turn back as he saw Absalom stagger up from the ground, a look of irritation in his eyes as he dusted himself off.
"I take it you're another one of the Straw Hat Pirates, aren't you?" the stitched man seethed "What is the meaning of you interrupting my wedding?!"
"Oh right, there's still you…!" Sanji growled "You've been pestering us for a long time now, haven't you?"
"Now I remember, they already took your shadow." Abasalom growled "I didn't pay attention to what zombie they placed it in, but it's of no matter. Leave that woman and I to our business, you have no business being here."
"Dream on, bastard!" Sanji shouted "She never belonged to you in the first place!"
"Seems like you need a lesson of pain to be taught." Absalom stated as he raised one of his arms. A split second later an explosion rocked the walls of the church, blowing a hole into one of them. Fortunately Sanji had already sensed something was amiss, and had already evaded the attack. Though his mind was now racing in seeing
"You really are a special kind of scumbag aren't you?!" The cook snarled "That blast could've hurt Nami-san!"
"Huh, I overlooked that." Absalom pondered "You're right, I wouldn't want my bride to be damaged before I could seal the wedding." Two zombies suddenly jumped into the fray, snatching up the orange haired navigator before Sanji could retaliate. He was further intercepted when Absalom rushed at him, delivering a heavy punch that sent him smashing through multiple church benches.
"If you want to go all out, now she'll be out of the crossfire."
"Oh, believe me." Absalom didn't even see the flipping kick that came after when Sanji recovered, the foot colliding with his skull and sending him to the floor once again "There's a lot of vendetta between you and me."
Meanwhile:
In the great hall, swords were clashed but the outcome was slowly beginning to be clear. For although both were undead, the skills of one of them clearly outshined the other.
Even though they technically shared the same skillset.
"It really is like fighting your own reflection, except he's clearly got some tricks of his own!" Brook thought desperately as he tried to parry each opposing strike as best he could. Even if it's literally dueling your own shadow, Ryuma's superiority is clearly shown here. Every strike he deals, it was as if the zombie instinctively knew what he was going to do. By this point, the skeleton was constantly on the defensive, slowly withered down as Ryuma delivered ferocious strikes, each attack wearing him down little by little.
"You fool, I am your shadow, and I know every move you make." The samurai zombie mocked, his own obsidian colored katana gradually overpowering the cane sword Brook wielded. Being the host of his shadow, Brook's style of fencing was passed onto the undead Ronin, and if the zombie had any say it in, he'd think it fits him rather well.
"You can feel it can't you? How much weaker you are than me?" Ryuma growled "I can't believe I was ever your shadow, how could I have once been a part of you?"
Brook gritted his teeth; loathe as he is to admit it, his samurai counterpart is leagues beyond his level. Perhaps it was due to his warrior upbringing in life, perhaps it was the empowerment of death that allowed him to no longer hold restraints. It could even be due to how he him has not had the amount of training of a samurai, no matter the work he's done in 5 years. Regardless of what it is, Ryuma easily bested him in all regards. His monstrous strength notwithstanding, the fact that the undead samurai could use the techniques that belonged to him to lethal levels more than pronounced the difference between them.
And there was no way to make up for it; one haphazard thrust from Brook missed its target, and Ryuma wasted no time in taking advantage of that situation. Flourishing the black katana with the amount of grace of a living artist, Ryuma simply walked past Brook as the skeleton reacted in horror at what was about to transpire.
"So, master, I think you will find this move very familiar!" the samurai declared "Hanauta Sancho-"
"-NO!"
"-Yahazu Giri!"
And the blow was felt the second Ryuma sheathed his blade. Brook could feel the fearsome slash carve into his body; it was a wonder how his bones were not severed by that single strike. It was enough to bring him to his knees however, and the next moment he found Ryuma's sword pointed right at his head. Daring him to move.
"You really are weak," Ryuma taunted "unworthy of my time. Just like last time, you are incapable of doing anything to me."
"So ruthless… Do you remember nothing of my memories? All the emotions and bonds I've made? The reason I'm doing all of this in the first place?" Brook pleaded.
"I have no need for those," the samurai responded "I've shed that identity long ago. It is unfortunate that I can't be rid of you forever, for you need to be alive for me to continue existing. I will however, be taking a souvenir."
Before Brook can do anything, he felt Ryuma's bony hand clasp the afro on his head. Stretching the hair, Brook reacted in horror as he realized what the goal was.
"This oh-so-special hair of yours, the same one that you begged me not to damage in our last meeting, I will separate from you forever, May you live with the fact that you will be desecrated."
"N-No! Please!" Brook pleaded desperately "Anything but that! You can take one of my arms or legs! Just leave the hair alone!"
"Just like last time…" Ryuma seethed "you were in the same position, even as you were about to be cut down. Groveling and weeping for me to not remove this mess of fur off of you! You really are pathetic, do you value it so much that you'd even throw away your own pride? Have you no honor left?"
"You don't understand! I need my hair!"
"Tch, then all the more reason for me to cut it off!"
No matter how much Brook writhed and kicked, the inevitable was about to happen. However, his real thoughts right now were not on that hair, but what it stood for.
"Oh shadow… have you really forgotten what this symbolizes? Even as Gecko Moria exerts his control over your will, I thought surely you'd remember the reason why my hair's still intact…"
"I have no more flesh and blood, my face is unrecognizable to anyone. If Laboon sees me the way I am, surely even he will not recognize me. But for sure he'll remember this afro, the same one I had when I parted ways. I've kept it groomed for 50 years, just so he'd still see it and remember it the day we reunite…! I can't lose my hair!"
But his thoughts were of no use as Ryuma raised the sword, closer to bringing it down.
"I'm sorry Laboon, I've left you to wait for 50 years… I really am pathetic, I can't even get the strength needed to get my shadow back, but I really wanted to come back to you, that much is true. I'm really, really sorry…"
Swifter than light, the sword came down. Brook had no more eyes, but he'd be shutting them now if he could.
*CLANG!
The sword did not cut into his hair, rather it seemed to pause mere inches from it. It was only when Brook gazed up did he see another blade intercept, ivory white contrasting ebony black.
"Hey, if you still can move, it's best to do that!" Zoro grinned. Brook looked around confused before he felt an arm reach out and pull him back. Franky looked down at the skeleton as his right hand retracted, pulling him away just as Ryuma was pushed back, a small updraft of wind forming between the two as it happened.
"Phew, looks like we got here just in time." The cyborg noted.
"It's you guys… you guys haven't left yet…!"
"That will, unfortunately, have to be postponed." The cyborg explained and proceeded to bring the skeleton up to date.
"The pirates that Moria-sama procured shadows from, it was most unwise for you to come here." Ryuma responded, sizing Zoro up. The green haired swordsman held Wado Ichimonji tightly in his hands; even dead, he could tell this samurai zombie before him was unlike many of the others they've encountered.
"Why do you come to that weakling's aid?"
"What we're doing is not your concern. We have our own goals, this just happens to be a part of that."
"Yohohoho… Don't try to fool me. I know why you're here: you're attempting a futile struggle to regain your lost shadow. The skeleton that I once belonged to simply got in the way." Ryuma responded.
"Perhaps, though it just got more interesting." Zoro grinned "That sword of yours, the craftsmanship is superb, it clearly wasn't made around here."
"You have a good eye, swordsman." Ryuma responded and brandished his weapon once more "This is Shusui, one of the O Wanazamo Meito. It is a legendary blade, one that belongs to this body in his lifetime."
"As I suspected, this just gets better and better." Zoro sneered "I'll let you know something, the moment I heard of your presence I've been hoping to meet you. Now that you're in front of me, and brandishing a Meito as well? I've recently lost a powerful sword, and that black blade of yours seems like the perfect replacement!"
"Yohohoho, you wish to take my blade?" Ryuma got into a stance "Well then, I welcome that challenge. Perhaps you will put up more of a fight than my pathetic original body."
The battle Aura could be felt cleanly by the other two, with Brook even slightly unnerved.
"Will he be fine?" The skeleton asked "That samurai hails from the isolated Wano Country in the New World! It's a land that produces warriors of immense skill, so much so that even the World Government hesitates to go near it. Even in death his body is empowered by my shadow!"
"He'll be fine, he's actually looking forwards to this." Franky responded "When he defeats him, your shadow will naturally come back to you. In the meantime, maybe we could go and-!"
"You will not be going anywhere." Ryuma called out. And it was true, Franky and Brook hardly had any time to react as the windows above them shattered, rolling to the side as two figures jumped down.
"WHOA!" the cyborg yelped as twin blades cut into where he once stood "We got more company!"
"You will face us!" the two zombies declared. Already possessing two shadows very familiar to the crew, Jigoro and the penguin-dog Inuppe stared across the two challengers.
"Wait, these two look familiar…!" Franky narrowed his eyes "I remember! I think I saw those two back when we first came to the mansion!"
"You're really making this into a party, aren't you?" Zoro accused.
"A few precautions in case there are interruptions, pay them no mind." Ryuma responded "Your only focus should be me, EN GARDE!"
As the two swordsman locked blades, Brook and Franky stood back to back, unsure of how to proceed.
"Can you still hold a sword?" the cyborg asked, getting into a fighting position. Across from him, Inuppe kicked the air rapidly, their difference in size very apparent, it almost seemed like a joke.
"I've been doing so for a while, a bit more should be fine." The skeleton responded unsheathing his "I will face this sword wielding one, while you can face the other one."
"Sounds good, then be prepared. We've got a fight on our hands."
Meanwhile:
Luffy panted lightly as he ran up into the grand room at the very top of the mansion. The same room where he and Gian were taken before still fresh in his mind, he remembered exactly where it is.
And, sitting in his throne just like last time, Gecko Moria stared down at him, a condescending smile on his face.
"Look whose back?" the Shichibukai called out "I didn't think you'd actually be this stupid and return to me. I have no more use for you, leave me."
"Give me back my shadow, Moria!" Luffy shouted "And Gian's, Zoro's Sanji's and Brook's as well! Give everyone their shadows back!"
"You're asking me, the person who took them for his own purposes, to give them back?" Moria laughed "You don't seem to understand what purpose they serve, what purpose yours is now serving. I don't suppose you even know how I can bring them back, do you?"
"I just have to kick your ass then!" Luffy declared "All the shadows will come back once I knock you out!"
"Kishishishshi! Do you really think it's that easy?" Moria cackled as a swarm of dark blobs formed around him. Luffy gasped as the shadows took the form of a swarm of bats before they dived at him in unison. The rubber boy tried to avoid it as best he could, but more than once did one of the dark shadows collide with his being, sending him tumbling.
"Let me remind you, I alone control all the shadows on this island and any more that I take will be added to my growing army!" Moria boasted "I can take them from the people I took them from, and I alone can command them to go back!"
"Then I'll beat you to the point where you'd have no choice but to give them back!" Luffy shouted "Those shadows belonged to so many people, now they can't even set foot into the sun to live their life because of you! What gave you the right to take the dreams of others?"
Luffy rushed at the rotund warlord, throwing back a punch.
"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!"
But soon he found his fist caught, not by a hand. Gasping, Luffy found that the massive shade of darkness rising in front of him has completely got him in its grasp; Moria's shadow, a towering doppelganger of himself, glared down at him, its red eyes and jagged mouth seemingly mocking him.
"Listen to yourself 'Straw Hat', you really think you can even land a punch on me? I know your head's getting big from all you've accomplished in weeks prior, you think you'd just fight another Shichibukai after taking down Crocodile."
And Luffy yelled out as the shadow flung him back towards the wall.
"Unfortunately for you, I'm not Crocodile!"
It was going to be a long night.
Meanwhile:
"Project Alpha has absorbed up to 40 shadows by now, still yielding results. The interior of the casket seems to be submerged in some form of black residue, I can no longer see the remains clearly within." Dr. Hogback muttered as he jot down more notes. By now, the glass coffin that contains those skeletal remains that has 'Beast Warrior' Gian's shadow was making astounding progress, the surgeon could hardly believe it! Granted, most of the bodies he's worked with had to be whole, but if this could come to pass successfully then not only will Moria-sama discover something new about his power, but he too will be credited with creating life from nothing but bone!
"Feedings have also shortened between frequencies, now down to once every 4 minutes from the previous 7." He added upon witnessing a solid shadow tendril emerge from the coffin again, spearing a hapless mouse zombie and pulling its shadow into its ever growing dark mass. The doctor hardly registered the now lifeless body, that's another shadow added to an already accumulating collection. They had plenty more weak zombies left, unfit for their army or service. Perhaps this would be a better way to save them.
"It's hard to believe, in the past 7 years, we've attempted 49 trials up to no success, 49 shadows failed to even stir this bone heap. We really should thank 'Beast Warrior' for his contributions, Fosfosfos…!"
Unfortunately his nightly observation will have to end. The flapping of wings alerted him and made him turn around to see a batlike zombie fluttering to him.
"Doctor! We have a problem! A group of 3 are making this way towards your location, and they don't look happy!"
"What's the big deal about that?" Hogback scoffed "Just send more zombies towards them, they can't last forever against an undead army."
"That's the problem! These 3 have been purifying our forces! In fact, all over the island our forces are being separated from their shadows!"
"WHAT?!"
Leaping up, the doctor growled before gesturing to a group of zombies. Moria was generous enough to give him a sizable amount of the army for his protection, something he really glad his master did. They will serve as reinforcements for him here as well.
"It's the Straw Hats, isn't it? Of course they'd be back trying to reclaim their shadows! Guess I'll have to handle this before Moria-sama does."
"You guys! Guard that coffin!" the doctor barked to a select few particular zombies "Ensure it keeps feeding and don't let anyone unauthorized come near it!"
Running down the corridors, Hogback didn't even make it to the door before it was violently ripped from its hinges, causing the doctor to stumble back and fall onto his back.
"Is your name Dr. Hogback?" a bestial voice could be heard as a monstrous silhouette could be seen in the dust.
"N-No way! How are you awake already?"
"You have a lot to pay for…!" Gian let out a chilling growl.
"We have to hurry!" Chopper motioned as he and Robin continued to follow "Gian could be surrounded by enemies by now!"
"I don't think it would be wise to see him right now. The sight of him potentially dismembering body parts with the power tool he borrowed may be too much for your young eyes." Robin replied.
"Don't bring that up now!"
But even as they ran, they could hear commotion coming, echoing louder and louder. It was Gian's voice, getting progressively angrier and snappy.
"That's his voice! He must be getting into a fight! We're almost-!"
"-How can you even suggest that Victoria Cindry's should've focused on dancing rather than singing?! Every musical she's done was highlighted by her golden voice! Yet here you stand with those blasphemous remarks about how she should focus on that less?" Gian shouted.
"You uncouth Philistine!" Dr. Hogback shot back "Her talent is unmatched by all who's existed on the stage before and henceforth! Her movement and choreography is unmatched, THAT'S what draws people's attention! Those musicals are basically 80% movement and 20% voice anyways!"
"You are wrong and your opinions are wrong!"
"THEY'RE HAVING AN ARGUMENT?!" Chopper facefaulted at the sight.
"Gian, what is going on?" Robin frowned.
"Oh hey Robin!" Gian called out "This fool here is a fake fan! We were getting along just fine talking about which one of Victoria Cindry's plays were our favorite, but then he had to ruin it with the most asinine suggestion that ruins all that she's built up in her career!"
"Well, I have no intentions of getting along with a belligerent idiot who tries to hold up Cindry-chan's true potential!" Dr. Hogback scoffed "Then again, what did I expect from someone who thinks 'The Miserables' is her best production over 'Spirit of the Auditorium'!?"
"I am not well-versed in the subject matter, so I am of no help." Robin blinked "Yet why is it now that I'm finding out your vocabulary greatly expands when you're heated about something you are passionate about?"
Of course, her comment went ignored as the two fans went back to each other's throats.
"Are you seriously suggesting that a classic about the struggles on an ex-criminal is inferior to that of some generic love tragedy?!" Gian snapped "You're more of a clown than I originally thought!"
"Oh stuff it, you young people these days only care about loud noise and action, what do you know about the experiences of love, the need for it, and the strength to let go?!" the surgeon clapped back.
"IS THIS REALLY THE MOST IMPORTANT THING RIGHT NOW?!" Chopper raged.
"DUH, WE STAN FOREVER!" the two shot back, causing Chopper to facepalm again.
"WHAT ABOUT THE SHADOWS GIAN! WEREN'T YOU THE ONE SAYING WE SHOULD HURRY?"
"Hey come on…" the zombies surrounding Hogback all complained "This was just getting good!"
"NO ONE ASKED YOU GUYS!"
"Ugh, fine… But this isn't over!" Gian sighed before glaring at the doctor "Where's my shadow you old creep!"
"Where do you think it is? It's currently serving a purpose for this army that will bring forth Moria-sama's dream of becoming the Pirate King!" Hogback stated "You should just leave now, back to the shade where you belong!"
"I wasn't asking!" Gian snarled, his Aura beginning to simmer a familiar blue shape took form "I know why you took it, and I'm saying that it doesn't belong to you!"
"Oh please, what are you going to do? This mansion is huge, you'll never find it!" Hogback boasted, however that façade was soon broken when:
"Gian look! There's a big door that seems to be leaking mist all the way at the back!" Chopper pointed.
"SHIT I FORGOT TO CLOSE THE DOOR!"
"Good eye, Chopper!" Gian beamed. The surgeon however was not about to just give up that easily however. With a beckon of his hand, Gian soon found himself backed off by a group of armed zombies.
"I've made it quite clear, none of you are to be going anywhere!" Hogback snapped "I can't let you interfere with Moria-sama's business, plus there's prospect of gaining 3 fresh corpses to add to our army."
"You're really looking for a fight, aren't you?" Gian growled, eyes blazing. However, someone else stepped in front of him.
"Wait, let me take him!" Chopper declared.
"Chopper? What's up?" Gian blinked "When did you get so eager to step up to someone?"
"Just let me handle him!" Chopper urged "Dr. Hogback is mine, this one's personal…!"
"…I understand." Gian smiled "Then let's hope that doctor knows how to operate on himself!"
"Ah, Dr. Chopper" Moria's surgeon said rather condescendingly "I almost didn't see you there. Unfortunately you choosing to step in for your friend will yield little result. 'Beast Warrior' will not be leaving this room!"
The doctor then gave a sharp whistle. As Gian almost reached the door, he could feel something flying towards him. Skidding to a halt, he narrowly avoided a flurry of flying plates shattering on the ground, right as his eyes widened at the appearance of a new, familiar figure.
"You wanted to see her, did you not?" Dr. Hogback chimed in as the feminine zombie landed before Gian "Well here she is, Victoria Cindry in the flesh! Still as beautiful as the day she left this world!"
"Oh wow…" even gazing upon her greyed skin, Gian could see it was maintained immaculately. Victoria Cindry even in death was akin to an angel descending upon them. At that moment, he realized he really wasn't worthy, just being in her presence was something of a dream come true.
"H-Hi…!" Gian gave an awestruck smile before attempting to offer a hand to her "Big fan of yours…! If I-AURGH!"
Unfortunately, aside from looks, not much of the actress remained in her zombie form. Too caught up at his favorite celebrity, Gian was forced to endure as the zombie twisted his wrist before delivering a heeled kick right to his groin, sending him doubled over in agony.
"Gian!" Chopper and Robin called out.
"So it's really true…" Gian wept in pain "You really should never meet your idols…!"
"All who oppose Moria-sama shall die." The actress zombie droned. Behind her Dr. Hogback gave his usual high-pitched laugh before signaling to his zombie squad to go and capture the man. As Cindry, leading at the front, shattered one more plate and held onto a jagged shard preparing to plunge down, the intervention of a more living beauty came just in time.
"Treinta Fleur: Clutch!"
"Curse you!" Dr. Hogback yowled as his small army were instantly restrained by sprouting arms in a shower of flower petals. Gian looked up and gave Robin a relieved smile, who did the same before turning back to Hogback.
"From what I've heard you've already broken bases for 2 young men today." Robin mused "You really are rather shameless."
"Go on Gian, go and find your shadow. Me and Chopper will be fine right here."
"Thanks girl, you're the best!" Gian nodded before rushing off through the gate, leaving Dr. Hogback unable to do anything except focus his attention on the two wedges in their plans before him.
"You've really pushed me to this point, have you?" the doctor growled "You don't want to mess with me, you hear?!"
"I can't believe the kind of person you are!" Chopper shouted "You, one of the most heroic and talented doctors out there, you who've saved countless lives, was all that just a lie?!"
"What I am is far beyond what your simple worldview can encapsulate, my dear compatriot." Hogback grinned "Whereas once I attempted to save lives, now I command the threshold between life and death itself! With Moria-sama behind me, I can raise the dead from their rest and be heralded as someone who's conquered the mortal coil!"
The doctor grinned darkly as his army gathered before him, surrounding the two. Robin tried to look for an alternative path to attack, but the zombie of Victoria Cindry instantly cut her off.
"And now, that fate befalls you two! Don't worry, I am sure your friends will see that you'd make rather splendid zombies!" Robin and Chopper said nothing, only looking on grimly and preparing for a fight.
While that was happening, Gian hoisted open the massive doors where the light shone through earlier. What was revealed was both unsettling and grisly. Multiple work tables, with corpses covered by white sheets could be seen. Some stitched up with multiple misshapen parts, others sewn with both animal and human bodies. The sight made the Kaiju-Zoan user grip his Guandao harder as he continued forth.
"This must be the mad doctor's workroom…" Gian muttered "He seemed freaky enough before, but this is just sick."
The whole time, his eyes were focused on the light that shone through small cracks behind another enclosed door, the bright neon contrasting the darker candlelit room. Gian froze; the room was unsettling enough, but now that he was this close he could feel it.
The inexplicable feeling of something growing, a feeling that's faint but gradually growing more oppressive and overpowering.
A feeling he's all too familiar with by now.
"If I were my shadow, then this'll probably be the one place left to hide…"
Reaching the doors he grasped them with both hands and heaved it open. Ignoring the blinding light, what he saw made him double take as his mind began the attempt to process all that information.
"Just what the hell is this?!"
Within the chamber was a glass coffin, held up by a mechanism beneath it. Wisps of what appears to be black smoke leaked from every crack, slowly dissipating across the stone floor. Gian took a step back; although whatever on the inside was completely obscured by darkness, the overbearing feeling he felt as he approached the room grew tenfold, he was certain about one thing.
"Whatever's inside that, chances are my shadow's a part of it." He mumbled, reaching up behind him for his weapon.
Until another whistling sound was heard behind him, and he had to swerve to the side as an arrow embedded itself into the stone wall near the coffin.
"Oh, what now?" Gian gave an irritated hiss as he turned to face his assailants. His question was answered by the appearance of 4 more zombies, each well-armed seemingly beholding attire different from the ones he's encountered before, striding towards him, their intent clear.
"Oh, that makes sense." Gian scoffed "Let me guess, the quack doctor sent you after me?"
"On the contrary my dear boy~!" the leader of the group, a zombie with long grey hair and a captain's uniform staggered out "We've been guarding this monstrosity to keep you away!"
"Really? Just you four?" Gian shrugged "Does your master really think that little of us, not after we've already taken down scores of his legion?"
"I am no *hic* ordinary zombie, boy!" the leader hiccupped before taking another swig from his sake bottle "Absalom-sama sent me to guard Dr. Hogback from any danger."
"Well that creep needs to get his mind checked because if a drunk and his lackeys are the best he could offer, then getting my shadow back would be easier than I thought!"
"The name's John." The zombie rumbled before drawing twin sabers "Captain John. In the name of Moria-sama and Thriller Bark, I and my 3 generals will be putting a stop to your activities here! We cannot kill you lest your shadow be vanquished, but we will make sure the thought of crossing Moria-sama never comes through your mind ever again!"
"Well that's too bad then," Gian grinned savagely, dislodging both Atom Splitter and the chainsaw he borrowed "for his sake you probably should consider killing me!"
And he threw himself towards the quartet, all the while unaware that within the coffin something had begun to stir…
A/N: Ok, so funny story actually. Did you know I actually had this chapter written up around a month ago? Yeah, I had like 5k words down the hatch already and would've finished it in another day or two. But as it turns out, I have a chronic problem of not closing my computer, so I just had the document sitting out in the open never saved. Then one thing led to another, I had to shut down my computer due to a mishap, I forgot to save the chapter and messed up the document recovery so then I was left with nothing and had to write it all over again. The end.
G: Idiot.
Eat shit.
Well, after another bit of slaving over words, we have this chapter now! A month late not helped by my school and work schedule, but here nonetheless! This chapter is the start of all the action that will be taking place in the next couple of chapters, then soon after the true identity of Project Alpha will be revealed! So stay tuned for that! It'll be out in much shorter time!
In addition to that! It's almost the 6 year anniversary of this story's beginning! We've covered almost 5 sagas and dozens of arcs during that time! We're like almost 15% percent caught up to the main story!
G: It's been that long! Hey I'm almost 6 years old y'all!
So thank you all for sticking with us, both old readers and new! We'll be here for a couple of more years, maybe not as frequently as we used to be but here nonetheless! The end of the semester is coming and I have a lot of work coming up so bear with me!
G: Also if you stop spending so much time on Genshin Impact then-
Nope! End of semester deadlines, that's all.
G: Oh boy…
Responses to Reviews:
To Matt:
You will see soon enough!
G: He always says that but with how things are going, that's probably true.
To Shitabrick:
I've always visualized him with the body type that's a mix of Kiryu from Yakuza (he is one of his inspirations after all) and Joseph Joestar. So try to visualize that however you can. In terms of height, he's shorter than Franky, but when Partially Transformed they're about the same height, if not a bit taller.
To Guest:
G: How have you not given me one of those yet?
It's coming up! There's gonna be a moment in a coming arc when he'll do that!
G: Like it's basically a requirement for the crew!
To Gustavo Aldofo Montiel:
I really, really wish I knew how to understand Spanish.
G: Don't you know someone very well that speak it?
Yeah but this is a rather trivial reason for them to translate!
To Jaffa3:
I've mentioned back in chapter 78 that all Kaiju used will have their size matching their latest appearance in their respective canons. With Gian however, his Full Transformation is that of Final Wars Godzilla, which is about 100 meters tall and probably longer, idk Toho Kingdom doesn't have as much information as I hoped.
To Shitty Reviewer:
Ehhhh not quite.
There's a fair bit of distance between Kaiju-Zoans and Mythical Zones as of right now, and especially later. I feel like the distinction is quite notable. There's a lot that Kaiju-Zoans can do that mythical Zoans cannot.
To Forromir:
Ok, I feel like the line at the end of that chapter is gonna mislead a bunch of people. That was my fault. I didn't intend it to be that deep, it's more of just an ominous warning that the Kaiju will be returning in some form or fashion to bring cataclysm to the world, and Gian's gonna be a part of that destruction. He's not leading anybody.
G: We also had quite a different direction on how this story might go back when that chapter was written.
Yeah, sorry for the confusion. I'll try to keep things a bit more consistent from now on.
And that's all for now we'll see you next time!
Leave a review so I might pull ZhongLi when his banner drops!
G: Stop spending your paycheque on that game!