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: Gian cosplaying as Zagreus from Hades.
As it turns out, being hit by your own punch sucks.
It technically isn't his punch exactly, Gian would argue with himself much later, but the idea was there. Aside from that, this just showed how flexible Moria's powers can be in the examples he'd seen so far. In addition to reanimating corpses, the shadows that took over the body share personality and abilities with those they originally belonged to. Of course, being dead and lacking either the tools or Devil Fruit powers, they weren't 100% able to replicate the same skills the living did, but that didn't matter when the idea was there. Besides, to Gian who just bore the brunt of a punch modelled after his own that certainly felt like it wouldn't be out of place if he had used it.
Gritting his teeth and staring at the approaching undead, Gian's head was still trying to process the newly awaked Project Alpha. Rather than a withered dead body being reanimated by a single shadow this zombie, if you could even call it that, seemed to move with the grace of a living, breathing person. No ungainly movement, no rigor mortis, nothing aside from the blank eyes and eerily pale skin would tell you he'd be any different. Even the knock off Atom Fist he threw against him was reminisce of the actions of a living person.
Which brings Gian to another thing he noticed. As an undead, Project Alpha wasn't able to fully replicate his own Kaiju-Zoan ability; the Atom Fist seemed to draw power from the very shadow that empowers him, somehow. Rather than irradiated atomic energy, it seemed as if his hand was shrouded by darkness instead. Gian could've sworn he heard the haunting cries and screams of multiple individuals when that attack was being used, as if even by charging that attack it resonated with the sorrows of some unseen spirits. Regardless, even if his counterpart couldn't replicate his techniques entirely, his improvised version still hurt like hell.
"When Lola said that a shadow inserted into a body could imitate what it could do in life, I didn't think it'd quite literally mean that." He thought with some annoyance.
And as of this moment, Project Alpha was more than willing to do it again.
Gian growled as his revenant counterpart slammed another shadow-infused fist into where he laid prior as he hastily rolled out of the way. Catching the pale apparition with a spinning kick, he hardly had anytime to regain his footing before Project Alpha regained his senses as he came at him again. Lighting his own hands up with atomic fire, he smashed one fist against the punch sent towards him, the two pushing against each other briefly before the resulting buildup of energy caused both of them to be knocked away.
"Damn it, what does it take to shove some salt down your throat?" Gian rasped as he glared at the pale body standing ahead of him. The undead figure grinned; although he could not feel, Project Alpha could tell that his very being coursed with power, power that was granted to him both by the one that gave him life as well as the shadow that currently anchored him to the living world.
"For each moment I remain in this world, I grow more accustomed to this body." The shadow spoke "These powers once belonged to you, yet while you take to it like a fish to water, I seem to sense revulsion whenever I try to use it. Despite this, I cannot get enough of it!"
The two fighters collided against each other again, Gian straining as he forced his weight against his counterpart. His eyes, dimly lit flames, met the cold and unflinching white orbs of Project Alpha, understandably a bit unnerved by the revenant.
"You're definitely my shadow alright, but you're mistaken about a few things. It took me a while to get used to this power, and it isn't exactly something I like to show off." Gian growled "Still, if it's enough to shove you back into my body before the sun comes out, then I'll be more than willing to demonstrate!"
"Well then? I look forward to that demonstration!" Project Alpha stated as he performed another spinning kick, catching Gian's block with his arms and pushing him back. Following up with more rapid punches, another shoulder check sent Gian flying into another wall.
"You have no more use to me," the shadow-infused entity growled, stomping up to the downed Kaiju-Zoan user and pressing his foot down hard on his chest, eliciting a cry of pain. "I have only been here for mere minutes, yet I can tell this new body is far more superior to you. Though your life is the one tether that keeps me on this plane of existence, I will make my message clear: I will not be going back to you, this existence is now mine!"
A second later, Project Alpha found himself tumbling back due to a geyser of blue fire erupting beneath him. Giving a confused look as he staggered back up, his opaque eyes were met by the swirling embers that now formed the eyes of Gian's Partial Transformation.
"Well congratulations, you've made me use 10% of my power…" Gian snarked, before his toothed mouth morphed into a snarl "You say your new body is superior? Well I think you've forgotten how we came to be to begin with!" Project Alpha's eyes widened as Gian launched an Atom Ray towards him, the beam cutting into the walls around them, causing the experiment to jump over the incoming heat ray.
"Wait… that form…" something stirred within the revenant's mind; upon seeing the form taken by the pirate, he couldn't help but feel yet another sense of familiarity to it. He didn't have much time to act upon it, however; Gian was already on the attack, a heavy fist colliding with the undead's head and sending him spiraling.
"You can't feel pain, right? Well then you won't feel me take you apart piece by piece until I rip the shadow out of you on my own then!" Project Alpha was immediately forced on the defensive, trying to dance around the much heavier hits, but each punch the revenant threw of his own, Gian's larger, atomic charged punches simply plowed through.
"This…is…-!" unbeknownst to Gian, something was forming within the shrouded mind of the revived being. The more exposed in the presence of even just the Partial Transformation, it seemed like something was beginning to be coherent between the mangled up mindscape that makes up the revenant's thoughts, as the commands of the one who resurrected him slowly began to fall into the background the more he witnesses the form that's now in front of him, and as more of the unfathomable Aura pulsed off of the Kaiju-Zoan user.
Had Gian been paying attention, he would've noticed the pale man's opaque white eyes have turned a deep crimson.
Except he didn't, for Gian had dropped low, sweeping his tail out and catching the dead one with one swing. Even a heavy blow such as this is too much to block on his own. Project Alpha was knocked onto his back instantly, and Gian quickly seized the opportunity.
He was on him within moments, claws raking down on the unguarded revenant's body with no quarter. Fists continue to pound down into his counterpart, Gian figured this was his best course of action. Even though Project Alpha could not actually feel any of the blows raining down on him, a strong enough hit could be enough to break his guard and allow Gian to insert some salt into the undead's system.
And that plan seemed to be working, as bit by bit, the attacks became overwhelming. Project Alpha's head snapped back with one more punch. It was enough to do it, enough to get his mouth to slightly open. That was all the chance he needed. Fishing into his pockets, he brought out one last pellet of salt before holding his hand up high.
"Now be cleansed, motherfuck-!"
But he will soon find out one thing: the dead can be stubborn.
Because Project Alpha had fastened his right hand around his wrist the moment it shot down, the salt pellet mere inches from his face as they exerted against each other.
"Are you kidding me?!" Gian snapped as he pushed downwards, but with the pale man's fingers ironclad around his wrist, he wasn't making anymore headway in that. Looking down at his counterpart, it was only then that he saw the blood red orbs that now adorned Project Alpha's face.
And, in spite of his Partial Transformation, Gian found himself being pushed back, his clawed hands slowly being wrenched upwards as Project Alpha rose, his piercing gaze unmoving. Forcing his entire weight to push downward again, Gian found it futile as his hand was now forced away from the revenant's head.
And then Project Alpha slammed his head hard into his own, and Gian saw stars.
Stars he didn't get a chance to count as he felt the impact of two more punches smash into him: one in his stomach, the other one square in the temple.
Staggering back, Gian barely registered the flurry of fists and blows following that. Project Alpha was on the attack instantly, heavy hits causing his body to quake the moment they struck. He tried to counter punch with one of his own, only for it to get parried and get another punch right into the jaw.
It ended with one more knee to the abdomen, knocking the air out of him. As Gian tried to fire a desperate Atom Ray, Project Alpha put forth one last attack. The ethereal howls and moans resounded once more in Gian's ears as his eyes widened upon seeing the resurrected being's leg become shrouded by shadows, before the revenant spun around and delivered a devastating roundhouse kick to the Partially Transformed pirate's chest.
"Atom Wheel!"
Hacking up blood, Gian smashed through the remains of the glass coffin that once held the science project. Gritting his teeth, he felt glass dig into his skin as his Transformation receded. Glancing up, he saw the pale revenant stalk closer to him, eyes still red and glowing.
"Just what the hell is he?" Gian thought in his head "I know this place produces zombies, but from all that, I haven't seen a zombie yet that's capable of doing what he's done!"
The words that came from his mouth next however, would give him both a hint while throwing him deeper into a pit of confusion.
"That power… I recognize it now…" Project Alpha droned out "I once had something similar… it's that fruit…" his gaze hardened as the revelation elicited a gasp from the Kaiju-Zoan user "You… you have my fruit…!"
There was nothing Gian could say; this night just became a whole lot more complicated.
Meanwhile:
"OH WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW?!"
Floating above the desperate sniper, Perona giggled to herself. Sure, her greatest weapon has essentially been nullified by the rather unfortunate Usopp, and that did present a problem to her in the beginning. For a long time, she'd been used to ending battles without even lifting a finger; even the strongest willed people can't help but fall prey to their inner demons once her negative hollows phase through their bodies. For someone like that scrawny beanpole to be immune to that was a huge blow to her confidence, and the realization she'd need to get physical.
But it turns out there was no need; for all of his bluster, there wasn't really anything Usopp can do back to her. He's tried pelleting her with slingshot attacks and explosives, but he soon found out that his shots simply passed through her rather than doing anything. Essentially, nothing he has in his arsenal could do any physical damage to her, and he has no choice in the matter.
It's very satisfying watching the coward panic under her, especially after all he's done. Perona's sneer turned nasty; that jerk had both humiliated her and cost her many dear servants. She'll ask Moria to put his shadow in a pig zombie that'll draw her around in a carriage for the rest of his days once she's taught him a lesson!
"Oi, I'm up here dumbass!" she taunted, Usopp shot his head up with a start, seeing the pink haired gothic girl taunt him once more.
"C-Come down at once!" he shouted shakenly "I-I have plenty of weapons to beat you with!"
"Hororororo!" Perona laughed "Like the ones you've been trying to hit me with for the past 10 minutes? Go on, show me more!" Usopp groaned upon hearing that; it's true that nothing he's done so far has even been a minor annoyance for the intangible girl. 100 shots, 100 hits won't matter if his target isn't afraid of getting hit to begin with.
"This is honestly boring!" Perona taunted "I don't even know if Moria-sama needs a weak shadow such as yours, though I certainly won't mind another servant to order around!"
Usopp could feel nervous sweat drench his clothes "D-Don't get too overconfident! I happen to have 8000 followers lying in the shadows! If you mess with me you'll bring all of their wrath down upon you!"
"Oh my! 8000? Are any of them able to hit me at least?" Perona drawled "At least try to see the situation you're in before throwing out a lie you idiot!"
"Damn it, she was completely unfazed!" Usopp gritted his teeth "Guess she really means business, huh? I'll have to pull out more potent firepower!"
"Well I don't need them!" Usopp shouted as he load up a pellet into his slingshot "I've got enough here to burn you away! Hissatsu: Ageha Ryusei!"
The resulting bright explosion caused him to cover his eyes, but when he brought them down, Perona was nowhere to be seen.
"W-Wait that worked? Did that attack completely disintegrate her?" the sniper gawked.
"Nope, you didn't hit me at all!" Usopp let out a yelp as he whirled around to see the goth girl floating above her on the opposite side, a mocking visage clearly directed at him. Immediately loading another shot, Usopp fired again, causing the place where she was to erupt into another explosion.
"Honestly, are you even trying?" Perona's voice now sounded from behind the liar once more "I thought I made it quite clear, there's no way you can hit me!"
Had it not been the fear currently coursing through his veins, Usopp would've noted something off about the woman's voice. Instead he simply yelped again and looked back at his aggressor, or rather he looked up.
For Perona was now towering over him, hands on her hips and looking down with a sneer. Each round eye was bigger than he was himself. And as his knees shook, he noticed too late that the goth girl had lifted a foot up.
"I wonder if you'll still have a shadow left when I smush you like a bug?"
"AHHHH NONONONO PLEASE! I-!" Usopp scrambled to get away, but it was too late. The least he could do was curl up into a shaking ball and prayed the ordeal would be over fast.
"Ohpleaselordalmightyjudgemysouldwith- huh?!" Except he didn't feel anything, no crushing sensation, no feeling of his body flattening or his bones popping. Opening his eyes he blinked with confusion; the ghost girl had simply disappeared!
"W-Where did you go?!"
"Right behind ya!"
"WAHHH!"
Perona laughed uproariously as her resulting scare caused the sniper to jump and roll to the ground.
"W-Where did you come from?! You were just massive! How did you-?!" Giving a frustrated groan Usopp aimed at her again "Why am I even asking you so many question! I'll just hit you again!"
"Oh my, it's like you never seem to learn!" sinking below the ground, Usopp's explosive pellet missed its target once again as Perona reemerged behind him. There was little he could do, he hardly had enough time to move a muscle before the goth princess plunged both her arms into his body!
"Got you! Now what will you do?" Perona sneered "Right now my fingers are wrapped around your organs, so don't go moving around recklessly!"
"L-Let go of me!" Usopp choked out "Get your hands out of me you creepy lady!"
"Unfortunately for you, the prospect of what I could do is endless!" Perona cackled "I can straighten out your guts and rip them apart, or I can crush your heart with just a squeeze! Either way, you're dead!"
"NOOOO! I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO DIE!" Usopp cried "SHE PIERCED ME! SHE DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING AND SHE PIERCED ME!"
"-Or at least you would be, but in reality I can't do that!"
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Usopp's facefaulting didn't make him miss that crucial detail. Perona had just unwittingly revealed a crucial aspect on her Devil Fruit power, either that or she simply thought that he's so beneath her that he wouldn't be able to do anything about it anyway.
"She might've made a fool out of me there, but that gave me the slightest idea on how her ability works. Right now her body composition is the same as those ghosts she could conjure up, which means she could pass through solid objects as if they weren't there. With that in mind…"
"So that's how it is isn't it?" Usopp growled as he shakenly got to his feet "That devil fruit of yours, in addition of letting you create those negative ghosts, also allow you to turn your body intangible, isn't it?"
"Horohorohorohoro, so you're actually pretty observant! Well, you're partly correct, my body can pass through anything, which means your attacks simply phase through me!"
"Well then it seems like we're at an impasse then!" the Sniper shouted "Your little stunt there showed me just what it's like! I might not be able to hit you, but in order to maintain your intangibility you can't hit me either! So why don't you turn that thing off and I'll show you what I can do?!"
Perona sneered at that "I wouldn't be so quick to draw conclusions there, Long Nose…" and with a snap of her fingers, a dozen more ghosts floated up around here.
"Hah! You're going back to that trick? I thought we already established that those things don't work on me!" Usopp boasted.
"Oh I remember." Perona's voice dripped with venom upon being reminded of that; try as she might, that moment had really damaged her pride!
"That's why I'm resorting to a much simpler approach." Usopp's breath hitched upon seeing the ghosts floating next to her gradually began to shrink into the size of a small ball.
"W-What are you planning to do with that?!" Usopp pointed.
Perona only smirked before flicking her hand forwards, the mini-ghosts firing off like a bullet before peppering themselves near where Usopp stood. Moments later, the area around the sniper was rocked with explosions, sending the long-nosed liar screaming as he tumbled through the air.
"Shit! She really is trying to kill me now!" Usopp scrambled to his feet as he tried to run. Behind him, the detonating of more explosive spectres followed him as Perona sent out scores of them after him. Although he's able to avoid most of them, the ghost princess has an endless supply of those spirits, and she has no qualms about using more and more of them to flush him out. Finally, one detonated right in front of him, knocking him back with a pained grunt as he landed on his back. Usopp urgently loaded another flaming shot and fired, but per usual it simply phased through her intangible body, leaving him once again unable to do anything.
"This is so unfair!" Usopp wailed "She has things to hit me with, yet nothing in my arsenal could even do anything!" picking himself up, he could only run with more futility.
"Nothing I can do could even phase her, not when they can't land! It's like I'm fighting an enemy whose body isn't even on this plane of existence! It's like boxing with a ghost!"
He took exactly 4 steps before the realization slowly came in.
"Wait a minute…" Usopp suddenly mused over all the details "From the way that all my attacks simply pass through her, she clearly knows that body of hers would throw me off! Yet, back when I first encountered her, she doesn't even show off any of it and had to use those negative ghosts of hers to do anything! Why wait until now to-WHA?!"
Ducking under another explosive ghost, Usopp pulled his hat closer "Alright Usopp, think! Her body can't be hit by physical attacks, at least not by my weapons. The odds would've been in her favor from the start, but she didn't use any of those intangibility techniques when I ran into her!"
Usopp's mouth slowly morphed into a grin as he figured out the secret "Because that's not her real body chasing me right now! With all the distance we've been doing, her real self must still be back at the room!"
"You'll never catch me! Moria will never have this shadow!" Usopp suddenly shouted back before dashing off again. The astral body of Perona growled at the irritating sniper, conjuring up more ghosts to continue the chase.
"Alright, if I'm really right about her being an astral projection, then her body is completely undefended right now! I can probably restrain her if-! Oh no!"
"Do you really think I don't know what you're planning?" Perona growled as she floated down right in front of him. Usopp yelped as he saw mini hollows began to gather around him, surrounding him within a tight circle "You must've figured out the secret of my intangible form! Well then, I really will have to let Moria-sama rip your shadow out then, I can't have people just knowing that!"
"So goodbye, Long-nose! The next time we see each other your shadow will be inside a zombie!" With a snap of her fingers, each and every mini-ghost detonated, rocking the whole room with a massive BOOM!
"What a waste of time, maybe he should've just remained depressed and we wouldn't have had any problems." Perona grunted as the smoke began to clear "Now to present him to Moria-sama and-!"
She nearly got knocked over as something barreled out of the smoke.
"Hah…! Thanks for confirming what I thought before!" Usopp grinned as he hoisted his weapon over once again "Now that I know it, I absolutely have something to beat you with! Take this! Hissatsu: Atlas Susui!"
Firing out a large flaming shot shaped like a beetle, the wooden doors to Perona's bedroom was blown off the hinges. Inside, the now lifeless bodies of her former servants still remained cleansed of their shadows, but Usopp paid no attention to those; rather, it was the prone form kneeling on the bed that drew his eyes.
Perona's body, which her consciousness is currently separated from, is wide open.
"I knew it! You never were a ghost!"
"So what if you manage to find out?!" Perona snapped "In case you haven't realized, I'm not planning for you to ever reach my body!"
"I don't need to reach it!" Usopp declared as he loaded up more shots, but before he could move Perona formed another legion of mini hollows to surround him, pinning him down. The ghosts in their numerous numbers easily had enough force to wrench Usopp's arm away from his weapon.
"Give it up, you won't be able to aim any longer after this!" Perona sneered as she raised an arm to once again detonate her ghosts.
"Damn it! I was so close!" Usopp thought desperately "What am I going to do? There's no way I can aim like this!"
"Yes you can, Usopp-kun! You must for the sake of everyone!"
"Huh?!"
It could've been simply due to the fact that his rapidly approaching death was giving him hallucinations, but Usopp could've sworn that a tall figure stood beside him, cape billowing and face obscured with a jester's mask, kneeling down and offering a hand. Even so, that voice was loud and clear:
"S-Sogeking?" he babbled "Y-You're real?! I thought I just made you up!"
"Sniper Island exists in all of our hearts, Usopp-kun! Didn't you say that yourself?" The masked persona of the liar urged "Now defeat that woman! You're the only one that can!"
"How can I do that? She's got me cornered and can just blow everything up with a snap of her fingers, I'm done for!"
"You need to be brave! Right now you are all that stands between her and your friends suffering a life of negativity! You have the tools to beat her, I believe in you!"
The sniper gritted his teeth once he heard that "T-That's right… I'm the only one immune to her powers… I can't let her affect everyone else…!"
Usopp yelled as he felt the mini-hollows press into him harder. Just one of those small spirits could blow a hole into solid stone, imagine how much a dozen of them could do? Perona clearly knew that, and with one sneering smile, ignited the explosion, causing the entire room to go white.
Only for her eyes to promptly bug out of her head when she saw the sniper standing tall once the smoke cleared!
"HOW?!" She shouted "HOW DID YOU SURVIVE THAT?!"
"Hah… I told you, didn't I? I have an entire arsenal at my disposal to beat you with!" Usopp smirked, holding up a spiral shell "An Impact Dial I got from a sky island… I absorbed all the energy in those explosions! It reflects everything you would've dealt to me back to you, and right now your physical self is looking very lonely!"
"D-Don't even think about it!" Perona yelled as she conjured up more spirits to pin down the sniper once again, but this time the sniper was ready and aimed the Dial right at the roof. Unleashing the absorbed kinetic energy, biting through the backlash as he did so, he sent down a flurry of rubble as the outgoing shockwave cracked open the roof, the resulting debris obscuring Perona's vision. The ghost princess dashed through just as she saw Usopp firing off 3 shots towards her unprotected physical body.
"No!" She shouted in horror, only for it to be unfounded. Her fear soon gave way to confusion as it turns out the pellets were nothing more than a pink paste.
"W-What are you trying to pull here, Long Nose?"
"That was my secret pellets! And now here's one more devastating attack!"
"I'll just avoid it this time!" the Goth girl shouted, finally recalling her astral form back in. Preparing to avoid the shot, she tried to leap off the bed, only to find herself stuck fast."
"W-What the hell?! I can't move!" struggling, she only just glanced down to see the gunk stuck to her arms and legs; Usopp had fired off some sort of adhesive substance that now essentially glued her to the bed!
"I told you, secret pellets!" Usopp grinned "Now you're defenseless for my next shot! Hissatsu: Gokiburi Boshi!"
"WAIT, WHAT?!"
Upon hearing the name, Perona shut her eyes in fear, but it did nothing when she felt numerous spindly legs pricking her skin as the mounting dread welled up inside her before bursting out:
"AAAAAHHHHH! ROACHES! GET THEM OFF OF ME! GET THEM OFF OF MEEEEEE!"
Screaming in fear and panic, Perona's cries went unheard as she barely was able to register Usopp reaching up behind him and pulling out a comically large hammer, one that stood 8 times as tall as he was!
"I'm the only one able to stand up to you, if I fall here, Luffy and the others will all fall victim to those negative ghosts of yours." The sniper muttered as he raised the weapon "Which is why I'm defeating you right here! Take this!"
"WAIT! WAIT! CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT THIS?! Even as her katsaridaphobia flared up, Perona still shook as she saw Usopp about to literally drop the hammer "AT LEAST GET THESE ROACHES OFF OF ME! I PROMISE I'LL-!"
"Usopp Golden Pound!"
With all his might, the liar swung the gigantic mallet left, the hammer smacking into the girl's head… before promptly popping. As expected of Usopp, it was merely a fake prop that he had used. The only thing real used earlier was the sticky adhesive used to keep her stuck to the bed; even the cockroaches he used were merely rubber.
But she'll never know that, by this point Perona had already passed out due to fear. Foaming at the mouth and her eyes rolled back, there is nothing else she could do to retaliate.
"Phew… That's what you get for trying to use negativity against me!" The sniper gloated before hissing in pain; the Impact Dial he used earlier inflicted notable pain towards his arm, just like it did back at Water 7. Finally, he exhaled a loud sigh of relief "That sure was a tough battle… at least I got it together in the end…"
Gathering up all of his stuff, Usopp looked out towards the night.
"We don't have much time left, I wonder how everyone else is-WHA?!"
And then the arm smashed through the wall…
Meanwhile:
"Y-You had this fruit before me…?" Gian could only croak out in confusion as the pale revenant stood above him. Project Alpha simply glanced down at him, his eyes still a deep red and gazing at his foe with more curiosity than malice.
"There's no mistaking it, although it must have been decades, the same feeling of rage and power still surges from that fruit…" he spoke "I would recognize it from anywhere."
"Just who are you?" Gian questioned "From the way you talk you've clearly known what this fruit can do, and from the way you've replicated some of the techniques earlier you're obviously well versed with it!"
Project Alpha frowned slightly upon hearing that "You have not heard of me? I was all over the news during that one year…"
"You're the first person that I know that has made that claim. I've no doubt that people must've come across the Goji-Goji no Mi in the past, but there's no way to confirm who, not that the World Government's removal of anything relevant to Kaiju-Zoans help to begin with."
"Is that so?" Project Alpha's voice became more spiteful as of that moment "Then it seems, even after all this time, the world hasn't changed at all. The World Government still goes to such lengths to censor information like that, it's harmed them then, and it'll harm them now."
Kneeling down by Gian, who is still trying to get up, Project Alpha's tone grew softer "Boy, let me tell you a tale. It's a story that you might've never heard of, and one that wouldn't be easily told unless they remember it." Ignoring Gian's confusion, the revenant continued.
"Once, there lived a man. A simple man with nothing noteworthy about him. It would take a secret that was not meant to be found to turn an unremarkable man into the world's most wanted criminal at the time."
"At first, the man was confused, then he was heartbroken. Finally, when the fires of the world threatened to purge all that he knows, he became angry." Gian's expression remained perplexed as the undead continued "The world struck him once too many times, and on the final strike, he struck back."
Gian suddenly gasped as images filled his head: a shoreline ablaze with fire, various people running and screaming in fear. And finally, a massive dark shape rising out of the flames amidst a black backdrop of night. He could feel it all; the swirling mix of emotions and senses were something he was too familiar with.
After all, it was something he's felt plenty by now.
"Lives had been lost, the man struck with all his heart. He had planned to wake the world up to the truth by becoming what was hidden, but perhaps a part of him still remained too human to do what was needed. In the climax of his moment, he allowed himself to be dragged down." Project Alpha continued, what seemed to be the hints of some nostalgia strung across his voice "Thus, he had laid the foundations of what the world should know, or so he thought."
Peering down at the slowly realizing Kaiju-Zoan user, Project Alpha allowed himself a smile "As you probably suspected, that man is me. I had thought my tale had ended that night, in the freezing waters with no one else but a bold man of science as my companion in death… until circumstances seemed to have brought me back."
"Yet all this time, despite my actions, my name has been all but forgotten. It seems that the World Government is still far too prone to covering up anything they deem to be a problem, only knowing how to put a bandage on a gaping wound. Yet I, a man that had been nothing to threaten them, was able to obtain a dark secret that made them fearfully refer to me as a King."
Gian slowly blinked at that, his mouth opened as realization began to seep in. He didn't know how, but this time, he found himself realize who the undead man was as he stood in front of him.
"It can't be…" He whispered "You were the first…!" this man was no famous pirate, nor a brave explorer, but for Gian, he was the one person he didn't think he'd be here to witness. After all, the entry documented in that little book Robin gave him sounded far too outlandish to be true, yet at this moment, a figure from that very book stood right in front of him…
And Project Alpha seemed to sense this too, as his lips curled once again into a smile.
"Well, it seems that I haven't been quite as lost as I thought I'd be…" He grinned "You seem to know who I am, even if it's through a mere passage lost to history… you know my name."
Gian could hardly get a word out as the revenant leaned in, their foreheads almost touching. His own dark eyes peered into the crimson orbs of his counterpart, knowing what he's to be asked next will be something he doesn't wish to say.
"Go ahead then," Project Alpha rumbled "Say. My. Name."
And the phrase simply slipped out of his throat.
"Grendolas…" Gian croaked out "King of the Monsters…"
The revenant's grin grew wider.
"You're goddamn right."
Meanwhile:
"I must admit, when I first met you I was excited to have another compatriot to compare with. You, a practitioner of medicine in your own right, has overcome many struggles, be it discrimination or doubt. The fact that you're an animal that's gained the mind of a human is all the more incredible."
Chopper only glared up at the mad scientist, his body held down by the various company his fellow doctor has with him, their weapons pointed at him. He's fought the zombies back the best he could, yet each time he knocks them down they get back up a moment later. Eventually, a mixture of exhaustion and being overwhelmed brought Chopper to his knees.
Further along, Robin was unable to help either. She was too preoccupied with another more familiar zombie facing her down. Cut off from Chopper by Hogback's squadron, Robin had tried to assist only for Victoria Cindry to constantly intercept her. Her usual cool expression now more focused; the actress zombie was proving more trouble than she had originally believed. While her abilities have proven helpful in restraining the bodies, she soon found out that there was one problem she didn't account for: Victoria Cindry as a member of the undead was simply too overpowering. Underneath that porcelain image, the ability to not feel pain allows the actress zombie to act in much more brutal fashions, so as long as she doesn't damage her own body too much.
As such, each time Robin moves to restrain her, Cindry merely broke out of her grasp using whatever hidden strength bestowed upon her through her resurrection. Life as a former stage actress be damned, she's easily the same strength level as a soldier in their peak.
Thus Robin had to focus most of her attention on her, and if she had to say something, the zombie hasn't made it easy for her.
"So why is it that, even with a human's thoughts, you still can't see how I've now transcended the traditional limitations of medicine?" Hogback finished, glaring at Chopper with contempt.
"Transcending limitations?!" Chopper barked "You've stolen the wills of another in a vain attempt to resurrect the dead! This isn't saving people, it's trying to replicate a life lost by robbing another!"
"They've come back from the dead, stupid boy!" Hogback snapped "I've what every doctor in this world wished they could do! I've managed to bring life back to a corpse! With Moria-sama's powers and my medical talents, we can bring life to anyone! And soon, very soon, I'll be even greater than that! I won't just be a doctor! I'll be someone who could breathe life into nothing but bare bones!"
"NO!" Chopper snarled, rearing up and throwing the zombies surrounding him to the ground. Charging forwards again, he manage to almost reach the doctor with his hands outstretched before Hogback gave a signal and the zombies dogpiled him again. The doctor gave a dismissive look before gesturing to his creations.
"Look at them, each of them moving from the life I gave them! They may be corpses, but they move with a fluidity that won't be out of place in a living being!"
"I can't believe this is who you really are." Chopper hissed bitterly "Growing up, I've read all your journals, watched all the reports on your operations. I've studied your methods and admired your work ethic, how you tirelessly work to ensure every life is saved!" Hogback was silent when he heard that, paying it to mind as Chopper continued his tirade.
"I looked up to you, I wanted to live by your example! Every time Doctorine showed me an example of your work I would try to learn all I could! You were one of the most respected names in the medical field! How can you just throw that all away?!"
"Because I also have limitations!" Hogback barked back "Throughout my entire career, I was heralded as a genius, people would come from all over the world seeking me to cure their ailments or perform a life changing surgery. Some would even say that my talent was wasted on those common folk but due to the oath I swore I took them in anyway, I really did enjoy my line of work and the money they brought me was merely an extra benefit."
Striding around on his feet while Chopper was still restrained, Hogback continued his rant "I was like you, idealistic and thinking that it was my duty to save everyone. Of course, when you're in our profession, reality soon hits you rather hard. I tried to accept the fact that life was delicate, that not all lives could be saved through the operating table alone, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how unfair it was. I am a genius, a prodigy like no other in the medical community! There should be no one that I can't save once I performed my magic on them! Yet ever so often a fatality happens, how can I allow that?"
The doctor dropped his head "I tried to ignore it as much as I could, telling myself that it's a part of the job. It worked for a little bit, until I met her."
Chopper gaped as the doctor looked onward, with a bit more fondness at one particular zombie. Still locked in combat with Robin, Victoria Cindry continued her assault. Robin had to dodge multiple sharp plates being thrown at her, and the moment she had an opportunity to cross her arms, the actress charged at her, forcing her back on the defensive and breaking her concentration.
"That shrine we found…" Chopper remembered.
"You remember it, don't you? She was a ray of light in my life like no other!" Hogback admired the zombie "On stage she was the one and only angel, yet she never let that get to her head. She treated everyone with fairness and kindness, even complete strangers would be charmed by her. Such a woman comes only once in a lifetime, and Victoria Cindry fit that bill perfectly!"
"I eventually had to court her; she had been my patient for a number of years as of that point, and each time her kindness and beauty entranced me so! I had wealth, prestige, everything to make her live comfortably for the rest of her life! Of course, she never needed any of that to begin with, and I was only inflicted a wound when she revealed to me she'd already taken a lover…" The doctor sniffed at that "I tried not to let that bother me, instead throwing myself into my work. The heartbreak of love does not get in the way of a much greater role. I continued to try and help people the best I could, still keeping in mind that I just couldn't save everybody…"
The doctor's face suddenly hardened "And then, just like that, she was cruelly taken from me!"
Chopper observed the actress zombie the surgeon referred to, still locked in combat with Robin and forcing the archaeologist to avoid every thrown plate. From the way her body is kept, to the shrine Hogback built for her, it's clear that at least he cares more about her compared to his other creations. Said surgeon admired his zombie with a tint of sadness beneath his glasses, and when he spoke again, his voice was slightly sorrowful.
"Like a delicate bird, they said her life was cut short in a stage accident. She was brought to me, I tried all I could to save her, but even my talent could not lift her from death…!" he spat each word out, disgust evident in his inability to change the outcome.
"You have no idea what it's like to love, Dr. Chopper. You can't even comprehend how much pain I was in on losing someone like her. It was as if I was cast into a bottomless pit to fall forever, but that's not the worst feeling of all. No, what's truly painful was finally realizing just how limited we are as doctors, no matter how many people we save, there always will be someone who dies! It was truly a difficult time, I had lost faith in everything, even in the career that defined me! Then, in the deepest part of my despair, a hand reached down and showed me a new path. That was when Moria-sama found me, and it was through him, that I finally began conquering death!"
"I hear you're a man of great talents, . I happen to have need of your skills. My zombie army needs suitable bodies to contain the shadows I imbue them with, and with your surgery precision, that can be accomplished. Become a member of my crew, and I will give you glory and wealth even more so than what you have now!"
"There's only one thing I desire. You claim you can raise corpses from death, then I want her back to me! Do that, and I will do anything you wish!"
"It will be done!"
Hogback smiled "Moria-sama brought my beloved Cindry back to me, even if her personality was not what it was in life, that matter littles now. But best of all, his power has aided me in finding my true calling! With Moria-sama's aid and my surgical genius, I can create life from the lifeless, even a dead body can once again walk amongst the living as if it has never died at all! Look at them, Dr. Chopper, now even if someone dies they can be brought back by my genius! I'm no longer a surgeon, I have become someone who breathes life into the undead!"
Chopper gulp as he observed the zombies around them. Unlike some of the more animated ones from before, the armed zombies surrounding him were stone faced and serious. Similarly he looked towards the actress still in combat with Robin. Victoria Cindry, while clearly looking like herself, was not the same person she was in life. The enhancements were evident: Dr. Hogback not only restored her looks, but given enough modifications to her body that she's now able to fight with the strength of a peak athlete. Even if the personality was not quite matching, it would be an upgrade in every sense of the word.
"Don't you understand it now? I've accomplished what every doctor wishes they can do! Never will anyone suffer the pain of death again, not when their bodies can be reanimated! For me, death no longer is a concept. I've become someone who controls the very threshold between life and death, I defy it completely!"
"But… THAT'S JUST ONE BIG LIE!" with a bellow Chopper sprung up in Heavy Point, knocking back all of the zombies that restrained him.
"You may think you've raised the dead, but you know better than anyone here that those zombies aren't the same people that have passed away, that they'll never be those people again!" Chopper shouted "Those aren't people in those bodies, they're merely shells that hold the shadows of another person hostage!"
"They can move! As long as I and the other masters on the island will it, they'll do anything we ask them to!" Hogback shouted back.
"Just because a body is moving, doesn't mean it's human! Those zombies may walk but they don't breathe, they may fight but they don't feel, and they may see but they don't think! Everything that makes a person human is no longer there; these are nothing more than puppets that you feel the need to exert control over! I understand the pain you'You may think you've brought someone back to life, but these zombies can't feel the very thing that makes them human! They're nothing more than monsters!"
"You seem to know a lot about what a human supposedly is, how laughable!" Hogback sneered "You! Nothing more than an animal that developed a brain! You say I create monsters, when you wear the skin of one to begin with?"
"I may be a monster, but I've seen how people act when they're alive." Chopper defiantly answered, undeterred by the comment thrown at him "I've seen the joys they experienced, the sorrow they felt, the hopes and dreams of people everywhere! These zombies have none of that, it's not enough for them to simply move, and even the shadows they possess belong to other people!"
With that, Chopper charged at the mad scientist "Which is why, from now on, I no longer see you as a doctor! I'll keep only your former aspirations of saving people, and continue it myself! I can't say I completely understand the pain you've felt, the loss you've experienced when Cindry departed from this world, so I can't judge you on your pain…"
"But I know the feeling of wanting to bring a dead person back to life, a person very special to me, a doctor just like you! Except if he sees me doing what you're doing, he'd sooner never recognize me as a son! Which is why, with what I know of being a doctor, I'm stopping you right here!"
Zombies attacked him from all sides, but now Chopper was ready, throwing out arms and fists to keep them at bay.
"Heavy Gong!"
Dr. Hogback watched as the reindeer charged towards him, slowly backing up. With a hiss of irritation he gave one more snap of his fingers. Chopper was close to reaching him, his fingers merely inches from the surgeon when he suddenly felt a heeled kick stab into his rib. Doubling over he looked up to see Victoria Cindry stand over him with a cold look in her eye; in the distance Robin had knelt to the ground as well, the command from earlier giving the actress zombie to land a stray blow onto the archaeologist's side.
Then the other soldier zombies recovered and once again held him down, weapons ready to strike.
"I had truly hoped you'd open your eyes, Doctor Chopper." Hogback gave a disappointed sigh "It's truly a shame that, how you refuse to see what I've accomplished, you'll only get to enjoy such liberation by experiencing it yourself! Those friends you've spent so much time with? I think they'll appreciate it once I've made you into a zombie as well!"
Chopper's eyes widened as Cindry shattered a plate on the ground, before screaming out in pain as she raised a shard and plunged it into his shoulder.
"This is what rebirth is like! Soon you'll suffer the same fate, you and that woman companion of yours!" Hogback gloated.
"Y-You don't have to listen to what he says!" Chopper pleaded "Right now, even though you've been ordered to attack me, I know those shadows inside you are begging to be released too! You know this isn't the life you want! He claims to revive you from the dead, yet every action of yours is bound by his word! How can you feel human, when he doesn't even treat you as such?"
"Don't be foolish! They won't listen to you!" Hogback snapped "I am their creator, everything I say is hardwired into their mind, and they won't do anything else unless I command it!" the doctor knelt down, taking pleasure in the glaring eyes of Chopper "You've should've known your place as an animal and just shut up and accepted the truth, now you'll be nothing more than a patchwork of my newest creation. Goodbye, Dr. Chopper." Chopper gritted his teeth, watching the zombies all raise their weapons and prepare to strike down. Had he paid more attention, he would've seen something akin to hesitation in one Victoria Cindry's eyes, but he was too concerned with the imminent assault to deal with that.
It seems someone else would need to make him see it.
"Quite the contrary, I think that was an exemplary speech, Chopper."
"Wha-!"
"Ocheta Fleur: Cuatros Manos!"
Out of nowhere, four gigantic hands sprouted out of the ground, their fingers wrapping around 3 soldier zombies each and squeezing tight, restraining them. This gave Chopper enough time to roll out of a downward stab by Cindry, before springing up and catching the actress in a chokehold.
"You!" Hogback glared at a smiling Robin, now recovered and crossed her arms "I'd forgotten about you!"
"It seems the words of our doctor really struck a nerve, considering your reaction." Robin smirked "I must thank you, however, you've given me adequate time to judge how many arms I needed to form in order to restrain most of the these zombies here."
"You think you've caught them? My experiments have made them stronger than your average soldier! They can break through easily!" Hogback shot back.
"Perhaps, but I won't give them that chance. Seeing what they can do, I think it'll be time I incapacitate them. "Clutch!"
Every hand squeezed down, and with a sickening crack they broke their captives' bones. Being zombies, those soldiers didn't feel a thing, though they groaned with discomfort all the same as they crumpled to the ground, now unable to move at all.
"Y-you- how dare you!" Hogback shouted "Cindry! Break free and dispose of them!"
But she didn't move.
"Cindry! What are you doing?! I command you to destroy them!"
"Look!" Chopper gasped "S-She's crying!"
Indeed, in Chopper's arms, the zombie seemed almost catatonic. What's more, tears were streaming down her eyes as she finally croaked out.
"My…. My body won't… move…?"
"How can this be?!" Hogback snarled "A zombie, feeling emotions and having a conscience?! Preposterous!"
"You may have placed a different shadow within her, but it's her willpower that still remains even as she already left this world. She was never yours to control!" Chopper growled "That's what a human is all about, it's because they can feel such emotions that they're human to begin with!"
"Indeed, it seems for all this man's accomplishments, he's let that fact be lost to him. And it's this that let his weakness be shown: He hides behind the bodies of others, when that's taken away, then he's left with nothing. This is what separates you from our doctor." Robin glared, before finally dropping another statement.
"Chopper may be a reindeer, but he's twice the doctor and human you will ever be."
The reindeer looked up with a look of surprise, only for the archeologist to simply give an eye smile, prompting the doctor to give one back.
"T-This is-! Just you wait! I'll come back with an even bigger army of-!" leaping up, Dr. Hogback attempted one last dash towards escape.
"Sorry, but that's not happening. Dos Fleur: Clutch!"
"UAGH!"
The surgeon barely made it two steps before Robin's arms snaked around his body like chains, tying him down.
"And while it is not my place to say, in wake of the way you commanded that poor girl to your every whim makes me believe you know nothing about what love is." Robin's voice was soft, but it underlined deeper contempt as she thought of the contrast between this and a certain Kaiju-Zoan user "You claim to love her, yet you subject her to such a fate. It's truly despicable. You know nothing of what love is truly like."
"We'll be purifying those zombies soon, at least some of them before Luffy defeats Moria." Chopper mumbled, bunching his hands into fists "He can handle him, meanwhile I will defeat you here."
"Just you wait…" Dr. Hogback rasped "You have nakama around you, when they begin to die one by one while you're unable to save them you'd wish you were able to think like me!"
"That'll never happen!" Chopper shouted "I'll never do that to them, and they'd never ask that of me!" wrapping both arms around the doctor, Chopper held him tight.
"Robin now!"
"Of course."
Hogback's yelp of surprise as a ladder of hands sprouted beneath the two raised them up like an elevator. Then Chopper leapt off the edge, flipping over and pointing the doctor's head towards the ground.
"No! Wait!"
"Robincho Suplex!"
It would've been a devastating move, had it been finished.
But unfortunately, at that moment the door at the rear of the chamber exploded outwards and the resulting shockwave knocked everybody down.
A few moments earlier:
"But how can this be?" Gian rasped "You've been dead for over a century, yet you still possess your full personality in life! How have you not fallen under Moria's thrall yet?"
Gendolas looked over his body with mild curiosity "The terms of my resurrection, I do not understand, though I now know that it's due to an individual named Moria that I'm once again brought back from the netherworld. Looking at the other undead specimens here, it's clear I was created under a different pretense."
"In the first moments of my awakening, I did remember feeling disorientated, as if my mind was fractured with no coherent thought, my every being commanded by unseen orders. It seems that must be Moria's doing, and had you not intervened, I perhaps would've also been another mindless denizen in this realm."
"My intervention?" Gian quipped "I didn't do anything."
"Not directly, but your very presence must've had an effect on reawakening my dormant personality." Grendolas explained "Or more specifically, your other self."
Gian felt a pulse within him, akin to something waking up.
"You mean the Goji-Goji no Mi, don't you?" he placed his hand on his chest "You were one of the previous wielders of it, somehow that connection remains."
"Yes, though the specifics I do not know of exactly, being in exposure to that beast's power has somehow brought my consciousness back." He admired his fist for a brief moment, before tightening it, hard.
"And do you know, during this whole time, just how irritating it is that I had to abide with such an annoying personality such as yours?"
"Hey!" despite the situation, Gian had to be taken aback "There's no need to get personal!"
"No, perhaps not. There's no point in such petty grievances." Grendolas did a stretching motion, clearly despite being dead for so long actions of the living were a hard habit to break "This body is not perfect, I no longer have a heartbeat or feel blood flowing. Still, it is enough."
"For what?" Gian questioned, a part of him beginning to dread his answer.
"During the last year of my life I had one goal: To wake the world up of the truth about the titans that existed before us. The World Government did everything they did to stop me, I simply made their attempts burn." Grendola's eyes have now returned to their former pearl color, but they were hard and full of determination "Back then, my own human heart held me back, but now I no longer possess that."
"If you're thinking what I believe you're about to do…" Gian warned.
"I do not wish to harm you, you seem like someone who understands the curse we bear. That, and my basic understanding of how my situation works provides the necessity of your survival as well. But know this: Get in my way and I will make you regret it."
"Yeah, no can do." Gian gave a determined statement "No matter who you are in life, here underneath all that flesh you're still my shadow. You're coming back with me, that much is certain!"
Before Grendolas can respond, the room suddenly began to shake. The two looked around with uncertainty before the bellowing roar hit their ears.
Then the room began to shake.
"Well, it looks like there are other forces at play." Grendolas noted.
Faraway from the mansion, deep in the forest, Luffy continued to be hot on the Shichibukai's trail. Moria had led him outside and far into the woods surrounding the house. Through all this, he could sense that Moria was beginning to tire. One more pump of blood through his legs and Gear Second activated once more, and with a diving leap he tackled the tall pirate to the ground.
"Got you!" Luffy cried out triumphantly.
"Tch, not bad!" Moria commended "I can see I actually have to somewhat take you seriously now!"
"Hurry up and release the shadows or I'll kick your ass!"
"Kishishishi! So impatient!" Moria cackled "I already told you, the shadows are never coming back to you. Besides, even if I tell them to, that won't happen!"
And then Moria began to change, his body began to blacken as the color deepened, his face melded until there was nothing more than two red eyes and a jagged mouth.
"W-What?!" Luffy cried out in frustration "What the hell is this?"
"I mean how could I? My shadow isn't able to do the same things as I did!" Moria's voice still came out of the shadow, but it's clear that his real body was nowhere near here. Luffy's face morphed into a scowl upon realizing that he's been duped this whole time.
"You coward!" Luffy bellowed "You sent me on a wild goose chase!"
"This is how I know you're still green, 'Straw Hat'! You really do think you know it all just because you attacked a World Government location! You still have lots to learn!"
"Where are you? Come out at once!"
"Me? I've been where I always was this whole time!" Moria guffawed from back at the mansion "Now how will you make up for this lost time? Dawn's not that far away now!"
A thundering roar suddenly sounded, making Luffy snap his head around to see a gigantic red shape begin to tear into the building.
"Oh, that's right. Your nakama are still at the mansion too, aren't they?" Moria's shadow began to float away from the rubber boy "You better be quick, because Oars is getting really impatient!"
As the tremors of a certain red giant tearing into the building continued, the lab began to fall apart. Gian and Grendolas both looked at the cumbling ceiling, before the latter sprung towards the door.
"I must be off now, do not come after me." the former user warned. Gian listened for exactly half a second, before placing himself between him and the door.
"I don't know what the final extent of your goals are, or why you're even still alive. But it's not happening. I can't let you be out there."
"Fine." Grendolas growled, before lunging forwards, causing the two to lock arms. They struggled for a brief moment, before Gian's Aura flared to life once more. Sensing the situation would only be hindered, Grendolas broke off from his opponent.
"No more wasting time." The undead growled before raising a fist to the ceiling.
"No!" Gian realized too late on what his counterpart was planning as the groaning of unseen spirits were heard once again, before a pale fog like blue beam fired into the ceiling.
"Atom Ray."
The effect was instant, pounds of debris caved in, destroying the remains of the lab and burying his foe under it. Grendolas didn't even look back before turning to the door. Raising a hand again, he fired another ethereal beam and blown it off its hinges.
This time, he had another audience.
"W-What is that?" he sees multiple zombies lying about, incapacitated. 3 more living individuals were present as well. One of them, a furry humanoid animal, gasped in alarm at his presence.
All of them have shadows.
The group of Chopper, Robin and Hogback had no idea on what to make of this new individual, but each could feel a malevolent aura upon laying eyes on him. Hogback was the first to break out of his trance however, and when he spoke next his voice was filled with wonder.
"You… you must be Project Alpha…!" He marveled at the revenant "This is truly incredible, you were nothing but mere bones before, but you're an entire functioning body!"
On his end, Grendolas simply observed the mad scientist in silence.
"Fosfosfosfos! I've done it! With Moria-sama's powers I've brought up life from nothing but the barren remains of an ancient warrior! You will truly make for a powerful piece-!"
The doctor barely had any time to let out a choked cry of shock when the undead Kaiju-Zoan user lunged at him, clutching him by the throat before tossing him away. Meanwhile his other hand stretched out, and after channeling for a brief moment, multiple shadow tendrils emerged from his open palm, snaking through the air before latching onto their intended target: Hogback's own shadow.
"W-What is-?!" then as swiftly as they struck, the tendrils ripped the ephemeral shade from the scientist and into the revenant's body. Dr. Hogback could only let out a choked cry before falling to his knees, breathing hard.
Chopper and Robin were both alarmed by the swift act. They didn't have long to react, for the undead man quickly located the sources of more shadows.
First it was a still forlorn Victoria Cindry, still reeling from the earlier revelations to do much. She hardly reacted aside from convulsing slightly, before dropping lifeless once more as her shadow was extracted. Then, it was the remainder of Hogback's small personal army; they suffered the same fate only with more expression of horror.
"Who are you? Where did Gian go?"
Only when he heard Chopper's shout did Grendolas' eyes snap to the two remaining living beings he did not take shadows from yet.
And they immediately realized they had to do something as the revenant charged towards them. Morphing into Arm Point, Chopper tried his best to stop the incoming fiend.
"Kokutei Cross!"
But Grendolas merely took the twin hoof attacks head on, digging his feet into the ground. Chopper let out a gasp of shock as the undead Kaiju-Zoan user grabbed his arms and spun around rapidly, before tossing him hard into the wall. Before the reindeer could struggle back to his feet, the same shadowy tendrils once again emerged, lancing into the doctor's shadow and proceeded to pull it out.
"AAAAAH!" Chopper cried out, a sudden jolt of searing pain shot through his body as his shadow was removed "My Shadow was taken!"
"Seis Fleur: Twist!"
Before he proceed, Grendolas felt multiple arms wrap around his body, attempting to twist him around. Rearing his head back, he spied Robin in deep concentration, her arms straining just to keep him in place.
He smiled; the woman could only just contain his might, he'll soon prove to be her superior.
Robin let out a pained wince as the undead Kaiju-Zoan user bunched his muscles up, before simply wrenching himself free of his prison with pure power. As Robin's arms disappeared into a shower of petals, Grendolas is already upon her, hand ready to unleash the same tendrils as before.
To his dismay, those shadows emerged from his body only to stop inches in front of the woman's shadow. Grendolas tried again, only to get the same result as his shadow tendrils simply became unwilling to proceed with the procurement. Frowning, it took him a few seconds to realize what's going on.
"Curse the current bearer of my Fruit… it seems even as I overtake his will with my own, a part of him still resists against me." Grendolas growled to himself.
"W-What did you do to Gian…?" Robin hissed.
"Do not fret, he is alive." Grendolas stated "Though, now he is in no position to stop me. I can sense it clearly that you and that little tanuki are very special to him, you especially so. I was only just able to force my will into removing the other shadow, yours seems to be crossing a line."
"I'm… I'm a reindeer…" Chopper groaned "And you won't defeat Gian…! He won't be defeated that easily!"
Grendolas sneered at that "Then I pray he finds me once I gain more power. For now, I must be elsewhere." A sudden loud bellow alerted the other two as they saw the foundations of the mansion shake once again; Oars was still on the rampage and didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon. Seeing enough, Grendolas took his leave and disappeared into the night, leaving the two unsure of what to do next.
Once he was a comfortable distance away from the mansion, Grendolas took the time to finally assess his situation. The night air was crisp and cool, the moonlight obscured by thick fog.
"Just like the night of my death…" he thought. Even though he's out in the open now, he didn't even feel the air around him. Now, in his current state despite his new complete form, there are still things that the mortal world was able to do that he no longer had the pleasure of experiencing.
Yes, he was truly dead.
Looking into the distance, Grendolas could just make out the large red bulk of the giant Oars pulverizing the mansion in an attempt to find his quarry. Even this far, he could still sense a powerful shadow within him, enough to fuel his power further.
But he was pragmatic; he knew in his current state he cannot hope to match Oars in strength just yet. Even with his borrowed shadow, he could tell he's not at full strength. The same logic also applies to this island's master, Moria. Grendolas has not met him, but he is certain that he is unable to stand up against the Shadow Master without first acquiring more shadows for his own.
Fortunately, he could sense plenty in the area.
His mind flashed with memories of an age long gone, of a showdown between him and an entire army of Marines, of cities on fire.
And finally, one mere man with the weapon that brought about their mutual destruction.
"I suppose the world isn't done with my role in it quite yet, Serizawa…"
Shaking the thought from his head, Grendolas glanced at his hand, a pale blue condensed form of netherworldly power gathered around it; a cheap imitation of similar powers he once had the misfortune of crossing paths with.
"How ironic, even in death, I and that fruit have been led together once more. Even if it currently rests within another."
Back then he had used the very same power as a demonstration to the world, as an attempt to show the World Government's failure in containing the truth. It was his own hesitation that held him back then, but he was given another chance now, and he no longer had the same weakness as before.
"Even after all this time, the world still remains clueless about the truth of those monsters. Soon It will be time to give it a refresher course.
With that thought, Grendolas continued into the woods, his quest for more shadows continues as the night grew closer to dawn.
A/N:
And thus, the true identity of Project Alpha has been revealed! To the people that really pay attention, Grendolas was first name-dropped in chapter 44, and now almost 50 chapters later he makes an appearance! If you don't know why I'm making him, you'll know soon enough. Meanwhile, I didn't expect this chapter to quite be so long! To be honest, some of the fights did take a while. In addition to Grendolas, Usopp, Chopper's and Robins fights had to be handled differently. Usopp was simple enough, I actually quite enjoyed writing that fight. There wasn't any real reason to differentiate from canon too much there.
Chopper and Robin was a different story. While you're reading it, you might notice I've given Dr. Hogback a slightly more altruistic personality compared to his canon individual. Before he completely saw the zombies as mere tools, but here I made it to be that his real reason for joining Moria and being so engrossed in the creation of zombies was so that he no longer needed to abide by simple mortality when a patient dies. I didn't want him to just be Chopper's opposite, I wanted to make a version where he's more of what could become of Chopper if our reindeer had no morals left. Or at least that's what I wanted to convey, it could all just blow up in my face all the same. All in all, considering Hogback himself doesn't really have any fighting skills, I've made this into more of a battle of ideologies rather than a full on fight.
Robin however, was a different story. I had originally planned a separate fight between her and Cindry, but I ran into multiple problems in trying to do so. I've always had a sore point that Robin never had any major fights in the series, but now that I actually have to give her one, I can't really fault Oda at all. Robin's Devil Fruit essentially could allow her to end a fight in a split second without her doing anything much, which at this point in time is still relevant enough. As strong as Zombies are, I still don't think Victoria Cindry is quite at the level where Robin would have a hard time with her. Not to mention she isn't exactly very well-developed in terms of moves aside from throwing plates, so a fight between them wouldn't exactly be very exciting. So unfortunately, she kind of got shafted here. This is also not to mention that Robin's fights aren't exactly fun to write about; her powers are really straight forward, and we aren't at the timeskip yet where I can make it more fun. With Nami I usually have plenty of inspiration to diversify her skillset, but Robin's a whole different boat.
G: Make it up to her this instant!
I'll think of something, hopefully.
Aside from that, I generally like how everything turned out. The next chapter will be the first part of the Straw Hats VS Oars while Gian tries to stop Grendolas. In addition, I want to once again thank everyone for their continued support. I know the rate of my uploads have slowed down considerably, but know that I'm keeping up the best I can (Yes, this goes towards some of the more tone-deaf of you as well who can't seem to understand I have other obligations besides just writing fanfiction, no offense.). The past couple of weeks saw a longtime supporter and friend of this story discontinue her story, and the passage of time will no doubt one day affect me as well. Know that I have no plans of stopping anytime soon, I've spent way too much time already to abandon it now.
Aside from that, we'll see you next chapter!
Responses to reviews:
To Solana Leonhardt:
As I get deeper into who Grendolas is in the coming chapters you'll know more about him then!
G: Hint, something, something Godzilla 1954!
To Matt:
G: Learning to love yourself is the first step of acceptance.
True
Also, I'm trying my best to understand here but I have no idea what the basis of your accusation even comes from? Where in my last chapter, or anywhere in this story, did I say anything overtly homophobic/anti-LGBTQ? I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion. If there really is anything that's no doubt in that territory I will change it and learn from it, but I will never say or write anything that hurts the LGBTQ community. Seriously, don't just accuse people for no reason…
To KaijuEmperor:
G: Well yes but actually no.
I hope this chapter's reveal was fun for you.
To NoaRien:
That ship will never sail no matter how you look at it.
G: Don't say that! You never know!
Gi: Honestly, outside of our own realms of canon it actually seems kind of fun.
G: You're not even in this part!
To LoneWolf427:
G: ON DRAGONBALL Z!
Hehe, classic.
And I'm glad you like the reference!
To TheGreatBubbaJ:
Thank you for being with us during this journey!
To Guest (I assume you wrote multiple reviews):
Buckle up, you're in for multiple chapters!
To Goku275:
Because Dragonite's a Pokemon lol
G: You fell into that one yourself, I can't save you here.
To Kaiju Avenger:
I will say this right now, and I don't usually post what happens later in the story before I write it. Zoro's part with Kuma will not be changing. That part is reserved for him alone, anyone else doing it will never have as much impact. Gian might say something beforehand, but that part will never be adapted differently.
To Godzillasucks1234:
Well, just from looking at your name I don't think you're in the right place…
G: Cry about it bro.
Yeah, that's just how I write it. I'm very influenced by the original sub for this story, and that gets reflected in my work. Sorry if you don't like that, but that's just how things are. If you can't deal with that, then do whatever you like.
G: Seriously, out of all the problems this story has that's literally a non-issue.
To CryptidWorld:
Mood.
G: 2 MORE MONTHS!
To Story Artist:
And he's…. a former user of the Goji-Goji-no mi!
G: This was deliberately planned.
To Kombat Instinct:
I definitely want to focus more on Robin later, she really does get the short end of the stick compared to other people.
To Muugi:
See above.
To Question Dude:
I've answered this question in Chapter 78 I think. It's how I'll do things until the timeskip.
To Fairy LAW:
Saobody will be fun to adapt, for sure.
To PIZZASAURUS REX:
Well… we'll see…
And no, there won't be any more OCs joining the Straw Hats. It's hard to just keep it on Gian, I don't know how anymore would work. There will be other Kaiju-Zoan users, but they have other places to be. This includes and Anguirus fruit user.
To DragonYeti:
Some of them are on the table. Others, not yet.
G: How are there so many monsters…
To Perun3354 (AKA Vergil Leonidas):
I'm glad you're still sticking around in some fashion, it really isn't the same without you. Meanwhile, happy third (I think) rereading! A lot of the problems you listed here I only just realized, and yeah you can call them oversights before. I figured Caesar would often be looking into where he'd be after, but after many years in East Blue he'd just forget about it until Gian shows up in Punk Hazard again after 2 years. The part about the pirate crew I can understand, I mostly just added them in so I can showcase the Kaiju-Zoan.
For Chapter 2, I only did add that part at the end in later, since originally I still didn't have a rough path for how this story is going to go. Now that I have a concept I'm working towards, I thought I'd put in more work to try and relate this story to it more. Either way, glad you enjoyed it!
Chapter 3: For all intent and purposes, I'm much less satisfied with it now that later. I thought about adding a bit more tidbits to the early parts, but I figured nobody would pay attention to it anyway and thus decided to leave them for a later chapter. It's mostly just a summary of Gian's time on the island and his thoughts towards his fruit and Triton. The meeting with Luffy could've been a bit different, but with how much we have to work on I thought I could build on their relationship as the story goes on.
G: Also no spoilers, but he has plans for Alvida later.
Wow…
Aside from that, thanks for the concrit once again!
G: It's good to see you too Vergil.
And that's all for now, we'll see you next time!
G: Leave a review and KP360 can finish his assignments on time!
Keep my school life out of my fictional life…