One Piece: Monster of the Straw Hat Pirates

by KP360

Within the Grand Line there is a 4th kind of Zoan Devil Fruit: the Kaiju-Zoan. Granting the eater the powers of creatures of great power, they can also bring about terrible destruction. Gian is one such person, and though he only wants to help his newfound captain attain his dream of becoming Pirate King, he'll soon find that his power means much more than he originally believed.

92. Zero Hour

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: A mock poster of Godzilla: King of the Monsters with Luffy standing as Gian in his full transformation roars in the background.

It was quite a sight, Gian had to admit, of his crew, the new allies they made, all taking a stand against the undead titan that once plagued the world over a century ago. For his friends to so willingly shoulder a burden alongside him, something he views as a problem he should face, he thought it was rather touching.

Then reality ensures, and the fact that they only have around 20 and a half minutes to finish the job weighs down on their decision.

"Hey guys…?" Gian rumbled "I know we had a really feel good moment earlier but does anyone have an idea on how we're all gonna approach this?"

"Good point… dead you is bigger than Oars and is mostly composed of shadows, if Oars wasn't able to feel any pain, I don't think that thing can feel anything at all." Franky replied.

"It took all we had just to make Oars fall to the ground." Chopper panted "Grendolas would be trying to push down a mountain, he can just knock us around with a flick of his tail!"

"We'll have to attack together, last time we did that we were able to bring Oars down, this time we have more people." Nami proposed "Remember, Grendolas hits much harder than Oars, don't all engage him directly and try to look for weaknesses!"

"Then let's test the waters first." Gian growled before charging forwards. A rumbling noise sounded within Grendolas' undead throat as the resurrected Kaiju-Zoan user met the challenge, the two titans crashing together as their claws locked into each other, pushing with all their might.

"No matter how much you struggle, you cannot hope to overpower me." Grendolas rasped, forcing his weight against his living counterpart "My strength in this form is limitless, yet you've been exerting yourself the entire night. Even the Kaiju's power cannot help you."

"Tell that to someone who cares!" Gian growled back, giving a hard shove that caused his undead counterpart to stumble backwards. Promptly lashing out with his tail, the living Kaiju-Zoan user used the whip-like object to further launch the revenant kaiju backwards, dragging him through tons of rubble. Grendolas reemerged mostly unfazed, however, and rushed forwards to land a heavy claw swipe towards the side of Gian's head. Gian's eyes saw static as he stumbled backwards, and Grendolas never let up for one moment, continuing to surge forwards and forcing his might against his living counterpart.

"Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol!"

"RRRGH…!"

Even as impervious to pain as he is, Grendolas still felt himself stagger by the massive fist that slammed into his face as Luffy leapt up with his own attack. The force behind the strike, bolstered by its increased size, could shake even something as massive as he.

Meanwhile Luffy was panting with exertion; he had to throw all of his weight behind that punch, and like earlier it felt as if he was trying to push over a mountain. The fact that he even managed to shake him up a little proved that the move he developed was worth some salt, but with the recipient being a gargantuan undead Kaiju, it wasn't exactly reassuring.

"My fist didn't do a thing!" Luffy cursed as the ground rumbled once Grendolas got his bearings back. The shadow-infused Kaiju leered down, his soulless white orbs casting an unnerving shade over all those below him.

"When I was still living, devil fruits were a rare sight." Grendolas growled "I didn't expect them to be so tedious. Still, you are still merely human, your acquired power pales in comparison to what truly lies out there."

"Then I'll just punch you again!" Luffy shouted "A hard enough blow will still knock you down!" Grendolas growled before charging forwards, a massive foot crashing down where the captain stood.

"Gear Second!" Luffy, his body steaming, immediately went on the attack again, rushing forwards and leaping onto the undead Kaiju's tail as the appendage carved a path towards him. Weaving his way around the forest of dorsal fins, Luffy sprang up once more the moment he reached eye level, throwing both his hands back.

"Gomu Gomu no... Jet Bazooka!"

The twin palms sped forwards Grendolas' temples, bashing it with such a force that Even the shadow-infused being dug his heels in. While not as strong as the previous gigantic punch, the speed and force of a Gear Second infused attack still struck with quite a force. There was no time to celebrate however, as the gigantic revenant immediately retaliated with a claw swipe that sent Luffy crashing into the side of the mansion, the captain letting out a cry of pain in the process.

"Insect!" Grendolas snarled, the ground shaking as he strode over towards the wreckage. Luffy cracked an angry eye open in time to see the dorsal fins on the undead Kaiju's back began to spark and flash in a familiar blue color, only this time it was aimed at him.

"You will be the first to witness the same horror inflicted on this world 150 years ago. Atom-!"

"Tatsu Maki!"

"Diable Jambe: Flambage Shot!"

It was only through the timely intervention of Zoro and Sanji that Grendolas' attack was interrupted. The razor winds formed by the swordsman's blades obscured the monster's line of sight, enough for the cook to unleash a flaming foot into the underside of his jaw. Once again though, Grendolas emerged unscathed, though the impact was ultimately enough for him to back up slightly as he glared at the intrusion. Any more attempts to reach his victim was stopped when Gian once again threw his weight at his counterpart.

"Stay sharp, Luffy, this thing isn't like anything we've faced before!" Sanji warned.

"I can still fight!" the captain leapt back up.

"Easy… even if we keep hitting him I doubt we'd do any long term damage." Gian warned.

"Those attacks were at the very least able to stagger Oars earlier, but this undead freak took it head on…!" Zoro panted "Mind telling us any particular weakness you have, Gian? You'd probably share it with him considering you look the same."

"If I knew we wouldn't be in this mess now, would we?"

"He's on the attack again!" Sanji warned, and leapt out of the way right as Grendolas' tail swept across the ground where he stood moments ago. Gian rushed forwards to meet his counterpart once again, only for the transformed revenant to stoop low before ramming his body into his abdomen, causing him to be knocked back. As Luffy and Zoro both charged forwards, they too were also repelled by a single stomp.

"Struggle all you like, the end result will still be the same." The undead kaiju growled. The groups eyes widened as the beasts' dorsal fins began to flash once again.

"Weapons Left!"

"Hissatsu: Himawari Boshi!"

Then Grendolas' assault was interrupted by multiple small explosions peppering the side of his head, causing him to turn his undead eye towards the source but ultimately doing little.

"Well we got his attention…" Franky grimaced from atop the remains of a building. Beside him, Usopp yelped when the gigantic undead kaiju turned towards him, almost dropping the Kabuto once Grendolas' massive foot crashed towards him.

"AHHHH I KNEW THIS WAS A BAD IDEA!" and Usopp had a good reason to make such an exclaimation; glowing a pale bluish white, Grendolas' dorsal fins have finished charging.

"Atom Ray."

"SHIT! HIT THE DECK!"

---

Had they not done so, they would've been instantly incinerated by the charged breath weapon as it scorched into the ground where they stood. The two were instead knocked back by the shockwave, crashing hard into the remnants of a stone wall.

"FRANKY! USOPP!" Luffy shouted. He tried to run to them, but Grendolas had already turned his head, sending the beam carving across the ground in a wide arch of sparks, and stopping any attempt to approach him.

"This power…! He's using them as if he was alive!" Gian gasped.

"As I've already established." Grendolas sneered "Everything you know about the Goji-Goji no mi, I was the first to find out about it."

"Gian, something's not right…" Luffy panted "before he spat fire at me, I thought I heard a bunch of voices crying out in pain."

"Yeah, I've been hearing it too." Gian gritted "All that power, it must be drawn from the same shadow he's imprisoned as his body."

"A means to an end." Grendolas stated "I can no longer use the powers I had in life, now that you have them. These shadows however provide a suitable replication. It's enough to rival the Kaiju that once lived within me."

"You're horrible! Not only do you shackled those shadows against their will, but you're also hurting them?!" Luffy snarled.

"My very existence has caused harm to countless lives that unfortunately has not changed. This is merely a byproduct of my situation, I cannot control that."

"Even so, you still needed my shadow to wake up again!" Gian snapped "You may have power now, but none of it's truly yours! Everything you have right now is because of someone else!"

"Yet it will be enough to seal your fate here." Grendolas sneered "I've outgrown the need to have your presence tether the means of my resurrection to this plane. You have merely moments before the sun rises above the horizon and you cease to exist. Why spend your last moments opposing my vision?"

"It's like they said, this is no longer just about me." Gian growled "You not only threaten the entire world with this form, but you had to doom everyone on this island in the process! You think we'll just let you walk over us? You need to be stopped!"

"Skrehahaha… then come and try!" Grendolas growled, his dorsal fins once again blinking "Shall we compare our thermonuclear power against one another?" seeing that, Gian did the same, the shrouded island momentarily become alit with azure light."

"Atom-"

To the people down below, they could only hear two things: One a heavy crackling of a raging fire, the other the haunting groans of souls trapped inside an unwilling prison.

"They're gonna blow!" Franky warned "We need to-!"

"-RAY!"

---

Luffy and the rest were forced to shield their eyes as the twin beams of heat and atomic energy slammed into one another, each concussive blast pounding in a battle for supremacy. One a solid azurite blue, the other a cerulean ethereal wisp. Pouring all his energy into it, Gian strained and dug his feet into the ground, trying his best not to give an inch. Even with his opponent having an unending amount of stamina now that he's undead.

However, there was only one way two powerful forces would end. Clashing together the unstable payload of energy mixed and swirled before it became too much even for it.

The resulting explosion seared towards the two Kaiju, causing Gian to roar as he felt his skin begin to peel when he brought his arms up to block out the worst of the explosion, while Grendolas returned one in fury as his vision became obscured by the smoke.

"WHAAA!" Luffy cried as he, Zoro and Sanji hid behind a fallen brick wall to avoid the worst of the backlash. A few distances away from them Franky did the same, one arm grasping tight to a steel pole while the other clung to Usopp to prevent him from being blown away. The area around them was scattered with rubble, a testament to the amount of power unleashed in a mere moment.

---

"They can't hold for much longer!" Chopper screamed as he and the remaining members of their rebellion witnessed the scene of destruction. Picking himself up "We have to do something!"

"That may be easier said than done, Chopper-kun." Brook stated. The sword in his skeletal hand was gripped tight as his brainless skull tried to take in everything "It's a clear indicator that Grendolas is able to overpower any one of us individually. We've also been fighting for an entire night, while he has limitless stamina. Simply charging in won't do us any favors."

"There has to be some way we can help." Nami gripped her Clima-tact tightly "Somewhere to strike where Grendolas' attention would divert to us!"

Robin grimaced at the sight of Gian and Luffy getting up to once again face off against the undead Kaiju. She saw the captain clambering up to Gian's head as the Kaiju-Zoan user rammed against his counterpart in a devastating charge as Luffy leapt off and once again pounded a Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol into Grendolas' chest. She wanted to help, but there wasn't much any of them could do.

"Hey, I don't want to bring it up, but the sun will rise any minute now." Lola called to them "My guys are ready to fight, we'll do anything just give us the word!"

"Robin, you're usually the smart one here. Do you have a plan?" Nami asked. The archaeologist pursed her lips; time was indeed of the essence, and in order to fight a monster they'll have to use more than simply brute forcing their way through. The island ship may be big enough to support 2 giant monsters, but under the shadow of titans there was not much they could do.

"Even with them being Kaiju, they're surprisingly not the biggest thing on Thriller Bark." Robin's musing was suddenly alerted when she gasped as Gian was tossed to the ground by his counterpart, his massive size making the ground shake and causing Thriller Bark's mast to wobble…

A mast that was already damaged when Luffy defeated Moria earlier, one that was now had numerous cracks running through the base...

Robin smiled before gesturing to Nami. She has a plan, and even though they aren't the heaviest hitters in the crew, if her plan goes off smoothly they could help bring one of the giant beasts down to their level…

"Maybe there's a way after all."

"RRRRRGGGGHHHH!" Gian groaned as Grendolas' claws raked down his hide and he was sent backwards. Grendolas' tail scattered more debris as Zoro and Sanji dashed up the appendage before leaping up with their own attacks. Zoro's sword couldn't even penetrate the beast's hide, however, and one of Sanji's flame enveloped legs only drew the undead Kaiju's attention to him as the cook was forced to avoid an Atom Ray that was too close for comfort. Landing on the remains of the roof, the two immediately sprang up as Grendolas raked his claws across the tiles, running in an attempt to escape the incoming attack. Their only reprise was when Luffy leapt up and kicked their assailant in the chest with a massive expanded foot.

"All this courage, yet nothing to show for it." The undead Kaiju growled "Just more individuals thinking they can take on more than they're worth."

"How do we know if we're even hurting him?"Franky growled as he launched a few more bazooka shots towards Grendolas' head "Even Oars couldn't take this much punishment!" the cyborg cursed when Grendolas reared down slammed his claws into the ground right as he rolled to the side.

"Hissatsu: Cho Kemuri Boshi!" fortunately, Usopp's hasty smoke screen managed to obscure the revenant Kaiju's vision as his talons narrowly nicked passed the cyborg's hair.

"Sorry, this is really about the only thing I can do right now…" the sniper winced "Everything else he's barely even noticed!"

"Well he's clearly noticed that!" the cyborg shouted. Before the rest of the battling group could do anything to reach them, Grendolas had already blown away the smokescreen, his white orbs simmering.

"Pest!" the undead Kaiju roared as his dorsal fins lit up again.

"USOPP!" Gian shouted, beginning to rush over.

"AHHHH! HE"S GONNA INCINERATE US!" Usopp screamed as his and Franky's faces were illuminated by blue light as the undead king prepared to fire another shadow-infused Atom Ray.

"Lightning Tempo!"

A bolt of lightning from the sky soon illuminated the ghastly undead as Grendolas bore the shocking voltage. Emerging as his body crackled with electricity, Grendolas locked eyes with the orange haired navigator holder her weather controlling staff before her.

"Ohhhh you saved us!" Usopp sighed with relief.

"Get behind me, Usopp." Nami gave a smile as the giant undead Kaiju towered over her, waves of contempt flowing off of the beast as he remembered the woman.

"I remember you… you escaped me back then." Grendolas growled "It should ease your heart that I no longer require your shadow to give me power."

"You're a monster…" Nami hissed, her Clima-Tact held straight ahead of her. The spark of thunder having long been shrugged off, there wasn't much else she could do. Grendolas crept closer, each step causing the ground to tremble, while Nami braced herself the best she could.

Then again, Robin's plan did not require her to fight much.

"Yes, I think we've long established that already." The former King of the Monsters rasped, making the navigator's eyes widen as the same pale blue light that threatened Usopp and Franky before radiated once more. The cries of horror that sounded when the undead Kaiju promptly sent out the torrent of energy from his maw that overwhelmed the navigator instantly were not unfounded, for what else could you do in the face of such raw power? No traces of the Cat Burglar remained once Grendolas completed his attack, or so he thought.

"This trick again?" Grendolas grunted as he was struck 4 times by bolts of lightning, turning his massive head to see 4 other copies of Nami all positioned at various heights of the ruined building sections, each sending out sparks of electricity in an attempt to bait the undead Kaiju into the area she wanted. Snarling, Grendolas swung around and whipped his tail in a wide arc, dispelling 3 of the mirages and shattering a section of wall the real Nami narrowly avoided. "You can't avoid me forever, where will you hide when this entire courtyard will be filled with fire?"

"AS IF WE'LL LET YOU DO THAT!"

Luffy's enlarged fist once again slammed into Grendolas' head, knocking him sideways. By now the rest of the cavalry had arrived, with the Captain and First Mate of the Straw Hats immediately leaping into battle once more, squaring off against Grendolas in combat and causing his attention to be turned back to him. Nami grinned at the sight as Zoro and Sanji landed near her.

"Can't say that wasn't bold of you, but that was pushing it a little." The swordsman remarked.

"Oi, Nami-san could easily take care of herself!" Sanji reprimanded.

"I had to get his attention somehow. If we're want to take him down in the time allotted, we'll need to keep him from fighting back." the cat burglar explained. Cupping her hands together, she called out towards Gian and Luffy.

"Hey! Robin's got a plan! Chopper and Brook are already getting things ready, just keep him occupied and into position!" the Kaiju-Zoan user tilted an eye back when he heard that, before cracking a smile.

"Ah, Robin is always smart!" Luffy laughed.

"Well, let's not disappoint her then." Gian nodded, once again colliding with his undead counterpart in a shoving match. The two locked eyes, fire burning in both.

"Whatever it is that you're planning, it's not going to work." Grendolas snarled "By now you must be at your limit, I'm surprised you can still even maintain this transformation." This time when Luffy tried to leap up, thumb in his mouth as he blew air into his foot, Grendolas already spotted him and promptly swatted the rubber captain away with a flick of his tail. Slamming his shoulder into Gian, the two separated once more.

"You know, for someone who's been dead for over a century you sure don't know how to stay silent." Gian fired back, locking fists in a punch. "That couldn't have been my shadow talking."

"Why are you still trying to deny me? We both know that the powers we once held goes deeper than what we believed, we were both victims of the World Government's suppression. With our combined might we can wake this world up to the true monsters that those spacesuit wearing bureaucrats tries so desperately to hide in order to keep up the illusion of peace, yet you oppose me!"

"And I've told you, that's not for you to decide!" Gian roared, firing an Atom Ray and causing Grendolas to dig his heels into the ground "Your methods will doom millions, people who will have no way to stand against you! You aren't a massager, you're a harbinger of destruction!"

"And what do you suppose will happen when you uncover the reality yourself?!" Grendolas snarled "That's what your goal is, isn't it? The reality is deadlier than what you or your crew have ever faced before, those people you desperately try to shield from me will be extinguished by what's to come, and you'd rather have them continue to bury their heads in the sand!" Gian took a step back from that; just what was so serious that Grendolas would take such a stand?

"Even if that's true, all you're doing is lashing out at a world that disowned you!" It was Luffy that shouted this next rebuttal as he once again leapt out from the rubble, steam billowing from his pores as he delivered a Gomu Gomu no Jet Rifle into the underside of Grendolas' jaw, the spiraling punch making the undead Kaiju snap his head back "You claim to want to wake the world up, but you're getting people involved that has no business in your fights! You're nothing but a coward!"

"Funny, in my day pirates were the scourge of the seas. Getting people involved that have no business with you was second nature to them." Grendolas rasped. With a mighty swing of his tail, he once again swatted Luffy hard as he dashed towards him again, this time causing the yowling rubber boy to crash into a charging Gian directly in the forehead, the force causing both to be knocked down to the ground.

"It's a waste of time trying to make you see things my way." Grendolas charged up his dorsal fins yet again. Intending to fully incinerate his living counterpart, the air itself imploded in a blue shockwave as the thermonuclear beam charged up "Atom-!"

"Cien Fleur: Big Tree!" hands sprouted out from his jawline, forming 4 large arms and wrapping down hard onto his mouth and keeping the undead Kaiju from scorching the two pirates before him. As Grendolas thrashed about, Gian and Luffy turned to see Robin standing close by, concentrating hard as her arms stayed crossed.

"You always show up at the best time." Gian cracked a smile. Robin looked back at him with one eye, her lips curling as well despite wincing in exertion.

"He certainly isn't making it easy for me." the archaeologist grimaced as she held on her clutch as best she could. Grendolas finally wrenched his mouth free, the arms disappearing in a shower of petals as the spectral Atom Ray launched itself into the sky. That moment of disruption, however, was all Gian needed to fire his own thermonuclear beam into the undead counterpart's chest, sending him skidding backwards.

"Nice shot!" Luffy grinned "Thanks for the save Robin!"

"So I take that your plan somehow involves getting him immobilized?" Gian remarked. Robin nodded at that.

"Yes, while he is unable to be injured by conventional means, his undead properties should still be somewhat of that of one of Moria's zombies. I asked Lola earlier and it turns out we still have a large quantity of salt left. If we can somehow get him to stop moving and make him ingest the salt he should be purified all the same. And it just so happens that the mast of this ship has something heavy to do so."

"Ah! You want one of the chains connected to the mast to fall on top of him! Then we can hit him as much as we want!" Luffy cheered.

"Have I ever told you that I love how smart you are?" Gian smirked.

"Easy there, our time is still running short." The archaeologist smiled back.

"Well then, let's get started. You sure you want to be in the middle of this? Luffy and I can get a bit crazy."

"Chopper and Brook have gotten that part handled, they'll be ready when we give the signal." Robin answered smoothly "Besides, you'll need help with getting him to stop moving and that's my area of expertise."

"Oooh, our first time working together as a couple, can't say I don't enjoy that." The Kaiju-Zoan user chuckled as he braced himself once his undead counterpart reared back up "Oh right, and you're here too Luffy."

"Throw me Gian, I'm gonna punch him in the face!" the captain requested. Gian immediately cranked up his arm before chucking the rubber boy forwards like a baseball. Sticking his thumb between his teeth, Luffy's right arm once again ballooned up into gigantic proportions. Grendolas' eyes narrowed when he realized the attack was coming, the sounds of pained trilling from the shadows howled out as his own fist became enveloped by shadows.

"Atom Fist!"

"Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol!"

---

Colliding with the force of a thunderclap, the two strained against each other before the resulting shockwave sent both of them backwards, Luffy landing once again in Gian's palm as the Kaiju-Zoan user charged forwards, giving Grendolas no opportunity of reprise before he laid into the undead Kaiju, claws radiating atomic energy. Bunching up his strength, Grendolas grappled his own hands into Gian's, pushing against him before slamming his head into his counterpart, sending them wheeling and causing Luffy to fall from his hand. Fortunately, Robin was able to catch him in a net of hands.

"No matter what you do, it's futile to try to stand against me! I felt that punch earlier, little boy." Luffy gritted his teeth when he heard the monster address him "You are getting weaker, and that gigantism expansion you put your body through is straining you. You will be rendered unable to fight soon."

"You're right…" Luffy whispered as he picked himself up "I've been using Gear Third too much tonight. I only have about a minute and a half left before I shrink. But I can land one more punch in the meantime, and this time we're all going to be hitting you!" Leaping out again, this time he entered Gear Second and dashed up the undead Kaiju's swinging arm.

"You are a mere human, having no knowledge of the Kaiju until mere weeks ago. If not for your crewmate, you would never even come close to the power of an ancient beast." Grendolas glowered, swiping his claw towards the rubber boy "Humanity died under my feet like insects 150 years ago, whole armies have fallen before me. What hope do you, a mere pirate, have?"

"Yeah? Well at least I'll never deny that! I have all my nakama backing me up!" Luffy shot back "I don't care about anything to do with the Kaiju, but you stole Gian's shadow along with all of ours, and we're getting it back! Gomu Gomu no Jet Rifle!"

The twisting punch sank into Grendolas' cheek, momentarily flinching the undead monster before his pale eyes snapped back towards Luffy. Tossing his head forwards the backlash from the attack caused Luffy to tumble through the air, as another flash of blue as Grendolas' dorsal fins illuminated.

"Then let your nakama see you burned to ash! Atom-!" that was before an atomic fireball launched into his head.

"Didn't you hear him? All of us are backing him up!" Gian roared, shoving his claws into his undead counterpart's face as the snapping revenant was pushed back "And every time, I will be the first one there!" Grendolas immediately tried to retaliate again, his claws lashing forwards, but this time, the same arms from before sprouted from the ground.

"I don't think they want you to move for this next part." Robin stated from below on the ground.

"Luffy, that move we practiced!" Gian barked. The captain nodded as he entered his Gear Third stance again, right as Gian channeled his own atomic fire through his fists. In his restrained form, Grendolas didn't have any opportunity to dodge as both of them threw their punches simultaneously.

"Gomu Gomu no Double Atom!"

Sent soaring backwards, Grendolas still landed on his feet. Eyes now burning with white fury his fanged mouth morphed into a jagged snarl.

"You're starting to piss me off!" the undead Kaiju roared, fire once again gathering at the back of his throat. The dark night just before the dawn was becoming alit with cerulean light as the now familiar atomic breaths were once again going to be lit "If you're so intent on standing before me, then I will vanquish you to-!"

"Everyone, fire!"

Grendolas only let out a growl of irritation as he fell cannonballs explode on the side of his head. Unable to feel any pain, he could still sense the impact and force of the powerful explosions. A feeling he's not felt since he was last alive, in this massive form the ones firing them were miniscule. Leering down he could see a crowd of people, in particularly he recognize the twin pink pigtails of the woman he dueled against back in the forest.

"Those people… I had forgotten about them…"

"It's handy that Moria left all of this island's weapons stashed away close by! We're ready Captain, just give us the signal!" one of the crew members of Lola's survival group alerted her. The captain of the Rolling Pirates smiled confidently as she raised her sword.

"Keep our distance! Make sure Straw Hat, Beast Warrior and the rest of them get plenty of opportunity to do their thing. We've got that ugly son of a bitch's attention now!" she ushered, and the row of cannons the Thriller Bark Victims Association fired in unison. The cannonballs soared around Grendolas, some striking his body as the gargantuan undead turned towards them.

"Guess the cavalry's here." Gian noted.

---

"He's going after them now. How is the situation where you are?"

High above them, where chain links connected the tip of the mast that anchored it to the ship, Brook and Chopper were trying their best to dislodge the restraints. The next part of the plan fell to them to ensure that the procedures were in place once Grendolas got into position. With his fleet-footed speed, the skeleton managed to get him and the doctor to the top, where they were soon joined by Franky when the cyborg built a literal stair case into thin air, to the perplexing stares of the two.

"These chains are taking some time, in case you haven't noticed they're pretty big!" the shipwright grunted to one of Robin's conveniently spawned lips as he bashed his metal fist into one of the chain links to no avail. They've got less than 15 minutes now before the sun rises, and Franky was working double time.

"We certainly didn't plan that part out!" Brook cried out.

"Maybe one of us should go help down there…" Chopper added, watching anxiously at the scene of battle below. The doctor winced at the sight of Grendolas' dorsal fins illuminating once more as an Atom Ray speared towards the remnants of the Thriller Bark Victims Association. As Lola and her group scatted, a few rows of cannons were decimated by the heat, even more unfortunate were the few unlucky souls too slow to escape the incoming beam of death.

"Go ahead, they need all the help they can get." Franky nodded "I'll be fine here, just a bit more!" the chain links were starting to crack already, a few more hits should do it.

---

"Run for it!" Lola shouted as Grendolas turned his attention towards them. The undead Kaiju spared no mercy in his wrath, the thermonuclear ray carving across the land. Her heart ached as she saw a few stragglers were caught off-guard and instantly incinerated by the incoming beam. They have survived years in the dark without a shadow only to fall at this crucial moment. Lola vowed that their sacrifice would not be in vain.

"Captain, a lot of the cannons we got from Moria were melted!" One of the Risky Brothers panted "What should we do?"

"Take whatever you can salvage and keep firing, we have to keep that thing occupied! Give the Straw Hats all the room they need to operate! They're the ones who will save us, we can't let them down!"

"No one will save you!" Grendolas' bellow alerted the woman as she looked up in horror as the undead Kaiju came upon her. Staring defiantly as Grendolas' foot was brought up, she braced herself for the inevitable impact.

"Heavy Gong!"

While Chopper's Heavy Point paled in terms of strength compared to the massive beast he's trying to strike, falling down from that height was still enough to stagger Grendolas, making his stomp miss the now scrambling Lola. Roaring in frustration, the undead Kaiju thrashed his head around, tossing the reindeer from his perch. In doing, he failed to sense another figure landing up his arm.

"Yohohoho! Seeing you up close really is quite unnerving." Brook noted as he swiftly avoided an incoming swat from Grendolas' claws as he travelled up the monster's body. Soon, he was eye level with the giant beast, the undead Kaiju's pupils orb faintly reflected the skeleton's face.

"My, what a horrific eye you have. Though I shouldn't judge, I don't even have eyes anymore! Yohoho!" drawing his sword, the musician aimed his arm back "Since you don't feel pain, maybe you won't mind this so much: Aubade Coup Droit!"

Grendolas' roar of fury was enough to alert the rest of the island. Sure enough, the sword impaling itself into his left eye was not felt, but he did see that part of his word fade to black. Brook braced himself as wisps of black began to spray out of the crack formed by his sword. He held on as best he could, but the tossing of the giant monster's head eventually caused the skeleton to lose his balance as he was thrown from his perch, flailing until Gian caught him in his own hand as the remainder of the Straw Hats got in position to continue their fight.

"Thank you, Gian-san!"

"I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF ALL OF YOU!" Losing his composure, Grendolas' face was warping into a mask of rage. In the past, his Full Transformation had threatened entire island nations and faced down whole Buster Call fleets, yet these mere pirates were causing him more trouble than any of them. To say that it was insulting was simplifying it. The skeleton that just punctured his eye did more than injure him. To have as much power as he does right now and be wounded by someone as insignificant as he?

There was only one such person in history that had done so, and Grendolas would be mindful to consider him a contemporary. The same could not be said about the group opposing him right now.

If they really wanted to make it so difficult, then he will see to that personally.

"Looks like we pissed off for good this time." Zoro smirked.

"You could've simply cowered in the shadows, but if you're so intent on facing down the power of the Ancient Beast then your ashes will be scattered across these waters! You will be the first to recognize the cataclysm I will bring about to the World Government!"

"Yeah, yeah we got it the first time!" Sanji snapped "Think of something else to say you 1 beri discount!"

"Solid burn." Gian grinned.

"No point talking to him anymore, let's purify every shadow in him!" Lola growled.

"We got you cornered, now fork over all of those shadows you stole you asshole!" Luffy shouted, his repeated use of Gear Third now reducing him to his shrunken size, making the sight of a chibi Luffy shouting obscenities from the palm of Gian's hand an amusing sight if it weren't targeted at the one figure not willing to laugh right now. Grendolas growled and stomped forward, intent on silencing the group.

"He's right on the spot!" Usopp realized, before raising his slingshot "Let's see you move after this! Hissatsu: Kamakiri Ryusei!"

As the sparkling shot soared into the dawn sky, exploding in a bright light show, Grendolas only was slightly alerted to it. It was until whistling was heard drawing closer that his head shot up to see the massive length that descending towards him.

Grendolas only got time to widen his remaining eye as one of the chains that held the mast of Thriller Bark to the ship, each link bigger than his head, impacted with his shoulders. The weight held him down as the ground beneath him began to crack.

"OW! Did that nail em or what?" Franky's boisterous voice could be heard from atop the mast. The chain he hoped the free finally came undone at the moment he needs. His left hand still smoking, it took a couple of well-aimed bazooka shots to finally break off the chain.

---

Gritting his teeth as the weight forced him to a knee, Grendolas could see the small humans scrambling into position beneath him. The long-nosed one in particular was aiming a shot right towards his mouth: a large bag of salt positioned within the saddle. His eye narrowed as he realized the plan; Gecko Moria's power could be purified by salt and essences of the ocean. While he had compacted enough shadows to dispel that weakness coming from the outside, ingesting such a large quantity of salt would still purify a large enough amount of shadows from within him. With his wounded eye already leaking out some shadows, he cannot let even one more escape.

"RRRRRRGGGHHH!" the next thing Usopp did was yelp in alarm and dive out of the way as the undead Kaiju unleashed another Atom Ray towards him. The weight pinning him down had affected his aim enough that he missed by a mile, but what it did manage to do was incinerate the remainders of salt that Usopp had just fired at him. The undead Kaiju followed suit with more blasts of thermonuclear energy, firing wildly at anything trying to approach.

"I didn't think he'd still have so much fight in him!" the sniper stammered.

"If there's no more salt, then we'll resort to the tried and true method of killing zombies through horror films!" Gian grinned.

"And what's that supposed to be?" Nami blinked. The Kaiju-Zoan user leered at that.

"Cut off his head and burn until nothing remains!"

Zoro laughed before brandishing his swords "Heh, I've got the cutting part down!"

"Then Nami, Usopp and I will give you support. Anyone else with a blade or anything go in and hack as much of him off as possible!" Grendolas hardly mustered a gasp before multiple attacks assailed him at once.

"Atom Ray!"

"Thunderbolt Tempo!"

"Hissatsu: Atlas Suisei!"

Assaulted by lightning, fire and atomic energy, it took all of Grendolas to weather the combined assault. By now the Thriller Bark Victims Association had also regrouped and firing cannonball rounds from their remaining cannons. The undead Kaiju roared in frustration as the differing attacks made it hard to focus.

"They're doing it! Even Grendolas can't stand up to everyone converging on him at once!" Chopper gasped.

"Then that's my cue then!" Sanji leapt forward before doing a spinning leap towards the undead Kaiju's midsection. Igniting his foot on fire, the chef spun around once more as the triple pronged attack from his crewmates subsided and he locked eyes with Grendolas' remaining white orb.

"Diable Jambe: Extra Hachis!"

Grendolas could only groan; the force of the rapid fire kicks along with the weight on his back was enough to cause even him to buckle slightly, enough of a fraction for Zoro and Brook to leap into action.

"Remember, aim for the head!" the skeleton said dashing up one arm.

"Don't worry, I've been waiting to do this!" brandishing all 3 swords, Zoro leapt off of the other arm before spinning into his stance.

"Santoryu: Daibutsu Giri!"

"Gavotte Bond de Avont!"

Both blades lacerated into the undead Kaiju's shadow-like skin, though Zoro's blades only dug in slightly before the resistance became too much. Meanwhile, Brook's cane sword didn't even manage to puncture his skin, and they soon found themselves forcing their weapons deeper.

"Damn… I was able to cut through solid steel before, just what is this thing made of?!" the swordman grunted.

"Hold fast, Zoro-san! We already know this won't be easy! We just need to-!"

"Who in the world… DO YOU THINK I AM?!"

And after suffering all that abuse, Grendolas is no longer willing to compromise anything. Thrashing his weight around, the two swordsmen were instantly thrown of their perch and swatted aside. Gripping his claws into the heavy chain, with a growl of anger Grendolas ripped it from its foundation before shattering it between his hands. His remaining eye instantly locked on to Gian.

"I understand your plan now… to keep me immobilized was a good idea, it perhaps could've worked in your favor had you pushed on just a bit longer… Skehahaha…"

"Oh no…" Robin cursed "To think he'd be so unwilling to go down…!"

"But I am not something you've faced before, I am the King of Monsters… I am Grendolas… and I have had ENOUGH!"

One stomp was enough to close the distance between the two. Grendolas now on the attack as his claws became infused with a wispy blue. The trapped shadows moaned in pain as he raked the claws into Gian's hide, pushing the living Kaiju-Zoan user back.

"Hold on! I'm about to recover! Just give me 10 more seconds and I-WAH!" Luffy's assurances didn't matter when the undead Kaiju lifted his living counterpart by the torso, before chucking the struggling Gian into the remains of the building. The two collapsed as debris rained down around them, Gian holding his hand over his captain to prevent him from being struck, the two buried under tonnes of rock.

"Shit! He's broken free!" Franky cried, now climbing down the mast. There was still a long way down, but the cyborg didn't hesitate as he held out his left hand and fired a barrage of rockets.

"Weapons Left!" but like before, the explosives didn't do much except further anger the undead Kaiju. Snapping his remaining eye back, Grendolas simply whipped his tail into the mast and taking out a chunk of it, the impact causing the structure to begin tipping over before abruptly grinding to a halt as the remaining chains strained to hold it up.

Franky wasn't so lucky.

"OH COME ONNNNN!" his grip lost and flailing all the way down, the cyborg could only watch as Grendola's jaws opened. To his horror, a familiar blue light began emanating from the back of the undead Kaiju's throat. Desperately thinking, he quickly expanded his lower body.

"Coup de Boo!"

The improvised gas was the only thing that managed to evade him out of the path of an incoming Atom Ray as it soared into the night sky. Grendolas is already lining up another shot, only for hands to once again grip onto his jaws.

"Ochenta Fleur: Clutch…!" Robin strained as her arms used all her power to try and press the flaming jaws together. They were only able to hold on for a few seconds before the undead Kaiju wrenched his mouth open and his next Atom Ray lanced into the debris close to her, causing the archaeologist to lose concentration and be knocked back by the shockwave.

"Whoa! Hang on, I got you!" Franky yelped as he landed, his right arm shooting out and grabbing onto the flying woman. A stomp close by signaled Grendolas' approach as the cyborg looked up in horror.

"Previously, my lesser body still couldn't hold back the emotions that of the shadow's owner." Grendolas growled, Robin staring defiantly at the undead beast, a dim blue light once again lighting up "Now? That is no longer an issue."

The peppering of projectiles landing on his face made him snap his head towards the source in annoyance; just what is it this time? His vision became obscured as a big smokescreen erupted around his head, Grendolas bellowing as he tried to clear his sight, just enough of a distraction for Franky and Robin to get away.

"Come on! Run!" Usopp shouted, scrambling to fire more distraction shots in an effort to save his crewmates. A swing of Grendolas' tail however was enough to dispel the smokescreen, and the accompanying updraft was strong enough to cause a yelping Usopp to be blown away into the nearby debris.

"Over here asshole!" Sanji shouted, leaping off from a nearby ledge and diving towards the giant monster with his right foot ablaze "Don't even think about-ACK!"

"Insignificant!" Grendolas' tail whipped faster than the cook could see, launching him towards the ground and causing him to bounce a few times before skidding to a halt.

"SANJI!" Chopper cried as he rushed over to the cook to check his injuries. The cook, despite being essentially smacked with the equivalent of a Marine battleship, was more pissed off than anything "Don't make any sudden movements! We don't know what-!"

"Don't worry about me, I've been through worse." Sanji gritted "Besides, now is not the time to dally. There's not enough time to-!" the duo was interrupted by a series of explosions as Grendolas opened fire on the scrambling members of the Thriller Bark Victims Association, some which were not avoid to avoid the waves of atomic fire.

"What a monster…" Chopper stammered "Is the only to bring him down to…" his hooves tightened around the last yellow pill that he needed to take before his uncontrollable transformation surfaces. Monster Point's strength is immense, a single strike from it could dent even a massive Kaiju like Grendolas. With the Monster's strength they could potentially even out the odds…

Chopper hastily shook off the temptation; there was simply too much risk. With everyone already at various degrees of injured adding in yet another wild card would be catastrophic. The nearly depleted time before the sunrise also added another degree of problems for them. Letting go in this situation would lead to a pyrrhic victory at best and complete devastation for them at worst.

"Damn it… at the most desperate time I can't even use the only thing that helps me… What am I supposed to do?"

He didn't get to think on it much more though for Grendolas' foot had just crashed into the ground near where he and Sanji were. The two stared up in alarm as the undead Kaiju leaned down and took in the sight of the two backing up. Chopper and Sanji could see their reflection slightly reflected in the cataract shaded ocular orb, the one that remain glaring hard at them.

And the fact that the revenant only has one eye remaining was what made Chopper pause.

"His eye… wasn't that when-?"

"I don't usually hold grudges, but unfortunately for you pests you've proven far too resilient for my liking. There were many in my life that attempted the same." Raising his fist, Grendolas prepared to pound down "So I opt to just eliminate all of you, at least that will spare you the pain of disintegrating in the sun."

"No!" Nami shouted, disconnected her Clima-tact as more temperature balls billowed out. Grendolas noticed the air around him grow denser with clouds before narrowing his eyes; it was this move again which means-

"Woman, you are becoming predictable." the undead Kaiju growled. This was becoming annoying. Before Nami could even rupture the clouds with another thunderbolt, Grendolas' dorsal fins already lit up and fired an Atom Ray in her direction. The Navigator gasped before leaping out of the crossfire as the thermonuclear beam detonated where she stood, the shockwave knocking her through the air before she landed hard on the ground.

"Ah!"

"NAMI-SAN!" Sanji screamed "I'M GONNA KILL YOU YOU-!" his rage directed at Grendolas was ignored as the titanic undead marched towards the navigator, as well as his wounds getting the best of him as he doubled over in pain. Nami struggled to get up as the undead Kaiju drew closer, inwardly realizing that some of her more durable nakama's tenacity would really be coming in handy about now.

"No more tricks…"

"Crap… I can't create a mirage fast enough!" Nami scrambled to think up of something, when the sound of footsteps approaching was heard. She gasped as when she saw a large figure stand before her, swords drawn in an attempt to protect her.

"L-Lola?"

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you!" the woman smiled back.

"Lola! Don't do this! He'll kill you-!"

"Captain!"

"It's ok, we've waited too long to be afraid any longer." Lola said determinately "You, all of you, you're the ones who will save all of us. To every life that had fallen for us to get our shadows back, make sure that they do!"

"A valiant sight." Grendolas mocked "The way humans still instinctively try to protect one another even in times of crisis is something I've missed." Lola gritted her teeth as the ground around the two women became illuminated by blue light once more "But you need not worry, both your deaths will be over in an instant-"

Much to his annoyance, Grendolas once again was blindsided by multiple explosions peppering his face. Growling in irritation, his eye darted around trying to see which of these resisting insects are trying to pester him now.

What he didn't expect was to find nothing. The remainder of the Thriller Bark Victim's Association were in disarray, and the long-nose was currently scrambling away with the blue-haired pervert in tow. Those were the only ones that could've possibly fired such explosive rounds at him, so who could it have been?

"Where are you…?"

But that was not the only thing. The moment he looked back down, the two women that he'd just about to incinerate have vanished without a trace. Roaring in fury, Grendolas snapped his head around, until the sound of something disconnecting alerted him. Shooting his head up, Grendolas' eye widened to see the remaining chains connected to the mast pop off and falling towards him. He barely had any time to let out a cry before it buried him completely.

It was around this time that Gian and Luffy had finally broken free of the rubble with a cry. Rearing up to fight, they was rather surprised to see that the undead Kaiju had once again been buried under metal.

"Nice one, Franky!" the Kaiju-Zoan user grinned, but when he looked down, he saw that the tall shipwright was standing near him as everyone else regrouped.

"Hey, as much as I like to be complimented, that wasn't me." The cyborg blinked, just as confused.

"You had a good plan earlier, 'Beast Warrior'. Though if you wanted to utilize the mast you should've just tore the entire thing down."

"Who said that?" Luffy gaped.

"Fortunately for you I had the controls panel to the connectors. These chains should buy you some time. Though you should still hurry."

The voice came from behind him, and Gian was startled when he recognized it. It was the last person that he'd think of right now that would want to help them, but as he stepped out the shadows he realized-

"YOU!" Chopper shouted "What are you still doing here?!"

---

"Is that any way to be speaking to the one who just came to your rescue, Dr. Chopper?" Dr. Hogback snorted as he revealed himself.

"You're kidding! One of Moria's guys?" Usopp stammered.

"Wait, since you're here and the only other person must be-!" Brook realized.

"Oh no… Oh HELL NO!" Sanji groaned "WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE-!"

"-LET GO OF ME YOU CREEP!" Nami and Lola finally became visible once again as the other perpetrator appeared as well. Growling in annoyance, Absalom deposited them on the ground in a heap before turning his attention back to the downed undead monster.

"There, I helped. Now remind me why we have to go through the trouble of helping these idiots?"

"You're one to talk!" The navigator snapped "No one wanted you here!"

"Hey, I just saved your life!"

"What does a bunch of Moria's goons want with us?" Lola shouted.

"We've seen the errors of our ways! We want to start a clean slate and restart our lives as good citizens! Let us help you!" Dr. Hogback gave a forced smile.

"NO ONE BUYS THAT!" the doctor soon found himself shouted down by everyone.

Dr. Hogback sighed "Fine, you got me. Considering the situation wouldn't it be wise if we put those grievances aside for now?" straightening up his coat the doctor cleared his throat before continuing "I care little about what happens to you, but in creating Project Alpha I realize we had underestimated a few factors. A fear that was ultimately proven correct when Master Moira was turned against by the very being he tasked me to create. Now our master has lost control of everything and with it his, along with our, life hangs upon the destruction of that monster." the doctor pointed to the struggling revenant "Our concern is solely towards Moria, and it just so happens our interests align for now. And looking at it, you certainly could use the help."

"Why should we trust you?" Zoro growled "As far as we're concerned you'd just as easily stab us in the back right now."

"We are but 2 people against everyone that Master Moria has conflict with, we lack his prowess and we've already met our defeat against some of you. Do you really think we'd be a threat any more than what you are up against?"

"Well he does have a point there, we've already beaten them once we know how they operate." Robin mused.

"Besides, our shadows are also trapped inside that monster. When the sun comes up, we too will perish if we don't have them back." Hogback explained "Speaking of the time limit, I've also taken the liberty of giving you more leeway. Have you noticed the air changing?"

The group glanced around and realized what the mad scientist said was true. The air was notably foggier than before, with the atmosphere covered.

"He's right!" Luffy cried "The sun probably would be coming over the horizon by now, but we're still here!"

"This ship has a built in fog generator that we sometimes use as an ambush tactic. Even though we mostly stay within the Florian Triangle, there are times where we needed to venture out of the fog and we needed cover." Hogback noted "It was slightly damaged when you lot fought Oars earlier, but there was enough juice in it to create a dense enough fog to give you roughly 6 extra minutes before we drift out into the sun. You're welcome."

"…Well that certainly helps." Gian reluctantly accepted the aid "At least we can plan out more tactics."

"But I can't believe we're actually going to work together!" Nami sighed "My time with them wasn't exactly pleasant!"

"Hey! If it weren't for the fact that we're trying to avenge our master we wouldn't be here! This night has been terrible for us too!" Absalom yowled, before giving a lecherous leer towards the navigator "Unless of course, we can resume our wedding and-!"

"THE HELL WE ARE!" the cat burglar screeched before bonking the invisible man with her Clima-tact "IF YOU EVEN STEP HALF A STEP CLOSE TO ME I'LL BLOW YOU INTO THE OCEAN!"

"Some people have no shame." Lola shook her head, causing the lion-muzzle man to whirl on her.

"SHUT UP! YOU'RE ONE TO TALK! YOUR PAIN OF A ZOMBIE WON'T STOP PESTERING ME TO MARRY HER EVERY SINCE WE STOLE YOUR SHADOW!"

"Are you out of your mind?!" the pink-haired woman yelled back "That's the craziest thing I've ever heard! Why would I ever want to marry you?! I may be looking for a husband but I have standards!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY YOU-?!" it's safe to say Nami took quite a bit of pleasure in seeing the pervert get set straight.

"In any case, we've provided aid in your time of need. Now go and repay us by ending this travesty so we all don't have to fear about unravelling with the morning sun."

"…You did one thing." Franky sweat-dropped "And that was after you realized what a mess you made."

"We're not your puppets Hogback!" Chopper snapped.

"Still, he did get our monster to stop moving." Sanji noted, observing the undead Kaiju struggling to remove the crushing chains from his back "Not that we wouldn't have done so eventually anyway."

"What do you guys think?" Zoro asked their leadership "As far as I see it, there's really not much they can do to us."

Luffy and Gian looked at each other, wordlessly deliberating their situation. Finally the captain shrugged and nodded: Their decision is made.

"If you even think about betraying us I'm feeding you to that asshole." Gian growled.

"The undead do not need sustenance, I think you already knew that. Now let's make haste, Project Alpha is becoming rambunctious."

---

The group turned to see Grendolas slowly overcoming the weight. The single eye that remained glared hatefully at the group. Gian bunched his muscles and prepared to fight again.

"Do we have any more salt left?"

"I tried shooting into his mouth but he just burned all of it." Usopp mumbled sadly.

"There's still a bit of it left on my sword." Brook stated "But as we've seen already that's not enough."

"You're the one that makes these things, how else do we get rid of them?" Franky flicked the surgeon's head.

Dr. Hogback looked back with mild annoyance before fixing his glasses "If that monster can still be considered a zombie, you can still completely destroy the body by burning it. That should get it to release the shadow, or shadows in this case."

"Like what I did to that samurai." Zoro ginned.

"Well that's just great isn't it? We've been at it for the last 20 or so minutes but we can't even make a dent in it." Sanji retorted.

Gian closed his eyes, breathing in "There may be one way, it takes a bit of energy and about 20 seconds to prepare but it's probably my most powerful move."

"We're all ears." Zoro nodded.

"He's about to break free of the restraints, and when he does we'll do what we do best: attack him all at once. Once I'm charged up I'll hit him with it and hopefully blow a hole through his body."

The group looked at each other, a smile slowly gracing their lips "Sounds like a plan. We have about 8 more minutes left, let's make it count!" Nami grinned. And their decision came right as the rig of chains erupted outwards as Grendolas burst from his restraints.

"I grow tired of your resistance!" the undead Kaiju rasped "If you really wish to die, then I will make sure not even ash remains!"

"HEY ASSHOLE!" Grendolas' attention shot to his right as Sanji leapted up "WE'RE NOT DONE WITH YOU YET!" the undead Kaiju swiped down with his claws, but only for the cook to vault over, his leg once again igniting.

"Diable Jambe: Flambage Shot!" The former Kaiju-Zoan user gritted his teeth as Sanji's explosive kick sank into his temple. Knocking his head down, he realized the fluttering of petals signaled a move he's now familiar with.

"Cien Fleur: Clutch!" Robin's voice dropped the moment the arms clenched around the giant Kaiju, just enough to hold him until another attack comes. Grendolas easily overthrew his restraints in another shower of petals, Robin gritting her teeth through the pain as he did so, but by then the rest of the Straw Hats have joined up in the attack, and Grendolas would soon find how coordinated they are. One arm grabbing onto a dorsal Fin, Franky swung himself and Chopper up over the monster's head before rearing back their fists and delivering two punches right in the center of his skull.

"Strong Right!"

"Heavy Gong!"

The impact forcing him to dip to the ground. Grendolas shook his head in irritation only to see that Nami had already slid under his legs.

"How's this for predictable?" Nami grinned as the tip of her Clima-tact spun rapidly before she fired it off, targeting his remaining eye "Cyclone Tempo!"

Grendolas grunted as his vision was temporarily blinded, even more so as more explosions peppered his head. His eyes tracking the best he can, he could just make out Brook dashing at rapid speeds whole carrying the long-nosed sniper on his back. Usopp fired round after round at him, trying to goad the undead Kaiju into tracking him.

"Come on! I bet you can't catch us! Hissatsu: Rokuren Mamushi Boshi!"

---

"Come on you guys! He's getting swamped by you all!" Lola and the remaining pirates cheered.

"Just a bit more… I'll be able to finish it then!" Gian thought with approval, atomic energy still gathering within him.

"Looks like I was right to rely on them." Dr. Hogback nodded before turning to his partner "Absalom, would you reveal the grand finale?" the lion-muzzled man nodded before channeling his devil fruit for a bit.

---

Grendolas was becoming increasingly irate at the pirates striking at him from all angles. His dorsal fins begin to light up; not even they can survive a direct hit from this.

"Enough games! I will burn this island until-!" The air behind him shimmered slightly, which made his eye dart back.

Just in time to see Luffy and Zoro dive towards him as Absalom's invisibility powers were turned off.

"You're not gonna be burning anything today!" Luffy shouted as he placed his thumb into his mouth once more. Zoro however was much faster, Shusui, Sandai Kitetsu and Wado Ichimonji drawn and ready to cut.

"Santoryu: Hyakuhachi Pound Ho!" Grendolas braced against the wind blades, before finally firing his spirit-like Atom Ray at the incoming duo. Luffy was already spinning around in the air, bending his body out of the way of the incinerating beam.

"Gian! We got him set up! Any time now!" Zoro called out as he landed and rolled. Meanwhile Luffy eyes never left the undead Kaiju. A vein bulged in Grendolas' head; out of every human so far, this young pirate with the straw hat has been the most resilient. The fact that a single individual could stand up to him was unthinkable, yet this child and the rest of his crew have given him more of a fight than any army has.

"Now give us back our shadows!" Luffy shouted, his foot lashing out as the air within his bones expanded the appendage to gigantic proportions. At this distance, even he would be sent flying by such a powerful kick. Grendolas roared in defiance, his right arm igniting in shadowy energy as he prepared to strike back.

"Atom Fist!"

"Gomu Gomu no Gigant Stamp!"

A fist clashed with the foot, both of them vying for supremacy. Luffy shouted in exertion as he pushed forward, and Grendolas met it with equal force. When two immovable objects meet however, neither of them could go further as the two were knocked apart by the resulting shockwave. Luffy was sent tumbling before Zoro caught him, while Grendolas stumbled slightly and tried to catch his balance.

Because of that, he only just realized that his living counterpart's dorsal fins were now glowing crimson.

"What? Is he about to use another Atom Ray?" Grendolas' eye widened "That color is different than what it's supposed to look!"

"It doesn't matter! No matter what you try you can't overpower me! Atom Ray!"

"Can't I?" was Gian's response as he reared his head back "Atom Spiral!"

That was when Grendolas realized something was wrong. The moment his blue beam struck Gian's glowing red one he could feel immense power strumming from the opposing energy blast. The vermillion thermonuclear ray packed far more energy, and Grendolas felt himself straining from the blast. He dug his feet into the ground, and his own beam shoved forwards an inch.

Before promptly being overpowered and the undead Kaiju felt the searing heat carve into his body, roaring in alarm as he strained against the blast, feeling himself be carried by the kinetic energy.

"W-Whoa!" Franky stammered.

"It's even cooler than his blue one!" Chopper's eyes glowed.

"It's working! Grendolas is being overpowered!" Nami pointed.

"We can win this!" Lola gasped.

"So that's why Moria-sama wanted his shadow… if that power was once used by Project Alpha in life, only his would've…" Dr. Hogback glowered.

The beam struck with such a force that Grendolas struck the mast with a heavy thud as Gian finally subsided the beam. The Kaiju-Zoan user panted slightly; Atom Spiral could strike with many times the force, but it consumed much more energy than his usual beam. Whereas regular Atom Rays could be fired without much problem Gian estimates he only has enough in the tank for at most 3 of the former, and only if he was well rested.

On the other hand, one strike was enough to nearly down Grendolas.

"T-To think… the Goji-Goji no Mi had more to it…" his shadowy hide was now tinted red as pieces of it fell away, Grendolas staggered to get up, still glaring at his living counterpart.

"When you said you knew everything I was capable of, I realized that was true. Everything that came to me when I have access to this power, there was no doubt you would've been able to do the same." Gian's eyes hardened "But you were unopposed, nothing the world had at the time could've stood against you. You never had to hone this power, because you were never threatened in the first place!"

"But I have nakama to protect, I have the lives of many that I depend on who rely on me back. For them, this power will grow to a point where even you could not hope to reach!"

"So it seems… but it was for naught. I am still conscious, and I will not let you get another chance to hit me with that again!"

*Crack

Gian only shook his head "That is, if you're able to even move after this." And only then did Grendolas realized that the area around him was getting darker. His eye widened upon realizing the horrifying truth:

The mast was now broken.

And it was about to topple onto him.

"Timber!" Sanji yelled, grabbing onto Usopp and Chopper before leaping out of the way.

"Everybody take cover!" Zoro carried Luffy out of the way as well. Gian finally dove to the side, his massive frame covering the remainder of the group as the gigantic pole finally fell to the ground, sending forth a huge cloud of dust and debris.

Grendolas, by contrast, was stuck directly under it.

---

As the rubble cloud obscured vision and caused everyone to cough, Gian finally relented before shaking off the dust.

"Did we win?" Luffy coughed.

"Even something that big should've been crushed, that mast is pretty heavy." Brook dusted his hair off.

"Probably, but don't forget he's technically not alive in the first place." Robin stated "What would killed us violently would probably be unable to-"

"SKREEEEEOOOONNNNK!"

Shock was returned to the gathering people's faces as the dust cleared, revealing the horrific scene behind it. Even though the whole mast was pinned atop of him, Grendolas was still struggling to break free. Angry and raging, but still very much moving, the undead Kaiju's glare sent a chill down the spines of those watching him. The mast was starting to crack, barely holding the beast down as it began to push itself up.

"You just had to say it." Zoro sighed.

"What a horrible creature…" Lola stammered "The worst part about it all is that it's not a living being, yet it's still trying to get back up!"

"We have about 6 minutes left before sunrise." One of the Risky Brothers added grimly.

"So we really do have to burn him down to nothing but ashes. I was certain my Atom Spiral could finish it, but it tanked a hit even there…!"

"Burning, huh?" Franky mumbled before stepping forward "If firepower from one source couldn't work, then maybe we need to combine our power."

The cyborg stared back at the crew, before his voice commanded a mixture of emotions "We're going to have to dock."

---

"We are not!" Robin's cool demeanor suddenly turned sharp.

"I'm not getting involved in that again!" Zoro and Sanji both snapped.

"Why? It sounds like fun." Luffy shrugged.

"Relax, this doesn't involve all of you." Franky grinned, before pointing to 3 of the Straw Hats in particular "I just need them; we're going to do that move."

Gian gasped "But we haven't even tested it yet! We have no idea whether or not it'll work!"

"That's a risky gamble… we might not have enough time!" Usopp stammered.

"Surely there has to be another way!" Chopper took a step back.

"It's because we're running out of options that we need to do this!" Franky urged "If we pull it off, it may just be what we need!"

"…Fine, we have nothing else to lose after all."

---

"What's going on?" Nami blinked, but her question went ignored when the four rushed forwards.

"LET'S DO THISSSSS!" the four of them bellowed, the air around them suddenly whipping into a frenzy.

And soon, she'd wished she never asked at all.

"Where did all this light come from?!" Zoro had to shield himself as the sudden burst of blue light ignited seemingly out of nowhere. The rest of the group had to do the same, the blinding illumination was enough to make the darkness of Thriller Bark seem almost as bright as day.

And then they heard it, the call of the arrival of a creation so grand that nothing they imagined could compare. In the situation they could only comprehend the fact that it was in front of them.

"SUPER COMBINATION DOCKING-!"

"-They didn't…" Sanji grimaced.

"-GREAT INFERNAL WAR MACHINE-!"

"-I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" Luffy shouted.

"-GIGANTISSSSS!"

It was simple in execution, but to the four that just pulled if off it was nothing short of exhilarating. Gasping proudly, Gian stood firmly as his tail swished about, both arms raised to show Franky and Usopp straddling each one with their weapons raised. And to add to that, Chopper perched right in the middle of his head, nothing more than a small dot waving a flag that consisted of nothing but a flaming monster skull, gritting his teeth in a show of intimidation.

And upon seeing that, the crew could only-

"-THAT'S IT?!" Nami facefaulted.

"What did I expect...?" Zoro and Sanji both gave a deadpan grumble.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Luffy bemoaned "WHY DIDN'T YOU GUYS INVITE ME TO DO THIS?!"

"We did!" Gian expalines smugly "Maybe next time you won't blow us off because, in your words, Meat is more important!"

"You know he won't!" Usopp cackled "He'll just have to miss out!"

"You snooze, you lose, 'Straw Hat!'" Franky shrugged.

"Sorry about this Luffy!" Chopper apologized, doing nothing to reassure the captain as he wept about missing out on the experience of a lifetime.

"Even their voices changed…" Brook observed with amusement as he noted the increased reverb that came with the transformation.

"…How did we lose to these fools…?" Dr. Hogback grimaced and looked at Absalom, the latter was equally as confused.

"You guys are incredible!" Lola gasped "Were they really saving such a powerful move for last?"

"They're nothing but idiots!" Nami snapped "I can't believe I didn't see it earlier. Robin maybe we should think-Robin?"

The only thing more notable than the monstrosity that just appeared was the growing darkness from their archaeologist. Although she said nothing, the look on her face told it all. Her eyes, though shadowed, were trained on the figure that stood before them, specifically on the largest one of all. Unfortunately for Gian, he was too preoccupied by their accomplishment to fell that something was wrong.

"Robin-chwan's contempt is going through the roof…" Sanji gulped.

"Gian…" her disappointment was immeasurable, her day was completely ruined "…why do you know this…?"

---

If her thoughts reached the Kaiju-Zoan user, he must've ignored it. At this moment, the conglomeration was too busy striding towards the downed undead that they were about to vanquish!

"What the hell is this?!" Grendolas growled.

"It's your doom, that's what it is!" the four shouted boisterously "By the Holy Power within us, YOU WILL BE CLEANSED FROM THIS WORLD!" Grendolas could only watch as the incoming attack fired towards him.

"BURN WITH THE MIGHT OF THE UNIVERSE' CREATION! HISSATSU: ULTIMATE ATOMIC FIRESTORM HEAT DEATH 16!"

"WHY DID YOU GIVE YOUR ATTACK SUCH A LONG NAME, AND WHAT'S WITH THE NUMBER AT THE END?!" Zoro, Sanji and Nami all face-faulted. It was too ridiculous, they decided, and they'd much rather not think about it now. Still, the display was impressive: an Atom Ray from Gian, a Firebird Star from Usopp, and even Franky participated with a fresh gout of fire from his mouth. Three individual sources of heat, combined to make one mighty inferno that enveloped Grendolas in a tornado of fire.

"It's working!" Chopper cheered "he's swallowed by the flames!"

"Yeah! Let him burn!" Usopp cackled.

"One more push boys!" Franky shouted.

"I can't believe it!" Nami's smile slowly grew "I think they're actually doing it!"

"SO COOL!" Luffy cried.

Robin said nothing; while she can't deny its effectiveness, her lover's involvement was something she can't live down.

"Just a bit more, I can see the shadows beginning to be singed off! We got-!"

"YOU DARE MOCK ME?!"

Then everything came crashing down, as everyone in the amalgamation's eyes widened in horror as the pinned Kaiju's body flashed 3 times with light.

"Crap! Eject! EJECT!"

Then the shockwave hit them, along with everyone else. Their preoccupied status meant that the Atom Pulse that was unleashed was unable to be avoided, and the entire area was enveloped in darkness.

---

By the time the dust cleared, the survivors have been scattered. The area was almost completely decimated, a single pulse reducing the already near-shambles mansion to little more than scrap. The Straw Hats were disorientated as they tried to stand up, their surroundings little more than a blur. As they gathered each other up, they were just aware of the dull thud of Grendolas' footsteps in the backgound

"ARGH!" Franky shouted as he burst out of a pile of wooden beams "Is everyone ok?"

"Robin got hit pretty bad!" Nami winced, her own body re-establishing itself from the shockwave. The archaeologist was slumped over, having hit her head pretty hard as a trail of blood trickled down her forehead.

"I'm ok!" Brook reached out weakly "I'm already dead so that didn't come as close to killing me as it would've…"

"Help the captain!" A few of the Rolling Pirates wheezed as they tried to lift a pile of stone from atop Lola, the latter struggling to get free.

"Wait… Just a moment… I'll get everyone patched up…!" Chopper panted, dragging their dizzy sniper out of the debris "Hang on Usopp!"

"Damn it… Project Alpha is still alive…!" Absalom gritted as he staggered up, while Dr. Hogback was more or less dazed as he blearily fixed his glasses.

"AHH!" Luffy shouted as he burst from the rubble alongside Zoro and Sanji, panting as he did so. The smoke was beginning to clear. And they could just make out the dark silhouette of Grendolas looming over them.

Then they realize it was worse.

"Wait… where's-?" Sanji's eyes widened in horror.

"He was closest to the blast!" Chopper reacted in fear "That means-!"

"RRRRGGGGGGAAAH!"

In a daze the crew all looked on to see their resident Kaiju-Zoan user pinned down hard by his undead counterpart. Grendolas' foot was pressed hard into his chest as his right hand was gripped around the struggling Gian's head.

---

"GIAN!" "BEAST WARRIOR!"

"You could've prevented this." The revenant hissed "We've could've unleashed our power and showed people the reality of the Kaiju. Prevented what would eventually come!" Gian let out another roar of pain as Grendolas squeezed down harder "Instead you'll be nothing more than another tragedy in the name of my goal."

"You really… still don't get it… do you…?" Gian managed to wheeze out before Grendolas stomped on his head. Lifting his living counterpart by the tail, the undead Kaiju roared in exertion as he swung him in a circle before tossing him far into the distance. The ground shook once

"If you're so intent on protecting people out there from me, you should've been more concerned about the crewmates I'm about to slaughter." Grendolas then turned to the survivors below, taking in the sight of their reaction to him. Many of them upon seeing him leering down simply turned tail and ran, while others fell to their knees in despair.

"I-Is there really no hope left…?" One of the Risky Brothers whimpered as tears began to flow out of his eyes "5 years we've suffered under Moria…! Are we really doomed to die?"

"Captain! Theres-" another member begged "We've only got less than 2 minutes left before the sun comes up! What do we do…?" But Lola couldn't answer that, she could only grip her swords while a multitude of thoughts

"Mama… I never told you where I went… do you even know that this is where my final moments will be?"

"W-What have I done…?" Dr. Hogback fell to his knees "I just wanted to create the ultimate zombie for Master Moria… yet this abomination is about to lead to his demise…! And it's all my fault!"

Grendolas took in the sight of despair with relish; even in the past, there were people who thought they had the power to stand up to him. Each and every one of them eventually met their end in torrents of atomic fire.

He does not enjoy killing, but at this moment he'd be lying if he said he wasn't satisfied by-

"YOU'RE UNFORGIVABLE!"

"LUFFY!"

---

And that voice alone was enough to sour his mood. Grendolas' head shot down as he glared hard at the approaching rubber captain. Even though Luffy was little more than limping at this point, his eyes were still full of fire as he straightened out his straw hat, a garment that miraculously remained undamaged up to this point.

"YOU STILL HAVE EVERYONE'S SHADOWS CAPTIVE! YOU HURT MY FIRST MATE! IF I GIVE UP RIGHT NOW YOU'RE GOING TO HURT EVEN MORE PEOPLE!" despite his injuries, Luffy still pounded his fist into his palm, even as Grendolas stomped over and towered over him. The contrast was too obvious; in front of the monstrosity Luffy was merely a speck, yet the boy's shone with fire that burned with such an intensity that Grendolas himself had to pause.

"I'M NOT GIVING UP HERE! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS UNTIL EVERY SHADOW IS FREE!" Luffy shouted at the top of his lungs.

The ground trembled as Grendolas leaned down, Luffy being dwarfed even by his eye "You still wish to stand up to me? Your entire crew lay in shambles. One breath and I can turn them into ash. Even my successor cannot withstand my power. Why do you still resist?"

"Because I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!" Luffy answered "I won't let you hurt my nakama, and I won't let you hurt anyone else that don't have a clue about what you are!"

Grendolas narrowed his eye, before his snaggletoothed jaws cracked into a grin "Loathe I am to admit it, your determination and your lack of fear is admirable. There was but one man in my life time that reacted to me without fear, though you are still far from him." Luffy said nothing as Grendolas' dorsal spines began glowing once more "I care little about your proclaimed titles, this will be your final warning. Stand in my way and you will join the countless souls that exist merely as waste when I demonstrate the Kaiju's power."

"I've faced the Kaiju before, I've fought alongside someone with the powers of one." Was Luffy's response "I'm not worried about what you can do!"

"No, I'm worse." and torrents of thermonuclear fire rained down, only for Luffy's steaming body to already flit out of the way. Even as his body was screaming in pain, the captain ignored it and only threw a rapid punch before he was swatted away.

---

"Shit… even now he's still putting himself ahead for all of us…" Zoro cursed. Yes, they were supposed to trust him as a captain, but he who have already been exhausted by the night's fighting, even Luffy has a limit.

"Our captain and First Mate are putting everything on the line… Yet all we can do is sit by?" Sanji gritted "There's gotta be a way we can help!"

Chopper suddenly perked up, remembering something he had seen "Guys, have you noticed something off about Grendolas?"

"He's as scary as ever? I don't really want to look at him!" Usopp cried

"Not that!" the reindeer urged "Look at his body! Look at how many wounds he has? Earlier I remember Brook taking out one of his eyes with his sword, looking at him now that eye is still missing!" Grendolas was indeed worse for wear than when they first saw him. The earlier 3 pronged fire attack had scorched off layers of his hide, while what appears to be cracks have appeared in parts of his body. That of course, was not discounting the now blind left eye was still leaking wisps of shadow.

"So? We've been wailing on him for the last half hour I'll be damned if we didn't do something!" Franky groaned.

"That's not it! Look closer! Remember, he might've absorbed all the shadows from Moria, but he was still reanimated by Gian's shadow! The difference between him and Gian is that-"

"-Gian can regenerate his wounds…!" Nami slowly realized.

"That's right… The Shitty Monster's shadow might be the base for him, and he's able to replicate some of his abilities the best he can, but he's still an undead! He's not a perfect copy!" Sanji exclaimed.

"And the very thing he lacks… is that in order to heal he has to absorb shadows… But there are no more shadows on Thriller Bark!" Robin winced.

"Which means if we hit him hard enough, we can break him apart permanently!" Zoro grinned, once again drawing out his swords.

"Hold on…!" Chopper, in Brain Point got into a stance "SCOPE!" his concentration unbroken, he narrowed his eyes before gasping.

"There!" the reindeer pointed "On the side of his neck!" it was hard to see from this angle, but there was indeed something embedded within the skin.

"One of Moria's scissors!" Usopp gawked "He must've stabbed him before he got knocked out!"

"If we can somehow push it deeper into his body, it could cause enough pressure to unravel his entire being." Robin deduced "And Luffy is still willing enough to do so."

"Then let's go! Our captain's waiting for us!" Zoro nodded, the first to get up and dashed towards the titanic undead. The rest followed suit, ready to end it once and for all.

---

A short distances away, Brook had been observing the fight when he realized movement from the Straw Hats. His eye sockets widened when he realized, even now, they were still willing to fight!

"You guys…"

"We're going to beat him, is what we'll do!" Sanji answered.

"You really think there's a way? The sun will emerge less than a minute!"

"There's nothing else to lose at this point!" Franky barked.

"Luffy… Gian… they're both putting their lives for us." Robin gritted "We can't let them down like this."

"Now or never." Nami nodded.

"I'm a brave warrior of the sea, if I can't even protect my captain and First Mate then I have no right to call myself that!" Usopp shouted.

"Incredible…!" the skeleton was in awe, before he too unsheathed his blade and dashed forwards as well "Then you can count me in as well! I've been wallowing in pity for 5 years, I can't break my promise to Laboon at the last minute!"

---

This activity did not go unnoticed, as the energy the group had soon spread to the rest of the survivors.

"Captain look!" The Risky Brothers pointed "The Straw Hats are still not giving up!"

"Those guys are crazy!" Absalom shouted "There's no way Project Alpha can be defeated now!"

"They just won't fall would they?" Dr. Hogback stammered.

"Straw Hat…" Lola murmured. It took a moment for her face to harden "They really are the ones that will save us." Picking herself up, she got to one of the remaining high points of the ruined courtyard before shouting her message.

"YOU CAN DO IT STRAW HAT PIRATES! FREE ALL THE SHADOWS!"

---

Luffy cried out as he hit the ground hard again after Grendolas swiped down his arm, before promptly leaping back up as blood rushed through his veins

"Gear Second…!" leaping out like a bullet, he aimed right for the underside of Grendolas' jaw "Gomu Gomu no Jet Stamp!"

The kick was forceful, but this time Grendolas wasted no time in striking back. A glow near the rubber captain made Luffy's eyes widen as the undead Kaiju's energy infused fist surged towards him.

"Atom Fist!"

"AAAAH!" Luffy shouted in pain as he crashed to the ground. Immediately, Grendolas' claws dug into where he landed, ripping him from his stupor as the titan carried him to eye level.

"Never have I ever took the satisfaction of personally exterminating a life." His throat began to flare up again as Luffy stared at him angrily "I guess there is a first for-!"

"Oni Giri!"

Grendolas' rage was violent as his hand was cut into, his victim freed as Zoro carved across his hand. The Kaiju roared in anger; it wasn't just the boy, his entire crew were harder to put down than cockroaches! As Zoro landed, his swords primed at his side, the rest of the Straw Hats all gathered beside him.

"Vermin!"

"You guys!" Luffy grinned "You're still able to fight?"

"Don't count us out yet, Luffy!" Sanji smirked.

"Just because we're missing a giant monster doesn't mean we're backing down!" Nami answered.

"Then let's rip the shadows from him!" the captain said, right as Grendolas released a torrent of atomic fire at them.

"Luffy! Before Moria got usurped he managed to impale a scissor blade into the side of Grendolas' neck!" Usopp mentioned as he ran "We think if we hit that hard enough, we could rip a big enough hole in his side and the shadows can escape!"

"Then let's aim for that!" the captain nodded "Hit him as hard as you can!"

"First let's bring him down to size!" Nami replied, spinning her clima-tact as vapors began to form. Eventually the clouds were dense around Grendolas as he tried to cut his way through "Rain Tempo!"

"My turn!" Usopp shouted as he fired a shot "Hissatsu: Tokuyo Abura boshi!"

"What is this?!" Grendolas growled at the seemingly harmless tricks before continuing his charge.

"Now Nico Robin! Restrain him!" Franky shouted, lashing out his right fist and grabbing onto one of his dorsal fins as Grendolas stomped down on where he was.

"As is the plan." The archaeologist nodded "Cien Fleur: Clutch!"

The same forest of arms again, this time forming a tripwire around his feet. As one they tightened and Gendolas felt his footing begin to slip. Normally something like this wouldn't be able to topple him, except this time it was different.

The combined force of wet rain and slick oil removed all resistance in where he stood. With a barking shout Grendolas fell like a massive oak, the ground rocked by his impact.

"He's down!" Chopper shouted as he rode atop of Brook "Now! Hit him in the head!"

He, Brook and Franky immediately leapt towards him each reading their own attack. Their plan was to further make sure the undead Kaiju doesn't get up, and with the ground still slippery, they have plenty of ways to do so.

"STRONG RIGHT!"

"HEAVY GONG!"

"Gavotte Bond de Amonte!"

With a cry the three of them stuck with a force that caused Grendolas to end up with a mouthful of dirt. Glaring up at them, the undead Kaiju tried to lash out with his tail, but by then their job was done!

Because the Monster Trio had leapt into action.

"It's up to you three now!" Usopp shouted "Hit em where it counts!"

"Already ahead of ya!" Sanji was the fasted of the three. The air began to burn as his leg ignited once more, he was the first to reach the scissor blade embedded in the side of his neck.

"You've been invulnerable thus far, but this one crucial detail will be the end of you! Diable Jambe: Extra Hachis!"

The moment his kick struck, Grendolas knew something was wrong. As the blade embedded itself deeper into his neck, he could feel as if the area where the blade remained was beginning to split apart. If that goes any deeper then…

"NO!" upon realization Grendolas already began to fire more Atom Rays to deter any approach, but Zoro had already reached him.

"Ichi Gorilla…" Shusui in one hand, Wado Ichimonji in the other, Zoro leapt down "Ni Gorilla… Santoryu: NIGORI ZAKE!"

The hammer slice further caused Grendolas to spout out a black spray of shadow out of his mouth, but it wasn't finished yet. Luffy had recovered by this point, his lips wrapped around a thumb as he blew.

"If you can't get over your problems with the world, you should just remain dead! Gomu Gomu no: Gigant Pistol!"

The punch was so forceful that the scissor blade ripped through his neck and out the other end! Grendolas uttered a choking cough as more black wisps began to seep through, he tried to stuff them with his hands, but the crack was getting bigger and bigger.

---

"They're doing it! The shadows are breaking free!" Lola gasped in joy.

"You… WORTHLESS INSECTS!" Grendolas howled "If you wish to experience the powers of a Kaiju, then prepare to be reduced to nothing! ATOM R-GRRUUGH!"

The iridescent glow happened, but the beam did not strike. Instead, it ruptured through a dangerous angle; Gendolas' remaining eye twitched as he saw the shadow-replicated beam rip through the fresh hole the Straw Hats made in the side of his neck!

"It worked!" Chopper shouted "The wound is too big to close!"

"The shadows are pouring out now." Robin pointed "Keep this up and-!"

---

"THE SUN!"

"THE SUN'S COMING UP!"

But it wasn't fast enough. As the first rays of dawn peered over the horizon, the land was slowly alit by the glow of sunlight.

Once welcoming, now it brought nothing but terror.

"RUN! EVERYONE WHO HASN'T GOTTEN THEIR SHADOWS BACK GET TO SHADE!"

"OH CRAP!" they could hear Dr. Hogback shout "Run Absalom!" The Lion-muzzled man promptly turned the both of them invisible as they fled the scene as fast as they could.

"AAAHHHH! I'M DISINTEGRATING!" a few of the Thriller Bark Victim's Association were unable to reach shade fast enough as the sunbeams hit, and upon contact they promptly burst into bright flames as their shadowless forms could no longer sustain them.

"Skreahaha… SKREHAHAHA!" Grendolas' crazed cackled was heard "So this is how it ends! Those of you without shadows, can you last until it comes back!?"

"Just a bit more!" Sanji shouted "We can do this! Any second it will-!"

"AAAAHHHH!"

"CHOPPER!"

The reindeer, who had lost his shadow to Grendolas earlier, was also a victim to the incoming sunlight. Parts of his antlers were already vanishing as the doctor ran around fantically.

"Cover him!" Franky barked, and they managed to slow down a little

Wait… Luffy!" Zoro shouted as he remembered that the captain had also lost his shadow as well. His eyes widened in horror as part of his captain began to flare up as well.

"Don't worry about me!" Luffy shouted back; it was only through sheer willpower that his disintegration was held back "I'm not going anywhere! Not until all the shadows are back!" the captain declared with gusto, even as Grendolas loomed over him one final time.

"IT'S OVER FOR YOU! IF I AM TO FALL HERE, THEN I WILL TAKE PLEASURE IN SEEING YOU VANISH BEFORE I DO! MY LEGACY WILL NOT-!"

*KABOOM!

---

"What was that!?" Brook jumped. As the survivors looked around uncertainty, each of them reacted in shock at the mushroom cloud that emerged in the distance. Then the rest of the occurrence caught up to them, and they felt everything at once.

"Hey… is it just me or is it getting hotter?" A member of the Thriller Bark Victim's Association stammered.

"I feel it too! Look! The rocks are glowing red! Something's-!"

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT!"

---

One by one the Straw Hats turned to the direction of the explosion and what they saw made their mouths drop. What came after was a mix of relief and uncertainty.

"Is… Is that-?" Usopp gulped.

"GRENDOLAS!"

"Gian…!" Robin whispered in relief.

"But what's with his body?" Franky shouted "It like he swallowed a star and it's burning inside him!"

---

Striding forward in spite of the rising sun, Gian's eyes were glowing like burning coals. But those eyes that once pieces the soul were easily the least notable part about him now. His Full Transformation still standing tall, it was the glowing patches of burning skin and flesh that pockmarked his body that stood out, entire stretches of smoldering red. Steam poured from him like a volcano as he broke into a dash, each thundering footstep causing fiery sparks to rupture from the ground.

Just being around him was a treacherous endeavour, as both Absalom and Dr. Hogback soon found out when they crossed paths with the Kaiju-Zoan user as they tried to escape. The surgeon's coat had promptly caught fire, giving him quite a fright as he was forced to ditch the outfit before continuing to run.

"Impossible…!" Grendolas managed to croak out when Gian reached him at last, claws aimed back before slamming both into his undead counterpart's chest. The energy that enveloped them was now a fiery red rather than his usual blue, and when Grendolas was stuck, it was as if his insides had exploded along with it.

"Get to cover!" Nami shouted as the Straw Hats began to distance themselves "We're gonna burn up if we stay around him!"

"Chopper's losing more of himself!" Franky alerted them of the reindeer's condition.

"Gian lost his shadow too," Robin noted "But in that Burning form it seems to be repairing just as much as he's lost to the sun." Indeed, Gian's own disintegration seemed to be slower, though still very evident by the large amount of smoke emitted from him. Still, with the smoldering parts of his body also emitting steam, it was hard to tell which was which.

"What is this form? How are you able to do this?!" Grendolas rasped, but Gian was beyond talking now. Another crimson energy-infused punch had caused a shock wave so hard that Grendolas once again retched out shadows.

"ATOM RAY!" One last ditch attempt, Grendolas used all his willpower to channel the energy properly, minimizing the damage to his already wounded neck. The single thermonuclear Ray struck the super-charged Gian square in the chest.

This time, he didn't feel a thing.

And when he retaliated it was the pure beam of pure crimson from before. The Spiral Ray, previously a very energy taxing move, was now the core ability of this new powered form. Grendolas soon learned that as he was struck repeatedly with more vermillion beams, each hit fracturing his body further!

So caught up in his rampage did Gian only realize a smaller figure had stepped up alongside him mid-blast. Despite the tremendous heat, Luffy seemed unaffected as he grinned at his First Mate. Surrounding his body was now a cloak of red Aura, he noted the similarity to what he experienced back when he and Gian fought side by side at Enies Lobby. Even as his body began to lose itself to the sun, there was still one last thing they needed to do.

"Welcome back, Gian." the captain grinned, his black colored pupils now a dim red within the cloak of Aura "Ready to end this?"

And for the first time since going critical, Gian's words were heard. Loud and booming, the reverbing sound drew all attention.

"You first, captain."

"I can't be defeated…! I was brought back for a reason!" Grendolas howled, but luffy already dashed forward. Gear Second activating, it wasn't until he leapt at the shadowy Kaiju did he expand his body.

"Gomu Gomu no Jet Shell!"

"RRRAAAARRGGHHHH!" The impact had cause Grendolas' chest to practically implode upon itself, so much so that the area where Luffy's cannonball like strike landed had begun to crack in a spider web fashion. It was enough to knock him onto his back, and as more shadows were freeing themselves Grendolas could just barely look up to see Gian charging up one more Atom Spiral.

Feebly he held out a hand, right as Gian uttered his last words.

"GIVE ME BACK MY SHADOW MOTHERF-!"

And Grendolas' vision exploded in white as the beam tore through his chest.

Flashback:

The night was dim, upon seas of flames one giant stood above the rest. Around him the remains of warships remained burning, but the monster's attention had not been on them.

It has been one full year since he discovered the fruit, one year since he sealed his fate forever. On the run, forced to continue the goal he set for himself even though it plunged the world into destruction, Grendolas' mind was jumbled.

"Can I really make them see?" the monster mumbled to no one in particular "Are they willing to see?"

Yes, the World Government's insistence that there were no Kaiju-Zoans, that the Kaiju were merely myths, that the oncoming darkness of the original beast is nothing but a sham was the cause of this. They chose to elude the public of the truth. They were the problem.

But for every city he's burned to make his point, every country he's rampaged across, the cries of the dead burned a reminder in his heart.

He had become the monster himself to do so.

And it tore at him.

The soft splashed of waves against a boat finally brought him out of his musing. Grendolas, in his Full Transformation, turned expecting yet another fleet of warships, only to be met with none.

Instead, it was a small fishing boat that greeted him.

And the one who stood upon it was merely one man.

"So this is the King of Monsters." The man, a lanky figure whose eyes seem to gaze past the monster he's watching, spoke in a very soft voice that somehow Grendolas hear loud and clear "I now see just how you are able to cause as much destruction as you have."

"So you know of me." Grendolas put on a sneer as he leaned down "Has the World Government truly gotten so desperate that they'd given up sending armies after me?"

"An army is not needed for what I am to do." the man said sadly. His sallow eyes, the one that wasn't hidden by the eyepatch, shone brightly despite seemingly going through a lot.

"Then do your worst. Slash at me with a sword, fire a gun at my brain. It will do you no good."

"I have none of those, I instead have a question." The man shook his head "My name is Daisuke Serizawa, I feel you may have the answer I seek."

"What are you playing at?" Grendolas growled "Do you not know what I am capable of?"

"Well aware, actually. I've been following your trail of destruction for some time now. Perhaps you can say that it's the sole reason that lead me to you."

Serizawa raised his hand before Grendolas could continue "I care not for your motivation, or your reasoning. Instead I merely wish to ask: do you believe what you leave behind worth it?"

"Of course it is!" Grendolas roared "The trail of fire I blaze is what will show the world the true existence of the monsters that the World Government tried to hide! Every blood that is shed is due to the follies of the World Government! The blood is on their hands! The people will demand the truth! They will seek no more secrets to be hidden!"

Serizawa remained silent as the monster continued his rant, not speaking a word. It was perhaps this reaction that caused Grendolas to pause.

"…At least, that's what I tell myself." Grendolas admitted "Lives were lost for what I wished to accomplish, and I don't know if people are ever the wiser. Must I take more lives until people finally decide to understand more about the Kaiju that came before us?"

"What were you before this?"

"Something that no longer matters. I've given myself to this life, there's no going back."

Serizawa merely nodded before sighing, reaching down to fumble with a chest before he continued to speak. Grendolas noted that the man was wearing a diving suit.

"Whatever you were, death has followed you and become a part of you. Just as it has been for me." The doctor stated before pulling out a small cylindrical canister. Gian could see a silver ball suspended within "I'm a scientist by trade, my goal is supposed to making marvels that helps lives, to enrich existence. Yet if this day passes, perhaps all I will be known for will be a harbinger of death."

"You goals, I cannot judge the morality of such, may have been better in intention but upon unleashing the forbidden power you hold your only legacy is one of death. We attempt to better this world, yet sometimes we will be known for nothing more than our very antithesis." Grendolas was silent as he said that, though whether or not he agrees Serizawa did not know, though he ignored it as he finally readied the object in his hand.

"This is the Oxygen Destroyer, it is a weapon that I invented, and through me it will die as well. I will be taking your life, and through it my own life will be forfeit." Serizawa sighed "Perhaps through this, I will only be known for this instance of death, rather than what I can potentially herald."

"You think I seek death?" Grendolas sneered "I cause death!"

"You do not seek it, yet it is a part of you. Ever since you consumed the forbidden fruit it follows you." Serizawa responded, causing Grendolas to take a step back "You see your methods as just, and perhaps in some twisted way it may be, but deep down you know your message will not be remembered, instead those who knew you will only see you as a bringer of death, a destroyer of worlds."

Grendolas shut his eyes, the same images of fire and screaming people came rushing back.

"I for one, do not want to live in a world where my creation could cause the death of millions. The Oxygen Destroyer was a mistake, something that will die with me. No one will ever recreate it, nor should they. For all intent and purpose, it should've never existed."

"And you think I want you to take my life? I can just destroy you right here."

Serizawa merely smiled "Yes, you can. But then you'd have to continue your quest. While I don't doubt it's something you think is necessary, what do you think people will ultimately do with your message?"

Grendolas pondered for a moment before sighing "I cannot tell you that, the truth is as point even I am uncertain."

"Perhaps that why, some part of you wishes for it to end. You not sure if the truth about the Kaiju is meant to be shared, and if it is, how people would react to it. Or at least, you simply don't want to see the end result."

Two individuals, both couldn't be more different, held their gaze into each other's eyes. In front of the giant beast, Serizawa displayed no fear of any sort.

Grendolas found that part interesting.

Finally Grendolas let out a humorless chuckle "Youthink you have me all figured out, do you?"

"I'm only saying this because it's what I'm feeling myself at this moment. I never wished for this weapon to exist, and no one should ever use it. Perhaps within you I see a kindred spirit, one that has also found their legacy to be misplaced." Serizawa murmured before giving a simple shrug "Then again, maybe I am wrong. After all, I'm just a scientist with a deadly superweapon."

Grendolas had to laugh at that. For some odd reason speaking with the man has been a sense of comfort. Finally, the titanic beast lowered his head and merely nodded.

"This weapon of yours, you have better hope it works."

"It's my life's work, it will succeed in its design, nothing more." Serizawa responded before putting on a diver's helmet. Clasping the Oxygen Destroyer in his hands, he gave one more nod towards the giant monster "Thank you, King of Monsters. This has been a good talk."

As the man dove into the icy waters, Grendolas looked to the sky. The role he played could potentially be the start of opening the eyes of people to a greater secret kept hidden, but what that was, even he didn't know. The odd thing was, Daisuke Serizawa was right: a part of him didn't want to find out, and what he already knows, he wasn't sure he could stop on his own.

Perhaps in death, he could at least clear his mind. The waters around him suddenly flashed brightly with light, and the once monstrous King of Monsters closed his eyes, feeling something rush through him as his body began to break apart.

Grendolas smiled.

Flashback End

"All these years later… there is still so much I am missing…"

His body was fracturing rapidly, the cracks in the form he created for himself now pouring out shadows, the stuck other half of people flying through the air to lands yonder. Around the world, those who have been missing their shadows for years suddenly felt them return, but here locally, it wasn't over yet.

---

"Captain! Please come into the shade! The sun will-!"

"No, I need to see this to its end!" Lola called back "Those pirates, the Straw Hats, they've given everything to help us! I can't be there to not face it with them!" As the sun drew higher, the woman's own body was beginning to immolate, even as Lola willed herself not to die before the end of the battle.

And her confidence was rewarded as her own shadow flew back to her, the burning of her body ceasing instantly. Lola broke into a smile, knowing at that moment, everything was alright

---

"Hey! My shadow came back!" Chopper exclaimed as he felt around the parts of his body that had vanished before. Antlers were now back, his hat was full again. Chopper laughed happily as the rest of the crew crowded around him.

"That means they've done it!" Robin smiled softly.

"You guys actually did it!" Brook noted with wonder.

A few steps away, Luffy himself finally collapsed as the exhaustion of the night caught up to him, watching with his eyes drooping, he too felt the immolation of his body cease and return as his shadow bonded with his body again. For some reason, Gian's shadow seemed to be taking it's time, as the captain watched his First Mate, still glowing brightly as more steam poured from his body, his lips curled upwards as he anticipated his return before falling into a deep sleep.

---

Gian's body was burning, and not just from the sun. His own super charged form seems to be melting off part of his skin and flesh, but he paid little attention to it. Below him, Grendolas' Full Transformation broke apart like a crumbling statue, the Kaiju-Zoan user watched with wonder as shadows began to fly away from the source.

Finally, a massive burst of steam, and a white light enveloped them both. When Gian opened his eyes, it was just the two of them.

"And here I was, thinking I knew everthing about that Fruit." Gian's head looked up to see Grendolas chuckling, the two of them now reverted from their monstrous forms. The final shadow, the one that belongs to him, was reaching back and connecting with his body. As it did so, Grendolas himself began to crack as pieces of him fell off in chunks.

"These monsters, they really are something we can't comprehend, aren't they?"

"I just have one thing to ask." Gian finally spoke "Something about what you said I still can't wrap my head around."

"Really now? I'm about to cease to exist, and you're still full of questions?" Grendolas scoffed.

"You said you're attacks on the world was to wake them up to the truth of the Kaiju, to prepare them for what's to come." Gian continued, ignoring the comment "My question is why? What is so important about letting people know what the World Government tries to hide?"

"You know what it is, Gian." Grendolas replied "I saw inside your memories earlier in the forest, you've already seen it. Its return is inevitable, and the World needs to be ready-" The cracks in Grendolas' body had now reached his face, and as his head finally broke apart, the former King of Monster said one last thing.

"-I possessed the power related to it, I had to do something…"

And with that, Grendolas had once again disappeared from this world.

A/N: Hello all! I've been gone for a hot minute, but we finally have another chapter! The last 2 months have been rather occupying, I'm set to graduate by the end of summer and I'm trying to figure stuff out. I'm working through the remainder of my classes and have to worry about to future, so I wasn't always available to work on this. So to make it up to you, I've prepared an extra-large chapter to fill in your time! After working through a lot of blocks and trying to think where everything goes, this is the end result. It may seem like it drags on for a bit, but I really wanted to include everything here. So let's hope this works out. I have to say, trying to make sure everyone has something to do is a lot harder than I thought, for that I'll probably try to tone down the large group fights in the future. At most it'll just be Gian with 2 or 3 other people, maybe 4. That's not saying the whole crew fighting another Kaiju won't happen again! In fact I have a few more planned later down the line.

With that I want to address something. The first thing is I will be taking more time to plan for what happens in future chapters. Mostly up to now I kind of envision what would happen in my head before it happens, and then I just go from there or I try to take what happens in canon and use them as length filling. Now, I'll will be making a rough list of what I want chapters to have before writing them, and use that to work on future chapters. This may take bit longer, but hopefully each chapter would have more substance.

The other thing is certain parts of the story. It seems like I should tone down the whole Japanese honorifics part of the story. I didn't think there'd be so much backlash to it, considering most other stories have them I just expected them to be common place. With that being said, I will be toning down their use in the future. For polite characters like Brook or Robin I'll use them more, but in other cases I'll generally stop.

Also there seem to be 2 camps of people in the audience. One side wants me to deviate from canon more, and the other wants me to stick to it. I know the earlier chapters don't have much differences, but this story is its own beast and I do have a plan with where it will go. Expect the events of future arcs to also be altered in a way similar to what happened here. I'm sorry for those people who just wanted to see an OC go on the same adventure as the crew here, but there's a lot of stuff and this needs to be its own story.

So for now, have a coffee while you read this chapter and I'll see you next time.

G: By the way, how does it feel to be graduating in this economy?

You just had to remind me, don't you?