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"One Piece." – Speaking
'One Piece.' – Thinking
One Piece. – Flashbacks
One Piece. – Devil Fruits and Techniques
Deadly Drinking Pirate
Skeletons and Shadows in the Triangle of Terror!
Previously on Deadly Drunken Pirate,
For the longest time, Franky was silent yet everyone waited patiently. "I want…" The cyborg whispered until he spoke up, "…to build a ship to rival the Pirate King's and see it reach the end of the world. Can I do it?" Luffy was silent this time and instead faced his crew and the cyborg did the same.
"We can't answer that." Zoro spoke first before Sanji went next,
"You will have to decide that." And to top it off,
"But you don't have to do it alone. Not with us fellow dreamers." Kuro spoke up, completely different from when he first met the crew back in the East Blue. And Franky took this in strife.
"Fine! You wanted this stupid dreamer in your gang then you got one! I am Franky the shipwright! What's broken, I will fix it! You got a problem with that!?" That was loud enough to echo throughout the island but nobody minded. It was actually nice to see a man that was considered to be boss of scum and a public menace actually get his mojo back.
"Now that we have that sorted out, let's see the new ship. Your masterpiece if you prefer, Franky?" Luffy spoke up and his crew got excited all over again. This time, Franky walked up right in front of the white veil where Iceburg had been waiting the whole time. With a hand from each on the veil, they pulled with their might to reveal the ship underneath.
It truly was a sight to behold, the size was that of a cargo ship combined with a battleship. It was about a mile long and a half a mile wide. The hull was white and looked sturdy and had what appeared to be a large hatch that was big enough for a caravel to fit in. There were over fifty smaller hatches that looked to conceal cannons. At the rear were a pair of dome-shaped cabins and what appears to be a garden laid out outside; there was also a large contraption that resembled the mouth of a cannon. Finally, the figurehead was that of a large lion with its entire mane taking on the shape of a pinwheel. (2)
"And I call this ship, the Grand King's Brew!"
"AH~!" The cry of a woman in blissful relaxation was heard across the sea and from a certain, large new ship with the familiar Jolly Roger wearing a straw hat and armed with a katana and rapier. "This is so great~! And for once I don't mind spending over a billion in one place for all this~!" Nami was dressed like she would at a beach but with the sun shining and the waves have settled down, she felt like it. She then felt something cool pressed against her cheek.
Nami didn't need to look to know what it was or who was holding it. "You read my mind, Lu-kun~!" It was a metal can, not that of a beer can but one of them soft drinks sold back in Water Seven.
"Whatever, Pretty Kitty." Luffy spoke with a chuckle and a playful tone. "Just don't overdo it because a sunburn seriously hurts." While his girlfriend enjoyed the cool drink handed over to her, the captain put up another wooden, collapsible chair with an umbrella in the middle. Lastly, he pulled out a copy of the newspaper and passed over a copy of the magazine that Nami found herself subscribing to. Just something that she was 'willing' to spend on since it was popular with young girls and grown woman.
Elsewhere, the rest of the crew were enjoying their new ship in their own way. Zoro, Gin and Frank were in a room built and filled with exercise equipment for working out and staying in shape. Robin, Nojiko, Kaya and Aisa were in a large library, stored with various books of various contents; Half of them were information books while the other half were novels. Chopper was relaxing in his very own doctor's office and patient room, stocked with all the latest supplies used by modern doctors. Usopp was with Franky in a storeroom that also acted as a space for inventing as a hobby. Sanji was in the kitchen that also was part of the dining room, complete with an open bar that can work as a bartender's station. Grace and Alvida and the otter were in a room lined with art supplies, working on some basic pictures with a few more detailed projects. And these were only a few of the various rooms and other features of the new ship.
There were the three large and tall ship masts, each with giant sails to catch the wind. Double decks with fifty cannons and a large one up front. There was also a place for a tangerine grove that was able to survive Paradise that also had a garden space. The ship also had over a dozen bedrooms, bathrooms, and even a large open-aired hot bath room. There was even a room made to write maps for Nami, an opening at the back of the ship's bottom for Omi to sleep in at night and of course a special storeroom that housed winery and giant barrels of cola. Why cola? Franky somehow found a way to convert cola into a clean energy source to power a few devices on the new ship. It does beats burning coal and let's just say that Franky has something in mind when the mind dies on the sails.
Finally, the two new recruits along with Franky, Nero and T-Bone, were adjusting to being pirates now. Both have thought hard on what to do after the events at Enies Lobby and realized that the World Government and the Navy will no doubt try to kill them off to try and keep their operations around Robin a secret; being pirates made no difference to them.
Nero was taken as both a fighter and a marksman by Luffy, but this time the former will be taken in by the crew for training this time. The senior members from the East Blue, except Nami, started to break Nero in for how he could only use four of the six Rokushiki (Six Powers) techniques and yet could only do the basics of those; call it a crash course to 'help' him catch up with the rest of the crew. Not to mention Usopp getting a boost of confidence when he was in charge of sharping Nero's own marksmanship with his twin pistols; then again, Frank pitched in as a fellow gunman.
T-Bone, on the other hand, was right under Luffy's wing as a die-hard warrior for the Navy. It took a while but at least, the creep-looking swordsman stopped tearing off his own clothes to 'help others'. Also, Luffy learned a few things about T-Bone's signature swordsman style of using a broadsword to make perfect right angles slashes that cane even travel distances as energy attacks. T-Bone was still the master of the style while Luffy simply wanted to learn how to make his attacks stiff but sturdy and even move around his opponents should his own fly off.
Now that they were pirates, no longer working for the World Government, both of these new recruits had gotten a new look of sorts. Nero discarded his flashy attire as the junior CP9 member and wore something more casual. He now prefers long kakis, a t-shirt with a hoodie as well with hiking boots and fingerless gloves. T-Bone still wanted to save something from his old uniform, to still appear like a knight. While discarding the navy uniform and the potbelly armor piece, T-Bone wore something more of a long shirt and long pants with a vest, each lined with real armor covers.
"Hard to believe that this maybe called Paradise to the locals but we still called it Hell back in the East Blue. All but you, of course Lu-kun~!" Nami spoke again and sent a flirty eye wink to her boyfriend from her magazine. This got her a quick kiss on the lips from the captain who didn't even leave his chair. Nami swooned and looked back to her magazine, not minding that the kiss made her lose feeling in her legs somehow.
And that was what they did for most of their free time away from all the action and explosions. Pirates still need to relax and just watch the clouds go bye. But their next adventure came with an interesting discovery in the sea.
XXXXX
"Tell me again why did you bring this on my ship." Luffy sternly and in a brutally calm tone while stressing the word pointing at the barrel on the deck. It happened more near dinner time and Usopp decided to get some air with some fishing alongside Chopper and Aisa; they wanted to see if they could get a big one that Sanji will cook up. Instead, they caught this barrel that is sealed up good with red tape.
"We didn't mean anything from it, Luffy." Usopp put up his hands to try and cool down the tension building. The sniper had learned this a while ago that while he and the doctor are considered to be Luffy's little brothers while Aisa to be the little sister, the captain shows no favorites. "We just thought it would be treasure or even some kind of brew that fell overboard or…" Luffy raised his hand to halt and so Usopp did, the captain then turned to the cyborg inspecting the barrel.
"Franky. What do you think?" The shipwright turned to Luffy and nodded. "I knew it. Waterproof tape, tar between the boards, I knew that this didn't 'just fall off a ship'. It was in the sea on purpose." That couldn't be good and that was between the crew for the time being. That was until Luffy saw something on that barrel made his expression rather unreadable. "…Moria…"
This whisper was still heard by the crew but before anyone could respond, Luffy sliced the barrel at the top which released a massive red flare that nearly blinded those who witnessed it. "We took the bait and we might as well get the trap over with. Make sure that nothing on the ship gets damaged or stolen. We will be entering, the Triangle." Luffy spoke up and walked off the deck without another word. All the crew could do is notice that the clear weather and bright sky turned foggy and dark.
XXXXX
The crew realized that something important had slipped their minds back in Water Seven. About a Grand Line phenomenon that is dangerous, even to seasonal sailors of Paradise. It was called the Florian Triangle, where a thick fog is said to be littered with ghost ships and monsters that live on them. Now, the Straw Hats are in the triangle.
"Why couldn't we go around it…?" Aisa asked her guardian with a tone mixed of fear and curiosity.
"Because it has been confirmed that the Florian Triangle and its dense fog completely cover their portion of Paradise. The only thing surrounding them both, is the Calm Belt." Luffy answered with an unwavering eye straight ahead. "And I don't care how confident you feel about it, we are going on course and I can promise you that we will get out of the fog and back on our way."
"Then what was that barrel for anyways? I know that even in Paradise, something like that couldn't have summoned the fog to us." Kuro spoke up, grounded but still with a sharp mind. "Unless…"
"That barrel is part of a scheme to lure in other pirate ships and keep them under control. They will see the barrel and believe it will be treasure, food or drinks. Instead they would have alerted themselves close to his turf." Luffy answered and while most of them were not connecting the dots, Robin lost all color and even Franky got a bit pale.
"GEKKO MORIA!" Franky shouted out that spooked almost everyone in hearing range. "I have heard of him! He is a member of the Shichibuki (Seven Royal Warlords) and it is said that he takes in ships to his own and nobody ever hears back from them. Ever." Now more of the pirates started to shiver while Luffy slowly grew a frown.
"Luffy? What is it?" Nami asked with genuine concern, squeezing her boyfriend's hand with her own while Robin did the same.
"It is that Moria…" Luffy spoke up in the tone of a man who was let down in a major way. "…was actually my idol during my training with Shanks." Now that surprised everyone and they forgot about the fog for a bit.
"You actually looked up to a Shichibuki!? I thought that you couldn't stand them!" Zoro acted scandalized, cheated and such. But something at the back of his head told him to hear out something else about this.
"Not as a Shichibuki, but as a powerful pirate." The captain responded and took in a deep breath. "In his prime, Moria matched blows, with Kaido himself." Luffy said it, like confessing to a really embarrassing secret. Too bad that it fell a bit flat,
"Who's Kaido?" Most of the Straw Hats asked, either at a plain or a puzzled tone. Luffy can do a lot of things but he couldn't get himself to dignify that with an answer. Just this,
"Once this is all over with, it is time for a crash course on the New World." The pirate captain said and gently released his arms from his lovers to take off his hat and comb his hair. "Right now, watch the starboard side."
Soon the sounds of screams were heard when a ship about as large the Grand King's Brew appeared, one that was dreadful and scary as hell; a ghost ship like the rumors stated. However, while the crew were either scared out of their wits or on guard for an enemy attack, Luffy was only interested in this enigma that bothering him. His Haki is picking up a signature meaning that there was someone on the ship but it was also reading to be both dead yet still moving about.
Before he could even ask himself, the answer came when what appeared to be a human skeleton staring at them on the ghost ship; and he was wearing clothes with an afro!
XXXXX
"Oh~! Oh my~!" The skeleton spoke somehow, being nothing but bones and clothing. "My apologizes if I scared you folks something bad, I haven't seen a living soul in years! I must say that this is one good day indeed~!" By this time, most of them were on guard along with a full-grown woman, a reindeer wearing a hat and a little girl hiding behind the captain.
"We will be the judge of that so what's your name and how are you a talking skeleton?" Luffy was scared by only a few things in the world and they each make a 'talking skeleton' look like a harmless stuffed animal.
"Oh~!" The skeleton moaned in a dramatic tone, as if he was once an opera singer. "It has been so long that someone asked what my name was, I nearly forgotten it~! How cruel this life can be~!" Despite having no eyes, the skeleton still saw that no one was amused by any of this. He still made the gesture of clearing his throat, still somehow making the same sound. "My name is 'Dead-Bones' Brook. When I had flesh on my bones, I ate an Akuma no Mi (Devil Fruit)!"
"An Akuma no Mi caused this?" Kuro spoke, in pure curiosity. He knew that Akuma no Mi were real but he hadn't seen one before Luffy and still they make his head spin. Now he has met a user that claims his fruit had 'turned him into a skeleton'.
"Yes, the Yomi-Yomi no Mi (Revive-Revive Fruit). It is an Akuma no Mi that allows the user to be able to live again after dying once." Brook answered, still leaning on the railing. "Fifty years to this day, my crew and I were journeying the Grand Line but we were attacked by a very powerful enemy that left us beaten, bloody and poisoned with our doctor already killed off. One by one, we fell until there was just me and…" Brook started to shake, and so did his voice. Until he felt something covering his dead, boney hand; something warm and comforting.
"Let's get you off the ship and give you a good meal. You can tell us the rest after eating, our treat." Luffy spoke in a tone that was a combo of a demand and an offer somehow. Brook couldn't refuse and his crew were slowly not getting scared of Brook the more they hear.
Instead, they got a new sense of disgust. And that was because of Brook's terrible table manners. Once Sanji served a dish of rice and fish, the grains were scattered everywhere. He tried to swallow an entire beef steak and stick a whole salad on a fork. Brook got a drink and let half of it drizzle down his bones for all to see. To put the cherry on top, the skeleton let out a grossly loud burp and a revolting fart at the same!
"AH~! That is the best food I had in years! I thank you, younglings, greatly~!" Brook shouted out and started to use a toothpick to get some of the food bits that he got on his face, his skull face to be precise. "I thank you all, from the bottom of my heart! Oh wait, I don't have one~! Yo-ho-ho-ho!" Forget just one, every pirate felt several sweat drops roll down their heads.
Then Brook turned to 'face' Nami, getting a bit unnerved but not when the skeleton asked, "Young lady, may I see your…?" Brook was silenced by a certain hand that stretched all the way over the table, from one end to the other.
"You may not and never will ask my girlfriend of that, ever. Understand?" Luffy spoke like someone tried to hit on Nami right in front of him and actually tried to assault her. The navigator showed her appreciation with a hug on the neck and a kiss to the cheek. Robin blushed a little at how she knew the 'real reason' Nami is so quick to show affection; she had a taste of it after Luffy defended her from Aokiji a second time.
"Now tell us how did you lose your shadow." Luffy asked next and before his crew members will ask what he meant the captain pointed to Brook's boots. Once everyone got a good look, they nearly screamed all over again to see that no shadow can be seen where they can see theirs just fine. Brook just stayed calmly and everyone waited with baited breath before the skeleton finally answered.
"I did not lose my shadow when I lost my life. My shadow was stolen. By a pirate with the power to steal shadows." Brook answered. "As I said earlier that my ship was attacked, the rudder had been jammed and I had been adrift in the same old circle for years. Yet I still found myself on another ship, the world's largest ship fashioned out of an island from the West Blue or so I heard. However, the captain of that ship had taken my shadow."
"Moria." Luffy intervened and Brook shivered yet nodded. "Aside from how he matched Kaido at one time, the only reason they made Moria a member of the Shichibuki is because of the Kage-Kage no Mi (Shadow-Shadow Fruit). It is considered to be one of the strongest Akuma no Mi ever since it does more than steal shadows; it gives the user complete control over their own shadow to fight for them and even take the stolen shadows…and enhance themselves." Luffy said those last words with a tone of disappointment, like he disapproved of that fact yet did not deny it. At that, not even the likes of Chopper or Aisa wanted to respond to it. "One last question: have you found where your shadow is now?"
Brook stopped, placed his cup down and shivered like a sudden breeze came through. "I do. Its in the body of a samurai. I tried to best him for my shadow but he nearly killed me again and, in my shame, I fled. I found my ship again and realized that despite it was going in circles, I was at my safest there. Ironic, isn't it?" Nobody said a word and Brook was shaking so bad that he couldn't even handle his teacup. "But I vowed to get stronger and win back my shadow from that samurai. And his name is…" Brook looked up and screamed like a banshee, starting the whole crew. "GHOST!"
Everyone turned to face what Brook was spooked about and something did appear right through the ceiling. It did indeed look like a ghost but one from a silly kid's cartoon with its simple, white humanoid body and goofy face on. Nevertheless, Brook retreated into a corner, as if he tried to pass through it to escape. But the 'ghost' just giggled and vanished.
While half of the crew were on edge and the other half were spooked too, Luffy had a scowl on his face that threatened to peel it off his head. "That means we are here." Luffy calmly spoke and just walked through the door to the deck. His crew flooded out to see that in the fog, was something truly out of a horror movie. It was more like something in a vampire flick, with a giant castle, an eerie forest and even a large graveyard spotted.
Luffy stayed on the second floor, right outside the dining hall, watching his crew try to get a better look. Brook still tried to blend into the corner of the hall, shaking like a leaf in the wind. That was when the captain's instincts made his hairs stick up something terrible. "NOBODY MOVE!"
Luffy's voice echoed for a brief moment and he got his message across while he jumped back down. "We have another intruder. One with the upmost vile intentions, can you feel it?" The captain said in a grim tone, his gaze that of a predator that is aware of a trespasser and is hunting down with a vengeance. His crew tapped into their Haki and felt their very bodies screaming in terror to the vile presence onboard. Even Chopper and Asia felt it, crying yet lips sealed.
The ice was broken when Robin gasped, her eyes widen, something had grasped her in a vice grip. She couldn't see what it was but Robin could hear and feel the panting of a beast hot under the collar, breathing on her hide. The intruder had made its move on her and before she could cry out for help, the sound of a blade meeting flesh was heard. Luffy moved at his fastest yet, using his katana Reimei Itami (Dawn Pain), to cut at the wrists and neck of whoever dared attempt to defile Robin.
At the next split second, Usopp grasped Kaya, Frank grasped Carol, Nojiko grasped Aisa and both Chopper and Nami moved towards Luffy's backside. Everyone else had their stances open and any weapons presented. The dead body, staining the deck, was a hideous abomination. It resembled a standard man but the head had face of a lion that still had the human expression of frozen fright.
"I don't know who he is, what he is, nor do I care. He is a nobody with a soul even more disgusting than his face. He dared trespass on my ship but he walked on the chopping block when he dared to prey on Robin. Now he is nothing but fish food." Luffy spoke with most contempt and hate he could muster. His entire crew agreed and while the men moved to the body pieces, heavier than it looked, and threw it all overboard, Luffy was attending to his second girlfriend.
Nami and the other girls asked to help Robin instead for a bit but Luffy spoke something in her ear and Robin nodded before walking back to the kitchen; hopefully a cup of her favorite coffee can help a little. Luffy waited until his crew finished cleaning the crime scene, "Loot this ship. Whatever enemies you find, you can have them. Moria is mine." Luffy turned, jumped onto the nose of his ship and spoke these last words, "And welcome, to the Thriller Bark."
XXXXX
It was a rather quiet walk through the monstrous ship. Pasting the trees, following the paved dirt path, heading towards the largest tower that also served at the ship's mast. All Luffy could hear was the wind in the branches and his sandals on the ground. It was starting to get a bit annoying rather than creepy. The captain even wished for something to happen before he screams in boredom.
"Negative~! Negative~!" It was faint but Luffy's ears picked up that chant and stopped in his tracks. Soon the chanting started to pick up and get louder all around. But Luffy just stood there with his hands still in his pockets. He knew exactly what those are and rather than waste his time trying to find the source, he was waiting of it to find him. Or rather, they found him.
"Negative~! Negative~!" It was a bundle of ghosts a lot like the one that scared Brook witless on the Grand King's Brew. And Luffy could only feel his forehead itch, listening to them say the same word over and over with no end in sight.
"I get it, I get it. You, things are giving me a headache." Luffy spoke in annoyance and it seemed that the 'ghosts' didn't care. "I mean it, knock that off! I have places to be and-!" Luffy stopped in his speech and jumped out of the way of yet another 'ghost'. There was this thing about them that made his instincts tell him to avoid their contact. Before Luffy could say another word, the rest of the 'ghosts' started to charge at him like a pack of wild bulls.
Luffy moved with the grace of a male dancer and like a champion at dodgeball (which he is unaware of! 😊). If he needed to go left, he went left; if he needed to go right, he moved to the right. If he needed to jump, he leaped; if he needed to duck, he hit the dirt and got back up. However, he was not having any fun; all this just annoyed Luffy even more. And finally,
"ENOUGH!" Luffy shouted and meet one of the 'ghosts' with an open palm, only for something to emerge and actually deflected the 'ghost' away at an angle. This actually shocked the other 'ghosts' and they had stopped their chanting. "I guess you don't get this a lot. Now can you…" Luffy tried to get his point across until the sound of something heavy hitting the ground had got his attention. Turning around, the captain didn't know what to think of this 'thing'; it definitely didn't give off the same repulsive aura as the intruder on his ship.
It had a bat like body with a black cape that is also his wings that enable him flight, and legs capable of suspending him upside down. It had sharp fangs and claws, a long-stitched nose, pointed ears, and his eyes, if not sunken, seem to have strange tattoos encircling them. Above its right eye is the number 21. Luffy also noticed that it was muttering and mumbling something like it wishes it was something smaller like a maggot or a worm and it wants to die like one. This was incredibly interesting to Luffy.
That same 'ghost', which was sent flying away from Luffy, was still near the bat-looking thing and before it could even think of trying again, a hand stretched and grasped it by the throat. This action scared both it and the other 'ghosts', like this never happen before. "You are not going anywhere." Luffy said, with his arm a good several meters longer. "I have seen that you can crush a person's spirit and will to fight, which interests me. You just go tell your creator that I have plans after Moria to see her."
Luffy may have added a bit of intimidation to get his point across and got the 'ghosts' afraid of him for a change. Enough that the one in his hand vanished completely as well as the others. "Now to get back on track…"
A brief while later,
"…and here it is." Luffy said out loud, not caring that there was no one else around to response. All he cared was that he could sense Moria inside, by the soft sounds coming from atop, he was dozing away like a giant ugly baby. "Let's get this over with…" Taking out both blades, Luffy positioned them parallel to opposite arms. "Bēsukorukukatto (Base Cork Cut)!"
By the name of the technique, Luffy sliced a large portion right out of the tower. This left the base undisturbed while the rest of the tower came falling onto its back. This naturally shook the island a bit, sending panic to whoever saw it or heard the tower fall. Luffy wasn't bothered by any of it since he already briefed his crew on what he was planning to do while they each helped themselves to the zombies.
"WHO DID THIS TO MY CASTLE!? WHO DARES AWAKE ME FROM MY SLUMBER!?" Luffy smirked to hear that the sleeping giant had gotten up, or in their case, out onto the downed tower. This man looked nothing like a human and appeared like a fellow monster. Yet this was the same pirate that is the master of this island, Gecko Moria.
Moria is an abnormally large person with very distinct, devil-like features. He has two horns protruding from the sides of his forehead and stitches running vertically from the top of his face and down his neck, which is rather long and thick in comparison to his body. His ears and teeth are both pointed, while his lower body is relatively fat and stubby in comparison. Moria's hair is red and his skin is a pale blue, matching his lips, armbands and the edges of his gloves. His coat and gloves are black, while his pants are bright orange with pale window shapes imprinted on them. He wears a fishnet shirt underneath a cravat, a necklace, and a blue crucifix-like ornament with claw-like appendages sprouting out from three of the cross's points.
And as the monstrous pirate rambled on, Luffy spoke calmly yet got the pirate lord's attention. "Over here." Moria finally spotted the intruder and crawled ahead like a cheetah on its prey.
"And who are you to trespass on my ship and ruin my nap!?" Moria didn't need them anime teeth to show that he was mad; he already had sharp enough teeth. But it takes a lot more than that to scare this young pirate captain.
"Name's Luffy. Monkey D. Luffy. You may or may not have heard of me but I am the one that replaced Crocodile." The young man stated and left the 'room' to Moria, whom had a particular look on his monstrous face.
"Is that so? That makes you one of us, the Shichibuki. So why did you total my tower!?" The monster of a person was calm yet not concerned until he was angry again.
"I made friends with a skeleton that happened to have an afro, he will like his shadow back. And I needed your attention, I am a busy man." Luffy said casually, as part of his charm. "So, unless it is too much work, can you please hand over his shadow? We will be on our way once we get it."
"NO WAY IN HELL!" Moria proved to be the easiest provoked and with the loudest voice of all the Shichibuki. "There is no way a green-horn, snoot-nose brat that intruded on my turf will ever leave! Thriller Bark is my home, my turf, my ship! I am the master of anything and everything that dwells on Thriller Bark, I will not to be denied! I will…"
"…raise an invincible army to take down Kaido. I know." Luffy interrupted while clearing out his ear again; he swore that he got an itch or something today. While Moria left his mouth open for flies to fly in, Luffy stared at him with both deadpan and distain. "I get it. You fought Kaido and held your ground before ultimately losing the battle and your old crew. And guess what? I actually wanted to meet the pirate who matched Kaido of the Yonko (Four Emperors) when I was trained by Shanks. But now, all I see is a disappointment."
That got Moria to clench his teeth again and before he could cry out in outrage, "You have lost your touch. You are just a rusted, empty shell of your old self. You are far below your prime. Your grief turned to inexcusable dining and laziness. You have gotten far too dependent on your Akuma no Mi and your status as a Shichibuki. And that is why you will never, ever beat Kaido! Because you already lost to him, without even your rematch!"
"Brat, you have lost your only chance of living! Dopperuman (Silhouette)!" Moria roared as if an alpha animal crossed for the last time. And upon his command, his very own shadow emerged into a three-dimensional being that glared down on Luffy, whom did not look impressed or intimidated at all.
"Just remember that I asked politely…" Luffy said and just reached for Reimei Itami. Just as the large, living shadow made a swat at him, it was cut clean in half almost instantly. Now that got Moria's attention before yawning again from his 'comfortable' spot near the rumble.
"Nice kid, you are faster than you look." Moria spoke while still at ease, like he thinks that he still won. "But my shadow is not alive so it cannot die. And those who can't die…"
"…can't lose. I don't care." Luffy, once again, cut off his opponent in his ramblings. "Now take a good look at your puppet, idiot." Luffy didn't even bother to look and just used his finger to direct attention to the Dopperuman on the ground. Instead of getting itself together, it was withering and whimpering. As if the shadow was in pain and could barely stand it. "Now take a look at this, moron."
For once, Moria was the one scared. He had never seen his living shadow in such a state before. This never happened, not even when he faced Kaido. Still, Moria forced himself to look again; this time, at Luffy's katana and its blade. The smell of the sea entered his nose and Moria saw what could be boiling sea water, dripping from the katana!
"Now then, this is for sending your invisible prowler on my ship and for what he tried to do to Robin." Luffy now spoke in a real grim tone right before he straightened Reimei Itami for an attack. "Zenshin Umi Supairaru (Full Body Sea Spiral)!" Before Moria could get his bearing back together, he felt his whole body attacked in a spiral fashion. This drew blood indefinitely but the large monster of a man felt something burn at his full body spiral-shaped wound that made his roar again. It hurt to even move his leg but Luffy wasn't done yet,
"This is for screwing with a man, now a skeleton, over by stealing his shadow. Now he can't leave this fog and see his old friend." Luffy, this time, placed his katana away and activated his Gia Sekando (Gear Second) form. "Gomu-Gomu no Jet Gatling (Gum-Gum Jet Gatling)!" Luffy moved at speeds enhanced by the Gia Sekando to punch at every square inch of Moria's body at least ten times a minute. The monster of a man himself felt pain for what seemed to be an eternity but it only lasted a single moment before Luffy allowed the Gia Sekando to die down.
Moria was nothing but a giant carcass with a spiral cut and countless bruises, even fist imprints could be seen. But Luffy knew that his fellow Shichibuki was still conscious, just in a lot of pain. Despite lazing around for who knows how long, Moria had the endurance to not die from it all. "And this…is for breaking my heart as you were once my idol."
Stretching his arm, Luffy grasped the rubble behind the beaten Moria. And, in an act that truly terrifies the latter, lifted a chuck of the tower that was as big as a house, over his head! Finally, he blacked out when Luffy slammed that giant piece of debris right on Moria's potbelly stomach.
"Now I am going to show myself around and while my crew will help themselves to what they find, I have my own places to be and someone special to meet."
XXXXX
Like Luffy had learned through Moria via his special listening technique, there was an army on the ship; an army of zombies! Or, to be truthful, they were corpses and combinations of various dead items stitched together. They were only moving because of Moria's power. One that the Kage-Kage no Mi was capable of: infuse the shadows of living things into the corpses to have the latter move in the ways the former did in their entire lives. And the Straw Hats had learned this from both brook, who had finally left the ship to find his own shadow and a ragtag group of castaways that also lost their shadows.
And unfortunately for Moria's zombies, there was a major weakness that was taught to the Straw Hats: salt. As salt is a major component of the sea, one can force salt down the zombies' throats and the shadows that animated them will be forced out. Once that happens, and without shadows, the zombies will become the same lifeless and harmless corpses that just littered the ground beneath.
It took hours for even a large group armed with salt to track down every single zombie on the island and force the shadows out. And they did have a deadline since dawn was coming and those still without shadows were doomed to turn to dust. By the time they were sure that they got every single zombie and sent every shadow flying back to their owners, it was time to celebrate!
Luffy sighed comfortably with a bottle of real fine wine, a full plate of food, both from Moria's food shortages, and in the company of both Nami and Robin. The two fine ladies could use the rest after the truly living nightmare last night; plenty of those zombies were frightening, disturbing and even gave off a repulsive stench. On Luffy's lap, one for each leg, were Chopper and Aisa also resting. The latter was scared out of her wits by all the scary monsters and zombies but she still put herself together to help out by pointing out to each zombie that still had a shadow; she found it easy once the difference between a living person and a corpse animated became clear. And Chopper, his story is very different yet relevant.
Aside from Moria, there were three other figures in charge of the Zombies. And another one of them happened to the be the intruder onboard the Grand King's Brew. And the least speaking of that violator, the better. Anyhow, Chopper happened to have an idol who turned out to be one of the four figures in charge: a once famous and gifted surgeon named Doctor Hogback.
Chopper had known Hogback during his years training to be a doctor on his home island. He wanted very greatly to meet him until Chopper learned that Hogback had supposedly disappeared. And here, on Thriller Bark, was the doctor himself and Chopper learned that his idol had also changed. While the zombies were their enemies for sure, Hogback saw them as property and slaves. The saddest part was that Hogback had a crush on a woman who strung his heartstrings until breaking them when she revealed that she had a fiancé already and even worse when she died in an unfortunate accident. And Hogback sought out Moria to 'bring her back', only for the doctor to treat the corpse of his love that was infused with the shadow of a maid, like trash! That was enough to have Chopper turn into his Master Form and beat Hogback to a hideous-looking pulp.
Nobody knew what happened to the doctor after Chopper left him to wither in his pain, but they didn't care; they just wanted to enjoy a party made in honor of conquering Thriller Bark. And not just good food and good company, there was also good music too. Brook said that he was a musician when he was alive. And not just any one that is limited to one instrument, Brook had learned how to master almost every classical musical instrument as well. Now he is playing a good tone on a piano that was found and placed to be played.
And of course, Brook did get his shadow back. And the corpse that was granted his shadow was indeed a samurai. But that alone was bad news since samurai were not from any other country besides Wano, a land that is completely cut off from the World Government; so, if a samurai was ever spotted, they definitely came from Wano. But to make things hell for sure was that the corpse was, in life, a hero among samurai and the citizens of Wano! His name was Ryuma, considered to be one of the most powerful samurai ever lived and was both feared and beloved by his skills in the art along with a sword just as legendary as he was: the Shusui (Clear Autumn Water).
Brook knew who he was and actually impressed Luffy by using a sword-style of incredible skill and speed that unfortunately meant nothing to Ryuma who used the same style but with a dash of strength as well. It was enough to even give Zoro and Kuma a run for their money. And while Zoro fought hard to hold the zombie Ryuma, Kuro used his own speed to stuff a bag of salt into the mouth of the zombie, finally releasing Brook's shadow back to its rightful owner.
As for the dead body of the samurai hero and his sword, Luffy labeled them to be stolen property that was stolen again. But this time, they were going to return both items to Wano one day. Franky was instructed to construct something that will both protect and preserve the body and the blade and keep both of them from being stolen again. Zoro understood that a sword can still be a treasure to a country and he still had three good blades from the East Blue on hand.
Luffy was more interested in Brook's style and asked the skeleton for some tips, just something entirely new to practice; in return, Luffy will help Brook learn how to apply more power to his hits while not losing his speed and even the latter can protect his bones with Haki. And then there is the new elephant in the room.
"Will you like some more food, master?" Rather than disrupting the captain and his company, they were just a bit annoyed that they were interrupted. And they all directed their eyes to the hovering girl carrying a plate with an anthill of food.
"Thank you, Perona." Luffy said with a dry tone that someone got his attention from his company. "And while I appreciate the offer, I will also like it if you will stop calling me that." Luffy added while gently taking the plate filled with food.
This was Perona, the final member of the four executives that ran Thriller Bark with Moria as the captain. Perona is a short young woman with unusually big, round eyes, and she has long, light pink hair that she keeps tied into two pigtails with black and white flower hairpins. She wears a red crown with a black cross on her head, as well as red lipstick and a thick layer of black eyeliner. Her white long-sleeved three different black heart shapes shirt was short enough to expose her belly. She wears a red mini cape with a pink ribbon on front. Her black and white striped tights completely cover her legs, and she wears a mini-skirt and a red and gold belt with a heart belt buckle, as well as red buckled boots. She usually keeps her toes pointing inwards in a pigeon-toed manner, and carried around a red parasol shaped like a cute version of a mini devil.
And she had the power of an Akuma no Mi, the Horo-Horo no Mi (Hollow-Hollow Fruit). Her power was to create the very same ghosts that freaked out Brook and tried to assault Luffy on his way to Moria's quarters. And her favorite way of using her powers were to use her ghosts to pierce her enemies and make them so negative that they couldn't even stand on your own. In a nutshell, this power can bring down any army with ease. Whatever Moria knew that or not, the ghost girl has changed sides.
And how did Luffy do that will be a story for another time. Lets just say that she finally found someone far more powerful than Moria and knew how to actually withstand her powers for the first time. Now she is trying to cozy herself to her new 'master' and Perona had the nerve to do it in front of his company too. Once they get back to civilization, Nami and the other girls will have to give this ghost girl a crash course on how to be a real woman; and no man will be stupid enough to get in their way.
"By the way, Brook…" Luffy broke the ice and directed the attention to the skeleton, still playing the piano like a pro. Every Straw Hat from the East Blue overheard that and already understood what Luffy was about the say; the others were still in the dark. "I want to ask you about the Twin Capes and the whale waiting for you there."
Brook heard that and halted in his playing. "Twin…Capes? Whale? What are you talking about?" The skeleton spoke in a quiet tone,
"I am talking about Laboon. We know him." Luffy answered in a gentle tone. This was serious and heavy to bring up so Luffy is taking his time. And no one could get themselves to ask what was going on. "He still misses you, Brook. He knows that his friends are still out there and he still wants to see you."
"Laboon…is still waiting at that cove…for me?" Brook couldn't find the strength to keep playing, it was like one of his many dreams he had after he first became a lonely skeleton on that wrecked ship. He had to know if he was hearing all this right.
"He cries every day for you hear him, Brook. He was willing to try and destroy the Red Line if it meant to see you again." Luffy responded and with a sad tone this time as Brook needed to hear what Laboon had been trying to do for who knows how long.
"B-but…the Red Line is…" Brook was now horrified that his friend had been trying to destroy what can't be destroyed, just to see him again.
"I promise you Brook, he won't be trying that again. I swore an oath to him for a rematch in the future on the condition that he won't bang his head on the Red Line ever again." Luffy spoke again, to reassure the skeleton again. "Come with us, we will take you to the end of the Grand Line and after we do, you will see Laboon and never leave him again."
With that, Brook slammed his hands on the piano keys with a loud bang but showed tears from his empty eye-sockets. "THANK YOU!" For a person that was all bones and clothes, Brook let out a mighty yell from a heart that he no longer has. "Thank you all! I always thought I will never get to see Laboon again! I thought that he had forgotten about me or worse, thought I did! But I can move on, knowing the truth! Thank you, thank you…!"
"So, are you on board?" Luffy gave out his hand in welcome and soon enough, Brook took his own and shook it. "Welcome to the Straw hat Pirates, 'Dead-Bones' Brook." It was a beautiful sight to see a man reduced to bones find new friends and even a new crew to sail with. Of course, Luffy had something else to address. "By the way, Lola?"
Lola was the name of a woman who happened to be the leader of the castaways who were trapped on Thriller Bark as they all had lost their shadows; but thanks to the Straw Hats giving a helping hand, they can walk in the light again, literally. Lola is a tall, corpulent woman with short and thin legs. She has small eyes and a pronounced nose above her large, shiny red lips, one missing tooth and a large head. Under a small black bowler hat, her pink hair is braided into two pigtails. "Yes, Mugiwara (Straw Hat)?"
"…when were you going to tell us that you're the daughter of a Yonko?" Silence was heard and while his crew moved their heads almost like robots towards Lola, the castaways did the same but in Luffy's direction instead.
"HUH!?"
"YOU KNOW!?"
XXXXX
"Yes, guys, my mom is a Yonko. But I am an outsider to both her and her family." Lola explained. "I tried my best to be a good girl to her but instead, I realized that she only saw me as another tool to use, something to give away for her own benefit. So, I ran away to find love on my own accord. Too bad that I ran into Moria and we were trapped here until you guys arrived."
"Of course, Lola, we are not going to be stuck-up and tell on your mom. It is just hard to believe that we will run into a child of a Yonko in Paradise. They are not only the four most powerful pirates in the world, they all control the New World." Luffy stated while relaxed, once again. And this time, his company did not mind Perona literally hovering over them; Brook also went back to his piano playing, now that he got over the waterworks. "On another note, are you-!" Something had froze Luffy in his speech and even the expression on his face.
Suddenly the Straw Hats also felt it. Something that was there and now, no more. A person who is supposed to out but alive, is not. The others noticed this and were instantly worried. And the ice broke, "Hand me a Den-Den Mushi (Transponder Snail), now." Luffy spoke up and one of the castaways was able to bring a medium-sized Den-Den Mushi in a snap. The captain then took out a small paper slip, scanned it briefly before tearing it and held it to be burnt by one of the candles.
Some of the sharper minds present guessed that it was a phone number but everyone was going to learn who was the one on the other side when Luffy punched it into the machine and waited for the receiver to pick up. After a moment, a voice was heard for sure and it was deep and serious, "Who is this?"
"Garp's grandson." Luffy simply said. It only took the response on the other side that clued in everyone as who the captain was calling,
"What? Why is a pirate, even his grandson, is calling me? How did you even get my personal number!?" This was definitely not when Luffy called Shanks or Whitebeard or even the Gorosei (Five Elder Stars). No, this was whole different startling phone call.
"For someone as smart as you, common sense has escaped you, Sengoku." Now everyone was scared. The young captain was talking to the head of the very navy! "Now I have something to say to you; I am disappointed. And this is the last straw."
"I have no idea what you are talking about, Mugiwara! Not after how you dare barging with the Gorosei, help yourself on one of my ships and even drop off the map despite the title you actually accepted! What do you want?!"
Luffy had a smirk as sharp as his blades and that was always bad news. "Funny you should bring that up, Sengoku. The Gorosei had been good for so long before they wen back on their word and broke their promise. And I warned them about this too and what will happened if they don't honor what I offered. A smart man like you knows what I am talking about by now."
Sengoku picked up the underlying threat and it showed on the Den-Den Mushi. "No…no, no, no, no! NO!"
"As a member of the Shichibuki, and the replacement for Crocodile…"
"NO!" The desperation and fear were just fuel to the forest fire as Luffy was not to be stopped or deterred in his decision,
"I. Quit."
End of Chapter 55.
*Hello Everyone. This whole month started on a very stressful week and I am glad that it is over! I am looking forward to the new Zelda game for the Switch and I need a new game to get me over BOTW so I can wait for more on the sequel in the far future.
And yes, I have killed off a character already, like in my telling of Skypiea. That's because I think that Absalom nearly raised the rating from Teen to Mature considering that he came close to violating both Robin and Nami in the canon. This was not like the comical peeping at hot springs, not to mention that all the character ever did, that was noteworthy, was to reveal Sanji's 'second dream' of obtaining invisibility. And if I had made Robin look like a victim, then I apologize greatly and promise that this won't happen again for a long time. This was just my way of ridding out one of my least favorite characters in the whole canon.
One more thing is that lately in the One Piece Canon, the second Arc of Wano County has ended and among a lot of developments, we got re-introduced to how Armament Haki was initially presented; and the irony here is that the first 'appearance' of this energy force is now considered to be an advanced form, while the blacken arms and weapons are considered the basics. I have Luffy learn how to do it shortly before he will leave the Red Hair Pirates to return to Dawn Island, so he could use both forms of Armament Haki on Thriller Bark. Hope you all don't mind.
On the new note, I did read on Perona and her Horo-Horo no Mi. It was ridiculously overpowered and it is a shame that such a character vanished right after Usopp will defeat her with his own negativity and gadgets that scared her into unconsciousness.
Finally, I have thought hard on Luffy's Sake-Sake no Mi that I came up with. More specifically, when I decided to have Luffy be able to manipulate alcohol in how he wishes. He can even conjure it up in thin air thanks to his hard training. It takes a good understanding of chemistry to fully operate such a power so I thought that Luffy could break down the composition of salt water. That was what happened in the short skirmish between this Luffy and Moria. For now, Luffy could create sea water on his blades to use against fellow Akuma no Mi users but once he finally perfects it, he can force sea water to form in the lungs of his enemies! He could drown his foes with the sea, on dry land! What do you guys think of that!?
Now that Luffy has had his turn as a government dog, both his crew and him are now regular pirates on the Grand Line. Which means bounty posters and raids by the marines if the chance comes. When I first decided to have Luffy replace Crocodile, I thought you guys will not be happy so thanks for sticking around for over twenty chapters later! Aside from all that, please let me know what you think of this chapter. See you guys later!*