One Piece - Heaven Defying Comprehension!

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Moria's enormous body trembled uncontrollably.

His bloodshot eyes were filled with deep hatred, but even that seething rage couldn't hide the profound fear etched on his face—fear ignited by a single name:

Kaido of the Beasts. 

That name alone was Moria's worst nightmare.

There was a time when Moria had been an ambitious and fearless pirate, competing for supremacy in the New World. Back then, he relied not on the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, but on his mastery of swordsmanship and Haki. However, everything changed after his encounter with Kaido.

In that fateful battle, Moria lost everything. His entire crew was slaughtered mercilessly by Kaido and his Beasts Pirates. Moria alone survived, escaping with only his life.

From that moment on, he adopted a bleak philosophy: "If you're alive, you'll only lose everything." 

During his desperate retreat from Wano Country, Moria stole the corpses of powerful warriors, including the legendary dragon-slaying samurai, Shimotsuki Ryuma, along with Wano's national treasure—the famous sword, Shusui.

Fleeing to the Devil's Triangle, he built an army of zombies. He no longer trusted in the strength of the living. Dead soldiers, who couldn't die again, were all he believed in. 

The once-strong and fit Moria, capable of wielding a sword against Kaido, had grown bloated and weak. He had forsaken Haki, no longer believing in the power of the living—including himself. Instead, he relied solely on his subordinates and the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's powers.

Moria had fallen from a fearsome pirate who dared to challenge Kaido in the New World, to a mere shadow of his former self, dependent on his Devil Fruit. Among the Seven Shichibukai of the Sea, he was the weakest—a walking zombie in more ways than one.

"Kaido!" Moria roared, his bloodshot eyes wide with rage. The name echoed from his fanged mouth.

He wanted revenge. But even as he shouted, his body trembled in fear at the mere thought of Kaido. The strength he once possessed had long since vanished, and even his Shadow-Shadow Fruit powers seemed sluggish in the face of such overwhelming terror.

At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the room.

The remaining two of Moria's Cadre: Absalom, the user of the Clear-Clear Fruit, and Hogback, a surgeon who valued money above all else.

"Moria-sama," they called out nervously, noticing their master's agitation.

Absalom and Hogback's hearts raced. Was Moria planning to challenge Kaido again? Their master had always been ambitious, a pirate worthy of his title as one of the Seven Shichibukai of the Sea.

"Prepare the zombies and ready the Thriller Bark to set sail for Mariejois," Moria growled, his teeth clenched.

The Devil's Triangle no longer felt safe. According to the World Government, Portgas D. Ace's next destination was the Devil's Triangle. Although the area was vast, there was a chance Ace could find him.

Kaido and the red-haired Shanks, both of the Four Emperors, had left the New World and were heading to the Grand Line in pursuit of Ace. And if the Marines were right, these three could ignite a cataclysmic war.

The Marines had placed Ace on the same level as Kaido and Shanks—an idea Moria found absurd. How could a newcomer like Ace possibly be as powerful as those legendary figures?

Yet, despite his arrogance, Moria couldn't deny reality. The Marines had summoned the Seven Shichibukai, a clear sign that they were preparing for full-scale war, a conflict sanctioned by the World Government itself. 

After all, the Seven Shichibukai didn't answer to the Marines; they reported directly to the World Government. Together with the Marine Headquarters and the Four Emperors, they made up the three great powers of the seas.

Had even the World Government put Portgas D. Ace on the same level as Kaido and Shanks?

The thought made Moria grind his teeth in frustration. Could a mere newcomer really be as dangerous as the Four Emperors? It seemed like a ridiculous joke. 

But the very idea of Kaido's strength caused Moria's bloated body to tremble even more.

If Ace's strength really was comparable, and Kaido was coming to the first half of the Grand Line to face him, it was terrifying to imagine both Kaido and Shanks converging here.

A wave of dread surged within Moria. His instincts screamed that he needed to leave—immediately.

"Prepare to evacuate!" Moria ordered through gritted teeth.

Absalom, Hogback, and Perona were shocked.

Looking at their master's face, now twisted with fear, a cold sweat broke out on their foreheads. 

Was their master, Moria-sama, actually scared?

"I-I understand!" Absalom stammered before running off to carry out the order.

Once they left, Moria slumped onto the floor, breathing heavily. He wiped the sweat from his brow. Since his defeat by Kaido, his massive body had become so out of shape that even standing for long periods left him exhausted.

"Kishishishi, if the Marines really go to war with Kaido and the others, it could produce many powerful corpses," Moria muttered with a sinister grin. "My zombie army would grow even larger."

As for facing Portgas D. Ace, Kaido, and Shanks? Moria wasn't interested in fighting them head-on.

He called it "strategic retreat."

---

Outside, the ground began to shift and tremble. Arms broke through the soil as countless zombies with grotesque shapes crawled to the surface, answering the call of Absalom, Hogback, and Perona. They gathered at the heart of the island.

As rubble fell into the sea, the true form of the island was revealed—a colossal pirate ship. The Thriller Bark, the largest pirate vessel in the world, slowly emerged.

Countless zombies marched toward the ship's center.

"What's going on? What is Moria planning?" a group of ragged survivors whispered from the shadows. 

At the front of the group stood a rough-looking woman with pink twin-tails and two swords strapped to her back. She was Charlotte Lola, a daughter of Big Mom.

"Whatever it is, we need to find out," Lola said, determination burning in her eyes.

In the center of Thriller Bark, in front of a massive and eerie building, the zombies continued to gather. At the forefront stood a zombie wearing traditional Wano attire, with the national treasure—the famous sword Shusui—at his side. Every now and then, the zombie let out a chilling laugh: "Yohohohoho."

This was Ryuma, the dragon-slaying swordsman of Wano, revered as the "Sword God," and animated by Brook's shadow.

The zombies muttered among themselves, confused as to why they had been summoned.

"Silence!" Absalom roared from a terrace overlooking the crowd.

At once, the army of undead turned their attention to him.

Three peculiar figures—Absalom, Hogback, and Perona—stood before the gathered crowd.

"Behold, our mighty master, Gekko Moria-sama!"

As all the zombies turned their gaze toward him, Absalom nodded with satisfaction and raised his voice.

"Kishishishishishi!"

With a sinister laugh, the three quickly and respectfully stepped aside.

From the shadows, heavy footsteps echoed as Moria emerged slowly from the building. His imposing figure made even the zombies shudder in fear, except for a few like Ryoma.

"My zombie army! Soon, you will join me in a great battle.

At Naval Headquarters, we, the Shichibukai, will be caught in the crossfire of a war involving the Four Emperors: Kaido, the Red-Haired Emperor, and the so-called Fifth Emperor of the Sea, Portgas D. Ace!"

"During this battle, if you spot any powerful corpses, bring them to me, understood?"

Moria grinned, baring his fangs, as he addressed his army of the undead.

"Kishishishishishi!"

——

Hidden in the shadows, Lola overheard Moria's words and was shocked.

"Kaido and the Red-Haired Emperor, waging war together?!"

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

Two of the Four Emperors—Kaido of the Beasts and Red-Haired Shanks, both as notorious as her mother, Big Mom—were preparing for war against this so-called Fifth Emperor, Portgas D. Ace? What had happened in the world while she was trapped here?

Lola's mind raced. There was now a Fifth Emperor? And two of the Four Emperors were going to war over him?

But as shocking as Moria's words were, they couldn't be false. As one of the Shichibukai, he wouldn't spread lies. 

Naval Headquarters truly was gathering the Shichibukai for this war.

Was the sea on the verge of erupting into chaos?

"Captain Lola! If Moria leaves here, won't we be exposed to the sun?" a fearful crewmate whispered urgently.

"What do we do? Should we try to escape?"

Everyone present looked at each other in panic. Without their shadows, they could not survive in the sunlight. They had only managed to survive so far because the Devil's Triangle was shrouded in eternal gloom. But if they left this place, they would be annihilated the moment they stepped into daylight.

The only option was to find a ship and flee before Moria took the Thriller Bark out of the Devil Triangle.

Lola's expression darkened. She had already thought of this.

But how could they stop Moria? He had already gathered all his zombies, and if they had been capable of stopping him, they would have retrieved their shadows long ago. They would not still be lingering here, desperate and trapped.

Letting Moria leave would condemn them to either a slow death of starvation in the Devil's Triangle or an instant death in the sun.

It felt like they had reached a dead end.

To fight would be suicide; the chance of reclaiming their shadows was almost zero. But if they didn't escape, their days were numbered.

What should they do?

"Kishishishishishi!"

Suddenly, Moria let out another sinister laugh, making Lola freeze. Her eyes widened in horror as her pupils dilated.

Not far from them, shadowy creatures began emerging from the darkness, grinning menacingly like Moria himself.

The zombies, guided by these shadowy figures, turned their attention toward Lola and her crew.

"Damn it!" Lola cursed through gritted teeth.

Their escape route had been blocked. They had no choice now but to—

"Fight Moria! Take back our shadows!"

Lola, the daughter of a Four Emperor, now cornered and desperate, unleashed the ferocity that ran in her blood. She drew her two swords and roared.

"Hehehehe, you think you can fight me? You should surrender quietly and join my zombie army!"

Moria's laugh echoed mockingly as he dismissed Lola's outburst.

If Lola's body were to die, her shadow would vanish, rendering the zombies created from her shadow powerless. That was the only reason Moria hadn't killed her and her crew outright. He needed them alive to maintain the strength of his zombie army.

As much as he wanted to find the afro-haired skeleton, Brook, to complete his prized zombie, Ryoma, Moria knew that war was imminent. He would find other shadows soon enough, and Marine had no shortage of swordsmen. 

"Hehehe, Marine will soon provide me with plenty of new swordsmen corpses, so no rush."

Just as Moria was grinning to himself, a familiar laugh rang out in the sky above.

"Yohohohoho!!!"

A chilling, familiar voice echoed from the air, followed by a terrifying roar.

Ryoma's head snapped upward in shock.

"Kishishishi, could it be? Has luck smiled on me already? Just as I was thinking about that afro skeleton..."

Moria followed Ryoma's gaze to the sky, and his expression suddenly froze.

"Wh-what is that?!"

A pirate ship, blazing with fiery energy and crackling with thunder, tore through the fog, descending from the sky toward Moria's castle.

"Moria-sama! That ship! It's flying the flag of the Entei Pirates!"

Perona screamed in shock.

"Portgas D. Ace!"

Moria's eyes bulged with rage. His veins throbbed as he gritted his teeth.

"So he came."

Moria clenched his fists. But since he came, then perhaps he could capture him and use his body for the legendary zombie, Oars the Devil!

——

"The Entei Pirates? The Fifth Emperor of the Sea?!" 

Lola, hearing this, suddenly raised her head and stared in shock at the sight of the Going Merry descending from the sky. She gasped in disbelief.

Aboard the Merry:

"We're going too fast! The wind is peeling off my skin!" 

"Although... I have no skin, just a bunch of bones! Yo ho ho ho!" Brook exclaimed, shedding tears of laughter as he continued making his bone jokes despite the situation.

Powered by the Thunder Jet, the Going Merry hurtled through the sky at breakneck speed, causing the girls onboard to cling desperately to the ship.

"Ace! This is insane!" Nami cried, tears streaming down her face as the powerful wind battered them.

Despite knowing Ace's plan was reckless, she had trusted his words. 

"This is how the Entei Pirates make their entrance!" Ace shouted, laughing as he stood boldly at the bow of the ship, exuding confidence.

"Whooo! Whooo!"

Ace's entire body ignited with intense flames as he leapt off the Going Merry, descending to the ground near the zombies and Moria's castle.

His eyes flashed with a deep, ominous purple-black hue.

"!!!!"

Moria stared up in horror as countless streaks of violent black and purple lightning appeared out of thin air, crackling wildly in the sky. The immense power shook the entire Thriller Bark.

The roaring lightning suddenly condensed, swirling around Ace's right fist.

"This... this power is!!!" Moria screamed in terror.

"Boom! Boom!"

Amidst Ace's thunderous laughter, his right fist, crackling with energy, crashed down.

"Red Hole!"

"Boom!"

A colossal explosion of Conqueror's Haki tore through the atmosphere!