Chapter 25: The Zombies Aren't Zombie-ing after all.
—OoOoO—
An expedition to a ghost island might sound thrilling and nightmarish to some, but others find it a long-awaited romance. It wasn’t just about uncovering hidden mysteries or proving whether the supernatural existed. More than that, some also believe that an adventure on a ghost island might lead them to discovering some fortune.
For example, what made a ghost island haunted? Was it due to a terrible tragedy in the past? A curse that continued to terrorise? Or was it simply gossip deliberately spread to hide something? Whatever the case, a haunted island was, at first, just an ordinary island like the others. A haunted island must have once housed much life. In other words, there must have been some hidden treasure when humans no longer touched the place.
"Are all these places really on the ship? Are you sure Robin didn't mistake our enemy’s base as something else?" asked a long-nosed, speckled-haired man.
“This is Robin we're talking about, you know? If there's anyone who's most knowledgeable about the Grand Line, it should be her, right?” replied a girl with short orange hair.
Uniquely, those teenagers, of different genders, were seen walking side by side, flanking another girl in the group. However, besides them, there was another clingy figure: a fawn that had chosen to rest on the head of the calmest one among them.
“Yes, and Robin’s analysis has always been spot on!” added the little deer.
Usopp, Nami, and Chopper joined a group filled with monsters with incredibly insane mentalities. They were actually the minority and often even called themselves the cowardly trio. That wasn’t a form of condescension or arrogance, but they were truly very cowardly figures. They were always the first to object whenever their captain made a reckless decision.
Even on this expedition, they were vehemently opposed. Furthermore, Luffy suggested they split into two groups to save time. Unfortunately, the majority always defeated them in the voting. However, at least they didn't send the three of them alone this time.
“Hey, don’t you dare bother us, you damn ghosts! Or Maki-san here will beat you up!” Usopp shouted.
“If you show your face even a little bit, Maki-san here will kick your ass, you know?!” Nami shouted even louder.
Ultimately, the fawn resting on Maki's head felt the urge to follow the antics of his two companions.
“Maki-san will beat you up, you damn bastard!”
Meanwhile, the ponytailed girl could only stare blankly, adjusting her loose glasses. For some reason, it reminded her of the ridiculous scene when she and her friends had fed Yuta to Geto when he visited her school to declare war.
“For someone who’s so adamant about this expedition, you guys seem to be doing well, huh?” Maki blurted out with a sweatdrop, “Should we head straight to the boss’s place? I already pinpointed their location using Kenbunshoku, though.”
Maki's indifferent reply almost gave them a heart attack, and their bodies tensed up instantly.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Maki! Didn’t we agree to take a detour while scouting the area?” Ussop immediately retorted, shaking the girl’s right arm.
“That’s right! Besides, don’t you want to experience the nostalgic feeling of going around hunting ghosts? So, there’s no need to rush, okay?” Nami replied.
Maki glanced at the two flanking her arms on both sides.
"My job is to exorcising cursed spirits, not ghosts. Besides, defeating the boss first should give us more freedom to explore this place."
The girl seemed to lift her left shoulder, adjusting the position of the sword, which was slightly sagging in her sling.
“You look like you need to make a scabbard for your new sword soon,” Nami commented, trying to distract their human shield’s mind.
A sword wrapped in a piece of cloth, with both ends and the middle tied with a rope, certainly gave the impression of being very inconvenient. Because of its impracticality, she couldn't use it all the time, as it would be a hassle to wrap it in cloth again afterwards. Carrying it on her shoulder every time she didn't use it was pretty stressful since she needed to adjust it every time it sagged.
“I’d been looking around for leatherworkers and metalworkers in Water Seven, but no one was willing to take the job,” replied the girl in the ponytail.
"Well, all the craftsmen were located at the bottom and most of their workshops were destroyed by the tsunami, while the ones that survived were more focused on taking on jobs related to their town reparation," Ussop added.
In contrast to the eerie atmosphere of the old building, the group of teenagers walked through, they seemed pretty relaxed, as if the eerie atmosphere didn't bother them. Of course, that was only possible because Maki was there with them.
"Are there really no other zombies or chimeras attacking? Dude, it's so easy," joked the long-nosed guy.
Which, made the expression of the fawn on Maki's head turned pale.
“Ussop, don’t jinx it!”
"I mean, we have Maki here. As long as we stay out of Gecko Moria's place, there shouldn't be any problems, right?" Ussop replied confidently.
However, the figure supposed to be their meat shield slightly frowned, her eyes busy monitoring every corner of the corridor they passed through.
'There won't be any problems, huh? If only it were that simple.'
At first glance, there wasn't anything worth noting. Aside from the chimaeras and some small groups of repelled zombies, no other disturbances were in sight. However, with Kenbunshoku always active, Maki constantly scanned everything invisible to the naked eye. That was why she realised that almost the entire island was inhabited by undead buried underground, and their numbers increased as she moved closer to the centre.
'If I tell them this, they'll freak out, right?' the girl thought, 'Besides, there's something bothering me. This Gecko Moria seems to have something very big, and it might even be stronger than himself.'
“Those zombies and chimeras didn’t seem that strong,” Maki said in response to Ussop, “However, you’ve to remember that even my punches didn’t seem to had any effect on them at all.”
Gulp.
Usopp swallowed hard. He had only wanted to lighten his already tense mood, which was making his heart beat faster. However, Maki's words only made it worse and lowered his mental state.
“Do you think they are the same as the monsters in your world, which normal physical attacks won’t work on?” asked Chopper.
Maki looked up, pausing for a moment in her steps. Her brows furrowed and her lips pursed, indicating that her mind was processing the question.
“Well, I don't think so. Those zombies were clearly man-made as they didn't have any souls, but they were animated by something that allows them to move, speak, and even think.”
Maki then closed her eyes.
'Artificial soul? No, that's too ridiculous and too radical. If this Gecko Moria could create artificial souls for an army this large, Robin-san wouldn't say he's weaker than that Crocodile guy. Usually, the secret to seemingly overpowered techniques is much simpler than one might think. So, it shouldn’t be artificial soul or something.'
“They were thinking? I'm not sure they really think.”
Nami's remark made the three teenagers look at her at once.
"What do you mean? They can clearly communicate," Ussop replied.
“I mean, when Maki-chan beat them up, some of them chose to continue fighting, but some of them just ran away.”
The bespectacled girl frowned when she heard the reply.
“Doesn't that show that they do have the ability to think?”
“If they can think, they must have good coordination, right?” Nami replied while straightening Maki, “If they had reason, they should have run away together or fought together, but what they did was out of sync.”
Nami closed her eyes with her eyebrows sharply bent while her arms were folded in front of her chest.
“If you put it into words, instead of thinking independently and thus forming cohesion within the group, their behaviour was more like puppets programmed to randomly imitate human behaviour.”
Nami wanted to emphasise the zombies' poor adaptability, mainly when stationed along the island's outer edges to ward off intruders. She was a coward herself, so she could judge how cowards should act. But of course, it was perfectly natural to see someone with a similar mentality choose to flee from battle.
However, Nami learned a lot from the battle at Enies Lobby, where the outermost line of defence was crucial to be filled with tough individuals who were not afraid of anyone, like the two guardian giants, and the ability to hold off the enemy to give the main force time to do whatever they had planned or prepared.
"In other words, if he could truly create intelligent zombies, he should be able to create an army with good teamwork. But we don't see that at all whenever we meet them," Nami concluded.
“That's… actually kinda makes sense,” Maki muttered.
However, her eyes widened as she reviewed all of Nami's words.
“Wait, did you just say their behaviour was more like mimicking human’s?”
“Yep. Like, they’re just following human rather than being genuine in their thought processes,” Nami replied.
Maki covered her mouth with her right hand, and her eyes narrowed.
“Robin-san just mentioned that this Gecko Moria guy has the ability to steal shadows, but what’s the benefit of that ability other than just locking his target in darkness forever?”
“So, you mean…,”
Ussop hung on his words. Which made Maki give a slight nod.
"It's possible he can inject those shadows into other objects, and that's also what makes me think the zombies' souls look strange because they aren't souls at all, but shadows. The reason their behaviour doesn't seem genuine’s probably because those shadows come from random people, most of whom ain't even fighters."
One mystery was solved, and even Maki learned a valuable lesson from it. In her world, jujutsu sorcerers were few and far between, so the variety of cursed techniques she encountered was limited. Even when she hunted cursed spirits, mostly she only encountered mindless monsters. Only recently have cursed spirits with special abilities become more common.
However, compared to the world where pirates and the Marines dominate each other, in the three weeks she has been here, she has gained the amount of experience equivalent to her entire career in the world of jujutsu since she decided to join the Kukuru Unit at twelve.
“That being said…,” the otherworldly girl muttered.
Maki then suddenly forcibly released her right hand from Usopp's grasp, causing the boy to flinch. At the same time, she violently pulled Nami back, which surprised the girl.
However, before they could ask for an explanation, the girl first grabbed the air, as if something was invisible.
“I deliberately let you follow us because you might send a sign to your boss, but it turns out you’re just a perverted bastard, a rotten scum who’s trying to take advantage of a difficult situation,” said Maki.
The words, filled with emphasis, conveyed a sense of utter dread, making the air around her feel heavy and difficult to breathe. Her glasses, which were supposed to represent the impression of a weak and innocent girl, failed to do their job as her eyes displayed a palpable fury.
“Maki-chan, what's wrong?” Nami asked.
The girl didn't need to reply because in the next second, she heard a harsh, pained cough. Finally, something in her grip began to take shape.
“It's a man!” Chopper shouted.
Meanwhile, Nami's eyes widened in horror, unable to believe what she saw. Judging by her demeanour, it seemed she might have been sexually assaulted if not for Maki's rescue.
“Has he been following us all this time?”
“I started to feel his presence after the last group of zombies we encountered,” Maki replied without releasing her grip on his neck.
In fact, the stranglehold seemed to get even tighter, making the man with long blonde hair and a tiger's mouth wince in pain and almost out of breath.
"Let… me… go…."
Maki didn't respond. Her face was stoic, completely unfazed, and did not show any sign of concern. However, at some point, she decided to let go of the man with a slight push and give them some space.
“You stupid bitch,” the man muttered with a smirk and some pain.
However, angry, he made his body disappear again and attacked his targets with various combinations.
'Even if you were able to catch me earlier, like hell I'll let it happen twice. You'll be my first target after a while, and I'll abuse you until your mind breaks.'
That was what the man thought. However, as he lunged for Maki, his eyes couldn't catch the twisting motion she made in the air.
Did Maki intentionally let go and push the man away out of fear or intimidation? Of course not. She did it simply because she needed some space. And once that space was created, she pivoted her body horizontally, using her right foot as a pivot. As momentum built, she planted her left foot into the ground, using it as a springboard to generate power for her flying right leg to sweep her opponent away.
The tiger-mouthed man couldn't react to the incoming attack. He was too far forward to take precautions, allowing the tornado kick to land cleanly on his head.
His modified body, made from a mixture of gorilla and bear muscles and elephant skin, has allowed him to weigh up to three hundred kilograms. Simply put, he had altered his bodily functions to near-superhuman levels. A normal kick would have virtually no effect on him.
Unfortunately, Maki was the embodiment of superhumanity and the epitome of raw power. On land, she could accelerate from zero to one hundred kilometres per hour in the blink of an eye, with her speed record surpassing Mach 1 and possibly going even faster if she trained more. A human whose body was restricted was removed by the will of heaven. For mere mortals striving to achieve superhuman realms through body engineering, they were nothing compared to a true superhuman created by the divine ordinance.
The tornado kick hit the head so hard that it made a loud crack, and the head snapped around and rotated one hundred and eighty degrees.
“Huh?”
The man didn't even realise what had happened because everything went so quickly. The only thing he could process was the sudden sight of his back. However, in the next second, an excruciating pain shot from his neck and spread throughout his body, as if he were being squeezed by giant gears that were binding his spine.
He wanted to scream as loud as he could, expressing the excruciating pain. Unfortunately, his shattered neck kept all sounds trapped in his throat, leaving only an expression of agony. Whether a blessing or a curse, the pain he felt eventually faded away along with his lost consciousness.
“A despicable bastard like you, I despise your kind the most," Maki said with whole emphasis and hatred in every word.
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper were frozen by the scene they had just witnessed. Of course, they already knew Maki was intense and brutal, and only Zoro was more ruthless than her when it came to eliminating opponents. However, they would never get used to seeing the youngest girl in the group with such an innocent face holding a powerful monster.
“Is he dead?”
Ussop was the first to react.
"He's not a zombie. The kick that snapped his head was certainly enough to kill him. Though, I didn't intend to kill him just like that," Maki replied.
“You didn't mean to kill…, but you clearly kicked him very hard.”
“Well, I thought he wouldn't be affected by physical attacks just like those zombies?" Maki replied to Nami, "It seems like the reason they were immune to physical attacks wasn’t because they had a special body structure, but simply because they couldn’t feel pain.”
The girl crouched in front of the corpse, whose head had been turned in the opposite direction. She grabbed the man's expensive clothing and tore it off. Initially, her three companions frowned upon seeing what she was doing, but their eyes widened when something hidden beneath the expensive clothing was revealed.
“What the hell is that?” Ussop muttered.
“Is that the same body as those zombies? No wonder you thought he wouldn’t die by your kick,” Nami chimed in.
Starting from the arms, shoulders, and both sides of the chest, spreading to all parts of the oblique muscles and the entire back, the skin and muscle fibres that appeared denser were different in colour and clearly not from human muscles.
As a doctor, Chopper's instincts kicked in, making him get down from Maki's head to examine the body.
"His muscles are a mix of gorilla and bear muscles. Plus, his skin looks like elephant skin," said the little deer.
“Are those weirdly shaped zombies like chimeras also made from the same material?”
Hearing Maki's question, Chopper turned and looked up at her. His brows furrowed sharply, and his mouth dropped open, as if he had thought of the possibility.
“If you think about it, they had too random a shape to be called a chimera, unlike the legends in the books.”
“Do you think this person is the modifier?” Nami asked.
"I don't think so. Judging by the modifications to his body, he doesn't seem to really understand which muscle groups are important to replace if he wants to improve performance."
Maki rose from her squatting position as she spoke. However, her comrades showed complicated expressions at her statement. Sensing the confusion etched on their faces, she let out a soft sigh and closed her eyes.
“If he wanted to improve his performance, he shouldn't have had to replace his entire arm muscle like this.”
“Why? If your arm muscles are stronger, wouldn’t your punches also be stronger?” Nami asked.
To which Maki responded by shrugging her shoulders.
"Modifying your arm muscles will certainly affect your striking power. However, if you’ve limited resources or can only modify certain body parts, there are other muscles you can replace to achieve optimal results than what this man did."
“Ah!” Chopper exclaimed as if a jolt had struck his brain. “You mean modifying muscles with functional optimisation based on the location of fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles?”
“Fast-twitch and slow-twitch muscles?”
The long-nosed boy tilted his head at the unfamiliar term. Seeing that, Maki raised her right hand, like a bodybuilder posing.
"Fast-twitch muscles are those that contract quickly. One of them is right here, the triceps brachii," she said, pointing to the muscle in question. "In short, it can generate power more quickly and more, but it also tires easily. It's like a short burst. Meanwhile, slow-twitch muscles are the opposite. They lack explosive energy, but they’ve higher endurance."
“And what does that have to do with this? Like, how can you determine he’s not the modifier just based on that?” Ussop asked.
Instead of answering immediately, Maki gently kicked the man's body, flipping him over so that his back was facing upward. However, his backward head revealed a rather gory sight, with his eyes completely white and his tongue sticking out of the tiger's mouth.
'What a disgusting face.'
Maki threw the luxurious clothes she had torn earlier to cover his face.
“See the lighter coloured muscles on his back? Those are the characteristics of fast-twitch muscles,” the girl said, pointing to the area in question using her leg. “Moreover, bears are pretty much dominated by slow-twitch muscles, but you don’t see those characteristics at all.”
Although Maki was a jujutsu sorcerer who dealt with the supernatural, she had considerable experience with bears. Bears still frequently appeared in her hometown, Kyoto, and her school, Tokyo. Bear sightings were especially frequent at Tokyo Jujutsu High, located deep in the mountains on the outskirts of Tokyo.
Although bears were protected animals in Japan, there were times when their population increased sharply. At these times, false reports of cursed spirits sometimes came in, when in fact, they were simply bear activity, which led to them acting as bear population control agents at certain times.
“For reference, you can see the slow-twitch muscles in tuna meat that look darker than the rest of the meat,” Maki continued.
“So?” asked Nami.
The dark green-haired girl in a ponytail stared at her momentarily.
"Fast-twitch muscles are very useful for explosive activities, such as striking, sprinting, and the like. The more fast-twitch muscles you’ve got, the more explosive power you could produce. At first glance, that might sound great. However, if you replace slow-twitch muscles with fast-twitch muscles like this guy, you'll lose endurance and your body won't function properly."
“In other words, this man probably came to the zombie body maker with his own materials to modify or criteria without knowing how to optimising muscle function,” Chopper added.
There was a fundamental difference in why people with superpowers could still produce immense power and incredible endurance. It was simply that their bodies were built differently. Minor modifications like removing and replacing muscles with those of other animals would never come close to what actual superhumans were capable of. If anything, alterations at the DNA level were necessary if you wanted to create superhumans in the laboratory.
“That being said, I think we should part here.”
Maki's words made the other three people's eyes widen.
“Wait, what do you mean?!” Nami reacted hysterically.
On the other hand, Ussop was seen holding the girl's shoulders and shaking her frantically.
“Do you really want to leave us alone?”
“Please don't go, Maki!!” Chopper whined.
The bespectacled girl could only surrender to their cries. Her tongue felt numb, as if hesitation and reluctance to leave them were trying to take over. But in the end, she had decided what needed to be done.
“You guys saw that they weren’t real zombies, no? You wouldn’t turn into one even if they bit you.”
“That’s not the problem! What if an enemy attacks us?” Nami quickly replied.
Maki took a deep breath, trying to understand their fear.
“Don't worry. If my plan works, you won't even gotta fight on the front lines.”
“And your plan is?”
This time it was Ussop's turn to ask, and the bespectacled girl turned to look at him.
"They're shadow collectors, ain't they? So, I'll pretend to faint so they'll take me straight to the boss. When he thinks he's won, I'll finish him off as quickly as possible."
Facepalm with a resigned look was directed at the girl.
“Maki-chan, you know, your plan does sound good. However, of all people, you taking on the role of pretending to faint doesn’t make any sense at all, you know?”
Usopp nodded at Nami's reply.
“People would believe more if the one who was collapse is me, but I don't want to go along with your plan either,” he added.
Maki was incredibly strong and one of the powerhouses in their group. Her bounty even skyrocketed in just one event. Furthermore, she earned the rather insane nickname 'Demon of the Sixth Heaven'. Since the Ennies Lobby incident, her reputation had skyrocketed to the point that even Monkey D. Garp was interested in scouting her. As such, if someone were to randomly collapse in an old mansion, she'd definitely not be on that list.
“It ain’t like they know about us, right?” the girl said.
However, her friends still seemed to show their reluctance,
“Did you forget that the enemy spies managed to get into our kitchen and see our faces o?” Ussop replied.
“It's nothing except to confirm their target number,” Maki quickly turned down that statement.
Being patient wasn't her strong suit or talent. While many praised her for her natural combat intelligence, she always had trouble adjusting to others' rhythms. It was great when those around her shared the same determination, but working with those who couldn't match her ambition was difficult. Ultimately, her selfishness became the root of the rift between her and her sister and caused her the greatest regret to date.
"Besides, they've been doing this for years, right? They're experts at it," Maki continued, "No matter how strong we are, they'll be confident in their methods because their experience has never failed."
“But…,” Nami muttered weakly.
Maki could have just left them here and gone to the boss, just like how she once left her sister alone in the bastards' den to pursue power in Tokyo. Though she always believed it was the best decision, the guilt began to haunt her after her sister vented all her frustrations on her.
'If I had a second chance, I’d still go to Tokyo without a second thought. I know it's the right thing to do, after all. However, I’d probably approach it differently so as not to leave any regrets.'
"Guys, listen. I completely understand your concerns. That's why I led you to this area," said Maki, still trying to clarify things.
The three cowards turned their heads in all directions, scanning every corner of the corridor of the haunted mansion to understand what she was trying to convey.
“As you can see, there are almost no zombies or strange monsters in this area, unlike outside or the main part of the mansion.”
Indeed, since entering the corridor from the far side of the building, there had been no sign of anything attempting to attack them. Compared to the zombies outside or the strange monsters on the other side of the building, the only threat in this area came from the man who had just attacked them.
“This guy seems to have come after getting information from those monsters,” Maki continued her words, “Although I hate to say this, but he seems to have rushed towards us immediately after getting information that there were two beautiful girls entering the mansion.”
Calling herself beautiful so openly made her feel like a narcissist, like Satoru, even though she knew she wasn’t. However, she immediately shuddered at the thought of doing something her teacher always did.
“So, as long as you stay wandering in this area and don't enter the main building and beyond, as well as some underground places, you won't encounter any significant threats.”
Ensuring their safety before going solo was the best compromise Maki could offer. If she wanted to quickly end this and uncover all the irregularities, defeating the boss was the only way. However, Maki realised they had just escaped a major battle alive a few days ago, and not everyone was mentally prepared for another one.
Nami was similarly aware of the gravity of the situation that awaited them. She realised that if they wanted to escape the island, they needed to find Brook's shadow as quickly as possible, as he had become the centre of interest for her two teammates, Maki and Luffy. And there was no quicker way to achieve that than defeating Gecko Moria. Therefore, she understood Maki's considerations for ensuring their safety.
Normally, Nami would be perfectly happy if she weren't thrown into a major fight. Hell, she'd never even been mentally prepared for such things. Furthermore, it wasn't like their friends were kidnapped or in danger like Robin and Vivi were. So, she never felt any obligation to help Brook, especially since he was never the object of her affection in the first place.
And yet, when Maki truly put her on the sidelines, Nami couldn't help but feel disappointed. She wasn't disappointed in the girl's decision, but in herself for constantly giving in to her fears.
“If you say it like that, it's as if I'm a completely useless person,” Nami sulked.
She shouldn't have said those words. When she first met Maki and learned she was a year younger, she was determined to be a good older sister, just like Nojiko had always been for her.
"Don't worry, that doesn't mean I'm casting you out," Maki said faintly. "Just like Brook, I'm sure there are other survivors on this island. That's why you guys go find them while I do my thing and draw the enemy's attention. Gather useful information, then invite them to fight with us if possible.”
Nami gripped her hand tightly and bit her lower lip hard. Tears felt like they would flood her eyes if she didn't try hard to hold them back. However, they weren't tears of fear or sadness, but instead of deep disappointment because she had once again lost to her fear. Like the short-haired girl, Usopp and Chopper also felt an inner conflict within themselves, to the point that it was difficult for them to even look at each other.
Fear of something was natural. After all, it was an instinct for living things to survive the harshness of life. There was no need to feel ashamed or inferior about it. However, what mattered was how you would respond to that fear. Did you continually run away and avoid it, or did you find the courage to embrace it and step towards change?
"Fine. We'll try to see what we can do. And you, Maki-chan, promise not to act recklessly," said Nami.
Maki smiled lopsidedly at those words, satisfied with her comrades' determination.
“Don't worry. I've got this planned.”
The otherworlder girl then took off the sword she had been carrying and handed it to Nami, who looked at her in confusion.
“I entrust Ganesha to you.”
“Huh? Why?” asked Usopp.
“While I was pretending to faint, I wanna appear as defenceless as possible so they’d lower their guard.”
"But what about when you fight?" This time, it was Chopper's turn to show his concern.
“You know I'm super strong, right? Even without a sword, I can finish anyone off barehanded.”
That answer certainly didn't satisfy them. That was why Maki continued, ensuring there was no lingering doubt.
“As you know, Ganesha and I have a spiritual bond, and I’ve done many experiments to ensure that I can summon him through mind commands even over long distances.”
Nami sighed at the explanation.
“Okay, I understand. Besides, if your sword, Ganesha, flies because you summoned it, it can at least be a sign to us that your fight has begun.”
There was no more arguing once everyone reached a common understanding. After a final briefing, they set out to carry out their plans. Maki found a spot that was easy to find and lay there like a wreck. Meanwhile, Nami, Usopp, and Chopper roamed the sprawling mansion complex, searching for other survivors, while avoiding the deepest corners, which were suspected to be the gathering point for their opponent's main force.
—OoOoO—
The Straw Hats habitually divided their members into at least two teams whenever they went on an island expedition. Typically, the teams were determined by drawing lots to avoid any feelings of cheating, as everything relied entirely on luck. They usually depart together and then immediately split up. However, there were times when the first team must depart based on the draw, while the second team stayed on the ship, primarily when anchored in a location where the ship's safety couldn’t be guaranteed.
More than thirty minutes had passed since Maki's team left to scout the giant, island-like ship. However, the lack of news prompted the remaining members to disembark and explore the island. That was why they were there now, walking through the mansion's corridors.
“It was very convenient to track them with the traces that Maki deliberately left behind,” said the biggest guy in the group, “Especially with the signs of a fight still fresh, you know that at least they really took this route.”
Broken furniture, broken walls, and shattered windows were easy to spot in a haunted, old mansion with a well-preserved interior. However, what was most convincing about their companions was the marks Maki left on the walls.
"With so many zombies and monsters lurking around, I'm quite relieved they made it this far. But I can't help but worry and imagine they'll get into a lot of trouble," the man continued.
Walking a few steps behind, Zoro furrowed his brows upon hearing those words.
"Maki’s with them, isn't she? They’ll be fine with her around," the green-haired boy replied.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about," Franky responded, looking at Zoro momentarily. "That girl has a different mindset than Nami and the others. Her objective is to defeat Gecko Moria as fast as possible, so she may be leading them straight to the enemy's location."
"Maki wouldn't do that," Robin said quickly. “She may be quite reckless, but she wouldn't take someone who wasn't ready and prepared into a high-intensity fight.”
Franky was slightly taken aback by the sharp-sounding response. Moreover, it came from someone arguably the calmest and most intelligent in the group. She might have a habit of saying mean things, but not something that would come off as sarcastic. It sounded like an older sister who was offended when someone else spoke badly of her younger sibling.
“U-uh, yeah, anyway, Maki is a responsible girl, isn’t she?” Franky replied awkwardly.
“Shishishishi. Robin, you can really be scary sometimes,” the boy with the straw hat said.
The black-haired woman sighed, maintaining her stoic expression. Honestly, she hadn't intended to make a sarcastic remark, but it just happened.
“That aside, shouldn't we also find Sanji as soon as possible? While we're here, the zombies might have eaten his brain and turned him into their own kind.”
“Uh, there you go with your gloomy and creepy stuff,” Franky commented on Robin's words.
In fact, something strange had happened. Right after leaving the main hall, Sanji suddenly vanished entirely from the radar, without a trace or a sign of resistance. It was as if they were given the impression that he had left on his whim or perhaps simply gotten lost. However, everyone there understood that it wasn’t the case and that it was most likely impossible for him to be lost.
“Then, shouldn’t Zoro walk in front since he’ll definitely get lost? Shishishi,” Luffy said casually.
It was a perfectly reasonable remark. If there was anyone in the group who would get lost for no reason, it would be Zoro. They were so used to him always getting lost that they thought it was normal and nothing to worry about. Therefore, when he walked a few steps behind, no one seemed bothered or even took the initiative to tell him to come forward.
However, when they turned to drag him forward, unfortunately, the figure had disappeared from sight.
"Eh, Zoro? Seriously?" Luffy muttered.
—To Be Continued—
Author Note: Hello my brothers and sisters, how are you all? I'm good, and I hope you are too.
Alright, unlike previous arcs, this one will move along quite quickly, and the next chapter will likely face Gecko Moria right away. Why? I think, if you follow the canon and compare the overall abilities of the Straw Hats to Gecko Moria's crew, the difference in power is significant. In fact, I think they're the weakest group after Foxy in the Grand Line saga.
That being said, with Maki having eliminated Absalom, there are practically only a few people left standing in the way. And with Maki currently strategising to get to him directly, the main battle will inevitably happen sooner.
Alright, that's all from me. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Stay safe, and I'll see you again in two weeks.