Chapter 26: What’s Restricted in Heavenly Restriction?
—OoOoO—
“So, Absalom was killed and you found this girl lying nearby, huh?”
A chilling voice cut through the shadowy throne room. The man on the throne, his thick neck blending into heavy shoulders, gripped the armrest with monstrous fingers. He hunched forward, his burning eyes fixed on the intruder. As he flicked his pointed ears and raised a clawed hand, his horns glimmered in the faint light. Lips curling back to reveal razor teeth, he commanded the space, a true vampire immune to challenge.
“Absalom wasn’t that strong, to begin with. It’s quite plausible that this country bumpkin was able to kill him.”
The pink-haired girl, her twintails springing with each movement, crouched beside the cage. She leaned in, hands gripping the bars as she studied the unconscious captive, curiosity flaring in her eyes before she finally spoke.
“But she’s quite strong, and was able to wreak havoc on my mansion,” replied a man in sunglasses with a stocky normal build, wary suspicion in his tone. “A big shot who made her name with the fall of Ennies Lobby. Don’t you think it’s suspicious to see her lying there like that?”
“Isn’t that because she was exhausted after fighting Absalom?” the girl retorted, “No matter how great this girl is, it’s very difficult to fight someone with the ability to disappear.”
“Sigh, if only those stupid zombies could retrieve his body too, I would be able to guess why he lost.”
"You're thinking too much, Hogback. Rumour has it she's a weapons specialist. If she fights unarmed, isn't it natural that she's quite in the disadvantage?"
The pink-haired girl spun around, bent one leg behind her, and struck a deliberately cute pose as her twintails bounced.
“Am I not right, Moria-sama?” the girl asked the largest man in the room, her expression shifting from playful confidence to anxious seeking of approval.
“Well, well. I’m not interested in your argument,” said the man named Moria, “I only care about the potential of the shadow of someone with bounty of eighty million Berries on her head holds.”
Moria descended from his throne, each step heavy with anticipation as he approached Maki’s cage. Towering over her, his grin widened hungrily. He bent low, seizing her by the ponytail and dragging her upright, eyes gleaming with avarice. With a swift, impatient motion, he flung open the cage, his grip tightening, desperate to add her to his twisted collection.
“Hey, you bastard!! What are you going to do to Maki?! Let her go, you onion head!!” the voice cracked with panic and frustration, revealing real fear for Maki's safety.
Moria turned her head, staring at another cage in the room.
“Hm? Is the web on your mouth starting to loosen? Now that I hear it, you really have an annoying, shrill voice.”
Inside the cage was a black-haired boy clad in golden armour. However, his body, legs, and arms appeared to be bound by a strong, sticky web. The same was true for his mouth, though the web had somehow come loose, leaving a few strands stuck to his cheek. Frustration and desperation flickered in his eyes as he struggled.
"Untie me and let Maki go, you fat onion!! You were also the one who kidnapped Zoro and Sanji, weren't you?!"
The boy twisted and yanked at his bindings, jaw clenched as he fought to break free of the sticky web restricting his limbs.
“Monkey D. Luffy, the mastermind who led the attack on Ennies Lobby. The man with three hundred million Berries. Be patient, little boy, your turn will come soon.”
Luffy locked his jaw, fists trembling, eyes blazing with fury as he watched Moria smash Maki to the ground. Thick veins bulged along his neck with barely contained rage.
In another corner, the zombies seemed to have turned on a very bright light, with the light so intense that the shadows in the room were clearly printed.
“Hogback, you’ve got the empty vessel ready, haven’t you?” Moria asked, clutching Maki’s shadow.
“Of course I have.”
“Good.”
Gecko Moria. He was a pirate who had experienced the bitterness of the New World. Slaughtered by the true masters of the sea, he was forced to swallow the bitter truth that he was unworthy of the world's main stage. However, his stubbornness and vengeance kept him from losing his way.
'I will be there! Even in the dirtiest way, I will be on top of the world!'
Moria’s grin stretched wider. He tightened his grip on the shadow as it writhed, then stilled, surrendering to his strength. Triumph sparked in his eyes as he tasted victory, certain he was moments from seizing new power.
'The warrior with the power of eighty million Berries, I got her!'
The man wrenched the shadow, expecting it to come loose, but confusion replaced his smile as it remained firmly attached to Maki's body.
“Moria-sama?” Perona squeaked, her face contorting from surprise to anxiety as she sensed something was amiss.
The girl tilted her head when she saw her master stop his ritual midway, confusion and concern shadowing her playful demeanour.
“Is something wrong, Moria-sama?” Hogback asked in turn.
The large man blocked out his subordinates, face contorted with effort. He gripped Maki’s shadow, bracing both arms and straining to drag it free, every muscle tight, but the shadow resisted as if anchored deep within her body.
“Surprised, aren't you?”
Her sharp eyes blazed beneath dark green hair as she snapped her head up, lips curling into a wicked grin. Moria jerked back, startled, instinctively flinching away from Maki’s sudden confidence.
'Huh? I took a step away? Did I feel scared for a moment? Of a girl who was clearly weaker than me?!'
“Sigh. Listening to all your ramblings is really making me sick,” Maki said amidst the shocked crowd.
“You! How can you be…? I checked your vital signs, and they all indicate that you are unconscious!”
The ponytailed girl turned to the plump, but normal-looking man. However, Hogback wasn't the only one in the room who was confused. In fact, his bewilderment seemed trivial compared to the tsunami of questions flooding Moria's mind, visible in the furrowed lines of his tightened brow.
“You bitch! Tell me how I couldn’t extract your shadow? What trick did you use?!”
“Trick?”
Maki lifted her hand to adjust her glasses, paused, then remembered she had given them to Nami. She let her hand drop, rubbing her chin instead as she stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.
“Well, I don’t really understand, but maybe it’s because my body is special?”
The girl folded her arms and faced Moria, her gaze steady but her lips turned in a disappointed frown as she studied the strangely shaped man.
“Honestly, I was curious about your abilities and wanted to try them myself,” Maki continued her words in a condescending tone, “But seeing as you could’t even do a proper job, it doesn’t seem that impressive.”
Moria’s pallid face flushed crimson, rage and humiliation warring for control as if steam might burst from his ears.
“You, you little bastard!!”
Moria lunged toward Maki, but her right hand shot out to the side, stopping him mid-charge. He hesitated, caught off guard by her assertive motion, and decided to observe her more.
“Come, Ganesha!”
Maki mouthed the summoning words for her new sword, glancing around to make sure no one caught on. She waited, tension thick in the air, but when nothing appeared, she managed a sheepish, embarrassed smile.
“You know what, I’m actually curious about how you can use shadows as fuel to move those zombies,” the girl said to break the silence.
'Well, but for now, I'm more curious why it didn't work on me,' Maki added thoughtfully.
In fact, she at least had some theory.
A shadow was essentially an area that wasn’t exposed to light because it was blocked by an object. In other words, even in the presence of very bright light, a shadow would never form if the object itself weren’t there in the first place. In this case, it was one's own body. In other words, body and shadow were an inseparable couple. Even though Moria's ability could make it happen by force, Maki's body was special, rejecting every interference and abnormality.
After her defeat against Enel and Stussy, Maki confirmed another thing about her body after coming to this world, leaving behind the useless remnants of her cursed energy. In addition to her insanely enhanced physical traits, she had a high-speed recovery rate. She was certain that even if her internal organs were severely injured, she would likely only need a short time to fully recover.
'At this point, thinking that my body is truly something else doesn't seem like an exaggeration. However, to think that things related to my body are inviolable through external influence, does that make sense? Though I still need a more useful explanation.'
“Moria-sama!! Don’t fall for her words!! She’s probably just stalling for time!!”
Perona, the pink-haired girl, shrieked at the top of her lungs, jabbing a finger at Maki across the room. Her voice quivered, betraying a spike of panic and the dread of losing her grip on the situation.
“Me? Stalling for time? You make it sound like I’m afraid to fight all of you head-on,” the girl retorted with pride, a confident gleam in her eyes unmistakable.
'Well, I was planning to stab that Moria guy while he was off guard, though. But the plan changed and with Luffy already here, a head-on fight sounded more appealing.'
“Come over here, damn onion head!”
The veins of anger seemed to thicken on Moria's temples, responding to the challenge without any intention of showing mercy.
“My zombie legion!! Catch that girl at all costs!”
At Moria’s command, the zombie horde lurched forward, arms reaching, feet dragging. Perona snapped her hands together, eyes narrowing with focus as two spectral creatures drifted from her body, leading the undead assault.
'So, she's the shikigami user, huh? No, as if those creatures are indeed shikigami.'
Maki smiled awkwardly at the thought. Seeing a figure with attributes similar to those from her world made her a little impatient to get home. However, that was a problem she had to put aside for now.
Maki pulled her fist back and drove it into the concrete, shattering the floor and sending shards skittering across the chamber. The thunderous crack echoed, halting the zombie horde in their tracks, cowed by her raw power.
Meanwhile, the swirling dust seemed to obscure Maki's vision, though not thick enough to completely obscure her presence. However, that hadn't been the plan from the start.
With a swift motion, Maki snatched up a chunk of floorboard and hurled it at the circular lamp overhead. The resulting explosion sent a cloud of black smoke billowing, momentarily blinding the creatures. Seizing the opening, she dashed for Luffy’s cage.
“It's hard to believe they caught you,” the girl said.
Without further ado, Maki immediately bent the iron bars and pulled Luffy out of there.
“I can’t believe you got caught too, Shishishi.”
Maki's forehead twitched when she heard that reply.
“I wasn't caught, but I let them catch me on purpose.”
The girl carried Luffy on her shoulder and immediately jumped into the air when she felt something approaching her from behind.
“That white ghost. Do you know the consequences if they attack us?”
“Nah, no idea,” Luffy replied shortly.
The white creatures flew to attack Maki, who was still in the air, but she swiftly turned her body, not giving the ghost any room to do whatever their master ordered.
'In a one-on-one battle, I hate facing opponents whose abilities aren't confirmed. Furthermore, I already have a bad feeling about that creature.'
Still in the air, Maki's eyes met Perona's, who had been keeping her movements locked. Undoubtedly, the woman had complete control over the creatures, as they constantly moved in accordance with where she focused her attention.
'She's standing near that Moria guy. If I attack her from here, he might block me.'
Maki sighed. She leapt into the air as her hands grabbed Luffy's back.
"Hang it on, Luffy," Maki muttered.
“Huh?”
Luffy barely had time to react before Maki hoisted him off her back and hurled him straight at Moria. She shot him through the air so fast he couldn’t even scream, colliding with Moria in a heartbeat.
Dodge? Or block? If he had time, Moria might have considered both options. However, Maki's sudden attack and the fact that no one predicted she would throw her partner left him unable to react appropriately.
Moria raised both arms forward, trying to lessen the impact of the collision. However, Luffy, having been thrown by Maki, accelerated even faster and broke through his incomplete defence.
Boom!
“Moria-sama!!”
Perona screamed hysterically as she turned her body to look at her master, who hit the wall hard. Anger and fury seemed to rise to the top of her head, making the colour of her face look even redder.
“You fucking bitch,” Perona cursed as she turned around, “I will kill—.”
However, her words were cut short when she saw Maki right in front of her. Her glaring eyes and her hair fluttering, Perona's guts were racing, and a chill ran down her spine.
'Wasn't she still far away at midair earlier?'
Before she could process what happened, a bare fist smashed into her nose and mouth. The jolt of pain stunned her, and the sheer force sent her flying backwards.
With a cold gaze, Maki looked at the spot where the white ghosts had been. They weren't there, and no matter how many times she scanned the area, she couldn't find any trace of them.
“If they suddenly disappeared, does that mean the woman lost consciousness? I didn't hit her that hard, though.”
Meanwhile, after successfully hitting Moria, Luffy quickly moved to pin him down. He would have beaten the man to a pulp if only his body, hands, and feet weren't tied. As such, the only thing he could do was escape before the enemy caught him. Unfortunately, a black figure suddenly emerged from Moria's shadow, grabbing him and throwing him.
Not wanting to be left out of the fight, Luffy spun his bound legs to build momentum and flung them toward Maki. Catching on instantly, she grabbed his legs—not gently, but with purpose, swinging him like a human pendulum to batter the surrounding zombies like a pendulum.
“Shishishi! That was so much fun! Can we do it again?” Luffy said after Maki stopped spinning and landed next to her.
“I'd like to do that, but not with the big guy before us.”
However, that wasn't the only problem they had to worry about. Moria was indeed the main threat, but the number of zombies entering the room was also increasing.
"I acknowledge your guts, daring to confront me right in the middle of my base. Most people would flee if they had the chance.
The man's voice echoed as he parted the crowd of zombies with his footsteps.
"You're just a small fry. What do we’ve to be afraid of?" Luffy replied.
Maki laughed softly at the taunt, while the big guy growled angrily. She wanted to join in the taunting, but a familiar feeling made her relent.
'Nice. It's coming.'
After a brief pause, the girl stretched her arms out to the sides with open palms again. Luffy understood Maki's silence. However, Moria frowned impatiently.
“As if I let you do what you want,” the man said, “You useless zoombies, destroy those bastards!!”
With the undead swarm charging, Maki grabbed Luffy's armoured back by the neck and threw him back into the air using her left hand.
The girl stood calmly, undaunted, even as the enemies began to surround her. Her eyes stared coldly at them, while her Kenbunshoku remained active to cover her blind spots.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Zombies loomed just meters away, Luffy soared overhead, and the room’s overlapping screams all stretched out, as if the world itself was moving through the space-time.
Was it the adrenaline rush? Or was it her brain processing all the data recorded by her five senses faster?
The human brain relatively received approximately eleven million bits of data per second. Unfortunately, only forty bits could be consciously processed. This figure alone demonstrated the body's ability to absorb vast amounts of information, albeit with certain limitations. Meanwhile, Kenbunshoku Haki allowed the user to roughly sense various events around them, particularly in detecting danger.
In that regard, it wasn’t just about drastically enhanced sensory acuity, but also how the brain processed the data sent through all the nerves as quickly as possible. In other words, Kenbunshoku Haki was the embodiment of perfect synchronisation between superhuman sensory acuity and the brain's ability to process information with high accuracy and effectiveness.
With enhanced senses that were already at a superhuman level even before she learned Kenbunshoku, and her high adaptability as a superhuman, the more she used those abilities, the clearer it became what she had to do.
With her mind processing information at lightning speed, the world slowed around her. Every action flowed seamlessly from thought to movement, her body executing commands with flawless efficiency.
Boom!
A thud sounded from the wall being forced open. Without looking to confirm it, Maki knew the perpetrator of the destruction was the sword she had summoned through their established spiritual bond.
As Ganesha, the name of Maki's sword, moved to cleave through the sea of zombies, many of the undead ignored the intruder. They continued to attack her, but unfortunately, none of them succeeded.
Maki wasn't moving at high speed, but she was able to weave through the crowd of zombies without a single one touching her. Finally, she leapt into the air, catching Luffy, who was already descending due to gravity. At the same time, she also caught the sword flying towards her.
“I’ve fed up… with these fake zombies!”
Maki let out a battle cry as she plummeted with sword and Luffy in tow, landing hard enough to send a tremor through the chamber. She spun in a swift arc, her blade slicing a path through the encircling zombies.
The girl released her grip on Luffy by slightly throwing him into the air, then slashed the webs that bound his body and legs.
“Thanks!” Luffy shouted excitedly.
His wrists were still tied, but the boy didn't seem to care. With his body and legs free, he was able to break the bonds with just a snap.
“I've been itching to do this for a while now!”
Luffy jumped into the air with his mouth blowing on his left thumb.
“Gear Third.”
Like a balloon, but with high density, his hand expanded rapidly to the size of a giant hand.
“Gomu gomu no… Gigant Pistol!
Luffy delivered a giant punch to Moria, who seemed surprised by the size of the attack. However, while others might say he wasn't as strong as other warlords, he was still a skilled fighter with a wealth of experience. Although initially surprised by the size of the fist, he managed to dodge the blow. However, many unlucky zombies fell victim when the fist hit the ground.
Boom!
A tremor significantly greater than the one Maki had previously caused occurred. This alone sent a sense of intimidation through the zombies. Unfortunately, such a powerful attack came at the cost of Luffy's body beginning to shrink.
The boy seemed to be in free fall, but Maki quickly caught him.
“You idiot goblin. Why did you launch such a massive attack right from the start?”
“Why? Because I’m really pissed off right now,” Luffy replied.
The shrill voice that escaped his mouth, accompanied by his body shrinking like a child, made it difficult for Maki to take him seriously. As such, she simply placed Luffy on her back, leaving him to dangle there for a while.
“These fucking zombies are endless. They're literally everywhere, all over this island.”
Maki bantered as she weaved through the horde. Her swordplay looked like a blur. She lunged, beheading the undead, then flipped backwards, landing with a zombie’s head trapped between her thighs. Her superior skill made dispatching them almost effortless.
However, the girl knew it was not a good position to maintain for too long.
'I can't waste my time fighting these undead while that bastard is trying to run.'
Without needing to confirm Moria's presence with her eyes, Maki could sense him trying to leave the room. He used the monsters of various shapes and sizes to distract her.
Maintaining her grip, Maki squeezed her thighs, snapping the zombie’s neck beneath her. Spotting an opening, she rolled forward, the zombie still hooked to her feet, then launched it ahead, smashing a path through the crowd.
“Maki, you know this won't do, right?” said Luffy.
“I know.”
The girl leapt upwards, using the air as a springboard to propel herself, closing the distance between herself and Moria. Meanwhile, the man appeared shocked by her actions.
'She can even use the Moonwalk technique?!'
Moria reached the grand doors, hand hovering over the handle, but it was already too late. Maki shot through the air with impossible speed, leaving him momentarily frozen in shock at her unexpected feat.
'I'll get you.'
Maki crossed her right arm in front of her, readying her sword to slash at the man as soon as he was within reach. She believed it would hit him, as opening the door would take at least a second. However, a warning alarm suddenly went off in her head, warning her that something was about to harm her.
Maki tilted her body, facing sideways with her sword protecting her in front.
Clang!
The clash between the two sharp metals was heard loud enough to make the zombies wince.
Whatever struck Maki from the side hit with tremendous force, sending her tumbling away from Moria and crashing into the mass of zombies.
“Serve you right, you little bitch!”
Maki was able to hear Moria's curses.
She tried to stand up. However, the zombies blocked her way and tried to restrain her, grabbing her from her head to her toes. They even tugged hard on Luffy, forcing him to let go before he could recover.
“How dare you touch me,” Maki growled angrily, “Who do you think you are?”
She stomped hard, splintering the stone floor with a web of cracks stretching ten meters. The shockwave sent nearby zombies stumbling, their balance lost.
Maki swung both arms alternately, slamming the zombies holding her to the ground. She also struck those who were lying prone or crouching, keeping their legs.
“Die you, rotten bastard!”
Once her hands were free, Maki drove her sword into the heap of zombies before her. She wrenched the clinging undead off her body and hurled them aside, then kicked the impaled pile forward, blasting open a path through the horde.
Meanwhile, wrapping his elastic legs around Maki's neck, Luffy was also seen punching zombies from behind, even though he had not yet recovered to his original form.
“Don’t think I can’t fight just because my body shrank, you shitty rotten flesh!” Luffy shouted angrily.
The veins of anger were clearly visible on his temples.
“Gomu Gomu no… Thousand Needles!”
His rapid punches peppered anyone daring to approach from behind. Though each blow was small, their pinpoint force and speed made them sting like needles.
Luffy's eyes widened slightly as he felt a surge of energy through his body. It was a familiar feeling after using Gear Third. Therefore, he immediately jumped off Maki's shoulder, and just as he was in midair, his body returned to its standard size.
“Welcome back,” said the girl in the ponytail, “Or maybe, well, comeback.”
“Is that supposed to be a joke?” Luffy asked innocently.
"Yeah. But it's a stupid joke. Like, a dad joke."
Maki gave that reply while extending her hand forward to summon her sword back.
"I don't know who my father is, so I don't really understand about this dad joke. But I don't think it was a stupid joke," Luffy replied.
“If you are an idiot, even stupid jokes will sound normal.”
“Oh, I get the joke on that one!” the guy replied enthusiastically.
Along with Luffy's words, Maki perfectly caught the elephant sword that flew back into her grasp.
“That wasn't a joke, but a satire, you idiot.”
The two teenagers expected the zombies to charge at them while they were having a casual conversation. However, somewhat betraying their expectations, the creatures stood still, making no attempt to attack. Instead, from the direction Maki had been thrown, the zombies opened up space, like a sea parting to allow something to pass through.
Their faces shifted, whispers rippling through the crowd, which Maki easily caught with her heightened hearing. She frowned but tuned them out, her attention drawn to the overwhelming presence entering the room.
Like the others, it was a zombie made from an old man's corpse, about the height of an average man on Earth, and relatively short compared to men in this world. He had bandages wrapped horizontally around his forehead and part of his face, with the lower part covered by a shabby, dark blue scarf. The figure wore a white samurai gi tied at the stomach with a blue obi featuring several magatama patterns.
Eyeless and noseless, its body was a husk of blackened skin stretched over jutting bones. It was easily the most nightmarish zombie the teens had faced. The katana at its side radiated a chilling, deadly aura.
It was as if, even though his body was moved by a random shadow, the true soul of the body's owner resided in the sword.
“You've got quite a unique sword, aren't you, little lady?”
“Same here,” Maki replied with a grin, “It’d be a shame to see such a beautiful and powerful katana end up in the hands of a rotten zombie like you.”
The zombie’s mouth, hidden behind a scarf, twisted into a faint, maniacal smile at her words, though no one could see the madness lurking beneath.
“Interesting. You can tell even though I haven’t shown it yet, huh?” the figure said, prodding the hilt with his thumb, “Finally, a guest who actually knows about swords instead of that noisy skeleton who always whines every time he sees me.”
—OoOoO—
Rewind to just before Maki confronted Moria: Robin and Franky, separated from Luffy and beset by zombies, found themselves lost and far from the main chamber. Overwhelmed and nearly captured, they were saved at the last moment by a familiar ally.
“Thanks for saving us from this spider monster and those weird rats, pal,” said the blue-haired man.
“It’s okay. Honestly, I was thinking that you guys might follow me to this island, and it made me feel a little guilty to just leave you alone after all the hospitality you’ve shown me.”
A tall man, or so it should have seemed, judging by the skeleton structure. If the monsters on this island looked fake and grotesque, then that man was a genuine undead, as he was likely the only living skeleton in the world.
"But of all the possibilities, their weakness is salt? It's unbelievable," Robin said, stroking the empty shells of the monsters.
The long black-haired woman crouched down to touch, stroke, and tug at the net that had previously bound them.
“The spider web even feels so real. Is this man-made too?” Robin chimed in again.
Standing not far from her, Franky stared at the woman who was crouching with a look of curiosity clearly written on his face.
“I believe it’s a synthetic web.”
“There are only a few people in the world who are capable of doing things like this,” Robin said.
Hearing the conversation, Brook raised his head as if remembering something.
“If I'm not mistaken, the person who conducted these strange experiments was named Hogback.”
“Hogback?” Robin blurted out.
Franky raised an eyebrow when he saw the woman's reaction.
“You know him?”
The black-haired woman shook her head slowly as she stood up from her crouched position. She stared at the castle ceiling for a moment, then turned her attention to Franky.
“Not really. He was a physician and mysteriously disappeared a few years ago.”
Boom!
A faint thud was heard, sending a tremor that was felt all the way to where they were. The three people, or two people and a skeleton, turned in the direction they believed the tremor had come from. It was the direction Robin and Franky had come from when they were trying to escape the zombie attack.
"Ah, it's really Robin and Franky!!"
They were turning in another direction when their names were called by a somewhat hoarse and loud voice from a boy.
Franky's eyes widened as he saw the guests running towards them. Robin, though her expression remained stoic as usual, let out a sigh of relief upon discovering that there were no scratches on their bodies. However, her brow furrowed sharply as she realised the absence of someone who was supposed to be with them.
“I’m glad you’re all okay, but where’s Maki?” the woman asked, getting straight to the point.
The three people who arrived didn't immediately respond to the question. They bent over, their hands on their knees for support. Meanwhile, their breathing appeared ragged.
“First of all, I’m really grateful we could regroup here, guys,” Nami said hesitantly, “Maki-chan suggested we split up. While we were gathering information, specifically finding out if there were any other survivors around, she planned to go to Gecko Moria’s place alone.”
The girl then saw their formation was no longer complete, and her expression turned sad.
“So, not only Sanji-kun, but Zoro and even Luffy were caught too?”
The murmur that escaped Nami’s mouth made Franky raise his eyebrows.
“How do you know they were captured?” the man asked.
It wasn’t Nami who would answer the question, but Usopp, after he had recovered his breath enough.
"We encountered a strange zombie with behaviour and even a fighting style very similar to Sanji's. In fact, we might have been beaten to death if it weren't for Nami exploiting its weakness just like how she always manipulates Sanji."
The long-nosed guy paused for a moment in his words, but quickly continued before anyone could interrupt him.
“Before that, after we, but mostly it was Maki and Nami, observed the behaviour of the zombies she had defeated before while we were still exploring together, we concluded that they were probably moved using stolen shadows after taking Brook’s story into account.”
“And our encounter with a zombie that has traits like Sanji only confirmed our hypothesis,” Chopper added to conclude the explanation.
For Brook, who had raided this fortress many times and was the most experienced among those young lads, he was surprised and had to admit their skill in uncovering the secret in such a short time. Working as a team and exchanging ideas and information, when was the last time he had done something like that? It felt like it had been so long that he had forgotten how much fun it was to unravel each mystery together with his teammates.
"So, what about Luffy and the others? And that tremor earlier, do you think it was from a fight?" Nami asked.
Franky averted his gaze from the question. His strong hand rubbed the back of his neck, as if trying to sweep away his guilt. However, he knew he couldn't avoid the question.
“If you guys already know what happened to Sanji, then you can guess that Luffy and Zoro have also been captured,” the man said.
Robin glanced at him out of the corner of her eye before turning her attention back to her newly arrived comrades.
“Zoro was captured moments after we realised Sanji was missing,” the black-haired woman added, “Luffy was captured only recently. We can probably hope that his shadow wasn’t stolen by assuming the shaking was from his fight.”
“Yeah. Plus, there was quite a long-time gap between Sanji and Zoro’s disappearance and Luffy’s capture,” Franky added his opinion.
That aside, there were actually a few things that were bothering Robin.
Nami and the others only encountered Sanji's zombie, but not Zoro's? Sure, Sanji was caught first. However, as Franky said, there was quite a long gap between Sanji and Zoro's disappearance and Luffy's capture. And by that, the gap between the first and second cases was quite close. Therefore, if Sanji's shadow had been turned into a zombie, Zoro's shadow should have been too.
However, the three people admitted that they only met zombies powered by Sanji’s shadow.
'Assuming that the zombies would behave like the shadow owner and Zoro's shadow had been stolen, he should had patrolled together with Sanji. After all, even though they never got along, they were from the same group, and were familiar with each other.'
Robin began to rack her brain to analyse the situation.
'Am I too overlooking this? Zoro could have survived and managed to escape, but this kind of thinking is often what makes someone careless. But why didn't Zoro's zombie appear then? Did Moria have another plan? Was he keeping the zombie for some reason?'
In terms of survival skills, Robin was probably the best among the entire Straw Hat crew. She may not be the strongest, but she always used her incredible intelligence to get out of every problem and exploit others for her own gain, with a bit of luck, of course.
That was why Robin was so sensitive to when something was amiss. And in some cases, such as this one, there was another layer to consider.
“What's wrong, Robin?”
Chopper's remark brought the woman back from her reverie.
“No, nothing. I just thought there was something no less dangerous than Moria on this island.”
Ussop and his two cowardly companions' bodies immediately trembled upon hearing this statement.
“Please, don’t say such horrible things. Besides, things as dangerous as Moria aren’t ‘nothing’ at all!” the long-nosed boy whined.
However, even though they were both filled with fear and worry, Nami tried to gather her courage by gripping her stick tightly.
“Nami, you said earlier that Maki asked you to gather information on the whereabouts of other survivors, right?” Robin asked after seeing the girl’s behaviour.
Nami was shocked by the question.
“Ah, yes, she did ask me that.”
Everyone waited for the girl to finish her sentence. Even Usopp and Chopper already knew what Nami was about to say, but they didn't intend to interrupt or take over the conversation.
“Apparently, it turns out there really are other survivors in this place.”
"Yeah, that makes sense. If I survived and came back to reclaim my shadow, there must be others who think the same way," Brook commented.
Nami nodded at the testimony and looked back at Robin and Franky in turn.
“The name is Lola. She hides in an old hut on the edge of this island with her stolen shadow.”
"About the danger you mentioned earlier, Robin. This Lola girl has also gathered quite a bit of information on her own," Chopper added.
"We haven't confirmed it yet. However, if what she says is true, Moria has a zombie of a race even larger than the Elbaf giants we encountered in Little Garden," Usopp joined in the conversation.
Robin pinched her chin after hearing that statement. If the ominous premonition she had been dwelling on was about the zombie, then the information was worth serious consideration.
'However, a creature even larger than the giants of Elbaf? Could it be the Ancient Giant race?'
Robin decided to put those thoughts aside. Even though she knew the background of that zombie, it was useless if they didn't have a formula to dismantle it.
“We’ll discuss this further. But first, we need to return to the ship to check if Sanji and Zoro are really there,” the black-haired woman exclaimed.
—To Be Continued—
Author Note: And, hello everyone. How are you doing?
This chapter immediately introduces a bit of a fight, and yes, Maki will be the one facing Ryouma.
I also briefly talking about Kenbunshoku Haki, which connects to an opinion from one of the Gorosei a few chapters ago. Of course, that's entirely my headcanon, but I wrote it with a lot of thought. For example, the part about the number of bits the brain receives from all five senses and the number of bits of information it can process is a scientific journal, and I did some research on it.
And with a little fantasy twist, I used that as a reference point for Kenbunshoku Haki.
Okay, that's all from me. I hope you enjoy this story. See you in two weeks. Stay safe and stay healthy.