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Grand Line, Florian Triangle Sea.
Today, the Terrifying Three-Masted Ship welcomed a special guest. Moria fortified his fortress with a circle of iron walls, with entrances and exits controlled by several-ton heavy iron gates to prevent any possible invasion from the sea.
However, it couldn't defend against attacks from beneath the sea or from the sky.
[The Polar Tang] docked near the sewage outlet in the desolate outskirts, where a group of shadows clandestinely made their way ashore, moving along the water tank.
After a few minutes of progress, suddenly...
"Captain, help!"
Bepo, who was bringing up the rear to cover their tracks, suddenly let out a scream, his footsteps echoing loudly.
"Bepo! What the heck are you doing?"
Law's face darkened.
"Gecko" Moria had been a notorious pirate for decades, with many tricks up his sleeve. Moreover, the renowned Zombie Army was stationed in the fortress to ensure its security.
So, in this away game, they had devised a plan to capture the thief before capturing the king, intending to avoid a direct assault on the enemy's stronghold.
But just as they had successfully infiltrated, Bepo's cry could potentially attract unwanted attention!
"Sorry!"
With a sheepish tone, Bepo abruptly slammed on the brakes, hanging his head dejectedly, his low spirits palpable.
Law: "..."
"Wait, now is not the time to reprimand me!"
He instantly snapped out of it, continuing to sprint frantically. "Captain, there's a dog behind us, help!"
"..."
Veins popped on Law's forehead as he roared in frustration.
"Why would you be afraid of a dog? You're a bear, Bepo!"
What kind of bear is afraid of a dog?!
Zi Zi Sizzle...
"I'm sorry!"
Bepo slammed on the brakes again and stood at attention, then raised his head.
"No... Captain, there's something off about this dog!"
"What?"
"Woof! Woof woof!"
In response to Bepo's words, a massive wicked hound with three heads jumped up, its claws scratching three deep marks on the water tank wall, before rising to a height of 4 to 5 meters, towering over Bepo's head.
The wicked hound bore obvious stitch marks and several centipede-like scars wrapped around its neck, giving it the appearance of a resurrected undead.
Drool dripped incessantly from the open mouths of its three heads, and its eerie eyes gleamed with malice, determined to bite down on the foul White Bear as soon as it landed.
Daring to invade its territory meant death!
This was also a result of Law's oversight.
Although the mink race had intelligence comparable to humans, their instincts were more animalistic. For example, just as Bepo would be "favored" by canine minks, their wild instincts still governed their actions.
The scent of a polar bear on Bepo's body might have been only slightly unpleasant to ordinary people, but to Cerberus, the three-headed dog modified by the "genius surgeon" Hogback, this scent indicated the presence of a formidable enemy invading its territory.
This was the instinct of beasts, which was incredibly sensitive.
As the "Guardian" at the entrance, Cerberus would certainly not allow such a situation to occur.
In this way, sneaking in without Bepo would have been fine, but with him, trouble was inevitable!
"ROOM!"
Suddenly, an invisible membrane appeared out of nowhere, enveloping the surrounding area in a range of about ten meters.
For a second, Law was astonished by Cerberus's unique appearance. Then, he curled his index and middle fingers into a "7" gesture, locking his gaze onto Cerberus and murmuring softly.
"Shambles!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
The monstrous blade "Kikoku," bound with white fur, swung back and forth as Law manipulated it with his Devil Fruit power. Cerberus was poised to meet the impact as it descended, but suddenly its eyes widened. It looked at the halted descent and then moved its paws.
Huh?
Why can I feel my front paw touching my butt?
It wondered, then lowered its head to take a look...
"Aooo Woooo!!!"
A piercing scream echoed through the entire dark forest as Cerberus, the "Three-Headed Hound of Hell," fainted from the fright. Law looked at the fainted creature with a twitching mouth.
Damn it!
It looks so fierce, but it's actually so timid, is it messing with me?!
Cutting you into seventeen pieces wasn't going to kill you, anyway!
Hmmmmm... Wait, are you alive or dead?
As a doctor, Law began to recall the sensation he had felt just now. That discordant feeling seemed to be... lifeless.
Cerberus's scream immediately alerted the zombies sleeping in the depths of the Terrifying Three-Masted Ship, sensing the invisible threat. Law gritted his teeth.
"We've been spotted, let's charge together!"
...
Facing off against the owner of the Zombie Army, "Gekko" Moria, the "Surgeon of Death" Trafalgar Law, was undoubtedly going to be an interesting battle.
Moria had been operating the Terrifying Three-Masted Ship for nearly a decade, with countless zombies under his command and numerous trump cards. In the original story, it took Luffy, with a lot of intellectual support, multiple attempts to defeat Moria, who had a bounty of 320,000,000 berries, demonstrating his strength.
However, Rowen was currently unaware of what was happening there. After three days of excavation, the entire group of old scholars had finally encountered trouble.
"Phew..."
Standing on a cliff, Rowen exhaled cigar smoke and asked, "How long have they been out of contact?"
"Reporting, sir, it's been five hours."
The commander of the excavation team next to him hurriedly replied, then opened the file in his hand and said, "Yesterday afternoon, we cleared the trap area in front of the tomb and reached this cliff. Due to time constraints, we decided to come back today."
"But when I woke up, Mr. Rebeke and his students had already gone in... According to the workers who saw it, Mr. Rebeke seemed to remember something important and went in early in the morning to search for answers."
"Concerned about delaying work, I immediately sent people in to search, and incidentally cleared out a safe area here to place tools and materials, and found this..."
Rebeke was the name of the old scholar. After the "Archaeological Holy Land" of O'Hara was destroyed, archaeology in this world declined rapidly, and Rebeke was one of the few surviving archaeologists.
The commander handed over a backpack. The sturdy and wear-resistant fabric had three terrifying gashes, each about ten centimeters long, with faint traces of blood along the edges.
This was the backpack worn by Rebeke's female student. Comparing the angles of the slashes, the female student was in grave danger.
Rowen glanced at the backpack, and then scanned the surroundings.
This was a huge underground space thirty-two meters deep. The cliff beneath their feet was bottomless, and even the glow sticks dropped into it disappeared before reaching the bottom.
Ahead, about a hundred meters away, was another cliff with a sealed door blocking the way, similar in shape to the one here, both towering over an open cliff face.
Hmm, this was quite spacious.
Because there were no signs of life, it didn't feel crowded at all.
In Rowen's Observation Haki's perception, whether it was the "gū lū~gū lū~" bubbling hot spring river below or the mottled stone walls at the ends of the cliffs, everything was crystal clear.
This inevitably made Rowen wonder, what exactly had attacked Rebeke and the others.
A ghost?
Or something else entirely.
"Step back a bit."
"Huh?"
The excavation team commander looked puzzled.
"Take them back to the entrance. I'll see if I can locate them."
Rowen removed the cigar from his mouth, grinning slightly.
Thunder Prison: Chidori Nagashi!
Bang!
Crash!
The deafening thunder echoed through the vast space of the underground cave, the walls reverberating and vibrating repeatedly. Some of the weaker workers, even though they had retreated to a considerable distance, still felt dizzy from the shock.
Zi Zi...!
The dense and intricate electric currents flickered like hair-thin strands of light, illuminating the entire underground space. The electrical net, like a white mist, radiated outward, soon enveloping the entire area.
"Huh? Nothing?!"
Rowen closed his eyes, carefully sensing everything the electrical currents came into contact with.
With his Awakened Devil Fruit ability integrated with his own body, it was more efficient and sensitive. At this moment, with the thunder net cast, nothing could escape Rowen's perception. Additionally, the thunder and lightning had a certain destructive power, making it more effective than simple Observation Haki.
However, to Rowen's surprise, there was really nothing here!
Whether it was the thing that attacked Rebeke's entire group or the bodies of Rebeke's group, none were found.
"Well then... the answer isn't here."
Rowen dissipated the electrical currents, silver snakes slithering up his neck and disappearing into his hair.
His gaze swept across to another stone door on the opposite cliff, and Rowen lowered his head to peer into the dark abyss of the broken cliff.
"Is it down there?"
Adjusting his state a bit shouldn't be a problem, even in the middle of the night.
(End of this chapter)