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Under the guidance of the severely injured old man, Zyhark and his group arrived at a more secluded area deep within the forest.
Secluded, yes, but in the context of the terror-filled Thriller Bark with its intelligence zombies everywhere, it was essentially transparent.
If Moria wanted to, he could easily drag them all out with a little effort, but doing so held little meaning.
For him, this group of people, who were left clinging to life after having their shadows stolen, staying in the dark forest instead of running out to bask in the sunlight, actually reduced the wear and tear on his shadow zombies.
After all, the bodies and shadows shared a life force, and keeping them in the forest added a bit of fun to an otherwise dull life.
In comparison, losing a few shadows here and there didn't matter much.
"Brothers, come out quickly! I've encountered someone extraordinary; our shadows have hope!"
The severely injured old man called out to the dark forest.
Soon, dozens of people emerged from the bushes, scattered and ragged.
Judging by their attire, there were merchants, travelers, and of course, mostly pirates.
Once the crowd gathered, the old man, with an excited expression, began recounting the entire process of Aqua purifying the shadow zombies, which he had witnessed firsthand.
The victims were all shocked, looking at Aqua with eyes full of hope.
So much time had passed, and it was the first time they had seen someone who could completely separate a shadow from a zombie without stuffing salt into its mouth!
"Your situation is roughly understood by this goddess. Rest assured, reclaiming your shadows is on me!"
Feeling the people's savior-like gaze upon her, Aqua stood tall, her naturally proud heart swelling to the extreme.
Seeing the blue-haired girl so confident, the victims, who saw a glimmer of hope, couldn't contain their joy and started cheering.
"I must make it clear, we run a sea restaurant business. As businessmen, we are most concerned with profits, so we won't help you for nothing."
Zyhark spoke expressionlessly, quenching their high spirits.
Unlike the foolish goddess, he wouldn't get carried away with a little flattery.
"If you want money or treasures, we can rob some from the castle," the old man said with some determination.
Having launched several resistance actions against Moria, they were familiar with the castle's layout.
Desperate to reclaim their shadows and regain their freedom, they hadn't dared to steal money before.
If it weren't for that, they wouldn't have stayed in the dark, sunless Thriller Bark!
"That's not necessary. We don't lack money."
Though it felt somewhat unpleasant, Zyhark pulled out a flyer for the Axis Cult. "You just need to sign this paper and become faithful followers of Aqua."
"Followers?" The injured old man was puzzled.
Even so, he extended his skeletal arm, ready to sign the flyer.
As long as he could regain his freedom, he was willing to pay any price, even more painful ones.
"Wait, wait! Aqua? I remember now, she's the Water Witch Aqua!"
Someone suddenly exclaimed, recognizing Aqua from the newspaper.
Thinking of her title, he broke into a cold sweat and warned the old man, "Be careful. If this is the witch's curse, we're doomed!"
Hearing this, the old man, who was about to sign, froze, his pen stopping mid-air.
"You bastard! Don't mention that filthy title to this goddess. I am a true, revered Water Goddess!"
"What witch's curse? Your whole family is cursed!!"
Aqua, who was just proud moments ago, lost her composure, spitting furiously at the person who spoke, completely lacking the grace and sanctity of a goddess.
The more she acted like this, the more nervous the victims became: she looked more like the legendary witch!
People began to retreat, cautiously keeping a safe distance from Aqua.
Soon, only the severely injured old man was left beside her.
The cloudy-eyed old man looked back at his anxious comrades, then at Aqua, and finally at the silent Zyhark and his group.
After a few seconds of thought, he ignored his comrades' warnings and continued signing his unfinished name.
"A man never regrets his decisions. Since I chose to entrust my fate to others, I absolutely believe in my judgment!"
With that, he respectfully handed the flyer to Aqua. "As long as I can return to the sunlight, Lady Aqua, you will be the deity I worship for life!"
Seeing this, Aqua calmed down, happily accepting the flyer.
"Unexpectedly, you old man, despite your ugly appearance, have quite the discerning eye."
This joy of gaining a devout follower made her temporarily forget about the witch thing.
The other victims looked at each other. After confirming that the old man showed no abnormalities, they felt a bit relieved and gathered around to sign.
Although they would all end up as followers of the Aqua Cult, the old man's dedication earned him better future benefits!
Thus, the "transaction" between both parties was concluded.
"By the way, Mr. Zyhark, if you really plan to take on Moria, we have a way to significantly boost your combat power. Are you interested?" the injured old man inquired.
"Yes, even though the lightning boy consumed over fifty shadows, we still have plenty left!" someone added.
Hearing this familiar name, Zyhark was surprised: "Lightning boy?"
After some inquiries, he learned that the Supernova Pirates, who he had previously fought, had encountered Thriller Bark by coincidence.
A fierce battle ensued, resulting in Moria stealing their shadows and banishing them to the vast sea!
The battle traces they saw along the way were left by them.
'It seems that Moria at this time is not as weak as ten years later...'
Zyhark made this judgment in his heart.
He had fought the Supernova Pirates before and was familiar with the power of the lightning boy, whose personality was similar to Luffy's.
With the power boost from fifty shadows, the Moria from the original timeline would have no chance of winning.
But now, judging by the active shadow zombies all over the island, the lightning boy hadn't even forced Moria to use his ultimate move, "Shadow's Asylum"!
(Moria could fight his way to Onigashima to face a young Kaido, so at this time, his mindset wasn't completely down, making him slightly stronger, though not overly so for an interesting challenge.)
"What is this combat enhancement method you mentioned, Meow?" Meowth asked, showing great interest in the old man's words.
After all, among the entire sea restaurant team, he considered himself the weakest (self-proclaimed), even weaker than the newly arrived little girl Kanna, who possessed considerable strength.
Though he didn't show it, the sense of dragging others down deeply troubled him.
Now hearing about a way to enhance his combat power, he naturally paid close attention.
"Hey! Bring out the remaining shadows!" the old man shouted.
Someone in the crowd came forward, carrying struggling shadows.
Aqua, Meowth, and Kanna looked puzzled, while Zyhark, who knew what was coming, stood aside, watching silently.
He was curious to see how many shadows Meowth could withstand with his constitution and spirit.
"Um, Mr. Talking Cat, do you know swordsmanship?" the old man asked tentatively, having noticed Meowth early on, the cat who walked on two legs and could talk.
"I am a Pokémon, a proper man, not some pet cat!"
After sternly correcting the old man's mistake, Meowth answered, "If you mean using swords, then no."
In a sense, his claw attacks could be considered a form of slashing.
"Then watch closely and try not to resist."
The old man stepped forward, holding the shadow against Meowth's chest and forcefully pushed it in.
Meowth instinctively wanted to dodge, but the shadow had already entered his body.
His shiny fur turned a faint gray visibly.
"Ugh, is this the method of becoming stronger? It feels disgusting, even worse than the goddess's blessings!"
"Did Meowth just absorb the shadow?"
Aqua and Kanna blinked, fascinated by the unprecedented scene.
"Catch!"
Suddenly, someone in the crowd tossed a sword to Meowth.
The rotating sharp blade reflected the moonlight, emitting a cold gleam.
Meowth, with slightly darkened eyes, leapt out and grabbed the sword hilt accurately.
Upon landing, he struck a perfect drawing slash stance.
Swish, swish, swish! The sword light flashed, and the nearby withered trees were cut into neat sections like bubbles!
"Wow, was that really me, Meow?"
Meowth, coming back to his senses, looked at the scattered tree trunks in confusion.
"Wow~ Maji Yabakunai!" Kanna clapped her hands in amazement.
"So, absorbing shadows grants corresponding abilities? It's a bit like the hero's skill book."
Even the well-informed Aqua nodded in approval of this enhancement method.
"Great! Your consciousness seems quite clear!"
The old man was overjoyed.
For ordinary people like them, the limit was three or four shadows, but this seemingly unremarkable talking cat seemed capable of handling much more!
Thus, the victims, holding shadows, stepped forward one after another, continuously stuffing shadows into Meowth.
Ten, twenty, fifty...
All seventy-three remaining shadows were crammed into Meowth's body!
Thus, with fur turned gray-black, fierce eyes, muscular build, and a height of 1.8 meters, Nightmare Meowth made a grand entrance!
Aqua was startled by Meowth's mighty appearance and asked with concern, "Meowth, how do you feel? Can you stay conscious?"
"I feel full of power, Meow!"
Nightmare Meowth clenched his strong paw, the veins on it clearly showing pure strength.
"It seems effective. Meowth, now go and unleash your power!" Zyhark said with a smile.
Unlike the victims' shock, he wasn't surprised that Meowth could handle seventy or eighty shadows.
A guy who could be blasted by various Pokémon attacks daily without a scratch wasn't unusual to have such a robust constitution.
"Got it, Meow! Even if I go overboard, it's okay, right, Meow?"
"Of course, this isn't our turf anyway."
"Understood!"
Boom! Affected by the various shadows within, Meowth inevitably became violent and combative.
With a powerful push of his legs, cracking the ground beneath, he shot towards Moria's castle in the forest like a cannonball.
"Wait, Zyhark, Meowth looks off. Is it really okay to let him charge ahead?" Aqua asked, worriedly looking at the billowing dust cloud ahead.
"It's fine. Let him vent some of his pent-up frustration." Zyhark said softly.
He thought, since his comrades chose to follow him from their original worlds, why shouldn't he indulge them?
Well, except for the troublesome goddess in front of him! In the unnoticed corners, faint electric arcs flashed among the tree branches.
Despite his words, Zyhark activated his electrofield, ready to monitor Nightmare Meowth's situation at all times.
The shadow boost was indeed significant, but it was borrowed power that could vanish at any moment.
"Alright, let's move. There should be plenty of interesting things waiting in the castle."
Under the expectant and excited gazes of the victims, Zyhark, Aqua, and Kanna followed Meowth into the castle.
There, Moria, his three weirdos, and a dozen general zombies were stationed!
...
Meanwhile, at the Thriller Bark coastline.
King and Brook, who stayed behind on the Endless Dream, unsurprisingly encountered their enemies:
The general zombie Tarara, with a huge spider body and a weird monkey face, under Absalom's command.
And the zombie soldiers led by him!
The fierce heartbeat echoed along the coastline. Amidst the raging flames, King, wearing a simple armor made by Meowth, floated in the air.
His face, radiating dominance, showed a disdainful, indifferent expression (as seen by the random pirates)!
"Damn, who is this guy? Not only did he instantly figure out my web's weakness to fire, but he also controlled such strange mechanical soldiers!"
"I thought it would be a simple raid like before, but didn't expect them to leave such a powerful force on the ship!"
Looking at his fallen subordinates, General Zombie Spider Monkey Tarara sweated nervously, unsure how to deal with the situation.
Seeing the raid fail completely, he decided to abandon the mission and escape.
Though he'd be scolded by Absalom, it was better than having his shadow removed and "dying" completely!
"Haha, you forced me! Witness my terrifying finishing move!"
He roared, spraying webs to obscure his opponent's vision, and then fled at top speed...
Unfortunately, someone was already waiting on his escape route.
"Sorry, though insignificant compared to King, I still want to show my value after being taken in."
Brook, holding a thin sword and emitting a cold aura, walked gracefully past the bewildered spider monkey.
"Humming Three-Verse: Arrow Notch Slash!"
With a zing, as the sword sheathed, a powerful silent slash exploded on the spider monkey's big head!
(End of Chapter)