Luffy and the crew were just about to spring into action when they noticed that the zombie horde had stopped a good distance away from them.
"What are these zombies up to?" Sanji wondered aloud.
"Who cares? If they don't come to us, we'll just go over and smash them!" Luffy cracked his knuckles.
"Hold on, Luffy! Let's see what they're planning first. Given their neat formation, they must be under some kind of orders!" Zoro said, maintaining his composure.
"Orders? From zombies and their boss?" Luffy looked puzzled.
"Given the island's history, it's no surprise that these zombies are controlled by someone with a Devil Fruit power. So, the identity of their boss is bound to be revealed soon enough!" Zoro explained.
"Jiheeheehee~"
At that moment, a strange laughter echoed from the direction of the zombies. Everyone turned their attention toward the source of the sound.
A figure about seven meters tall emerged from behind the zombies, who parted to make way. Accompanying him were a girl with twin tails and a rotund man with a rather unsavory appearance.
These three were, of course, Moria and his remaining subordinates, Perona and Hogback.
Moria stepped forward and addressed Zoro. "Green-haired youth, I didn't expect your guess to be so accurate!"
"That's right! I am the master of these zombies. I'm Moria!"
Zoro's eyes narrowed in irritation. "Hmph, so it's you."
"Ahahaha~ Green Algae Head! It seems I'm not the only one who sees you that way. Even the zombies think so!" Sanji chuckled, struggling to contain his laughter.
"If you keep laughing, I'll make you regret it!" Zoro growled at Sanji. If not for the presence of the enemy, he would have taught this curly-browed cook a lesson.
Zoro then turned his attention back to Moria. "Alright, big guy! I'm going to... chop you down!"
"What? No way, Zoro! I'm the one who's going to take down Moria!" Luffy interjected, eager to fight.
Moria's expression darkened, but he didn't immediately act. Instead, he inquired, "Where is the Demon King Kai from your crew with a bounty of 2 billion? Why isn't he here?"
"Oh, Kai? He's gone off somewhere!" Luffy replied nonchalantly.
"Bang!!"
"Are you out of your mind? Why would you tell them that?" Nami snapped, glaring at Luffy. She was furious that Luffy had revealed their strongest fighter's absence to the enemy.
"Wait, 2 billion? When did Kai's bounty reach 2 billion?"
"Didn't you know?" Moria looked puzzled at the confused expressions of Nami and the others. "It's been a while since the Golden Lion was defeated. Kai's bounty was increased from 800 million to 2 billion after he took down the legendary Golden Lion!"
"His bounty alone is several times greater than the combined total of the rest of you!" Moria added.
"Enough about that!" Luffy and the others said in unison, glaring at Moria with a shared thought: This fat guy really needs to shut up!
Moria then said, "Never mind whether he's here or not. I'm not here to fight you today. I'm here to find my subordinate, Absalom."
"Absalom? Who's that?" Luffy asked, confused.
"Remember the lion man who was on our ship?" Sanji answered calmly.
"Oh, you mean him?"
"He was killed by Kai!"
"He's on our ship!"
Luffy and Nami gave completely different answers, staring at each other in disbelief. Nami's forehead quickly developed a visible vein.
Seeing this, Luffy had a sinking feeling. Just as he was about to beg for mercy, Nami's fist landed on his head.
"If you can't speak properly, don't speak at all!" Nami scolded angrily.
Nami then turned to Moria and sweetly said, "He's just joking. That Absalom you're looking for is currently enjoying some delicious food and drinks on our ship!"
Moria's expression grew darker. He wasn't a fool and could see through Luffy's antics. What an idiot, he thought, realizing that the truth was often revealed when such people spoke without thinking.
Fuming with rage, Moria glared at the crew and shouted in anguish, "Absalom!!"
Despite his cold demeanor, Moria cared deeply for his subordinates. It was known that Absalom had even ventured into Beehive Island solo when he was with Blackbeard.
"I'll make you all pay for Absalom's death!" Moria roared. "Zombie generals, attack!"
As soon as Moria finished speaking, the zombie generals surged forward toward Luffy and the others.
Luffy and his crew tensed and charged into the fray.
The moment they engaged, the trio felt the pressure. Although the zombie generals weren't overly strong individually, their numbers and coordination made them formidable opponents.
Even with their mastery of Haki, facing multiple zombies at once was overwhelming.
Nami and her group weren't faring any better. Despite Luffy and his crew holding off most of the zombies, five managed to break through and approach them.
Robin handled two zombies on her own, while Nami and the others each took on the remaining three.
Nami faced a particularly challenging zombie, one that had deflected her lightning attack earlier. This zombie wore a kimono adorned with the word "dragon" on both sleeves and wielded a black blade that glinted in the moonlight.
"Yohohohoho~ What a lovely lady! I can't help but stare!" the zombie's voice echoed.
"Even though I'm just a mummy without eyes, yohohohoho~"
"Excuse me, miss, may I see your tummy?"
"Go away, you rotten mummy!" Nami shouted, though she suddenly realized the voice and the words sounded strangely familiar.
"Brook?" Nami asked, confused.
"No, no, no, I am the swordsman Ryoma. The person you're referring to should be the original owner of the shadow within me!"
"Oh~ So he's dead!"
"Yohohohoho~ That's right, miss!" Ryoma's laughter resonated behind Nami.
Nami's face turned pale with fear.
"When did that happen?"
Nami spun around to see Ryoma's sword slowly being sheathed, and he calmly stated, "Swallow Tail Cut!"
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.