Moonlight shimmered off the rotten boards of the veranda that spanned the mansion's wings. Damp mist curled around ancient pillars, and the air reeked of decay. The Straw Hats—Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Franky, Robin—and Lucas in his formidable Ainz Ooal Gown form strode into the clearing. Behind them, two dozen undead knights in rusted armor clanked and marched in solemn cadence, their hollow eyes glowing faintly blue.
Franky's metal heart rattled with unease. "Umm… is it just me," he muttered, voice low, "or did a skeleton just lead three of those undead armored knights to join us?"
Lucas's skull mask gleamed under the moon as he folded his cloaked arms. In a theatrical boom, he replied, "Is it now you're realizing this? Sigh. These are corpses used as hosts for stolen shadows. I freed them from Moria's curse—now they serve me."
He stepped forward, voice echoing through the courtyard. With a flourish, Lucas conjured crystalline salt in the palm of his skeletal hand. He tossed a handful into the yawning mouth of the nearest zombie knight. The salt sizzled on contact, flesh hissing and dissolving into a viscous black ichor. The corpse slumped, then reformed before their eyes—its twisted limbs knitting into a monstrous Death Knight, clad in charred steel and wreathed in shadowy aura.
Franky and Luffy recoiled in unison.
"Eww! Gross!" Luffy grimaced, stepping back.
"Wait," Luffy's eyes widened. "What happened to that zombie that looked just like Zoro?"
Franky pointed as Lucas lifted up the armored husk of a knight whose skull bore Zoro's distinctive bandana. "Oh yeah—now I see it."
Lucas tucked a finger under his chin. "Honestly, I see it too. They've got Zoro's strength algorithm. And Sanji's—see the one with the curled eyebrow? Anyway, let's be careful. What about your armor, Luffy?"
Luffy patted the black plating on his chest. "I know, right? It's so cool!"
Lucas's voice turned wry. "Sure. Anyway, this Devil Fruit power is trickier than those depression-inducing ghosts."
"Depression ghosts?" Luffy asked, brows knitting.
Lucas's skull cheeks seemed to crack into a smile. "The ghosts that made you mope—remember?"
"Ohhh," Luffy nodded, recalling their earlier defeat.
Franky cleared his throat. "Why do you keep making more of these things?"
"They're my Death Knights," Lucas said proudly. "I figured a small army couldn't hurt."
Franky hollered, "Is no one in this crew normal?"
Luffy punched a fist into his palm. "Come on, guys—what are we waiting for? Let's goooo!"
With Franky, Lucas, and Robin leading, the Death Knights—twenty in all—marched in perfect formation behind. Their boots clattered on the mossy stone as they crossed a narrow bridge toward the mansion's next hall.
Suddenly, a thunderous thwack cut the night as a giant spider monkey vaulted from the rafters, landing with a spray of splinters. Its spindly legs braced on the planks, the creature's jagged fangs gleamed. A hissing flurry of webs unfurled from its wrists.
"This is as far as you go!" it snarled. From its vantage, it surveyed the Death Knights and spat, "Looks like your undying comrades—my brethren! You're completely surrounded!"
The undead host halted mid-stride, their armor plates creaking as they complied with the monstrous ape—a twisted sentinel of Moria's domain.
Lucas's brow arched. "One of you can handle our new friend. We'll proceed." With a flick of his bony wrist, he gestured the Death Knights forward. They sprang to life, axes and lances gleaming, and clattered into formation behind their skeletal master.
Before the Straw Hats could react, something plummeted from the darkness. A cry ripped through the night:
"B…Broooooke!"
Luffy's arms shot out, but the figure crashed onto the veranda in a tangle of limbs. Franky rushed over. "Where'd he fall from?"
The spider monkey snarled, seizing its chance. It sprayed a thick volley of sticky silk from its palms. The gossamer threads lashed out, lashing ropes around ankles and snagging coats. Its red eyes glittered with malicious glee.
"Silk trap!" Franky spat, burning the ropes with fire, flinging strands aside.
Robin's eyes sharpened. "I've got it." In a blur of motion, she extended twin arms from the walls—Hana Hana no Mi style—and multiple hands hands appeared before the spider's face. One seized its snarling maw, the other smacked the silk-spattered palm away, tearing strands free. The silk snapped and fluttered to the ground, useless.
"Ow! Gyaaaa!" the spider monkey shrieked, stumbling backwards. It raced to shake loose its hands, but residual thread clung stubbornly, tangling its claws in its own fur.
From the tangle of limbs Brooke sat up, bones rattling, adjusting his top hat. He dusted off a piece of silk from his shoulder. "Yohohoho! I can't believe you actually followed me here!" His voice trembled with mock indignation—then softened. "That warms what remains of my heart. Oh wait… no heart, yohoho…"
A wavering spider-silk shadow cast itself across Brooke. The spider monkey growled, recovering its composure. "Who the hell are you?" It raised a claw. "Are you with them? Hey, you bony freak—answer me!"
Brook's hollow sockets gleamed with mischief as he rose. Slowly, he unsheathed his sword. "May you reunite with your other half…" He leaned in, voice low. "Hanauta Sanchou—Yahazugiri!"
In a flash of moonlit steel, Brook's blade slashed a crisp arc across the spider monkey's forehead. Shing! The edge bit through flesh and shadow alike, cleaving sinew and serrating strands of its spider-silk coat. The slash traveled in a perfect line from brow to nape. A plume of dark smoke—its shadow—billowed from the wound, dissolving into mist. The carcass dropped with a thud, twitching once before stilling in a spray of frothing ichor.
Luffy let out a low whistle. "Whoa… you know their weakness too!"
Brook wiped his blade on his coat's hem, top hat tipping politely. "One cannot simply hack at bodies. You must sever their stolen shadows." He bowed. "Yohoho…"
He glanced back at the dozen Death Knights, who remained at attention, armor plates glinting. He barked suddenly, "Zombies!"
In an instant, Lucas shed his regal bones and cloak, reverting to his human form. His hair fluttered free as he clapped his hands. "Relax—it's just me."
Luffy laughed, slapping Lucas's shoulder. "Yeah, nothing to fear now."
Brook's jawbone tilted. He peered at the towering Death Knights. "And those…"
Lucas grinned, popping a cola can. "My Death Knights—they basically march for me."
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