In the dense forest, the occasional caw of crows broke the silence, adding to the grim atmosphere. More than twenty figures emerged from the thicket without haste, then stood before each burial mound.
"Hehehehe. Little ones, go and dig up all these graves for me."
The voice belonged to a man with short purple hair, nearly seven meters tall. A giant pair of scissors was slung at his waist, and his slightly bulging belly protruded from his still robust body. As soon as his words ended, more than twenty Zombies who followed him immediately picked up shovels and hoes, beginning to dig up the graves in the mass burial site.
"Moria-sama... Why are we digging up these ordinary corpses? In terms of combat power, they shouldn't be of any help to you, should they?" A kimono-clad mummy, with a long blade hanging from its waist, stood beside the purple-haired man, looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Hearing the question, Moria folded his arms across his chest and explained with a chuckle, "Hehehehe. I'm preparing to turn a small island into Thriller Bark, so I need a lot of manpower right now. Combat power or something, that's secondary, the important thing is that they can work!"
The mummy standing beside Moria was the corpse of Ryuma, the God of Swords, which he had stolen from Wano Country. Now, Moria had used his Kage Kage no Mi (Shadow-Shadow Fruit) ability to stuff the shadow of a swordsman with a 30 million Beli bounty into it.
The West Blue wasn't as densely populated as the Grand Line, and finding strong people there was extremely difficult. It would be incredibly lucky if Moria could find a pirate with a 30 million Beli bounty and seize their shadow! The bodies of other swordsmen he had dug up a few days ago were still lying in coffins without suitable shadows! "A big problem," he thought. "Wait until I find a stronger shadow, then replace it."
However, the Zombie army he created with his ability, although they wouldn't die even if severely wounded and could continue to stand even after being knocked down, still, the decaying bodies of Zombies were not as strong as living original bodies. Even the corpse of Ryuma, the God of Swords, which was mummified! Zombies created with "shadows" not only needed strong shadows, but also strong bodies to form formidable combat power!
Just like this Ryuma mummy, putting the shadow of a pirate with a 30 million Beli bounty into it, and putting the shadow of a pirate with a 100 million Beli bounty into it, their combat power could yield two very different levels! In this regard, Moria was also very distressed, and he hadn't found a better solution.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
A slender figure with a long blade hanging from his waist and a sly smiling mask on his face slowly emerged from the forest. Moria and the others turned their heads, their gazes fixed on the newcomer.
"Moonlight Moria... I've been looking for you for a long time..." The corner of Sephiroth's mouth, hidden beneath the mask, quirked up slightly, forming a faint smile.
"Who are you?" Moriah observed the silver-haired young man from head to toe, a slight doubt flashing in his eyes.
"The one who wants your life."
The next moment.
Boom!
A ruthless Conqueror's Haki burst forth from Sephiroth's body, causing all the grass on the ground to bend as if struck by a storm.
"Conqueror's Haki...!" Moria's pupils suddenly constricted, his voice filled with shock. He had absolutely not expected to encounter a man with such power in the West Blue... After being hit by the wave of momentum, more than twenty Zombies under his command, all of whom were digging graves except for the mummy, lost consciousness and collapsed in the mass grave.
"You...!"
After reacting, Moria immediately released the large scissors from his waist, splitting them into two great swords.
Whish!
He shot forward, and with a sound of cutting through the air, he raised both swords, rushing towards Sephiroth. Although, after losing to Kaido in Wano Country, Moria became depressed and began a chaotic life, the strong physical fitness he had developed throughout the years had not completely vanished due to neglect of exercise. Sephiroth could still feel the aura that a strong person should possess from him.
Meanwhile, the mummy, standing behind him, also drew the black blade Shusui from its waist, ready to continue its support.
Soru!
In an instant, Sephiroth's figure vanished from its spot and appeared more than twenty meters to the left, while the Butcher's Blade at his waist was boldly drawn out, cutting through the void and slashing at the mummy.
Uh-huh!
Caught off guard, the mummy holding the black blade Shusui could only twist its body slightly sideways, but the Butcher's Blade, shrouded in Armament Haki, still severed its head in an instant.
Moria was completely indifferent to his Zombie having its head cut off. After all, these Zombies could only move with the aid of his Kage Kage no Mi ability. If their bodies were damaged, he just had to stitch them back together.
Facing Moria, who had already rushed forward, Sephiroth immediately swung his blade with a backhand and clashed with the opponent's two swords.
Clang!
Blades intersected, sparks flew, and the two men were equally matched in strength, reaching a stalemate for a moment. In the end, Moria, with the advantage of his dual swords, took the lead in changing his moves, using one blade to deflect the direction of the Butcher's Blade, while the other slashed at the silver-haired youth's neck, forcing the latter to retreat and change his movements.
It was at this moment that a shadow, exactly like Moria, suddenly appeared behind Sephiroth's back and pounced on him.
"Shadow Doppelganger!"
This special shadow created by Moria with his ability had the same strength and speed as his own body, and could transform any part of his body with him at any time. The shadow and the main body cooperated with each other to fight, so while he had extremely high flexibility in combat, he could also exert a combat power of one plus one greater than two!
Boom!
A figure, identical to Sephiroth, was sent flying out of the dense forest, kicking the Shadow Doppelganger hard, sending it bouncing and flying, exploding against a large tree and transforming into a puddle of shadow. With Sephiroth familiar with Moria's abilities, he had already prepared a Bat Doppelganger to wait in the forest to eliminate the Shadow Doppelganger's interference in the battle!
Almost in the blink of an eye, the Shadow Doppelganger reassembled, but the Bat Doppelganger reappeared in front of it and fought it in one place, making it impossible for the Shadow Doppelganger to interfere in the main battlefield, and at the same time preventing Moria from switching bodies.
Uh-huh!
Sephiroth flipped the Butcher's Blade in his hand, and with a sharp, cold slash, he aimed directly at Moria's chest, forcing the opponent to retreat repeatedly and block it with his swords.
After all, Moria had been in decadence for too long. He had declined a lot from the strength level of a Great Vice Admiral, and now he was estimated to be only at the level of an ordinary Vice Admiral. Although his combat experience and swordsmanship were still there, his combat awareness had become more than inferior! Sephiroth, in the midst of continuous attacks, gradually pinned him down.