The surging, overwhelming Conqueror's Haki swept through the area. After a brief burst of noise, the entire castle fell into utter silence.
Deep within the castle, Moria jolted awake, springing upright. His massive head turned left and right, his eyes filled with confusion and shock.
"Who is it?! Who dares trespass on my territory?!"
"…"
Silence answered him.
The stitched zombies that usually waited on him were nowhere to be seen.
The lingering echoes and the crimson lightning crawling through the surroundings made Moria's heart sink again and again.
This was bad.
And the intruder was a terrifying powerhouse.
He racked his underdeveloped brain for a long while, firmly convinced that he hadn't provoked any terrifying figures recently.
Thinking was one thing, but Moria didn't stop moving.
Since the visitors had already come knocking, as the master of this place, he had to show himself—especially since the other party had called him out by name.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, the moment he saw the sword-wielding old man at the gate, he still let out a shrill cry.
"'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh?!"
His eyes widened in disbelief as he raised a trembling finger toward Rayleigh, his voice shaking without him even realizing it:
"Y-you… why are you here?!"
"Oh~ so you finally came out, Gecko Moria!"
Seeing that enormous figure appear, Rayleigh's eyes lit up. The real target had finally come out.
Just a moment ago, he had been considering that if this guy still refused to show himself, he would simply split the entire castle in half with one strike.
"Your place was really hard to find," Rayleigh said as he sheathed his sword and stepped forward, looking at Moria. "I've come to get someone's shadow back."
As he spoke, he turned and waved toward Brook. "Here—It is this guy's shadow!"
Only then did Moria notice that Rayleigh hadn't come alone. A whole group of people stood behind him.
But almost immediately, his gaze locked onto a familiar figure within the crowd, causing his pupils to shrink and his heartbeat to spike.
Why was that man here too? Had he come specifically to cause trouble for him?
His eyes darted back and forth between Leno and Rayleigh, his expression shifting repeatedly.
"H-hello, I'm Brook. Please return my shadow to me, thank you! Yohohoho!"
Brook was a little nervous as he stepped forward, but seeing Rayleigh beside him, he immediately relaxed and spoke more freely.
"Who are you?"
Lowering his head to look at the skeleton before him, a huge question mark flashed through Moria's tiny pupils.
This was outrageous!
A zombie he created had actually come asking for its shadow back!
If Rayleigh weren't standing right there, he would have torn this skeleton apart on the spot!
"Huh? You don't remember me? That's too cruel!"
Brook instantly broke down. His entire skeleton seemed to ignite, glowing with a terrifying crimson hue!
The enemy who had tormented him for so many years didn't even remember him!
This was beyond insulting!
Just as he was about to draw his sword and fight Moria for three hundred rounds, a sharp crackling sound rang out nearby.
"Well~ it's been quite a few years after all. It's normal that his brain can't remember. But I know where your shadow is."
Lightning flashed, and Leno's figure appeared beside them. He raised a hand and greeted Moria casually:
"Yo, Moria. Long time no see!"
"You bastard!"
Seeing Leno's carefree expression and that infuriating smile, Moria ground his teeth in fury.
Then, as if he remembered something, his eyes began searching the crowd behind them.
When he spotted the graceful figure with horns on her head, his fists clenched tightly, and his eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins.
"Kaido's daughter!!!"
Sensing his gaze, Yamato froze for a moment before reacting.
'Isn't that the big guy from Marineford back then? No wonder he looked familiar.'
'So it turns out I beat him up before.'
With that thought, she raised her brows, cast a disdainful glance his way, and then completely ignored him.
"You bastard!!!"
"Hey, hey, hey~ Moria, I'm in a good mood today. I hope you don't go looking for trouble!"
Just as Moria was about to rush over and fight Yamato to the death, Leno spoke up with a small reminder.
He trusted that this dead fat nerd would understand what he meant.
And things played out exactly as expected.
Moria, who had been on the verge of losing it due to Yamato's look, felt as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been poured over his head the moment he heard Leno's words.
Chilled from head to toe.
Coming back to his senses, Moria realized that his back was already soaked with cold sweat.
He had gotten carried away!
Actually thinking about fighting in front of these two living calamities—too impulsive, far too impulsive!
Although he usually acted like he feared no one, that didn't mean he was brainless.
One of these two was a legendary figure, and the other was a lunatic who wouldn't hesitate to slash even the Five Elders.
If he pissed them off and got double-teamed, the consequences were something he definitely couldn't afford.
After an intense mental storm, Moria cleared his throat and asked in a noticeably calmer tone:
"Thunder God… do you know where this, uh, skeleton's shadow is?"
"Ah, I see—Ryuma, right? No way! That's part of my collection!"
Following Leno's words, Moria immediately recalled it, but midway through speaking, he reacted.
Was this a joke?!
That was the corpse of a Grandmaster Swordsman!
After finally stuffing a swordsman's shadow into it and turning it into his trump card, how could he possibly hand it over so easily?
"Why don't you think it over one more time?"
As he spoke, a blade appeared in Leno's hand at some point, while Rayleigh beside him casually flicked his sword hilt.
Neither of them said another word. They simply stood there, quietly staring at Moria.
The atmosphere instantly turned tense and oppressive. Moria glared at the two before him, his teeth grinding so hard they nearly shattered.
After a long while, the hulking man seemed to deflate like a punctured balloon, his shoulders sagging all at once.
Despite the suffocating resentment and rage in his heart, he knew he had no choice.
Handing over the shadow obediently was the wisest option available.
Otherwise, at best he'd get beaten up; at worst, he'd get stabbed. Either way, the outcome wouldn't change.
He slowly raised his hand, and a hazy shadow transformed into a bat and flew off...
Before long, the sound of "tap, tap, tap" footsteps echoed from the distant fog.
A zombie wearing a white kimono, with bandages wrapped around his head, emerged from the mist.
A long blade hung at the zombie's waist. A strange pattern and a large character for "dragon" were imprinted on his right arm as he walked step by step toward them.
"Yohohoho... Isn't this the main body? Please take good care of me!"
Brook: ...
Take care of you my ass!
That's my own shadow! It's been gone for so many years and never even thought about coming back!
Just as Moria was about to wave his hand and transfer the shadow, Leno quickly spoke up to interrupt him:
"Wait~" After that, he turned toward the people on the ship and called out loudly, "Kuina, come over for a moment!"
"Give your ancestor a dignified ending~"
Moria: ...
Rayleigh: ...
Kuina: ...
...
...