Cindry

Chapter 77: Cindry

Among Moria's three bizarre underlings were Absalom of the Graveyard, Perona, the Ghost Princess, and the Genius Surgeon Doctor Hogback.

Among them, Hogback was the most crucial subordinate under Moria. Although his combat abilities were far inferior to Absalom and Perona, his skills made Moria's zombie army powerful.

He was once hailed as a genius surgeon, performing miraculous surgeries and saving countless lives, gaining fame across the seas. However, he was a selfish and money-driven doctor who valued wealth over saving lives.

A few years ago, he worked for Moria, using his surgical skills to create various stitched-up zombies and monsters, enhancing the zombies' strength.

Rodney and Robin arrived at a courtyard and saw a creepy graveyard inside, with the eerie cries of night owls echoing around, making it extremely unpleasant.

The mist was thick, and a castle stood in the middle of the graveyard.

Dong!

The sound of a bell rang out, adding to the terror.

"Lord Rodney, there is only one living being inside. She is not very tall, so she should be the one you are looking for," Sister Slug said. "Besides, there are many bodies buried under those tombstones, similar to the zombies you encountered along the way, so there's no need to worry."

Sister Slug had carefully sensed all the zombies lurking in the shadows, leaving Rodney amazed at how convenient her chakra sensing ability was. As it was a natural energy, it provided more than just chakra detection; it allowed her to sense life force and other things. Despite not having eyes, she could "see" many things and even rival Observation Haki. It was an incredibly handy skill.

For Rodney, his main focus was on mastering Armament Haki. He didn't pay much attention to the other types like Conqueror's Haki and Observation Haki.

Conqueror's Haki, in particular, had limited practical applications besides clearing weak enemies in an area of effect. He hadn't witnessed any other significant uses for it yet. 

As for Observation Haki, it was more about perception, allowing the user to sense enemies beyond their field of vision and gain information beforehand. 

Though, at its peak, it might allow glimpses of highly probable futures, it was not absolute, as the future remained uncertain and not predetermined.

The most potent aspect of Observation Haki was innate and couldn't be achieved through training. This included sensing the emotions of enemies and conveying one's will to others.

As for Armament Haki, its practical effects were more useful, and its growth relied on the will of the user rather than innate talent.

For Rodney, mastering Armament Haki was the top priority, and the other types were not currently within his scope of consideration.

"Then let's go inside, Robin."

"Alright."

Rodney pushed open the iron gate of the courtyard.

"Squeak~ Ya~"

The rusty iron gate made an annoying sound as they walked side by side, with rustling sounds echoing in their ears.

Under the gloomy tombstones, pale and lifeless hands reached out, resembling the hands of zombies eager to devour their brains. Well, they were zombies after all, but this time, they weren't protected by plants, and they weren't dressed in formal suits.

The zombies looked decayed, desiccated, or wrapped in bandages like mummies, crawling out of the soil, making hoarse, gasping sounds.

"Hey, buddy, your hand fell off."

"Do these zombies really have any attacking power?"

"No, you should ask if this bunch can be Kaido's opponents? Are they here to deliver food?" 

Rodney mourned for Moria inwardly, knowing that even Luffy, who had recently set sail, couldn't defeat Kaido in his Fourth Gear. How could they be Kaido's opponents?

Not to mention that even the Fourth Gear Luffy couldn't compare to Kaido. Luffy was forced to go to the New Onigashima by Kaido and Queen due to his addiction to Red Bean Soup.

The life of this dead otaku and the excessive use of his Devil Fruit powers had caused the gap between Moria and Kaido to widen. His chances of revenge were remote, considering the number of monsters in the New World.

"Captain, they rely on you now."

"I know, Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique!"

The fireballs exploded among the zombies, scaring them into running away.

"Ah ah ah, fire, fire!"

"Run!"

"Hey hey! This is dangerous! What if you burn someone?" A zombie complained about Rodney's cruelty.

Rodney replied without emotion, "Hey, don't forget that you guys are already zombies."

"Yes, we're already zombies." The sudden gloominess made everyone wonder what was going on.

The two looked at the group of zombies squatting by the tombstones, drawing circles, feeling like they had come to the wrong place.

"Captain, they're quite amusing."

"Uh, how are they amusing? Sister Slug, your interests are really weird." Rodney couldn't help but comment.

At this moment, one of the zombies suddenly became spirited and said, "Even though we are zombies, you shouldn't burn us with fire."

"That's right, that's right."

"Captain, use water to wash them away."

"Well, since you're asking for it, it's the same to me. Water Release: Water Colliding Wave!"

Suddenly, a large amount of water washed away the zombies, leaving puddles everywhere. The tombstones were toppled, and not a single zombie was in sight.

"Clean up complete."

They continued forward and entered the castle, guided by Sister Slug, until they reached a large gate with an ancient well in front of it.

The crank on the well should have been moved by someone, but it was turning on its own, and from the darkness emerged a pale and iron-gray young woman with stitched-up seams. Oddly, she held a stack of plates in her hands.

Upon seeing them, she stiffly greeted, "Welcome!" and promptly started throwing the plates one by one.

Shoo, shoo, shoo!

The plates flew towards them, but Rodney's hand moved slightly, causing them to shatter in mid-air.

Meanwhile, the wooden crank was now embedded with the same number of shurikens as the plates thrown just now.

"Is this Cindry?"

"Captain, do you know her?" Robin asked.

"Sort of. She's a pitiful person."

Cindry was originally a famous stage actress. During a visit to the doctor, she sewed a button for Hogback, who fell in love with her. However, Cindry already had an engagement, so she chose to end their yet-to-begin romance. Unfortunately, she fell from the stage and died.

Hogback joined Moria because Moria promised to "resurrect" Cindry. After enhancing her body through battle, Moria brought her back to life, becoming Hogback's servant.

"Well then, let me grant you release." Rodney took out a cube-shaped salt grain from his waist pouch, which he picked up from the kitchen before leaving.

Salt could purify these zombies and free them from their torment.

With a flick of his finger, the salt grain entered Cindry's slightly parted mouth, perfectly on target.

The salt grain collided with her body, and a dark shadow flew out of her mouth.

Cindry's lifeless body fell, and Rodney caught her, feeling her icy-cold temperature without any warmth. Carrying her body, he found a tree and used Earth Release to dig a hole, burying her inside.

"Captain, do you care a lot about this person?" On the way, Rodney either burned the zombies or knocked them away with a single punch. However, when facing this beautiful zombie, he purified and buried her, surprising Robin.

"Not really, I just know a little about her and find it pitiful." 

It was just compassion. She had been treated like a puppet by Hogback, acting as if she were his master while secretly despising him. Many zombies were like this, but why did Rodney know more about this particular zombie?

He simply gave her a better ending.

"Let's move on and meet the genius surgeon who went off the path from the very beginning."

He pushed open the heavy door, and Robin followed closely behind.