Chapter 54: Showdown with Moria

The pressure in the air was crushing. The overwhelming force of Vulcan's Conqueror's Haki pulsed through the room like a living storm, making it difficult for the weaker Marines to even stand. The walls of Thriller Bark groaned under the strain, and the once ominous silence was now filled with the crackling of energy and the echoes of battle.

Gecko Moria sneered, though the flicker of doubt in his eyes hadn't vanished. "So, you've got Conqueror's Haki... Fine. Let's see if that's enough to stop me!"

With a growl, Moria raised his hand, the shadowy tendrils of his Kage Kage no Mi spiraling outward. The shadows twisted and warped, summoning forth more powerful zombies from the depths of the ship—hulking, monstrous figures made from stitched-together corpses. Each zombie towered over the crew, their eyes glowing with eerie light as they prepared to strike.

"More of these freaks?" Smoker muttered, transforming into smoke to avoid the initial attack from one of the hulking zombies. "This isn't gonna be easy."

Vulcan didn't flinch as the massive zombies charged toward him. His blood boiled with rage, his eyes burning with hatred for Moria. The power surging through his veins was unfamiliar, raw, and uncontrollable, but he was going to use every ounce of it to bring Moria down.

"I don't care how many shadows you throw at me," Vulcan snarled, his voice low and menacing. "You're going to pay."

With a burst of Soru, Vulcan vanished from sight, moving faster than the zombies could react. He reappeared in front of one of the hulking creatures and swung his naginata with terrifying force. The blade sliced through the zombie's arm, sending the severed limb crashing to the floor, but the zombie barely flinched, its body too dead to feel pain.

"Ah, it's just like before," Brook called out, his sword-cane flashing as he danced through the battlefield. "These zombies won't fall unless you target their shadows! Yohohoho!"

Smoker, now fully in his smoke form, darted through the chaos, launching attacks on the zombies from all angles. "We need to sever the shadows!"

Vulcan gritted his teeth, his mind racing as he dodged another zombie's massive fist. "Right... The shadow's the key."

As he prepared for another strike, Vulcan's Conqueror's Haki surged again, sending another shockwave through the room. One of the zombies hesitated, its body trembling under the weight of Vulcan's willpower.

"That's it..." Vulcan muttered. "You're mine."

He lunged forward with another burst of Soru, moving faster than the zombie could track. His naginata glowed in the dim light as he swung it with all his strength, aiming directly for the zombie's chest. The blade connected, tearing through the stitches that held the creature's body together.

With a roar, the zombie collapsed to the ground, its body falling apart as the shadow animating it was severed. But there were more—too many more.

Vulcan spun around, just in time to see Moria laughing maniacally, his shadowy tendrils reaching out to control the remaining zombies. "Do you see now? It doesn't matter how strong you are! You're nothing compared to the power of shadows!"

One of the massive zombies lunged at Brook, its massive fist aiming to crush the skeleton in one blow. But Brook, ever nimble, dodged gracefully, his sword flashing as he slashed at the zombie's leg. "Ah, you missed me! Yohohoho!"

Brook's blade connected with the zombie's stitches, but the creature barely reacted, its grotesque body lurching forward with relentless force. Even as Brook's speed allowed him to avoid the zombie's strikes, it was clear that their numbers were overwhelming.

"They just keep coming!" Brook said, though his voice was still filled with that eerie cheerfulness.

Smoker, however, wasn't about to let the zombies overrun them. He reformed beside Vulcan, his face twisted in a deep scowl. "We need to split them up. I'll take the left. You take the right. We'll divide their numbers and hit them where it hurts."

Vulcan nodded, his rage still simmering beneath the surface. "Got it."

With a burst of smoke, Smoker launched himself toward one of the zombies on the left, his smoke tendrils wrapping around the creature's arms and legs, slowing its movements. He darted in and out of reach, his fists pounding into the zombie's stitched-together body, but the creature kept coming.

"Damn it, these things don't stop," Smoker muttered, wiping blood from his mouth as he reformed.

Vulcan, meanwhile, charged at the zombies on the right, his naginata flashing as he tore through their ranks. His attacks were fueled by his Conqueror's Haki, each strike landing with devastating force. The zombies recoiled, but they didn't fall.

"They're too damn tough," Vulcan growled, dodging another attack.

From across the battlefield, Moria watched with twisted glee, his grin growing wider with each passing moment. "That's right... struggle all you want. In the end, your shadows will be mine!"

With a flick of his hand, Moria summoned another wave of shadowy tendrils, sending them directly at Hina, who was still struggling to stay on her feet.

"Hina!" Vulcan shouted, but before he could reach her, one of the zombies grabbed him by the leg, pulling him to the ground.

Hina raised her hands, trying to summon her Cage-Cage powers, but Moria was too fast. The shadows wrapped around her, squeezing tightly as she gasped in pain. "Hina... can't... move...!"

Moria's grin was wicked as he leaned down, whispering in her ear. "Let's see how long you last without your shadow, little Marine."

Before he could rip her shadow away, however, Vulcan roared in fury, tearing free from the zombie's grasp and launching himself at Moria. His naginata gleamed as it swung through the air, aiming for the warlord's head.

But Moria was faster than he looked. He dodged the attack with a swift, unnatural movement, laughing as he stepped back. "Oh, I see you're serious now! But that won't save you."

Vulcan's chest heaved with rage as he glared at Moria, the hatred burning in his eyes. "You're going to die for this."

Moria raised an eyebrow, his smile never faltering. "Am I? Let's see how well you do against this."

With a flick of his wrist, Moria summoned another wave of shadows, twisting them into a massive, grotesque zombie creature—even larger than the ones before. The beast roared, its body covered in hundreds of stolen shadows, each one giving it strength far beyond anything they had faced so far.

"Brook!" Vulcan called out, his mind racing. "We need to sever the shadows controlling that thing. If we don't—"

"I'm on it!" Brook replied, his sword-cane flashing as he moved with lightning speed. He darted toward the giant zombie, slashing at its legs and targeting the stitches, but the creature was too strong.

The beast's massive arm swung down, knocking Brook back with a bone-rattling force. "Ah... That was quite the hit. Yohohoho... but I'll try again!"

"Damn it," Vulcan muttered, watching as Brook struggled to get back on his feet. "We're getting overwhelmed."

But then, Vulcan's eyes caught sight of something—a weak point. He could see the shadow pulsing in the center of the massive zombie's chest, the heart of its power.

"That's it," Vulcan whispered. "That's how we take it down."

With renewed determination, Vulcan launched himself forward with Soru, his naginata glowing with the power of his Conqueror's Haki. He moved faster than the eye could track, dodging the zombie's attacks as he aimed for its chest.

The blade connected, slicing through the shadowy mass that held the creature together. The giant zombie let out a piercing scream as its body began to fall apart, the shadows unraveling as the connection was severed.

With one final roar, the massive zombie collapsed to the ground, its body disintegrating into nothingness. The stolen shadows, now freed, floated away, leaving the room eerily silent.

Moria, now standing alone, gritted his teeth. "You... you think this is over?"

Vulcan's chest heaved as he glared at the warlord. "It's over, Moria. You've lost."

Moria's grin faltered, but he didn't back down. "No... it's only just begun."