One piece: Black Cat

Gekko Moria's arrival on this island had been pure chance.

After barely escaping with his life, he'd attacked the first ship he encountered, stealing food and supplies to regain his strength. The vessel turned out to be a mafia smuggling ship, and according to the nautical charts he'd found aboard, this island served as their base of operations. Perfect. He could seize their contraband as operating funds while he recovered, and if any gangsters got in his way, he'd simply kill them and turn their corpses into temporary zombie foot soldiers.

The first surprise came when he discovered that half the gang's smuggled goods weren't the usual monetary items, but something far more valuable: Marine slaves. Rare commodities indeed.

The gangsters on the surface had already been eliminated, and just as Moria prepared to venture underground to find shadows for his zombie army, he learned the truth about these "slaves"—they were Marines who hadn't even completed their training properly, marked for disposal before they could become a liability.

Still, a soldier was a soldier. Thinking they'd at least serve as cannon fodder for his raids, he cut out shadows and attached them to fresh corpses, creating zombies. He waited for the shadows to settle and develop loyalty, but when the process completed, he received the biggest shock of all.

This bastard, even with those serious injuries, why isn't he slowing down at all?

Watching the black-clad figure dart between his attacks, Moria could see that speed was this man's primary weapon. He had to admit it begrudgingly. No matter how much damage the pirate had sustained, and Moria had faced fierce warriors from the Grand Line before, even when he concentrated fully, his strikes couldn't connect.

The only way to land a hit was to target the Marines cowering behind the pirate, forcing him into situations where someone would get hurt if he dodged. Yet even then, the man somehow managed to protect them all.

However, judging by the way he flinched at each impact, Moria suspected this pirate wasn't accustomed to pain. In fact, there weren't any visible scars marking his pale skin.

That's why Moria had set up that trap. The moment he caught Kuro's leg, victory had seemed assured, until he was sent flying in the next instant.

I can tell after one exchange. If I hold back, I might manage one clean hit. But this pace... again and again...

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Damn it! The more blood he loses, the faster he seems to get!

"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

The damage was definitely accumulating. The man who hadn't made so much as a sound, not even a footstep, suddenly burst into a primal scream and launched a vicious counterattack.

Elbows slammed into joints. Shoulders checked vital points. Attacks targeted the neck, knees, and thighs, precise strikes designed to cripple an opponent's mobility. Each individual blow dealt minimal damage, but they were meant to accumulate. And the moment Moria's attention wavered, ice attacks would come flying his way.

The Logia power was still developing, but its range and speed were already formidable enough to demand respect.

"Every damn one of them!"

Honestly, Moria knew retreat was the smartest option. His stolen mafia ship waited on the far side of the island. It was frustrating to abandon the zombies he'd worked so hard to create, but the pirates were systematically neutralizing them one by one, and they were surprisingly well-organized for a pirate crew.

The zombies had been low-quality to begin with anyway. They probably wouldn't last much longer, so there was no point clinging to them.

"Kage—"

"Vice Admiral! Secure the ceiling!"

"You little brat!"

Just as Moria prepared to break through the ceiling and escape, the pirate spotted his intention and barked orders to the Marines. Moria tried to increase his power to smash through anyway, but the wounds Kaido had inflicted still throbbed with agony, and his body, battered by both pirates and Marines, screamed in protest.

"The fact that some people have turned into zombies means there are others who'll disappear if sunlight touches them. Sorry, but we can't let you leave just yet."

"Kuro—!"

•~•

Come on! You should have saved that trick for later!

I could have let it slide once everyone was turned into zombies!

...Actually, sorry, I lied! I messed up by pretending not to notice!

"I've never seen anyone as cunning as you, Kuro!"

"Don't sound so embarrassed about it."

"I'm not praising you, idiot!"

Though honestly, I was a little embarrassed. I think most people would agree it's quite the compliment to be called cunning by Moria, a man who toyed with Luffy almost as skillfully as Crocodile when it came to deception and manipulation.

Honestly, my legs aren't getting any better than this. Time to finish him off.

At worst, I'd ask Kuzan to freeze me too. It was a gamble, but if they could immediately and continuously pour seawater over the ice, there might be a chance of survival.

"Winter Cat—"

I wrapped lightning around my feet and prepared for the final strike. For some reason, Moria seemed more wary of this particular kick than he was of Kuzan's ice attacks. Perfect as a decoy.

"Stop that kick, Kuro!"

The black sword, which I was pretty sure was that legendary blade, swept toward me in a desperate arc. Perhaps sensing the spirit dwelling within the weapon, Moria had decided he had no other choice.

"You're wide open, Moria."

"What?! You!"

Using a weapon with poor reach was a tactical error. Considering the speed of my Soru technique, a long-range weapon only provided more footholds for me to exploit.

Standing balanced on the blade's edge, I looked down at Moria for the first time in our battle. He must have been furious, because he tried to summon a swarm of bats to attack me—

"No. Don't let Kuro distract you."

"Shit!"

By then, Kuzan had closed the distance and finally made contact with his target.

I immediately leaped down behind the Vice admiral as frost began spreading across Moria's massive frame.

"Ice Time."

Among Kuzan's various techniques, this one was particularly devastating. The freezing attack was powerful enough to encase even the giant Saul in an instant, and Gekko Moria's huge body rapidly turned into a sculpture of ice.

Still, I wondered what would happen to the Seven Warlords system after this. The whole Thriller Bark arc... well, considering I'd become Kuro, a fairly important antagonist in the original timeline, there wasn't much point in trying to predict future events anymore.

CRACK!

...Oops.

CRACK! SNAP!

Vice Admiral...Vice Admiral Kuzan—

"DON'T UNDERESTIMATE MEEEEEEE!"

"Gaaah!"

The moment I was about to call for thicker ice, the giant frozen sculpture shattered explosively. A massive figure wreathed in visible Haki emerged from the crystalline debris, sending Kuzan flying with a single devastating blow.

You idiot!

"I am Gekko Moria! I'm not so pathetic that I'd fall in these waters!"

This is bad.

The next instant, Moria's fist closed in with unprecedented speed and punched straight through my torso.

"First mate! We've eliminated the last group of zombie soldiers!"

"It's safe for sunlight now!"

"Robin, did you hear that?"

"Perona! Daz!"

"Leave it to me! Behold my experimental technique using concentrated mini-holos expanded to maximum size! Special Hollow!"

As searing pain threatened to drag me into unconsciousness, I saw an enormous ghost materialize beneath Moria's feet and engulf him. Reflexively, I grabbed the airborne Kuzan and put more distance between us and the enemy.

"What?! That thing up there!"

BOOOOOOM!

With a thunderous explosion, the blast consumed Moria and blew away the ice-reinforced ceiling along with everything else.

"Ahhh...!"

The techniques he'd been able to block simply by wrapping himself in Haki were no longer sufficient. I could barely stand, enduring waves of agony that threatened to buckle my knees.

Well, I wasn't in much better shape myself...

My body is...

"There's an opening! Gekko Moria!"

Fortunately, my left leg remained uninjured. As long as my pivot leg was intact...

"Winter Cat—"

Unlike my usual rapid-fire kicks, this one made a thunderous THOOM as I stepped forward with deliberate force. To be precise, I used the Soru footwork technique to repeatedly accelerate my kicking leg in a concentrated burst.

"Damn... AAAAHHHHH!"

"Shatter Screen!"

Instead of delivering multiple strikes like usual, I poured everything into a single devastating kick that pierced the great pirate's chest—

And launched him skyward, beyond where the sunlight was streaming down.

I'm never fighting like this again...

———

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[10 Advanced Chs]