Throne Of Supreme

Chapter 298: The Hunt begins

_____

Gekko Moriah was undeniably strong at first, but after his defeat by Kaido, his mentality got destroyed.

From that point on, he adopted the belief that "you only lose if you live." He began to rely on others to do everything for him, abandoned training, and allowed his strength to deteriorate. His body grew fatter and fatter until he became little more than a ball of flesh.

Another Shichibukai, Crocodile, shared a similar experience. After losing to Whitebeard, he too lost confidence and placed his hopes in external powers.

However, Crocodile's ambitions were directed toward something tangible—Pluton, one of the three ancient weapons. This was a more practical and reliable goal.

If the legend of Hades was true, possessing it would indeed grant the power to change the world.

Moriah, on the other hand, secluded himself in the Florian Triangle, creating zombies. It was little more than giving up—mere survival without ambition.

He could only bully civilians and novice pirates in the first half of the Grand Line.

Had he ventured into the New World, he would have been used as a stepping stone by others.

---

The ship sailed slowly through the air.

Standing at the bow, Aoki activated his Observation Haki. Enhanced by the power of the Thunder Fruit, his perception range far exceeded that of others at his level.

Soon, he sensed a large cluster of auras in one direction and steered the giant ship toward it.

As they broke through the fog, an island came into view.

Alice leaned over the side of the ship, peering down with curiosity.

"There's actually an island here."

Aoki responded, "Look closer."

Alice hesitated for a moment, studying the island more carefully. She sensed something unusual but couldn't quite articulate what it was.

"This is actually a ship!" Esdeath's voice rang out.

Alice froze, her body jolting as realization dawned.

She stared again, her perspective shifting.

The shape of the "island" closely resembled their own ship, but on a much larger scale. From above, it appeared to be a three-masted sailing vessel magnified countless times.

Aoki explained, "This is said to be the largest pirate ship in the world."

Hancock nodded. "It's possible. I've never seen a ship this massive."

The others gazed down, equally intrigued.

"Let's meet Moriah," Aoki declared.

With a thought, he activated his space-time domain. In an instant, dozens of people standing on the deck disappeared.

---

Black fog rolled in, blotting out the sunlight. Though it was midday, the scene felt like night.

Two large, bare trees stood nearby, their twisted forms grotesque and unnatural. A cemetery lay adjacent, with tombstones of varying shapes scattered haphazardly.

Aoki's group materialized silently in this eerie environment.

Kurome waved her hands to disperse the fog before her, scanning their surroundings.

"Can anyone really live in a place like this for an extended period?" she asked.

Aoki replied, "Moriah chose this place for a reason."

Everyone turned toward him, curious. Most of them knew little about Moriah.

Before Aoki could answer, the soil in front of a nearby tombstone suddenly shifted.

Crash!

A withered arm burst from the ground, clawing at the earth. A grotesque figure slowly emerged, its body desiccated and covered in patches of rotting flesh. The creature exuded a distinctly inhuman aura.

Crash!

The soil around every tombstone stirred, and a horde of skeletal monsters clawed their way out, shambling toward Aoki and his group.

The atmosphere grew tense, but no one flinched.

Hancock wrinkled her nose in disgust, a trace of irritation flickering across her flawless face.

"What are these abominations?" she asked.

Aoki said, "Zombies are creations of Moriah using his Devil Fruit ability, which is one of the reasons he hides in the Florian Triangle."

Moriah is the user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, which allows him to extract people's shadows and implant them into corpses to create zombies.

A person who loses their shadow will die if exposed to direct sunlight.

When the original owner of the shadow dies, the shadow dissipates, and the zombie created from it also perishes.

This makes it essential to keep the shadow's original owner alive.

The Florian Triangle, a sea area shrouded in perpetual fog without sunlight, is an ideal hiding place for Moriah.

Robin reflected aloud.

"The poor visibility in the Florian Triangle makes it easier for Moriah to ambush passing ships and collect materials for his zombies."

Aoki nodded. "Yes, that's another reason why he chose the Florian Triangle."

As he spoke, the zombies slowly shuffled closer.

Their movements were stiff and uncoordinated, their gait unsteady.

Apart from their frightening appearance, they posed little threat.

Three soldiers stepped forward and swiftly dispatched all the zombies.

Kurome frowned. "So weak."

As someone who also controls corpses, she was intrigued by the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.

The potential of a Devil Fruit far surpasses that of a Teigu. Logically, the zombies created by the Shadow-Shadow Fruit should have been much stronger than the puppets controlled by her Yatsufusa.

Yet the weak performance of these zombies left her somewhat disappointed.

Aoki said, "These are just the lowest-tier zombies. They're not as simple as they seem."

Kurome stared at the fallen zombies in confusion. Suddenly, her eyes widened.

The zombies, whose bodies were already battered and broken, staggered back to their feet as though they had never been killed.

Aoki explained, "In a sense, these zombies are immortal. However, all zombies share a common weakness—they fear salt."

"Immortal? Afraid of salt?"

Everyone listened intently, intrigued by his explanation.

The soldiers were preparing to attack again when Akame stepped forward. Her arms transformed into thick arcs of blue lightning that swept through the zombies.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The zombies were flung backward, their already broken bodies torn apart, charred by the lightning. Their scattered remains lay motionless, unable to rise again.

Dark shadows flew out of their bodies and disappeared into the mist.

Aoki stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Does the Thunder Fruit also counter zombies?"

The idea made sense. Zombies being weak to lightning wasn't unreasonable.

However, it could also have been that Akame's attack was simply too powerful, exceeding the limit of what even an "immortal" body could endure.

After all, even immortality has its limits—a fact Aoki knew well.

The group continued forward.

After passing through the eerie woods, they arrived at a tall building. Several figures stood gathered in the open space before it.

At the entrance to the building stood a fat man with a long, pointed nose and a body shaped like a giant egg.

Beside him was a beautiful blonde woman. However, her body was marred with visible stitches, and she lacked any signs of life.

Opposite them stood a man with long hair, dressed in elaborate clothing. His lion-like face was fierce and intimidating.

Hearing the noise, the group turned to look at Aoki and the others.

Aoki immediately recognized them.

The fat man with the pointed nose was Hogback, a well-known surgeon and one of Moriah's key allies in creating zombies.

The lion-faced man was Absalom, the user of the Transparent Fruit. In the future, he would be killed by Blackbeard, and his fruit ability would be claimed by Shiryu of the Rain.

After Moriah's defeat by Kaido, he lost all his original companions. Now, only three monsters remained under his command—a pitifully small entourage.

Hogback and Absalom were two of them.

As for the woman whose aura didn't feel like that of a living person, her name was Victoria. She used to be a actress but tragically fell from the stage and died.

Hogback joined Moriah's crew solely to "revive" her.

Compared to ordinary zombies, Victoria

was special—she seemed to retain a hint of self-awareness.

At the same time, Hogback and the others noticed Aoki and his group.

"More visitors? There are quite a lot of them. But why didn't the zombies give any warning this time?" Hogback asked, frowning.

Absalom's eyes lit up as he scanned the group.

So many beautiful women!

Particularly the two girls who looked nearly identical, save for the length of their hair. They seemed delicate and fragile—exactly his type.

Hogback waved his hand dismissively. "Capture them!"

Crash!

A horde of zombies rushed out, surrounding Aoki and his crew.

These zombies were different from the skeletal ones they had encountered earlier. Like Victoria, they had full bodies with visible stitching marking their construction.

Absalom quickly shouted, "Wait, Hogback! Don't harm the women!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before he could finish speaking, all the zombies were sent flying, their bodies sustaining severe damage.

"What's going on?"

Absalom's expression shifted as he turned his gaze toward the group.

These people were clearly not ordinary. Their strength was overwhelming.

When his eyes landed on the man who appeared to be their leader, he froze.

"This guy looks... familiar."

It wasn't just the man. One of the taller women in the group also seemed familiar.

Hogback, though skilled in medicine, was average in combat and failed to notice the danger. Instead, he was ecstatic.

"They look so lively. They'd make fantastic zombies!"

Bang!

The door to the building behind him swung open, and more zombies spilled out.

"Snort!"

Esdeath snorted, raising her hand.

Boom!

A massive glacier materialized, instantly freezing all the zombies in place.

When Absalom saw this, something clicked in his mind. A flash of recognition struck him like lightning.

"They're... the Burning Heaven Pirates! That man is the Dragon King! The Dragon King who recently defeated Pirate Emperor BIG MOM! The Dragon King with a bounty of 5 billion! The fourth Pirate Emperor, the Dragon King!"

A shiver ran down Absalom's spine, making his scalp tingle.

He wasn't some ignorant pirate; he knew exactly what it meant to face a Pirate Emperor.

But why were the Dragon King and the Burning Sky Pirates here, in the Florian Triangle?

Hogback, finally sensing something was amiss, stepped back nervously.

"Who are these people? Absalom, take care of them immediately!"

"Me? Take care of the Dragon King?"

A muscle in Absalom's face twitched, and without hesitation, he turned and bolted.

He knew his limits.

Against someone of this caliber, not even their master, Lord Moriah, stood a chance.

The only option was to flee.

Boom!

A blue lightning bolt struck the ground in front of him, transforming into Kurome, blocking his escape route.

"Not good!"

Startled, Absalom turned himself invisible.

"Invisible?"

Kurome's expression remained calm. Though she couldn't see him, her enhanced senses picked up his scent and movements with precision.

In her original world, such a situation might have been troublesome, but here...

Boom!

Electricity crackled around Kurome, arcs of lightning spreading across the area like a web, filling every corner.

"Ahhh!"

Absalom, now visible, screamed as he collapsed, his body charred and smoking from the lightning's impact.

He fell to the ground, motionless.

Kurome didn't move closer but raised her palm, arcs of electricity crackling menacingly.

"Damn it, you didn't even come closer!"

Absalom abruptly stood up, his body once again turning transparent.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Countless bolts of thunder surged through the air, crashing into him.

Before his invisibility could fully activate, the barrage of lightning interrupted him. The dense onslaught of electricity left him severely weakened, his breath faint and shallow.

Hogback stood frozen, utterly dumbfounded.

He had worked alongside Absalom long enough to know that he wasn't a coward, yet here he was, running away in terror at the sight of these people.

Worse still, he hadn't even been able to escape.

Hogback stumbled backward, stammering, "Who... who are you? Our master is Gekko Moriah, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"

Aoki stepped forward calmly. "Shichibukai? Sorry, that title doesn't intimidate me."

It was only then that Hogback truly noticed Aoki. As he took a closer look, his face went pale, his eyes widening in fear.

"Dr-Dragon King?!"

He finally understood why Absalom had fled.

But why had the Dragon King come to the Florian Triangle?

Hogback's mind raced desperately as he turned, trying to come up with a way out.

"Well, actually, I..."

Boom!

A bolt of lightning struck him, reducing Hogback to a charred husk.

Aoki lowered his palm and muttered to himself, "Don't tell me you were about to say you're a fan."

Victoria stared blankly at Hogback's lifeless, unrecognizable corpse. Two lines of tears slowly ran down her pale face.

Esdeath glanced at her and said, "Aren't you going to kill her too? She's a zombie, isn't she?"

"Forget it," Aoki said, shaking his head.

Whether the zombies lived or died didn't matter much to him.

Once Moriah was defeated, all the shadows would return to their original owners, and the zombies would revert to lifeless corpses.

Victoria, still retaining a sliver of self-awareness, deserved to enjoy her final moments in peace.

Suddenly, a voice called out.

"Absalom? What happened to you?"

"Huh? Who are you?"

A girl with pink twin ponytails emerged, her wide eyes scanning the scene with a mix of curiosity and confusion.

Aoki turned his gaze toward her with interest.

This was the last of Moriah's three monsters—the Ghost Princess Perona.

At this time, Perona was still a young girl, barely over ten years old. Her big, round eyes and pink twin ponytails gave her the appearance of a living doll.

Several soldiers stepped forward to block her path.

Perona raised one small hand.

"Negative Ghost!"

Several ghostly apparitions flew from her body, passing straight through the soldiers.

They immediately dropped to their knees, their faces filled with despair.

"I'm sorry. I don't deserve to live in this world..."

"A Devil Fruit user?" Robin remarked.

Hancock raised a finger, a pink heart forming on her fingertip.

Aoki stopped her with a raised hand. "Go capture Moriah. Leave her to me."

"Understood!"

Hancock dissipated her power and turned to leave, only to spot Esdeath walking ahead of her.

Hancock's expression darkened, and without hesitation, she chased after her.

"Crafty woman! You won't take the credit!"

Kurome and Akame turned into streaks of blue lightning, instantly surpassing both Esdeath and Hancock.

Aoki glanced at the remaining soldiers. "You all should find some zombies to practice with. Training alone won't make you stronger—real combat is essential."

Alice waved her hand, leading the soldiers away. "Let's go!"

Moments ago, the area was bustling with people. Now, only Aoki, Robin, and Perona remained.

Perona placed her hands on her hips, tilting her head. "Hey! Who are you?"

Aoki ignored her and turned his attention to Absalom, who lay on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Snap!

A bolt of lightning struck Absalom's body. He convulsed violently before his aura completely dissipated.

Perona stood frozen, stunned.

Although her relationship with Absalom wasn't particularly close, they had known each other for years.

More importantly, Absalom's death made Perona realize just how dangerous the situation was.

She might lose her life.

"Who... who are you?" Perona's tone wavered, her confidence faltering noticeably.

Aoki still didn't answer. Instead, he gestured toward her. "Come on, use Negative Ghost on me."

This was one of the reasons he had come to Moria—to test himself.

The Hollow-Hollow Fruit wielded by Perona had a rule-based effect that nearly incapacitated the Straw Hat Pirates in the past.

Aoki wanted to see if he was immune to such rule-based Devil Fruit abilities now.

A hint of surprise flashed across Perona's young face.

She had never heard such an odd request before.

In a blink, Aoki vanished and reappeared right next to her.

"Ah!"

Perona jumped back in fright and instinctively waved her hands, summoning a ghostly figure.

Bang!

The Negative Ghost shot toward Aoki's chest but didn't enter his body. Instead, it dissipated upon contact.

"How is that possible?"

Perona was stunned.

The ghost had disappeared?

This was the first time she had ever encountered such a phenomenon.

Unwilling to believe it, she quickly summoned several more Negative Ghosts.

But just like the first one, every single ghost disintegrated the moment it approached Aoki.

Aoki nodded to himself.

Although his "Spirit of Nature" skill had not yet reached its maximum level, his Haki was already incredibly powerful.

His Armament Haki was fully mastered, and although his Conqueror's Haki was at a low level of control, its raw strength was exceptional. Only his Observation Haki lagged slightly behind.

Overall, his Haki had undoubtedly reached the peak of what was possible in this world.

If he could resist the Hollow-Hollo Fruit's effects, it stood to reason that he would also be immune to similar Devil Fruit abilities, such as the Childlike Fruit.

This realization brought him relief—one less vulnerability to worry about.

The Devil Fruits of this world were diverse and bizarre. A careless misstep could lead to disaster.

Aoki shifted his gaze to Perona.

She took two steps back, looking like a frightened rabbit. With a wave of her small hand, she summoned a giant ghost.

"Extra Large Ghost Kamikaze Bomb!"

The giant ghost swelled unnaturally, flames flickering within its translucent body.

Before it could reach him, Aoki casually redirected the ghost, causing it to appear hundreds of meters away.

Boom!

The giant ghost exploded, obliterating a house and sending a gust of wind rushing toward them.

Perona's pink twin ponytails fluttered in the breeze, but her expression grew more blank with every passing second.

Even her Kamikaze Bomb had been useless.

Coming back to her senses, Perona screamed and bolted.

She knew she stood no chance against this man. Her only option was to run.

Thinking of Absalom's charred body, she poured all her energy into escaping, moving her legs as fast as she could.

Suddenly, her vision blurred, and a "terrifying" face appeared in front of her.

Perona skidded to a halt, nearly crashing into Aoki.

"What's going on? Wasn't I running away? Why am I back here again?"

Confused, Perona changed direction and ran again.

But soon, her vision blurred once more, and the same "terrifying" face loomed before her.

Perona froze in place, utterly dazed.

Aoki looked at her with mild amusement. "Not running anymore?"

Perona pursed her lips, her eyes turning red as tears began to well up. She broke down into sobs.

"Please don't kill me! I don't want to die!"

Aoki: "..."

- Why do I feel like I'm bullying a child?

Crash.

Just then, the chaotic sound of footsteps echoed through the air.

Aoki turned his head to look.

A group of soldiers appeared, struggling as they carried a massive humanoid creature.

The figure had a hairstyle resembling onions, a devilish appearance, two horns protruding from his forehead, sharp teeth and ears, and a body shaped like a bloated sphere.

It was Gekko Moriah.

Aoki couldn't help but examine him more closely.

Half of Moria's head was petrified and shattered, the left side of his body frozen, and the right side charred with marks from lightning strikes.

Was this some kind of collective greeting?

"Lord Moriah!"

Perona gasped, covering her mouth immediately.

It was over.

Even Lord Moriah had been defeated!

"Dragon King!"

Moria opened his eyes and glared at Aoki.

In a flash, Aoki appeared behind Perona and lightly tapped her with his palm.

Perona rolled her eyes and collapsed unconscious.

Aoki turned toward Esdeath and the others.

"How strong was he?"

Esdeath smirked. "That shadow-swallowing move of his was mildly interesting, but otherwise..." She shook her head in disappointment.

Hancock didn't hold back. "Your strength has diminished. Your stamina is weak, your movements are stiff, and you can't even use your abilities properly. You're not worthy of the title of Shichibukai anymore."

Akame added, "Your willpower is scattered, you can't control your emotions, and you're unable to maintain focus during a fight."

Kurome thought for a moment, then smiled. "Well, at least you can take a beating."

With every comment, Moriah's face grew darker and uglier, until finally, he screamed in a shrill voice, "What on earth do you want from me?"

"What else could I want?" Aoki replied, waving his hand. "I'm here to kill you."

The Nine Spirit Shuttle appeared, spinning rapidly, surrounded by crackling lightning.

Moriah's expression twisted with panic. "Why? Do we have some kind of grudge?"

Aoki shook his head calmly. "No."

"Then why?!" Moriah growled. "Why did you come all the way to the Florian Triangle to kill me after defeating the BIGMOM Pirates?"

Aoki pondered for a moment, then said, "For justice?"

"What?"

Moriah's face was a mix of astonishment and disbelief.

One of the Four Emperors, a man who wreaked havoc on Mary Geoise, killing countless Celestial Dragons, now claiming he's doing this for justice?

"You're kidding, right?" Moirah bellowed.

Aoki's tone was steady. "Believe it or not, that's the truth."

At least part of it.

With a wave of his hand, the Nine Spirit Shuttle shot forward, piercing through Moriah's heart. Lightning exploded from the impact, obliterating his internal organs in an instant.

Moriah's eyes held a mix of resentment, confusion, and unwillingness as the light faded from them.

All the zombies in the area collapsed as shadows flew out from their bodies.

"Oh, we found this," Hancock said, holding up a blade.

Aoki pulled it from her grasp and inspected it.

The sword had a reverse T-shaped blade with a black and purple hue and a red serrated pattern.

A black blade.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was Shusui, the legendary sword of Ryuma, the Sword God of Wano Country. It was one of the 21 Great Grade Swords.

That made three famous swords in Aoki's possession.

The other two, Oto and Kogarashi, were most likely of the same rank, considering their origins as the swords of the Golden Lion.

After all, Whitebeard and Roger—figures equally famous as the Golden Lion—both wielded blades among the Supreme Grade Twelve Swords.

It would be a shame if the Golden Lion, a renowned swordsman, didn't at least possess swords from the 21 Great Grade tier.