I Will Become Hokage in One Piece

Chapter 75: Thriller Bark

"Moria-sama! Moria-sama!"

(TL/N: "Sama" is an honorific title in Japanese. It is used to show respect and politeness when addressing someone of higher status or social standing.)

"What is it?" The man asked in a sharp voice.

Seated in the shadows, there was a giant figure, nearly seven meters tall, with pale skin and fiery hair that looked like lush green onions, but with the color of flames.

With pale skin, a pair of horns on the forehead, a demonic appearance, pointed ears, and a long neck, there were stitched-like marks from the center of the forehead, and the collar of the shirt stood up like the wings of a bat. 

A black Gothic-style coat added to the aura of darkness. His massive body almost concealed his feet, and one of his arms was bandaged and hung around his slender neck.

He was Gecko Moria, one of the Shichibukai, who had eaten the Shadow-Shadow Fruit of the Paramecia type. However, his condition was not great at the moment.

"Damn Silvers Rayleigh! He turned me into this state just for a skull, and he even destroyed Ryuuma's body. He was a legendary swordsman from Wano! Argh! What does Perona want?" Moriah exclaimed loudly.

Moria's injuries were the result of his encounter with the former "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh, who had come along with Crocus and Brook, who had become a skeleton, to reclaim his shadow.

Ryuuma's body required a skilled swordsman's shadow, and Brook was a perfect match. How could Moria give up such a perfect shadow? Moreover, with his overconfidence, Moria even planned to turn Rayleigh into a powerful zombie to face Kaido. 

For this purpose, he wanted to kill Rayleigh and take his shadow and body to fill the body of the giant zombie Oars.

The result was that the old man taught him a lesson, making Moria understand who the boss truly was. Rayleigh easily overpowered Moria, the zombie Ryuuma, who had Brook's shadow and could use his swordsmanship but was not as powerful as Rayleigh in his prime.

Rayleigh defeated Ryuuma, took back Brook's shadow, fulfilled Crocus' request, took away the Poneglyph, and even removed one of Moria's arms before leaving casually.

It turned out that Rayleigh had come to find someone and didn't want to do much more. Otherwise, Moria would have suffered more than just injuries and losing a few things.

Luckily, one of his subordinates, Hogback, was an excellent surgeon who helped reattach Moria's arm; otherwise, he would have been truly helpless.

"Moria-sama, a ship has intruded." Perona said.

"Oh? Really? It's a perfect opportunity to replenish the zombies consumed by Rayleigh." When Rayleigh came to the Thriller Bark, he not only destroyed Ryuuma and the giant zombie Oars but also easily defeated the weak zombies, directly separating them from their shadows, rendering many zombies useless.

"But there are only four people."

"Only four?" Moriah was a bit disappointed. He thought there would be more people. With so few, he felt lazy to move.

"Perona, I'll leave this matter to you and Absalom." Moria said, lacking enthusiasm, as he reclined back in his seat. Over the years of living as a dead otaku, Moriah always liked to delegate tasks to his subordinates.

"Understood, Moria-sama. Hehe, we have new toys to play with." Perona floated in the air and disappeared into the wall.

...

Meanwhile, on the Black Pearl, the four people on board were deep in thought as they gazed at the massive Thriller Bark in front of them.

The Thriller Bark was known to be the largest sailing ship in the world, resembling a small island. The central part, like an island, was connected to the outer tall walls by thick chains, creating a space inside filled with seawater. The massive gate looked like a huge mouth, devouring incoming ships. Once the gate was closed, it trapped the incoming ships and prevented them from leaving.

Originally, that was the case, but now the walls were full of repair marks, and a large breach appeared on one wall, where zombies were busy fixing it. Looking closely, the cut was smooth and neat, obviously created by sword energy.

"Captain, did Moria create this?" Reiju asked, looking at the breach.

"Probably." Rodney was not entirely sure. The wall wasn't the only thing with a sword cut; the main gate was missing too, likely the work of Rayleigh.

Judging by the size of the breach, it seemed well-suited for Laboon to enter.

The Black Pearl sailed in, ignoring the zombies clamoring on the walls. Rodney summoned slugs for the other three, through which they could communicate.

"Is this a Den Den Mushi, Captain? It feels different," Reiju curiously pointed at the body of the slug, soft and cool, but with sticky tissue.

Rodney explained, "This is my contract partner; you can call her Sister Slug. She's my representative, and we can communicate through her. Also, she can help us with healing."

"Truly miraculous. I've never heard of it before," Reiju said in amazement. In this world, there were many strange creatures, but one that could speak was a first for them.

"Yes, Sister Slug is easy to get along with. Compared to the gangs in Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave, she's much friendlier," Rodney joked.

Especially those frog people from Mount Myōboku, they were no different from scoundrels, smoking and drinking. If not for their lack of hair, they'd probably even dye their hair...

"I dare not. The immortals from Mount Myōboku and Ryūchi Cave are quite easy to get along with." Sister Slug replied.

"Haha, an old senile frog and a white snake that smokes all day and hides in the cave. Can Sister Slug truly consider them immortals?"

"Oh..." Sister Slug didn't know how to respond. Her true body was the entire Wetbone Forest, so she didn't know how to answer. She was a bit of a shut-in herself.

"Enough of that. Sister Slug, meet my companions: Robin, Reiju, and Leicester."

"Hello, Sister Slug," both Robin and Reiju greeted politely, while Leicester seemed a bit nervous and called her "Big Sister Slug."

Hey, hey, is it appropriate for a 1.8-meter-tall person like you to call her "Big Sister"? Oh, right, you're still young...

At this moment, Sister Slug's tentacles moved, and she asked, "Rodney-dono, do you have any other companions on your ship?"

(TL/N: "Dono" is another honorific title in Japanese, but it is considered even more respectful and formal than "sama.")

"No, it's just the four of us. Why do you ask... Wait, where is that extra person?" Rodney realized something and asked, "Sister Slug, where is the extra guy?"

Sister Slug's perception was based on sensing natural energy and life energy, and her perception was enhanced in this world with abundant natural energy. 

She had noticed the extra person when she first appeared here but assumed it was one of Rodney's crew members, so she didn't ask right away.

However, the person was acting suspiciously, which made her curious, prompting her to inquire now.

"Behind that mast, there's someone... quite peculiar. Some parts of their body are not human-like."

"I see." Rodney smiled. 

He flipped his palm, and shurikens were wedged between his fingers. They collided in mid-air and connected by steel wires were pulled back by Rodney. In the process, they seemed to tie up something, but there was nothing visible.

"Robin!"

"Understood! Seis Fleur!"

Arms grew from the mast and linked together. Robin said in a serious tone, "Captain, there's indeed something there, and it's quite strong."

"When Sister Slug mentioned a person, I already knew. Clear-Clear Fruit!"

"What? How can you see me?" A voice came from the location where Seis Fleur had connected, sounding surprised.

"It's weird. You guys seem unable to see him." Sister Slug said, puzzled.

"We'll be able to see him soon," Rodney said with a smile.