章 52: Chapter 52: Moria’s Giant Creation
The cold air hung heavy in the atmosphere as Vulcan and his crew ventured deeper into Thriller Bark, their breaths forming visible puffs in the misty air. Every step echoed with a foreboding sense of danger, and the shadows seemed to stretch out, waiting to swallow them whole.
"This place... it's worse than a nightmare," one of the Marine recruits muttered, his voice trembling.
Vulcan clenched his teeth, gripping his naginata. "Stay focused. Whatever's ahead, we'll take it down."
Just as he spoke, the ground beneath them began to tremble, gradually at first but quickly intensifying until it felt like the entire ship was shaking. The recruits struggled to keep their balance, and even Smoker braced himself, his cigarette nearly slipping from his lips.
"What now?" Smoker growled, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
A deep, resonant roar echoed from the shadows, shaking the very walls of the ship. Red eyes appeared in the darkness ahead, glowing with malevolent energy. Slowly, a massive figure emerged—towering over them, at least twenty meters tall. The giant zombie loomed above the crew, its body grotesquely stitched together from countless corpses, with patches of dark shadows swirling around it like a malevolent aura.
"That thing's enormous!" one of the recruits exclaimed, stepping back in fear.
Vulcan's eyes narrowed. "It's not just big. There's something else about it... something dark."
Brook nodded, his usual lighthearted tone gone. "Ah, quite the terrifying sight, yes? But look closely—shadows power this abomination. Moria's handiwork!"
Before Vulcan could respond, the giant zombie let out another roar, shaking the ground beneath them. Without warning, it lunged, its massive hand swinging down toward the crew with terrifying speed.
"Move!" Vulcan shouted.
The crew scattered just in time as the zombie's fist smashed into the ground, leaving a deep crater in the ship's deck. Smoker transformed into smoke, dodging the attack, while Vulcan and the others barely managed to avoid being crushed.
"This thing's strong," Vulcan muttered, glaring up at the zombie. "We need to take it down fast."
But the giant zombie wasn't done. Its red eyes locked onto one of the Marine recruits, and before anyone could react, the shadow animating the zombie pulsed, and the recruit's shadow was violently ripped from his body. The recruit collapsed to the floor, his face pale and lifeless as his shadow was absorbed into the zombie, making it grow even stronger.
"No!" Vulcan shouted, his heart pounding in his chest. His vision blurred with rage as he saw the young Marine's body crumple to the ground, lifeless.
The sight of the recruit lying still, his shadow stolen, made something snap inside Vulcan. His usually calm demeanor was gone. His hands trembled as he gripped his naginata, his teeth grinding together. Red-hot anger flooded his veins.
The giant zombie let out another roar, and Vulcan's body tightened as rage overtook him. He could feel the fire burning in his chest, the overwhelming desire to destroy this thing.
"You…" Vulcan's voice came out as a growl, his eyes dark with fury. "I'll make you pay for that."
The zombie turned toward another recruit, its shadow pulsing with dark energy as it prepared to strike again. But Vulcan wasn't going to let it happen. He shot forward with Soru, moving faster than the eye could track. His naginata gleamed as he swung with all his might, aiming directly for the giant's leg.
The blade connected, but it barely left a scratch.
"Damn it!" Vulcan roared, leaping back just as the zombie's hand swiped at him. His breathing was ragged, and the rage boiling inside him only grew more intense with each passing second. The death of the recruit was gnawing at him like a wound that refused to close.
Smoker, now standing beside him, growled through clenched teeth. "This thing's no joke. It's fast and tough."
The giant zombie let out another thundering roar, charging toward the crew with its massive fists raised to strike.
"Hina will trap it," Hina said, her voice tense but determined. She sent her iron bars flying toward the zombie's legs, wrapping tightly around its ankles to hold it in place.
The zombie struggled against the iron bars, but Hina's hold was strong enough to keep it from moving—at least for now.
Vulcan's mind raced, the rage still bubbling within him. He wasn't thinking clearly, his instincts screaming for him to tear the zombie apart, but brute strength wasn't enough. He needed a plan. He needed to make this thing suffer for what it had done.
"Aim for the stitches!" Vulcan shouted, his voice dripping with anger. "Rip it apart at the seams!"
The crew sprang into action. Smoker transformed into smoke, wrapping around the giant's legs and further binding it in place. Brook moved like a shadow, his sword flashing as he slashed at the zombie's stitches with quick, precise strikes.
"Hina will help," Hina said, reinforcing her iron bars to tighten around the zombie's joints.
But the zombie was relentless. It tore free from the iron bars, lashing out with one of its massive fists. One of the recruits wasn't fast enough. The zombie's punch connected, sending the recruit flying across the room. His body hit the ground with a sickening crack, and he didn't get up.
"Damn it!" Vulcan shouted, his rage intensifying as another Marine fell. His vision blurred with fury as he lunged at the zombie again, slashing at its legs with wild swings of his naginata. "You're going to pay for this!"
The zombie, though starting to weaken from the attacks on its stitches, was still a formidable force. It swung its arm at Vulcan, but he dodged just in time, narrowly avoiding being crushed.
"Vulcan, we need a plan!" Smoker shouted, his smoke wrapping around the zombie's arms to slow it down. "We can't just keep hacking at it!"
Vulcan's breathing was heavy, his hands shaking with anger. "I know! But that thing—"
As he spoke, the giant zombie reached out and grabbed another recruit, lifting him into the air before slamming him into the ground with terrifying force. The recruit's body crumpled, unmoving.
Vulcan's eyes widened, and for a moment, everything else fell away. All he could see was the broken body of the recruit lying on the ground. The heat inside him surged, his heart pounding like a war drum. He was ready to kill.
"I'm going to tear you apart!" Vulcan roared, his grip on his naginata so tight that his knuckles turned white.
But before he could act, Brook placed a hand on Vulcan's shoulder. "Ah, my friend, rage will not win this fight."
Vulcan's eyes snapped to Brook, the rage still burning in his gaze. "They killed him... they killed him...!"
Brook's expression softened, though his skull still bore its usual grin. "Yes. But that shadow—it's the heart of the zombie's power. If we can sever it, we can stop this."
Vulcan's breathing slowed as Brook's words sank in. His grip on his weapon loosened slightly, though the fury still boiled inside him. "Alright... fine. But we take this thing down, and we make sure it stays down."
Smoker reformed beside them, his face grim. "Let's do this."
The crew regrouped, and with renewed focus, they aimed for the heart of the zombie—the dark, twisted shadow that pulsed with malevolent energy.
Vulcan lunged forward with Soru, his naginata gleaming as he targeted the zombie's chest. With a powerful swing, he slashed through the giant's body, aiming for the core of its power—the shadow that animated it.
The zombie let out an ear-splitting scream as the blade connected, severing the connection between the shadow and the flesh. Its massive body convulsed, the stitches unraveling as it began to collapse.
With one final, agonized roar, the giant zombie crumbled to the ground, its body falling apart into a heap of broken limbs and decaying flesh. The stolen shadows, now freed, floated back to their rightful owners.
But for one recruit, it was too late.
Vulcan stood over the fallen zombie, his chest heaving as he struggled to control his rage. His eyes flickered to the lifeless body of the Marine recruit, lying motionless on the floor.
A heavy silence fell over the crew. The fight was over, but the weight of their loss hung in the air.
"We lost one…" Vulcan muttered, his voice raw with emotion. His hands trembled as he clenched his naginata.
Hina approached, her face somber. "Hina is sorry. This shouldn't have happened."
Smoker, ever stoic, crossed his arms. "We'll mourn later. Moria's still out there."
Vulcan nodded, though his jaw was tight with barely-contained fury. "Let's finish this. He's going to pay for everything."
As the crew gathered their strength and prepared to face Gecko Moria, Vulcan glanced one last time at the fallen recruit, the fire inside him still burning. They had won this battle, but the war wasn't over yet.
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