OP: My Aircraft Carrier Evolves#174+175: Thriller Bark, the Majin Oars, and the Dragon-Slaying Samurai!

"Kuma... he got away again."

Kizaru stood on the shore and glanced back at the bedraggled group of Marines behind him.

He felt a mix of resignation and relief.

Not a single Marine had been lost, but Kuma had sunk ten warships, and a number of men were injured.

Furthermore, the ship carrying CP agent Spandine had been destroyed. Spandine himself had been killed by a deflected cannonball.

Ironically, his son Spandam—the one who had been captured in the first place—had survived after losing an arm and was now receiving medical treatment.

Kizaru reported back to Headquarters, detailing the events of the battle.

Sengoku rubbed his temples.

What a headache.

"Kuma's ability," Vice Admiral Tsuru mused, "was one of the six fruits from God Valley. It's truly a broken power."

Repelling damage and pain was one thing, but repelling oneself to achieve instantaneous movement... it was completely overpowered.

Once Kuma started using that in combat, he would be an untouchable phantom. It was a bug in the system.

"Useless Marines..."

"Worthless Marines!"

"You can't even catch one man! What good are you??"

Spandam's furious tirade was both a way to vent his frustration and a way to shift the blame.

Nevertheless, he was still facing an internal investigation. Why had Kuma come for him, and not someone else?

Spandam offered his own theory, conveniently omitting the part where he had confessed everything.

When he learned that Blueno was missing, an idea sparked in his mind. If things went south with Tequila Wolf, he could just throw Blueno under the bus.

He had to protect his position at all costs.

What was the sacrifice of one CP9 agent?

—————————

An uneasy night fell over Water 7.

The Marines and Cipher Pol conducted a city-wide search. Many people were taken in for questioning. The citizens were terrified.

Iceburg and Franky were also brought in. An Observation Haki user stood by, listening to their heartbeats.

Fortunately, neither of them had any real connection to Kuma. The Marines' "interrogation" yielded nothing.

Besides, Iceburg had been injured while trying to save Spandam. He hardly seemed like a suspect. He was not only the president of the Galley-La Company but also the mayor of Water 7, a popular and respected figure. Without concrete evidence, the Marines couldn't just arrest him.

The incident at Water 7 was never reported. The Marines and the World Government contacted Morgans and had the story suppressed.

It was too embarrassing.

Morgans, on some matters, would display an unyielding pursuit of the truth, which gave his newspaper an air of authenticity. But this was just a strategy. A mix of truth and lies was the best way to manipulate the ignorant masses.

Most people were incapable of independent thought. They were like sheep, blindly following the flock.

Morgans was selective in his reporting. The Sorbet Kingdom incident, for example—he had cut out the beginning and the end, twisting the facts.

No matter how much he pursued the "truth," he would never go against the World Government or the Marines. Otherwise, he would have been eliminated long ago.

It was because he knew when to bend that he was so valuable. The World Government needed a "principled" journalist like him.

He could report on the unimportant matters, but when it came to the crucial facts, he was the one who buried them.

—————————

One quiet morning.

Kuma returned to the demonic carrier, then left again.

He had requested permission from Jin to go to the East Blue in search of Tequila Wolf.

Jin had agreed. In the original story, Kuma had sent Robin to Tequila Wolf, which meant he had gone looking for it himself. And he had found it.

Kuma had also visited Foosha Village to see Luffy three years before he set out to sea—which meant it was this year.

It was likely that Kuma would find Tequila Wolf this year.

Jin told Kuma to contact the revolutionary Dragon. His hometown was in the East Blue; he might know something.

Jin wasn't particularly interested in Tequila Wolf.

It was better to leave it to Kuma and the revolutionaries to save.

—————————

At that moment, Jin was leisurely fishing.

He cast his line a couple of times.

Although it was morning, the sky was still dark.

A black sky, a gray fog, and the occasional piece of broken ship drifting by... it was a grim and terrifying place.

This was the Florian Triangle, a mandatory route on the Grand Line.

Every year, hundreds of ships disappeared here.

The ones that were found were always empty, their crews gone.

There were even sightings of ghost ships, manned by the dead...

All sorts of legends had sprung up around this mysterious stretch of sea.

Jin controlled his fishing line with Armament Haki. The straight hook instantly pierced a sea fish, and he yanked it from the water.

He was training his Haki, practicing "perception," "flexibility," and "impact," trying to make it all second nature.

"This darkness, this fog... where does it come from?"

Robin was sitting beside him, a fishing rod in her hand, her mind elsewhere. She was curiously observing her surroundings.

The Florian Triangle had been around for a long time. Was it a natural phenomenon, or was there another reason? What was the root cause of it all?

"I don't know," Jin said, shaking his head. This area was a mystery. When Luffy and his crew were leaving, a massive dark shadow had appeared.

Some guessed it was a giant.

Some guessed it was Imu.

Some guessed it was a mirage projected by the Skypieans...

There were all sorts of theories.

Jin, however, had his own suspicion. It had something to do with the "Davy Jones" that Rocks had worshipped.

But Jin wasn't here for that. He was here for Thriller Bark.

Thriller Bark, the stronghold of one of the Seven Warlords, Gecko Moria.

It was the largest ship in the world, so large that it carried a small piece of an island on its back.

It was suspected to be a part of God Valley, blown away by Shiki's power during the great battle.

Moria had found it and made it his base. And on it was the corpse of Captain John, one of Rocks' crew members who had been at God Valley.

"As for the Warlords' power in Paradise... Mihawk is a loner, so he doesn't count. That just leaves the fat-ass Moria."

Jin lifted his rod, the straight hook glinting, and cast it again. He released his Observation Haki, letting it flow along the line and deep into the sea.

Haki was like a tool. The more you used it, the more skilled you became.

Even with his evolutionary cheat, Jin never slacked off. He was always pushing himself.

"Gecko Moria may be a fat slob, but he's a loyal man," Jin said to Robin. "He just has terrible luck."

"Oh?"

Jin smiled. Moria and Buggy were two extremes.

Buggy was blessed by the world.

Moria was cursed.

"When Moria was young, he was ambitious, ready to take on the world. But then he ran into Kaido, who had just gotten the Azure Dragon fruit. Not only was he beaten so badly he started to question his own existence, but his entire crew was wiped out. The pain... it was too much."

"After that, Moria was obsessed with revenge. He went to Wano and became a grave robber, digging up the corpse of the legendary samurai, Ryuma. But he knew that wasn't enough to take on Kaido, so he retreated to the West Blue to build up his strength. Soon after, he was invited to become one of the Seven Warlords. He found the ruins of God Valley and even made some new friends. By this time, Kaido had become one of the Four Emperors. Moria still wanted revenge, but he didn't have the strength or the manpower. He was terrified of a repeat of what had happened before, of having his crew wiped out again. Kaido just got more and more famous, stronger and stronger. And gradually, Moria's fear grew, and he lost his nerve. So, he holed himself up on his ship, playing with corpses, biding his time, waiting for a chance for revenge. And that's what he's been doing for years."

As Robin listened, she felt a tug on her line. She managed to harden the line with Armament Haki and set the hook.

She had it!

She wrapped the line in Haki, making the fish and the straight hook one, and then yanked with all her might.

A massive, meter-long fish flew out of the water.

But her technique was still lacking. She fumbled, her Haki wavered, and the struggling fish broke free.

Jin, with a quick flick of his wrist, pierced the fish with his own line.

Robin breathed a sigh of relief. "That really is some bad luck."

Jin just smiled.

Moria's bad luck didn't end there.

Later, the Straw Hats would show up.

They'd come in, shouting about bonds and friendship, and then they'd beat him to a pulp and destroy everything he'd built.

He'd be stripped of his Warlord title and hunted by the World Government, forced to live as a fugitive.

And just when he thought he'd escaped, he'd run into the Blackbeard Pirates.

He'd become a complete relic of the old era.

Terrible luck.

Just look at his opponents. Were any of them easy?

Moria: "This is too much!"

Buggy had the luck of a king. He had the bad luck of a king.

To try and alleviate some of that bad luck, Jin had decided to give him a little push.

<><><><><><><><>

In a dark room in a dark castle, a giant with a massive waist was tossing and turning in his sleep, sweat beading on his brow.

"No... don't..."

Moria woke from the nightmare, the same nightmare of that battle, his face twisted in pain and regret.

"To be alive is to lose..."

"It's better to just sit back and let others do the work."

"A good crew is the key to becoming the Pirate King. I'll just have them do it for me."

Moria wiped the sweat from his brow.

—————————

The darkness and fog had little effect on the Empress. Its Haki radar had already locked onto the island's location.

Along the way, they encountered a number of "ghost ships," but no sign of Brook. That guy was another mystery.

Soon, the dark silhouette of an island appeared through the thick fog. The demonic carrier approached quickly.

The image grew clearer.

Collapsed ruins, covered in moss. A dense, withered forest, like a collection of ghosts in the darkness...

Massive iron chains stretched out into the unknown.

"Is this it?" Robin asked, gazing at the island.

"Yep. Thriller Bark."

The carrier docked.

Jin reeled in his line and leaped onto the shore.

The fog was thick and eerie.

The crumbling ruins spoke of a long and storied history.

The demonic carrier suddenly opened its massive maw and sucked in a ghostly figure.

[Soul Crystal +1.]

Farther away, another spirit, startled, drifted into the strange forest.

"Are those... ghosts?" Robin asked, surprised.

"Probably," Jin said thoughtfully. This strange stretch of sea was actually a good place to collect soul crystals.

Due to the environment, the souls of those with strong wills lingered after death, gradually merging with the sea, becoming a kind of "spirit."

There were, in fact, "spirits" in the world of One Piece, like the Klabautermann of the Going Merry... or the Homies of Totto Land.

It was hard to explain scientifically.

Jin looked toward the forest. A rustling sound, and then a group of bandaged zombie soldiers charged out.

Robin crossed her arms, and flower petals bloomed.

"Dos Fleur: Twist!"

Wherever she looked, hands sprouted from the zombie soldiers, twisting their bodies and sending them crashing to the ground. In an instant, they were all defeated.

"They've found us?" Jin smiled. "Time to say hello to Moria."

A golden spark flashed in his eyes, and an invisible aura spread out across the entire island.

Conqueror's Haki.

In that instant, a powerful pressure rolled over the island. The world went silent, and a crushing sense of dread fell over everything.

Even the waves of the nearby sea went still, as flat as a mirror.

The unrestrained wave of Conqueror's Haki washed over the entirety of Thriller Bark.

"What??" Moria looked up, stunned. The pressure was immense. All around him, his zombie servants had collapsed.

"Who is it?" Moria said, his shock turning to anger. How could someone with Conqueror's Haki be here?

This was a clear provocation. He was one of the Seven Warlords, for God's sake. Did this person have no respect?

Moria rushed out of the castle. The path was littered with the bodies of his zombies.

Even the genius surgeon, Hogback, who had created the zombies for him, was out cold, the whites of his eyes showing.

Although the bodies he and Hogback had reanimated were powerful, they were controlled by the shadows of ordinary people.

Against a user of Conqueror's Haki, they had no resistance at all.

Even Perona had been knocked unconscious. She was lying on the ground, motionless.

In an instant, the island had fallen silent.

The ghosts, the zombies, all of them were down.

Moria had been right not to go after Kaido. If he had, he would have been wiped out, with no chance of survival.

When Jin retracted his Haki, the waves of the sea began to churn again. He waited for a moment. The island was silent.

"Not going to welcome your guests?" Jin raised an eyebrow.

"Shall we go in?" Robin asked. She was quite interested. Unlike most girls, she enjoyed this kind of dark, eerie, and terrifying atmosphere.

And the ancient ruins on the island had piqued her curiosity.

"Alright."

Jin and Robin walked toward the towering castle. Their path was clear.

Suddenly—

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

The ground shook.

A massive figure blocked their path. It was 67 meters tall, ferocious and terrifying, its rough skin a deep red.

Oars the Continent-Puller.

"He's even taller than a giant!" Robin exclaimed.

The giant slammed his fist into the ground, and the earth buckled, a cloud of dust and debris erupting around him.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" he boomed.

"He's all yours," Jin said to Robin, stepping aside.

Robin looked up at the giant.

"Cien Fleur: Delphinium!"

A hundred arms sprouted from Oars's body and twisted his upper torso.

But Oars was too strong. He didn't even budge.

He went berserk, swinging his massive arms at Robin.

She leaped back, dodging the attack.

"Cien Fleur: Big Tree!"

Two giant hands sprouted from the ground and grabbed Oars's legs, sending him stumbling to the ground.

"Gigantesco Mano: Spank!"

Another giant hand appeared and slapped Oars across the face.

While they were fighting, Jin walked into the castle. He suddenly spun and kicked, and the wall caved in.

In the shattered wall was a strange man with a lion's jaw.

"Gwah..." he coughed up a mouthful of blood, stunned. This man... he was terrifying. How could he have seen through his invisibility?

"Your sound and your smell... you can't hide those, Absalom," Jin said.

A flying slash came at him.

Jin slapped it aside and turned. It was a zombie general, wrapped in bandages. He wore a blue scarf, and his body was covered in stitches. He was wearing a kimono with the character for "dragon" on the sleeves.

"Yohohoho..." he laughed.

He swung his sword again.

"Aubade Coup Droit!"

The zombie Ryuma, with Brook's shadow.

The two figures passed each other in a blur.

The zombie Ryuma was still standing, but he was now holding only his scabbard. His other hand, and the sword it held, were gone.

"Nice sword," Jin said from behind him, tossing the severed hand aside and picking up the black blade. "I'll be taking this."

One of the 21 Great Grade Swords, Shusui.

A black blade with a red, serrated hamon. A powerful, hard, and incredibly heavy sword.

A samurai who has lost his hand and his sword...

The zombie Ryuma was filled with shame.

He turned to face Jin. "I acknowledge your strength. Please, end my existence here."

"A pity you're just a corpse," Jin said.

Although the zombie Ryuma was controlled by Brook's shadow, it was still influenced by the residual will of the great samurai himself. So much so that Brook couldn't even fully control him.

"The dragon-slaying samurai... you live up to your name," Jin said.

He swung the sword, carving an "X" in the air. The sword-wave cut down the zombie Ryuma, and Brook's shadow flew out.