Chapter 464: Shadows and Skulls: The Musician’s Invitation

“Ahahaha, you’re a musician too? Come join us!”

Luffy had always planned for a musician to join the crew. Looks like his wish is coming true right before his eyes.

Sure, Brook might look like a walking skeleton, but doesn’t that make things even more interesting?

“I’d love to join you guys, but the master of this place stole my shadow.”

“If I step out into the sunlight, I’ll drop dead on the spot.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly it.”

“Yohohoho, though I have died once already.”

“The master of this place?”

“Could it be Gecko Moria, one of the Seven Warlords?”

They weren’t greenhorns anymore. The Seven Warlords were nothing to scoff at—they were one of the three major powers on the sea. Sure, not as terrifying as the Four Emperors, but still a way to keep pirates in check.

Back in Alabasta, facing off against Crocodile, everyone had fought tooth and nail. Lately, though, none of them had felt much progress in their strength.

So it looked like another tough fight was about to start.

“So, if we get your shadow back, you’ll join our crew?”

“Yohoho, if you can pull that off, I can’t think of a reason to say no.”

“Alright, then I’m heading out first.”

Whoosh!!

Luffy leapt high and vanished straight into the mist.

“Luffy… What was that just now…”

Unbeknownst to them, the Thousand Sunny was gliding along an odd current, bringing them right up to a stretch of land that resembled a grand manor.

This was the outer harbor of the Florian Triangle—a massive U-shaped bay with the entrance on the left and the exit to the right.

“Yohohohoho! I can’t just let you guys charge ahead alone.”

Brook gave them a little bow, then hopped off the ship and sprinted across the water’s surface.

“Nadagure!”

“Abune!”

“Sukui!”

“Ano, Brook must be a Devil Fruit user, right? How can he run on the sea like that?”

Chopper was thoroughly confused. He’d never seen a Devil Fruit user run on the open sea after all.

Could it be that Brook ate a fake Devil Fruit?

“Brook ate the Yellow Spring Fruit, which lets his soul take physical form. The skeleton is just his appearance, so touching the sea doesn’t hurt him. Plus, without a physical body for decades, his bones are a lot lighter than normal.

“With enough speed, it’s totally possible for him to run on top of the water.”

“Torotoro!”

“Well, since it’s Luffy’s call, there’s no way we’re sitting this one out.”

“Given this is a Warlord’s stronghold, there have to be top-level swordsmen around. It’s about time I pushed my skills further.”

“Ha, Mosshead! Don’t let us finish fighting before you even find the castle’s center.”

“Hey, Curly-brow, who are you calling Mosshead? You want to go right now?”

“Wow, you really called me Curly-brow.”

Clang!

Just as the two were about to throw down, Gin came out from the cabin.

“Why are you guys still standing here? The ship’s moored already.”

A chilly wind swept over them. Whatever heat they’d been building up was instantly snuffed out.

They looked around. The deck, lively a minute ago, was now completely deserted. Only the two of them remained.

“Damn it!!” x2

“Don’t worry, just leave things here to me and Merry.”

Zoro and Sanji glanced up at Merry, who’d popped out near the mast, then at Gin, who hammered his chest with confidence. Satisfied, they gave quick nods and, shooting each other a glare, jumped off the ship in different directions.

“Merry, just the two of us holding down the fort!”

“Alright, let’s do this!”

…

“Captain, the Straw Hat crew has arrived.”

Absalom reported respectfully from the inner hall of the castle, eyes set on Moria, who sat on the shadowy throne.

Today’s Gecko Moria was nothing like the fat, jowly version from the original. He was muscular and lean, over seven meters tall, and wielded a massive sword more than four meters long.

“Heh heh heh!!”

“Straw Hat Luffy, huh? I’ve been waiting for you for ages.”

“Let’s send the old-timers from the previous era to test their strength first.”

“Understood, captain!”

Upon receiving the order, Absalom turned and left.

Moria’s eyes followed her out, gaze lingering on the castle gates, deep and unreadable.

“So, you children of hope… How much power do you really have? Show me! Heh heh heh!!”

…

Meanwhile, Luffy, first to charge into the manor, immediately ran into the gatekeeper—Cerberus!

Perona’s subordinate, the zombie three-headed dog, had a fox head among its three. It guarded the entrance and was known for its vicious temper.

Snap!

Cerberus jolted awake from its nap.

“What little brat dares to interrupt my sleep?”

Standing upright, Cerberus was over four meters tall and more than seven meters long. No wonder it called Luffy a brat.

Tilting its head, it gave Luffy a searching glance, as if he’d seen him somewhere before.

“Hey, take me to whoever’s in charge here. My friend’s shadow was stolen, so tell them to hand it back.”

The three-headed dog snapped awake for real at this. Only one person here could steal someone’s shadow—its beloved captain, Gecko Moria.

So that’s what’s up.

Left, fox head: “You’re here to start trouble?”

Right, dog head: “I can’t let you go any further.”

“Enough talk! Great Wilderness Prison Sky Finger!”

Each of the three heads had its own idea—clearly, the lead dog head was tired of his brothers’ dithering, a habit he’d likely picked up from reading too many web novels.

“Boom!”

A ghostly blue paw shot at Luffy like lightning, scattering swathes of the purple mist and revealing a ground littered with bones.

“Clang!”

Luffy stretched out his jet-black left hand, caught the paw, and threw Cerberus with an over-the-shoulder toss.

Boom!!

Awooo!!

Cerberus howled, but the cold-blooded Luffy took a big step forward and landed a powerful punch.

Bang!

“Now. Take me. To…”

“Okay, okay, just stop hitting me! No more!”

After those blows, Cerberus saw stars and completely lost its ferocity, obediently dropping to a sitting, tail-tucked pose.

Clang, clang, clang!

“Intruder!”

Whoosh!

A longsword over two meters long sliced through the mist, coming down at Luffy from above.

“Clang!”

Luffy barely had time to think, crossing his arms to block the downward strike. The force sent him sliding back several meters.

“Who are you?”

“Out of my way. I’m here to get my friend’s shadow back.”

Step, step, step…

A hulking man, four meters tall and clad in armor, strode out of the fog. He looked downright terrifying.

His skin was nearly black, muscles bulging, his pupils two dark holes.

This was Wang Zhi, once a member of the Rocks Pirates.

Moria had bought this corpse from him before the shipping king’s downfall.

“Intruders must die!”

The shadow inside Wang Zhi was likely from a royal guard or some similar stick-in-the-mud type.