Chapter 470: Return of the Shadow and Duel at the Castle

The fabric at Ryuma’s waist tore open without a sound, and blue flames erupted from the wound. While still in midair he coughed up a mouthful of dark red blood.

“His wound… is on fire?”

As the two landed back on the ground, Ryuma was already engulfed, blue flames burning all over his body.

“I’ve lost!”

“The legendary samurai’s famed blade, Shusui… You are its master now. That sword was always searching for someone worthy.”

Franky said, “Wait, what did he mean just now? That samurai… does that mean…?”

“So the match is decided.”

“I’ve never seen a fight like that. When I went up against him, that samurai was barely trying at all.”

Brook had fought Ryuma many times trying to get his shadow back, but he lost every single time. That despair had left him wandering aimlessly.

Yet now, Brook realized Ryuma had never used his full strength in their battles. If he had, Brook probably wouldn’t even have his bones left.

“Hey, skeleton, so who won, huh?”

“What an incredible duel!”

Still lost in the thrill of that battle, Brook didn’t even hear Franky’s question.

Ryuma slowly sheathed his sword, turned, and looked at Zoro standing nearby. Then with a gentle toss, he sent the sword flying over.

“It’s a sorrowful thing, this body of a samurai tasting defeat.”

“Shame is enough for any swordsman. Both body and spirit must be strong… If only I could’ve met you back when this body was alive.”

Zoro felt a rush of excitement. To duel Ryuma when he was alive—that would’ve been a match worth sweating over.

Too bad…

Heh, heh!

Uuuaaahhh!

Ryuma’s mouth stretched wide. Suddenly, a black shadow shot out and soared toward Brook.

“Woo-hoo-hoo!”

Under the faint moonlight, Brook looked down to see his own shadow standing before him, perfectly mimicking everything he did. He burst into gleeful laughter.

“Wait, is this…?”

“Soul returned!”

“That’s the shadow Moria stole from me! Look, it’s copying my every move exactly!”

Brook felt his shadow returning and followed along with every gesture he made, ecstatic beyond words.

Off to the side, Franky couldn’t help but ask, wasn’t that just his shadow?

“You just don’t get it. I’ve finally found my true self again.”

“This feeling of gratitude and joy—it’s bone-deep! Even if I don’t have any bones, since I’m just a skeleton.”

“Five years apart, but at last my shadow’s home again.”

Brook, mouth stretched wide, pressed up to Franky’s face, pointing down at his shadow on the ground and shouting at full volume.

Franky didn’t really understand what it was like to lose and then recover a shadow, so he just gave an awkward laugh and stood aside.

“I’ll take the sword, but let’s call that duel a draw, samurai of Wano!”

Zoro looked at Ryuma, now utterly consumed by blue flames, and couldn’t help feeling a pang of regret.

“I really wish I could’ve fought him in his prime.”

…

The battle here ended quickly, but things had already heated up on the other side.

When Luffy and the group were thrown in front of this massive castle, Luffy, already itching to go, was about to rush inside. But suddenly, the ground shook violently as a giant crimson demon, almost eighty meters tall, clawed its way out from below.

Swinging his enormous fists, the giant began attacking everyone nearby.

Ye Fan, who had been slacking off inside the castle, felt a bit embarrassed to keep lazing around. He hurried out, pretending he had just arrived, and joined the fight against the demon.

But that wasn’t all—thousands of zombies had gathered around the castle, leaving no one with any energy to pay attention to the other side, where Moria and Luffy were now locked in a standoff.

“Straw Hat, where’d you find the guts to come here and oppose me?”

“Brook’s my crewmate now, and I’m here to get his shadow back.”

When Luffy sets his mind on something, he gives it everything he’s got—never afraid of pain or even death.

“So, kid, what happens to people like you who act tough in these seas?”

“Go against the Seven Warlords, and you’ll end up like every other troublemaker in this world—wiped out.”

Clang!

Moria swung a massive cleaver—over four meters long—right at Luffy.

Bang!

The earth-shaking blow crashed into Luffy’s right hand, now coated in Armament Haki.

The collision kicked up fierce winds that sent zombies flying all around them.

Boom!

Oars the giant demon kept slamming his massive fists down at Nami and the others.

“Horororororo!”

“Despair, despair!”

Everyone was completely tied up just dealing with Oars, when suddenly, swarms of ghosts came flying out from the castle.

The first one to get caught was Sanji.

He had just dodged a punch from Oars, when a ghost flew right through his back.

“I’m worthless… just a total failure… someone like me should live at the very bottom of the world…”

“What happened to Sanji?”

“Doctor, where’s the doctor? Wait, that’s me!”

Chopper rushed to Sanji’s side, fumbling frantically through his bag for something to help.

But right then, Oars spotted Sanji, who was already on his knees, and stomped down with his huge foot.

“Chopper, Sanji, move!”

Nami was busy clearing out zombies with her Clima-Tact when she saw what happened out of the corner of her eye, but it was already too late to help.

“Special Attack—Exploding Star!”

Bang!

A thunderous gunshot rang out. An enormous bullet, even longer than Usopp’s nose, shot straight at Oars and struck his leg right at the joint.

The bullet’s force punched clean through, leaving a hole the size of a fist.

Oars didn’t seem to feel any pain, but his balance was off because of the mangled joint. His foot missed Sanji and Chopper by a hair.

Chopper snapped out of it and yanked Sanji away from Oars’ attack zone.

After taking the shot, Usopp squinted nervously at the sky, where more and more ghosts were gathering overhead.

“If this goes on, we’re finished.”

“I’m going!”

Channeling a tragic hero vibe, Usopp pulled out a mask from who knows where and slipped it over his face. Slipping his long rifle onto his back, he dashed into the castle from the side. If he didn’t take care of Perona, the ghost problem would just keep getting worse—and none of them would make it out.

“One Sword Style—Lion Song!”

“One Sword Style—Iai Slash!”

Johnny and Yosaku had finally come into their own as swordsmen, both landing powerful attacks. But even with those slashes, all they managed to leave on the modified Oars was a scratch a few centimeters deep—not much, compared to the giant’s sheer size.

Meanwhile, Nami and Robin were busy clearing out the swarms of zombies around them.

The only ones holding Oars off head-on were Johnny, Yosaku, Gin, Sanji, and Ye Fan.

“Charge—Smash!”

Ye Fan, hands encased in golden gloves, darted around Oars, hammering his joints. This slowed Oars’ attacks just enough to give Johnny and Yosaku time to keep up with the onslaught.