One Piece: Nobody knows Devil Fruits better than me.

Chapter 159 Spirit Fruit, Shadow Gathering Place
Amidst the ruins of the castle that collapsed with a deafening roar.

"Is my head still there?"

Brooke, lifted safely to the ground by a gust of wind, looked around at the ruins.

"Oh! It's still there, that scared me to death—oh no, I'm already dead."

After frantically rubbing his skull to make sure he was still alive.

Brook, who was about to tell another skull joke, heard laughter coming from the side.

"Yohohoho!"

He looked up and saw that there was also a block of ice that had fallen here with him.

Inside the ice block, the swordsman zombie wielding a black knife was emitting the same laughter as him.

At this moment, the 'salt snow' is still falling from the sky.

Some of the snow naturally ended up in the other person's mouth.

"!!!"

Brooke stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

He naturally knew what this meant.

"You succeeded."

However, at this moment, the zombie named 'Ryoma' spoke unexpectedly calmly.

Brooke's shadow was leaving his body through his mouth.

"However, if I may ask, what is the name of that person upstairs?"

His voice became deep and sharp, like a sword forged through countless hammer blows, his words alone seeming to carry the sound of metal.

As if by some unseen force, Brooke seemed to sense it.

The one speaking to him now is no longer his shadow.

Rather, it was the lingering consciousness of the original owner of this body.

He is the world's strongest swordsman, named 'Shimotsuki Ryoma'.

"I don't know the specifics—but as far as I know, his name is Chenlong."

So Brooke said softly.

"Chenlong."

Shimotsuki Ryoma murmured, "Are there many like him on the high seas?"

"I'm not sure about that, but—"

Brooke, who had also spent many years in the Devil's Triangle, was naturally unsure of the situation outside.

However, recalling the information he had learned from the newspaper-delivering seagull that had wandered in, as well as what the zombies had whispered about, he realized that...

"There are probably twelve powerful figures like Lord Chenlong in his organization, and there should be even more on the high seas, right?"

Brooke guessed.

"Is it?"

Upon hearing this, Shimotsuki Ryoma smiled: "In this era, are there really so many powerful individuals worth killing?"

His words carried a mixture of fighting spirit and loneliness.

He didn't seem to care that Moria desecrated his body, or rather—he was happy to do so.

For a swordsman, being able to wield his sword again is enough.

"Unfortunately, your shadow is too weak."

"Ah, sorry."

As soon as he finished speaking, Brook saw the shadow in Ryoma's mouth fly out completely and land at his feet.

"We're back!"

Years later, the sight of that returning figure almost brought Brooke to tears—oh, he didn't shed any tears.

He even jumped around excitedly several times to make sure that his shadow would actually do the same thing as him, instead of cutting him with a knife, before he finally calmed down.

then
"However, the fact that Moria's power hasn't been dispelled means he's not dead yet, right?"

Brooke realized this.

His gaze was fixed on the sky.

Just see it there.

Against the backdrop of howling winds and thunder in the sky, the dragon Chenlong, surrounded by fiery clouds and with a massive, blade-like tail, hovered above the heavens.

"Hmm, judging from Lord Chenlong's appearance, he doesn't seem to need my help."

Brooke confirmed it.

so.
"There must be a reason why they didn't destroy his body."

Brook turned to look at Shimotsuki Ryoma's corpse and quickly thought of what he could do: "In that case, I'll just watch over his body for now."

And it was at this very moment
"Although its strength has declined, its vitality is still very strong."

The dragon suspended in the sky slowly swam in the air, its gaze sweeping across the ground below.

He could also sense that Moria was not dead.

But it is precisely at this moment
"Fragmented Bat!"

From the ruins below, countless bats formed from shattered shadows swarmed toward Chenlong.

Chenlong, on the other hand, didn't even move.

"Boom!"

Thunder roared down in front of him, instantly scattering the swarm of bats.

But as the swarm of bats was blasted apart, it transformed into a cloud of black mist and suddenly dispersed.

It's obvious that they weren't released to harm Chenlong in the first place, but rather to block his view.

And this is indeed the case.

"Ha ha."

At this moment, inside the ruins.

Moria's chest had been blasted open by the punch, leaving a gaping hole, and blood was streaming from his mouth.

His massive body was mostly shrouded in shadow to conceal his movements, while his hands trembled as he leaned on the surrounding boulders and walked forward.

"Monster! Monster! I need to escape! I... I can't die here!"

Clearly, Moria had lost all will to fight at this moment.

His zombie army, which he had been preparing for nearly ten years, was wiped out in an instant.

He was seriously injured with just one blow.

The pain emanating from within his body, and the fear of death, completely replaced his previous anger at that moment.

"I can't die. I must live, no matter what. Cough cough."

Despite his eyes turning white and his consciousness becoming increasingly hazy, he still persisted in moving forward.

He had to escape, he had to escape no matter what.

But at this moment
"boom!"

Thunder rumbled in the sky.

As Moria struggled to walk on the ground, he saw, through the flash of lightning, the reflection of the half-dragon, half-human figure above Moria's enormous shadow.

"."

Moria instinctively looked up.

Then he saw a figure looking down at him with vertical pupils from beneath the thick fog.

The immense pressure made it almost impossible for Moria to breathe.

"Am I going to die?"

That's what he was thinking.

But it is precisely at this moment
"Lord Moria—you monster, stay away from Lord Moria!"

Suddenly, a shrill voice rang out.

The next moment, Moria saw a group of ghosts suddenly rush towards Chenlong and then explode.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

A powerful shockwave came, and then Moria saw a figure appear in front of him.

"Lord Moria!"

It was a girl flying in the air, wearing a crown, with pigtails, and holding an umbrella.

"Perona"

Moria's somewhat dazed eyes instantly regained some light.

"Lord Moria, your injuries..."

At this moment, the last of the three oddballs on the island, 'Princess Mononoke' Perona, looked at Moria's hideous injuries and involuntarily covered her mouth.

She had no idea what was happening—she had been sleeping but was awakened by the massive storm and tremors.

When she awoke and used her abilities to survey her surroundings, she discovered that the entire Thriller Bark had been completely destroyed.

Huge lightning craters were everywhere, all the zombies were instantly killed by the falling salt and snow, and there were traces of ice and lava everywhere.

Only now, after seeing Moria's miserable state, did she vaguely understand what was going on.

"I remember seeing that guy in the newspaper, he's the Dragon of the Twelve Zodiac Signs?"

Perona took a deep breath.

Lord Moriah

Her voice trembled, but remained firm: "You go first, I'll cover your retreat."

After saying that, she turned around and walked towards Chenlong without waiting for Moria's reply.

[Perona, the user of the fruit, has been identified]

[The Devil Fruit has been confirmed as the 'Paramecia-type Spirit-Spirit Fruit', and is currently being analyzed and stored in the 'Devil Fruit Encyclopedia'.]

[Fruit Ability - Can summon spirits, influence others' emotions, and create shockwaves]

[Effects at Each Level]

[LV3: Gain all fruit effects, can summon a spirit without a physical body. The spirit shares the user's vision, cannot touch living beings or matter, and can only interact with other 'soul creations'. The spirit can bring 'negative emotions' to people. Requires 4 million Berries to unlock]

[LV4: Deep fruit development enhances the energy within the soul, allowing the detonation of the spirit body to generate a shockwave, or the separation of the soul into clones. The size of the created spirit body can be controlled. Requires 12 billion Berries to unlock]

[LV5: Fruit Awakening - Soul Impact, can create more spirits in the surrounding environment. The spirits can move away from the user at a distance, and the user's attacks on living beings will directly affect the opponent's emotions and soul, causing the 'Soul Chaos' effect. Requires 55 billion Berries to unlock]

[Analysis progress: 0%]

As the voice of the Fruit Encyclopedia reached his ears, Chenlong leisurely looked at the girl in front of him.

"Wow, instead of running away, it's actually coming closer to me?"

He looked at Perona: "You'll die."

"Enough with the nonsense!"

At this moment, Perona was practically trembling. She knew, of course, who the person in front of her was: a monster with a bounty of 2.053 billion Berries, a high-ranking official of the Twelve Constellations.

In fact, when she received the World Government's 'special order' regarding the Seven Warlords of the Sea, she advised Moria not to provoke the Twelve Constellations—it was far too dangerous.

But obviously
Now, she has no choice.

"You're not allowed to chase after Lord Moria—negative ghost. Ah, what's with this wind?"

Seeing this, Chenlong waited for the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia to analyze Perona's Devil Fruit, and felt a little emotional.

While Gecko Moria has many problems, the loyalty of his subordinates to him is rare in the world of One Piece.

Or to be more precise—after all, Moria was also one of the members of the 'Loguetown Enlightenment' group when Roger was executed.

Even in its current state, it may still possess some unique charm in its humanity.

And it was at this very moment
“Perona.”

Perona watched as the ghost above charged towards Chenlong, only to be nearly blown over by a gust of wind.

Moria's outstretched hand trembled.

But in the end, he gritted his teeth and turned to leave.

His steps faltered, and his already unclear thoughts seemed to become even more confused.

Even in a daze.
"trickle!"

He seemed to hear the sound of the sea in his ears.

And some familiar yet unfamiliar words.

"Samurai of Ringo, follow Lord Moria—defeat the beasts and protect our homeland!"

"Lord Moria, defeat Kaido!"

"Don't worry, we are the 'Moonlight Pirates'! Captain Moria is the man who will become the Pirate King sooner or later!"

"Hehehe, don't let my appearance fool you, I'm actually a member of the 'Kozuki Clan,' just that I grew up overseas!"

“Of course we believe you. You know everything about the Kozuki family’s writing system, stonemasonry techniques, and ancient legends—that’s why we follow you!”

"Hey, let's have a banquet after we win this battle, and invite all the courtesans!"

And so, at that moment, Moria seemed to see a flash of sword light before his eyes.

"clang!"

That was the sound of a spiked club called 'Eight Precepts' clashing with a greatsword called 'Moonlight Maru'.

And ultimately.
"Crack!"

The crisp sound of a blade breaking.

"Lord Moria! Run away!"

"I'll cover your retreat, Lord Moriah!"

"You must live, Lord Moria!"

"Only you can defeat Kaido, so please abandon us and run away!"

Yes.

After that crushing defeat, there was no longer a 'Kozuki Moria' in the world, only 'Gekko Moria'.

Everyone believed that the Kozuki clan hero from overseas who fought against Kaido died in that battle.

But no one will know.

In the end, the great hero, who suffered a crushing defeat, chose to flee under the cover of his comrades.

His companions died one by one before his eyes in an attempt to protect him.

Those are memories that are incredibly painful just to recall.

But
"what the hell."

Moria murmured softly.

The scene from my memory seems to overlap with reality at this moment.

Just like before, the companions he thought he would never lose were easily lost before his very eyes.

As before, it was ultimately his partner who bought him time to escape.

"You took those pointless fantasies, born out of a desire to escape reality, as real?"

Chenlong's words just now felt like a heavy slap in his face.

He felt as if his mind had suddenly become clear.

Yes.

Zombie army, One Piece, Seven Warlords of the Sea—these are just fantasies to escape reality.

To be honest...
"Hasn't nothing changed?"

Moria stopped and turned around.

He saw the scattered boulders, the countless ugly corpses, the desolate island, and the perpetual fog outside the island.

He suddenly realized how dark and rotten the place was.

Back in Loguetown, when he saw that man being executed and decided to go to sea... he never imagined he would end up in a place like this.

Then, a moment later.

"Ok?"

[Successfully analyzed 'Spirit Fruit', current level is LV1]

As such a sound reached his ears, he casually urged the wind to grab Perona.

Chenlong then sensed a change below.

then
"Bang!" "Bang!"

With heavy footsteps, Moria emerged, covered in blood.

"Hey—Chenlong, I'm here."

He raised his head and looked up at Chenlong.

"Lord Momoria, didn't I tell you to escape? Your body..."

At that moment, Perona looked at the hideous wounds on Moria's body and shouted these words.

"Shut up, Perona!"

But Moriah's loud shout interrupted her: "This is the enemy I brought here, so of course I should deal with him!"

After saying that, Moria looked at Chenlong again: "The captain of the Moonlight Pirates is still here. Don't even think about attacking my subordinates."

Upon hearing Moria's words, Chenlong looked at him with some surprise.

Then he saw
Moriah's body remained obese, and his movements remained slow.

But there seemed to be a hidden aura emanating from him.

His gaze had become extremely sharp.

That was the look of 'enlightenment'.

"Buzz!"

From beneath Moria, a dark shadow, the 'Shadow Mage,' rose up.

But this time, it did not guard Moria's side as it had before, nor did it attack Chenlong.

Quite the opposite.

This time, it slowly transformed into a shadow ball, and then...
Moria picked it up and put it in his mouth to Chenlong's astonishment.

"Crack!"

He bit it into pieces and swallowed it.

Paramecia-type Devil Fruit - Shadow-Shadow Fruit

[LV5: Fruit Awakening - Shadow Gathering Ground - Can devour all shadows within the nearby area, gaining immense power, physique, and corresponding combat skills. However, the more shadows devoured, the greater the mental control required, otherwise the ability will go out of control.]

[Alternatively, one can choose to swallow their own shadow to gain power equivalent to 200 shadows. Since it is one's own shadow, not only will it not go out of control, but one can also perfectly control the power of the shadow and shape it at will. However, because one has lost their shadow, they will be afraid of sunlight.]

Seeing this, Chenlong was not surprised.

The moment he saw Moria, he knew that the guy had already developed his Devil Fruit to the point of awakening—which was not surprising, after all, the other party was a top pirate who had once fought against Kaido.

Even after his fall from grace, he remained one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

To his surprise, in the original story, Moria chose to devour the shadows of 1000 people to gain the power to shatter an island with a single punch, but was ultimately defeated by Luffy because he couldn't control it.

But now, what he is devouring is his own shadow.

The meaning is very clear.

He finally chose to believe in his own strength, rather than relying on others to fight.

"This is somewhat more like it."

Chenlong nodded, offering this assessment.

The next moment, his figure slowly landed on the ground.

The two stood facing each other amidst the torrential snowfall.

"Buzz!"

Moria gently raised his hand, and from his hand, a jet-black shadow katana slowly appeared.

【Shadow Moonlight Pill】

As Moria grasped the katana in his hand, his long-lost aura of dominance slowly enveloped it.

"Buzz!"

"Buzz!"

The blade of the katana hummed incessantly, like the roar of a dragon.

“My swordsmanship is called ‘Moonlight Style’—a swordsmanship created to slay dragons.”

Moria took a deep breath and gripped the massive katana tightly.

"That's quite a coincidence—my code name is Dragon."

At that moment, Chenlong smiled.

He also raised his hand slightly.

"Boom!"

The thunderous lightning landed in his hand and transformed into a long spear.

And from that spear, frost, lava, gale, and smoke were all constantly flowing and changing.

"However, I don't think you can kill me."

"You'll only know if you try it!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the two figures simultaneously hurtled towards each other.

"Moonlight Stream - Dragon Break Slash!"

"Crimson Dragon - Heavenly Spear!"

(End of this chapter)