chapter 186 part 1
**Chapter 186: Joker and Gecko Moria**
Ren Arakawa took a deep breath, his legs bending slightly, gathering strength. Then, he exerted himself fiercely, rocketing upwards through the dense fog.
The moment he broke through the mist, the sight before him made him stumble, completely frozen in mid-air.
A gigantic ship stood silently in the thick fog.
Its silhouette, vaguely emerging from the hazy mist, exuded an indescribable eeriness.
Ren Arakawa's eyes widened, filled with disbelief.
He had sailed the One Piece World for a long time but had never seen such a colossal sailing ship. Its size was unimaginably massive, its hull an odd, circular shape, resembling a giant drifting basin. The huge mouth-shaped bow, with its pink lips and sharp, pristine white teeth, appeared even more hideous and terrifying under the veil of mist, as if it would open its blood-red maw at any second to swallow everything that came near.
On the ship's mast, a black flag fluttered wildly in the wind. The skull and crossbones design on the flag was adorned with wing-like structures, resembling bat wings, and flaming patterns above. All of this combined to give people a chilling sensation.
The words "THRILLER BARK" on the ship's sail were vaguely visible in the mist.
The ancient castle on the ship was dilapidated, with clear traces of time visible on its surface.
The trees and weeds surrounding the castle looked especially eerie in this gloomy atmosphere.
This was the legendary Thriller Bark!
It was the flagship of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria!
This ship was the most infamous entity in this stretch of the ocean.
Because every year, more than a hundred ships would lose contact in the Florian Triangle, and one of the reasons was that Thriller Bark would devour them.
Ren Arakawa looked at Thriller Bark before him, his heart inevitably stirring with waves of emotion, and memories of its owner, Gecko Moria, surged like a tide.
Over a decade ago, in Wano Country in the New World, Moria engaged in a decisive battle with Kaido.
At that time, Moria was young and vigorous, wielding a great sword, his aura fierce and formidable. He battled Kaido for many days, with both sides exchanging fierce blows, making it hard to determine a victor.
However, in the end, he still lost to the strongest creature, Kaido.
Tragically, all of Gecko Moria's companions perished in that great battle. This heavy blow completely changed his personality.
Since then, he came to believe that "loss only happens because one is alive."
Possessing the Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability, he could manipulate shadows at will. Relying on this heaven-defying power, he created countless zombie subordinates, attempting to build an immortal army to take revenge on Kaido.
However, because of this, he gradually neglected his own training.
Originally a man who could contend with Kaido, he eventually devolved into a pathetic worm, eliminated by the times, after being blasted by Luffy's Jet Pistol.
Thinking of these things, Pirate Ren Arakawa decided to go ashore to find a shipwright and get his ship repaired.
Just as Ren Arakawa was about to fly towards the ancient castle,
Suddenly, a strangely shaped monster rapidly flew up from below!
It had a human head but a bat-like body. Its wings, when spread, were more than a person's width, and its speed was incredibly fast.
This monster flew in front of Ren Arakawa and let out a sharp, ear-splitting shriek, "Distinguished guest from afar, are you just visiting the island?"
Ren Arakawa's lips curved slightly upwards, revealing a hint of disdain, "Lead the way."
"Alright!"
This small bat-like creature led the way. As it flew, its eyes darted around, and it suddenly swooped down towards the forest below, saying as it flew, "Please wait here for a moment, honored guest."
But just as this monster was about to take flight again, a feather shimmering with cold light, like an arrow released from a bowstring, pierced its body!
The bat-like monster let out a tragic cry and fell straight down.
Ren Arakawa's gaze swept around, his lips still holding that smile. He said loudly, "These monsters popping up around here, surely they're not a welcoming ceremony you specifically prepared for me, are they?"
As soon as his voice fell, a group of twisted-bodied zombies slowly emerged from all directions!
These zombies' skin was a sickening greenish-grey, their eyes hollow and lifeless. Their clothes were tattered, and with every step, they emitted a terrifying groaning sound that made one's hair stand on end.
Among the horde of zombies, there was also a gigantic zombie three-headed dog, its three mouths continuously letting out low growls at Ren Arakawa!
Faced with this scene, Ren Arakawa's eyes ignited with excited flames!
He rapidly formed hand seals with both hands, taking a deep breath towards the horde of zombies.
"Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"
Instantly, a giant fireball erupted from his mouth, carrying rolling heat waves, and swept towards the zombie horde!
Wherever the fireball passed, the zombies were instantly ignited by the high temperature, crackling and popping. In just a moment, they were roasted into charred jerky.
The zombie three-headed dog was incredibly fast. The moment the fireball rolled over, it agilely leaped away, escaping the attack.
Enraged by Ren Arakawa's attack, its three heads let out low roars, and it charged furiously towards Ren Arakawa!
Ren Arakawa remained unhurried. He casually plucked a feather, gave his wrist a light flick, and shot it towards the predicted path of the three-headed dog's charge!
With a "thud," the feather accurately pierced the three-headed dog's body, firmly pinning it to a tree trunk behind it.
The three-headed dog struggled desperately, its three heads continuously letting out whimpering cries, but it couldn't break free.
"Stop howling."
He then took two more feathers and pierced the other two dog heads!
Now, the three-headed hellhound was finally quiet. What a pity, it had also stopped breathing.
Ren Arakawa dusted off his hands. "Now, where should I find a shipwright?"
---
Night shrouded Gotham City, dark as thick ink, swallowing up its main streets and alleys.
The Wayne Enterprises building stood prominently amidst this darkness, its lights blazing brightly.
However, this peace was about to be shattered by a meticulously planned conspiracy.
A group of people with varying physiques, all wearing hideous Joker Masks, appeared silently before the company building like ghosts.
They moved swiftly and cooperatively, breaching the building's outer defenses in the blink of an eye. Alarm bells immediately blared through the night sky.
But these people seemed to have come prepared. One of them pulled out a small, clever jammer, and with a light press, the alarm abruptly ceased.
Before the vault, several guards, armed with weapons, tried to stop this unwelcome intruders.
But faced with the well-trained and overwhelming force of the robbers, the guards were quickly defeated.
The vault door slowly opened, and a dazzling light illuminated the mountains of wealth piled inside.
The robbers' eyes instantly turned red with greed. They frantically stuffed boxes of gold, silver, pearls, and jewels into their bags.
But robbing the vault was only the second step; the third step was the most crucial: how to escape?
After a round of gunfight, only two remained alive.
"Brother, tonight was really exciting." The two robbers, wearing masks, didn't recognize each other, but after this trial by gunfire, they stood together.
They carried money bags and walked towards a dim alley.
At the other end of the alley, a truck was parked, its rear door open, apparently having waited for a long time.
One of the robbers, carrying big and small bags, threw the bags filled with gold, silver, pearls, and jewels onto the truck, working and smiling at the same time.
This score meant instant financial freedom for him. Who wouldn't be happy? Who wouldn't be joyful?
Just as he was secretly gloating, his companion behind him stealthily raised a gun.
With a "bang," a bullet pierced his chest!
He stared with wide eyes, filled with endless shock and unwillingness, and slowly collapsed.
"One less person, one less share of money, brother."
The robber who fired the gun threw the last money bag onto the truck and got into the passenger seat.
The driver started the vehicle, the engine roared, and the truck quickly sped away from the scene.
The driver looked at the passenger, "You guys worked hard! This trip was really exciting. Leave the rest to me! Don't worry, as a driver, I only need one share, and I'll also be responsible for laundering this money clean!"
"Mn!" The person in the passenger seat nodded coldly.
Suddenly! The driver leaned to one side, looking out. "Is there someone standing by the roadside?"
Hearing the driver's doubt, the robber in the passenger seat turned his head, only to find no one by the roadside.