"Damn it!!"
"Damn you!!"
"Curse you, Straw Hat brat!"
"Curse you, ninja!!"
Moria roared in fury, hatred boiling over as he wished he could tear Luffy and Jin apart with his own hands.
But he knew one thing clearly—
He had to stop Oars immediately.
If Oars fell into the sea, everything would be over.
The problem was that Oars was still airborne. With no footing at all, he could only helplessly watch as the ocean rushed closer and closer.
"No… absolutely not…"
If Oars fell into the sea, Moria would go down with him.
And this wouldn't just be a matter of zombies getting purified—
He himself would drown as well!!
He hadn't avenged his comrades yet.
He absolutely could not die here!
The overwhelming desire to survive forced Moria's mind to spin wildly.
Then—an idea flashed through his head.
"Oars! Use the power of rubber!"
"But—"
"Now!!"
Though he didn't understand why his master ordered this, Oars could only follow the vague memories buried within his shadow.
"Gomu… Twin Spears!!"
Both massive legs kicked downward.
To Moria's shock, they actually stretched like rubber, plunging deep into the ground below.
However, due to inertia, Oars's enormous body didn't stop—it continued flying forward.
"Pull back!!"
With a point of leverage secured, Moria immediately activated the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's power, forcefully retracting Oars's body.
BOOM!!
A massive explosion of seawater erupted as Oars's upper body plunged into the ocean.
Gigantic waves surged outward, flooding part of the forest.
"Gurgle—gurgle—!"
Lying on his back, Oars instinctively inhaled seawater.
The sound nearly gave Moria a heart attack.
If too much seawater entered his body, even a monster like Oars would be purified!
Seeing the water already rising past his knees, Moria screamed,
"Idiot! Get back!"
Buzz—
Shadow power surged.
Oars's stretched legs rapidly retracted, forcibly dragging his body out of the sea.
"Cough—cough—!"
Back on land, Oars gasped heavily, feeling as though he'd narrowly escaped death.
"That… that was close…"
Moria let out a long breath.
As long as his precious Oars wasn't purified, that was all that mattered.
Reviving him had taken too much effort—he couldn't afford to lose him now.
"Looks like Moria's not completely incompetent," Jin said from the opposite side of the forest, narrowing his eyes.
"Luffy, you saw that just now, right?"
"Yeah."
Though neither of them understood why Oars could use rubber abilities, that alone wasn't enough to defeat them.
In the end, he was nothing more than a fake.
Luffy casually tossed the Kusanagi Sword back.
"Jin—throw me!"
"Got it!"
Jin caught the sword with his left hand, instantly enlarging it again with Expansion Jutsu.
Then he grabbed Luffy with his right hand and pulled back like a catapult.
"Don't fall into the sea, idiot."
"I know!"
Muscles bulging, Jin hurled Luffy with all his strength!
"Nightmare — Meteor!!"
Whoosh!
Like a cannonball, Luffy shot forward at extreme speed, closing in on Moria.
"MORIA!!"
"You think I'll fall for that again?!" Moria roared.
"Oars—take him out!"
"OOOHH!!"
Oars bellowed and swung his arm.
The gigantic limb spun wildly in midair like a rubber whip before slamming toward Luffy.
"Gomu Gomu no — Whirlwind Pistol!!"
BOOM!!
Their fists collided midair.
The shockwave alone blasted trees from the ground.
"Ghh…!"
Moria grimaced.
"Why does this brat have so much power?!"
Looking closely at Luffy's appearance, realization hit him.
Shadow enhancement?!
That brat was using his power against him?!
Rage surged instantly.
"Damn you, Straw Hat! Oars, send him flying!"
"Yes, Master!!" Oars roared.
"Straw Hat—get the hell back!!"
"The one going back is you!!" Luffy shouted.
"Moria! I'm going to smash you!!"
This man had stolen their shadows—
And worse, he'd tried to take his most precious companion.
That was unforgivable.
"Why is his strength—?!"
Oars's expression changed as his arm was slowly pushed back.
Despite being nothing but a tiny human, Luffy's raw power was overwhelming.
BOOM!!
With a final surge, Luffy blasted Oars backward.
The massive body slid toward the shoreline—
Straight toward the sea.
"Again?! You're that desperate to purify my Oars?!" Moria snarled.
"Dream on!!"
BOOM!!
The shadows on the ground erupted upward, forming an enormous black curtain.
Oars's colossal body slammed into it, warping the surface violently as if it might tear apart.
"Oars, you idiot! Push back!!" Moria yelled.
"OOH!!"
Using the resistance behind him, Oars smashed his fist into the ground.
BOOM!!
The earth collapsed into a gigantic crater.
At last—
They stopped right at the edge of the sea.
"That was close…"
Oars glanced at the water inches behind his heel and sighed in relief.
"I really hate the ocean…"
"Oars! Quick—we need to retreat into the fores—"
Before Moria could finish—
A colossal sword appeared in the sky.
It was Jin's Kusanagi Sword.
SPLASH!!
The blade pierced straight through Oars's chest.
Though it rapidly shrank upon impact, the tremendous momentum carried Oars backward—
Straight toward the sea.
"…It's over."
Moria's face went pale.
At this distance, even shadow control couldn't pull Oars back.
He was simply too heavy.
Now he had only two choices—
Fall into the sea together.
Or abandon him.
In the end…
Moria chose to live.
He looked one last time at Oars's body, clenched his teeth, and pulled his shadow free.
At the very edge of the shoreline, his shadow shot out and leapt back onto land.
"Damn it!!"
"DAMN IT ALL!!"
"Shadow's Shadow Swap!!"
In an instant, Moria switched places with his shadow.
His shadow remained inside Oars.
Then—
It burst apart into countless bats, escaping his body just before impact and flying back toward Moria.
The next moment—
BOOOOM!!
Like a massive bomb detonating, Oars crashed into the sea, sending towering waves skyward.
"Oh no—!"
Seeing the incoming tidal surge, Moria's face turned white.
If that wave hit him directly, he'd be finished.
"Shadow Rope!!"
Whoosh!
A giant shadow bat descended, dropping a rope of darkness.
Moria grabbed it and was yanked into the forest, barely escaping the flood.
Meanwhile, Luffy retreated instinctively—
But without flight, he couldn't avoid the wave.
"Damn it—!"
BOOM!!
The sea swallowed him whole.
The next instant—
A gigantic figure charged in.
Jin.
Ignoring the crashing waves, his eyes scanned rapidly.
"Found you!"
He plunged his massive hand into the sea and grabbed Luffy.
Splash!
"Cough—cough—!"
Pulled free, Luffy coughed violently, his Nightmare form nearly collapsing.
"You okay?"
"Cough… y-yeah… I'm fine…"
He spat out seawater, finally catching his breath.
"Thanks, Jin."
"Good. As long as you're alive."
"Straw Hat! Ninja Jin! I'll never forgive you!!" Moria roared from the air.
Seeing both of them still standing, he finally accepted reality.
Even if Oars somehow swam back—
This ninja would never let him survive.
Oars being purified was inevitable.
The thought made Moria's chest ache.
Looking up at the flying Moria, Jin said calmly,
"This guy's really pushed the Shadow-Shadow Fruit to its limits."
"He can even fly."
Luffy stepped forward.
"Moria! Our fight isn't over yet!"
"Catch me first!"
Moria immediately turned and fled toward the castle.
Fighting near the sea against a ninja was suicide for a Devil Fruit user.
That Straw Hat using shadows to strengthen himself is clever, he thought grimly.
But I'm the true Shadow-Shadow Fruit user. The power I can draw on is far greater!
"Come after me if you dare, Straw Hat!!"
"I will!! I'm gonna smash you!!" Luffy shouted.
He leapt up, grabbed Jin's arm, and slingshotted himself forward.
Whoosh!
Like a cannonball, he chased after Moria.
At that moment—
The sea churned again.
Oars's massive body burst from beneath the waves, thrashing violently.
"Damn it! I hate seawater!!"
"He's not purified yet…?" Jin murmured.
Narrowing his eyes, he watched Oars struggle back toward shore.
Salt purifies zombies… so seawater should too.
But it didn't work.
Was the intake too small?
Or—
Because zombies don't need oxygen, the amount of seawater entering his body was limited?
If so, simply tossing him into the ocean wouldn't be enough.
"I'll get back up there!!" Oars growled.
"Gurgle…"
"I'll help Master kill you—"
"Gurgle…"
Realizing that speaking made him swallow water, he shut his mouth and started swimming in earnest.
Jin calmly walked to the shoreline and released Expansion Jutsu.
Looking at the sword still lodged in Oars, he said softly,
"Maybe you don't need to breathe…"
"But soaking you in seawater for a while should solve everything."
BOOM!!
Oars's massive palm slammed onto the shore, cracking the ground.
"Huff… huff… finally made it back…"
Then he noticed Jin's size.
"EH?!"
"You're small again?!"
He stared in shock.
"You were huge just now!"
"I told you—I'm a ninja. Forgot already?"
"That's amazing!!"
"Can you do it again?!"
Jin chuckled.
Even after losing memories, this guy really was just like Luffy.
But—
He had no intention of continuing the fight.
Here, by the sea, the outcome was already decided.
"Oars," Jin said gently.
"I'll show you something even more interesting."
He stepped onto the ocean's surface.
Oars froze.
"Y-you're standing on the sea?!"
"This is ninja power too?" he asked excitedly.
"Yes," Jin nodded.
"That's incredible!!"
If he could do that, falling into the sea wouldn't be scary anymore!
"Oh—right!" Oars suddenly remembered.
"Master told me to kill you!"
He began climbing back onto shore.
But Jin calmly raised a hand.
"Oars… listen carefully."
"The sea is roaring."
"Huh?"
Before Oars could understand—
The ocean beneath him began to tremble.
Like some colossal beast stirring below.
Then—
BOOOOM!!
The sea exploded upward.
Several massive torrents surged out, wrapping around Oars.
CRASH!!
The water slammed into him, knocking his head back under the surface.
"Gurgle—gurgle—!"
Before he could react, his body lifted into the air.
"…Huh?"
Oars stared in disbelief.
He was being lifted—by seawater.
BOOM!!
"Super Water Prison Technique!"
Jin declared calmly.
A gigantic sphere of seawater—over a hundred meters wide—formed around Oars.
He was completely submerged.
Fully exposed to the sea.
Oars struggled violently.
But this technique was designed specifically to restrain colossal creatures.
Even he couldn't break free immediately.
And—
Jin wouldn't give him the chance.
"Taste the sea properly, Oars!"
Under chakra control, seawater forced its way into his mouth.
Even with his jaw clenched shut, the gaps between his teeth were far too large.
"Gurgle—gurgle—gh—!"
Water flooded in.
His fate was sealed.
I… I'm going to die…
His strength faded.
His consciousness blurred.
Master… sorry… I couldn't complete your order…
With that final thought—
Oars went completely still.
At the same time, Luffy's shadow burst from his mouth and shot away into the distance.
"So that's how it works," Jin murmured.
"Once separated, the shadow isn't affected by seawater."
That made things easier.
He released the technique.
BOOM!!
Oars's enormous corpse slammed back into the sea, sending waves rolling outward.
Jin leapt into the air, avoiding the surge, and activated his Sharingan to locate his sword.
Finding it, he landed atop Oars's body and pulled the Kusanagi Sword free just before it sank.
"Trying to become Pirate King with zombies…" he said quietly.
"Moria really is naïve."
Such creatures were nothing but fodder to true power.
Sheathing his blade, Jin turned toward the castle.
Distant explosions echoed.
Luffy and Moria had already resumed their battle.
"Time to head back."
With a flash—
Jin vanished.
From afar, Kuma watched everything in silence, his brow deeply furrowed.
"Power that manipulates seawater…" he murmured.
"What a terrifying ninja…"
Fighting someone like that at sea would be a nightmare for Devil Fruit users.
More importantly—
He wasn't even a Devil Fruit user.
When he rescued Straw Hat earlier, waves crashed over him—
Yet his expression never changed.
Was it sheer willpower?
Or was he truly not a user at all?
Kuma pulled out Jin's bounty poster once more.
Capture alive.
The World Government didn't want him dead.
They wanted him alive.
And with the Five Elders' recent orders…
This boy might possess a special bloodline.
Not Devil Fruit power—
But innate abilities.
The kind that could wield elemental techniques freely.
Especially—
The power to command water.
"No wonder they tried to lure him with a Warlord position…" Kuma murmured.
"But…"
Recalling Jin's unwavering declaration—
Luffy is the man who will become Pirate King.
Kuma couldn't help but smile.
Would a man like that ever become the World Government's hound?
He didn't believe it.
There were still things he needed to do.
And so—
Kuma disappeared.
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