"Me, Ren Kuro—this is a robbery!"
Standing at the very front of the deck, Ren Kuro's voice rang across the sea.
Compared to the colossal scale of Thriller Bark, the Soul Society should have looked insignificant by comparison—
yet it was the Shinigami Pirates who were pursuing, while the giant island-ship had become the prey.
"Y-You're… Death?!"
The cry of disbelief spread through the fog.
The moment he recognized Ren Kuro, Aldrich nearly stopped breathing from sheer terror.
As vice-captain of the Thriller Bark Pirates, Aldrich had always been proud and arrogant.
But now, facing Ren Kuro, he looked like a rookie pirate fresh out of the Four Blues. Every trace of his earlier confidence was gone, replaced by fear rising from the depths of his soul.
After all, it was not just Ren Kuro himself—who was rumored to possess the power to instantly kill a Marine Vice Admiral.
More terrifying still were the three towering figures behind him.
Poison Blade. Cherry Blossom. Kenpachi.
One had overwhelmed a Marine Admiral in single combat.
One had crushed an Admiral candidate with ease.
One had instantly defeated Crocodile.
Even in the chaos of the New World, a group led by three captains like these could run wild.
"What a huge ship." Gin Ichimaru studied Thriller Bark with interest. "It looks more like a hidden island than a ship."
"No matter how large it is, that's all it amounts to." Byakuya Kuchiki gave it a brief glance and dismissed it coldly.
A larger vessel naturally had advantages while sailing. In a frontal collision, a ship of this scale could easily crush smaller ships whole.
But Thriller Bark also had an obvious weakness—
it was too slow.
Against an enemy of overwhelming strength, that massive size would become nothing but a burden, and everyone aboard would be slaughtered.
"Oh, don't be like that." Gin smiled. "This is the first time I've seen a ship this large. There should be plenty of interesting things on board."
He was already looking forward to stepping onto it.
"I've been bored out of my mind for days." Kenpachi Zaraki let out a savage grin. "If there are enough people on that ship, maybe I'll finally enjoy myself."
"Thriller Bark…" Ren Kuro's eyes settled on the skull flag with bat wings. A faint smile curled at his lips. "So Gecko Moria should be aboard."
Now that the Seven Warlords plan had been brought forward, Moria would almost certainly be one of the next candidates for recruitment.
Ren Kuro simply hadn't expected to run into the Thriller Bark Pirates just before they were set to head for the New World.
"So this Moria hasn't become the broken man he turns into later." Ren Kuro swept his gaze across the ship. Everywhere he looked, he saw unfamiliar pirates rather than the zombie army of the future.
"Looks like he hasn't lost to Kaido yet."
After ordering someone to notify Moria, Aldrich regained a shred of courage and barked, "Death! The master of this ship is the famous Gecko Moria! If you leave now, then—"
He never got to finish.
A vast and overwhelming pressure suddenly bore down on him.
Boom—
Ren Kuro released captain-level Reiatsu.
A pillar of blue spiritual pressure erupted into the sky, instantly scattering the fog around them.
"Damn it… what kind of power is this?!" Aldrich could barely remain conscious. His violently shaking legs revealed just how enormous the pressure on him truly was.
"Do you feel it?" Ren Kuro's eyes glinted. "That is my answer."
The Zanpakutō in his hand shone with pale blue light, a sign that his Reiatsu had taken on visible form.
After inheriting Kenpachi Zaraki's power, the spiritual pressure within Ren Kuro had risen to a terrifying level.
"Sword Style — Ichidan Slash!"
Ren Kuro stepped forward.
Gripping his Zanpakutō with both hands, he raised it high—
and the next instant, a bolt-like slash tore straight toward Thriller Bark.
The blade of moonlit force flashed past in an instant.
A massive gap exploded open in the castle-like hull of Thriller Bark.
Everyone standing in front of Ren Kuro—
including Aldrich—
vanished completely.
A pirate with a bounty of 250 million Berries had been erased in a single strike.
"Th-That has to be a joke…"
"Vice-Captain Aldrich… got killed instantly?"
"Dear god… that monster! That was a pirate worth over 200 million!"
The pirates rushing over from other parts of Thriller Bark to reinforce them were left speechless.
In their eyes, Aldrich had always been a brutal and bloodthirsty demon, a man infamous for countless massacres.
And yet—
a figure like that had been erased in a single moment, without even leaving a corpse behind.
How powerful did someone have to be to do that?
They could not understand.
Fear swallowed their hearts whole.
Their minds went blank, and they no longer even had the courage to run.
"Byakuya." Ren Kuro's eyes turned cold as he looked across the pirates. "Kill them all."
There was not the slightest ripple of emotion in him after one-shotting Aldrich.
"Leave it to me."
Byakuya's eyes flashed. Reiatsu surged from his body as he raised Senbonzakura in both hands.
"Scatter… Senbonzakura."
At the release command, Senbonzakura burst into brilliant light.
Countless cherry blossoms drifted through the air.
The heavens changed color, as though the entire space had been consumed by petals.
Byakuya lifted his hand—
and clenched it toward the pirates on Thriller Bark.
The blossoms erupted.
They scattered in all directions, and tens of thousands of petals rained down from the sky.
Amid a feast of blood and bone—
those beautiful cherry blossoms bloomed in their full splendor.
Meanwhile, deep inside Thriller Bark
At the very top of a towering building at the heart of the island-ship—
"What did you just say? The Shinigami Pirates have invaded Thriller Bark?!"
A shrill cry rang out from a coffin-like throne.
Its owner had a leek-shaped hairstyle, a devilish face, horns protruding from either side of his head, and wore a gothic outfit with a bat-wing collar.
The great pirate—
Gecko Moria.
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