Chapter 73: The Sacrificed Gecko Moria
Gecko Moria was acutely aware that the Haki saturating the air was so overwhelming that he likely stood no chance against his opponent.
If he turned tail and fled now, his chances of escaping were high.
However, if he did that, the fate of his subordinates would be grim indeed.
After agonizing over it, Gecko Moria forced himself to run toward the source of the pressure. He had already lost his comrades once before; he wouldn't allow himself to lose them a second time.
Besides, he reasoned that he had never offended the Red-Haired Shanks, so there might still be room for negotiation.
But when Moria arrived, he realized that the intruders who had breached his Thriller Bark were not members of the Red Hair Pirates at all, but a group of strangers.
Well, that wasn't entirely accurate, as there was one face among them he recognized.
"Hawk-Eyes" Mihawk.
He wondered if Mihawk had brought a group just to pick a fight with him, but the situation didn't seem right. He held no grudge against Red-Haired Shanks, and even less against Hawk-Eyes.
Moreover, the leader of this team didn't appear to be Mihawk.
Instead, it was...
Moria stared at Yumesaki with intense wariness. An extraordinarily powerful Conqueror's Haki was erupting from the young man.
"Who are you?" Moria demanded, his eyes locked on Yumesaki.
Yumesaki withdrew his Conqueror's Haki and shifted his gaze toward Gecko Moria. The moment their eyes met, Yumesaki cast it.
Mind Control Magic.
Moria's eyes instantly went vacant. The hostility, caution, fear, and defensiveness on his face vanished in a heartbeat. His entire body stood stiffly in place, like a puppet whose strings had gone taut.
"???" Hawk-Eyes Mihawk was speechless.
Seeing Moria suddenly drop all his defenses and stand there looking like an idiot caused the corner of Mihawk's eye to twitch violently. He wondered what on earth had happened to make Moria turn brain-dead so abruptly.
"What did you do?" he asked, turning to Yumesaki.
"Nothing much. I simply controlled his mind," Yumesaki replied casually.
At that moment, he felt that Mind Control Magic was truly versatile; even a high-level combatant like Gecko Moria couldn't resist it.
When he thought about it, Moria was a pure brawler. Even with the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, it didn't change the fact that he was a physical fighter. He had zero resistance to magic.
Furthermore, his will had been shattered by Kaido years ago, to the point where he placed all his hopes on giant collectibles like zombies.
His mental health was fragile.
Being controlled by magic was, in hindsight, quite natural.
"Return the shadows you've stolen," Yumesaki commanded.
Moria nodded dazed'y, activated the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, and released every single stolen shadow.
A massive surge of shadows erupted from Thriller Bark, flying off in all directions to return to their original owners.
Yumesaki nodded in satisfaction and gave another order.
"Go and bring back the corpse of Shimotsuki Ryuma."
Moria turned to act, heading off to retrieve the legendary samurai's remains.
Taking advantage of the gap, Yumesaki briefly returned to the Naruto world to bring Tobirama back with him.
He intended to have Tobirama cast the Summoning: Impure World Resurrection, using Gecko Moria as the living sacrifice to summon Shimotsuki Ryuma.
Although Moria was often called the disgrace of the Seven Warlords, his combat power was still enough to crush most people in this world. By using him as a sacrifice, the strength of the resurrected Ryuma shouldn't be too shabby.
Once Yumesaki used the power of the underworld to fully restore him, Ryuma should be able to return to his absolute prime.
It's worth noting that when Serie heard Yumesaki asking Tobirama to cast the Reanimation Jutsu, she tagged along as well, curious to see the process of Tobirama's Ninjutsu firsthand.
Yumesaki didn't refuse. The three of them returned to the One Piece world.
Back on Thriller Bark, Moria had arrived with Ryuma's corpse.
"Begin."
Yumesaki pointed at Gecko Moria and said, "He is the sacrifice."
"Very well." Tobirama took a sample of cells from Ryuma's corpse and placed them on Moria's body. His hands moved in a blur, weaving signs at high speed before casting the Summoning: Impure World Resurrection.
Chakra flared. A massive power pierced the veil between the lands of the living and the dead, pulling back Ryuma's soul.
Yumesaki could clearly see Ryuma's soul manifest within Moria's body. Then, Moria's form was covered in dust and ash, transforming into the appearance of Shimotsuki Ryuma.
As for Gecko Moria's soul, it was gone.
It wasn't exactly gone, but rather traded. The so-called Impure World Resurrection was essentially an exchange of one soul for another—using the soul of the living to retrieve the soul of the dead.
"Interesting." Not just Yumesaki, but even Serie saw through the essence of the Ninjutsu.
Seconds later, Shimotsuki Ryuma opened his eyes.
The moment Mihawk saw the look in Ryuma's eyes, his spirit was instantly set ablaze. Without a doubt, those were the eyes of a true swordsman. Strong, sharp, and radiating a keen aura.
As the current holder of the title of "Greatest Swordsman in the World," Mihawk couldn't be mistaken; this was a gaze belonging only to a peak-level Great Swordsman.
"It is an honor to meet you, Mr. Shimotsuki Ryuma. I am Dracule Mihawk."
"A fine gaze. You are also a peak Great Swordsman, aren't you?"
Just as Mihawk could read Ryuma, Ryuma could read Mihawk.
Mihawk didn't answer verbally, but his eyes were filled with absolute confidence.
Ryuma scanned his surroundings and asked curiously, "What year is it now?"
"In the Sea Calendar, it has been over several hundred years since your passing."
"I see... I've been dead that long, huh?" Ryuma realized, stroking his chin. "So, why have you pulled a dead man like me back from the underworld?"
Mihawk unsheathed the Black Blade, Yoru. "Naturally, to seek your guidance in swordsmanship. I am eager to see the height of the skills possessed by the Dragon-Slaying Samurai who once shook the World Government centuries ago."
Ryuma let out a "Yohohoho" laugh. "To trade blows in swordsmanship, you went as far as to drag a man dead for centuries back to the world of the living. You certainly have grand ambitions."
"I ask for your guidance."
Mihawk gave a formal swordsman's salute.
Ryuma realized this duel was unavoidable. "As it happens, I too wish to see what kind of swordsmanship my juniors have developed hundreds of years later."
The moment the sentence ended, both men simultaneously drew their weapons and launched a devastating strike at one another.
The Supreme Grade Sword, Yoru, versus the Great Grade Sword, Shusui.
A Flying Slash clashed against a Flying Slash.
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