Inside the Fairy Tail guild's ship cabin,
Brook sat staring at the latest news reports. His skull jaw hung wide open—and refused to close no matter how hard he tried.
At that moment, he finally understood.
The reason why, earlier, when he mentioned the name Shichibukai, the girls on board didn't panic in the slightest—why they'd all been so calm and unconcerned.
Because they were members of Fairy Tail—
The Fifth Imperial Guild of the seas!
Their guild master, Sugisawa Yuuto, held a bounty of 1.5 billion berries and was recognized as the Fifth Emperor of the Sea!
A Shichibukai? They had already defeated one before.
Not long ago, Fairy Tail had even clashed head-on with a Marine fleet led by an Admiral—and retreated completely unscathed.
A guild that powerful had every right to call a Shichibukai "just another opponent."
Brook's hollow eye sockets glowed faintly with renewed confidence.
As long as they could find Moria's ship this time,
he was certain—he would finally reclaim his shadow.
Just as that thought crossed his mind—
Bang!
The Fairy Tail ship suddenly jolted, the hull shaking as if it had struck something.
"President! President! We might've hit an island!" Wendy shouted.
"No… probably not an island. Wendy, look over there!"
Robin pointed astutely toward the stern.
Behind them, a massive, jaw-like portal was slowly closing shut.
"W-wait—are we being eaten!?" Vivi gasped in horror.
"Make no mistake," Brook said gravely as he stepped out of the guild cabin. "This is the Thriller Bark—Shichibukai Moria's territory."
Yuuto grinned. "Heh. We've met already, have we? Looks like our luck's not bad today."
But the next second, his expression hardened. His sharp senses picked up a strange, predatory aura.
Something beast-like was approaching quietly… No—
Not a beast. Something far more grotesque.
A creature cobbled together from human and animal parts.
The invisible presence of a transparent man.
Absalom—the one who had eaten the Clear-Clear Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit!
The world was full of interesting people.
But it was also full of utterly disgusting ones.
If there were a "Must-Die" ranking of the most detestable characters alive—
Then, in Yuuto's mind, the perverted Momonosuke would top the list.
The Spandam father and son would be right behind him.
And Absalom? He certainly deserved a spot among them.
In the original tale, Absalom had used his transparency powers for vile, shameless acts.
If he had simply stayed hidden forever, Yuuto might have spared him.
But now—he dared to use that same power to sneak aboard Fairy Tail's ship?
Yuuto's eyes narrowed coldly.
Transparent man… you're not walking away today.
"Grrraaahhh… so many beauties… Which one should I take as my bride first?"
Absalom's greedy gaze swept over Nami and the others, his invisible form trembling with anticipation.
But before the lecherous thought could finish forming—
The world around him turned into a living nightmare.
Every instinct in his stitched-up body screamed.
He was being watched.
No—he was being hunted.
Targeted by a beast far beyond his comprehension—
a monstrous, dragon-level predator.
"N-No… no, impossible! I'm invisible! No one can see me!"
Absalom muttered in panic, shaking his head desperately.
The next instant—
Yuuto appeared directly in front of him.
Absalom's eyes widened in terror. His transparency flickered and failed under sheer panic, revealing his body completely.
"H-How… how did you—?!"
He never finished the question.
Yuuto's fist, wreathed in lightning and flame, struck him square in the chest.
The impact froze Absalom mid-air. His beast-hardened flesh offered no resistance. In an instant, his organs were scorched to cinders.
With a single explosive sound, his body was sent hurtling through the misty forest—crashing straight into a distant mansion with a thunderous boom.
It had all happened in less than a second.
The Fairy Tail girls hadn't even noticed. By the time they turned around, Yuuto had already returned to the deck.
"Wendy, what's wrong?" asked Charle, the white Exceed cat perched beside her.
"I—I thought I smelled a beast earlier… but now it's gone!" Wendy murmured, confused. Her Dragon Slayer senses rarely failed.
"There was a loud crash just now," Nami said, pointing toward the forest. "Could that be Moria?"
"That direction…" Yuuto glanced briefly, then smiled.
"Since it's confirmed," Erza said, cracking her knuckles, "let's finish this quickly!"
"Let's retrieve Mr. Brook's shadow and head back to Laboon!" Juvia said, full of determination.
"Everyone, thank you so much!" Brook bowed deeply, his bony frame trembling with gratitude.
Nami, Vivi, and the others disembarked first, heading into the fog-covered forest.
"Mira, Marianne, aren't you coming along?" Yuuto asked.
"N-no, no way!" Marianne shook her head so fast her twin tails swayed wildly. Even her usual laid-back attitude had vanished. Every instinct told her this island reeked of danger.
"Then I'll stay with Marianne and watch the ship," Mirajane said gently, smiling.
Yuuto nodded. "All right. With you watching over things, I've got nothing to worry about."
After all, despite her gentle smile, Mirajane—known as the She-Devil—was once one of Fairy Tail's strongest S-Class mages.
Thriller Bark — The Main Mansion
"Ahhh!"
"AAAAHHHHH!"
Panicked screams echoed through the gloomy halls.
"Lord Absalom!"
"Lord Moria! Lord Absalom is dead!"
"His body… it's too horrible!"
Absalom's corpse lay splattered against the stone wall,
eyes bulging grotesquely from their sockets, flesh charred black and deformed.
His insides were scattered across the floor, blood painting the walls crimson.
"Absalom…"
Moria's face twisted in pain. The sight clawed open old wounds.
Memories from twenty years ago—
the day his crew was annihilated in Wano Country by Kaido of the Beasts.
His comrades had all died before his eyes,
and he'd escaped with nothing but their sacrificed time.
Since that day, he'd devoted his life to raising an army of zombies.
Because only the undead… would never die again.
Only they could never betray him.
And now—he had lost yet another subordinate.
"DAMN IT!!! DAMN IT ALL!!!"
Moria's roar thundered across the darkened sky.
"You dared kill Absalom—my precious creation! I'll make you all suffer for it!!!"
The Forest Cemetery
"N-Nami… did you hear that just now?" Vivi shivered, hugging herself tightly.
"Hear what?" Nami asked, confused.
"There's… something here," Erza muttered, her expression hardening.
Suddenly—
Boo!
A withered hand shot up from the earth.
"I hate it… so much!!!"
"Humans! Why disturb our sleep!?"
"Want to join us in the grave!?"
One by one, corpses burst from the ground, moaning and wailing.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
The girls screamed in unison.
"Z-ZOMBIES!!!"
Nami and Vivi clung to each other, trembling.
"What's happening!?"
Charle held the fainted Wendy and looked around nervously.
"P-President, I'm scared!" Juvia whimpered—and promptly leapt into Yuuto's arms, pressing close without shame.
A grotesque zombie lunged from the dirt before Yuuto—
but the instant their eyes met, its expression twisted in pure terror.
"S-Sorry!" it squeaked, quickly digging a hole and burying itself back underground.
Meanwhile—
"Requip—Heaven's Wheel Armor!!!"
Erza's voice rang out. Instead of panicking, her battle spirit ignited. Blades whirled around her, slicing through the horde.
Severed limbs flew like straw.
"These things won't die no matter what—true zombies indeed!" she muttered.
Robin extended her hands. "Cien Fleur: Twist!"
Dozens of spectral limbs sprouted, contorting the undead into grotesque shapes like twisted sculptures.
"Everyone, be careful!" Erza warned. "If a zombie bites you, you might be infected with the zombie virus!"
Nami and Vivi went pale.
"Don't come near me!!!" Nami shrieked, whipping a zombie into the trees.
Vivi unleashed a glowing arrow, sending another one flying.
In moments, the entire horde was wiped out.
"By the way, Brook," Erza said, "you were about to say something earlier?"
"Yes…" Brook nodded weakly. "These zombies are creations of Moria's Devil Fruit. Their weakness is salt. Sprinkle salt on them, and they'll be purified!"
"I see!" Erza nodded.
"What!? So they're not real zombies!?" Nami yelled angrily.
"Then if you get bitten, you won't turn into one?" Vivi asked uncertainly.
"Um… probably not," Brook said awkwardly. "I wouldn't really know, I don't have flesh to bite."
Vivi shuddered again.
"Miss Juvia," Yuuto teased gently, "how long are you planning to stay in my arms?"
"For life," Juvia replied without hesitation, snuggling closer.
Yuuto sighed with a smile. "All right, everyone—let's keep moving. This is getting interesting."
"Wendy, seriously, wake up already!" Charle cried, exasperated.
Amid the noise and laughter, the group pressed onward.
The Mansion Grounds
Ahead, in the moonlit clearing, stood an army—
Hundreds of zombie generals and soldiers, lined in formation.
At their front stood the red-eyed figure of Gekko Moria, the Shichibukai himself.
"Fairy Tail!" he bellowed. "Was it you!? You killed my subordinate Absalom!?"
"Absalom? Who's that?" Nami blinked innocently.
Yuuto stepped forward calmly. "Gekko Moria. I came here on a commission—to retrieve the shadows you stole. But finding them one by one would be tedious… so I'll just destroy all your creations at once."
His voice turned cold.
"And yes. I killed Absalom."
"Good! Very good!!!" Moria's lips twisted into a manic grin.
"My zombies—tear them apart!!!"
The undead army roared to life, charging forward.
"I guess there's no avoiding it!" Nami cracked her whip, eyes blazing.
"Everyone, don't let them bite you! I'll provide cover!" Vivi called, readying her bow.
"These ones look interesting," Erza said, eyes locking onto a towering zombie general. "I'll take that one!"
"That's my zombie!" Brook shouted suddenly, pointing at a kimono-clad mummy. His tone grew solemn.
"Juvia," Yuuto murmured, looking down at her.
"Yes, my dear~!" she sighed, reluctantly letting go of him and joining the fray.
Yuuto's gaze then shifted to the unconscious Wendy. He snapped his fingers lightly.
"Y-Yeah yah yah!"
Wendy's eyes opened—now glowing faintly. Her aura surged.
The strongest enhancement magic user—Irene—had awakened within her.
"Sky Dragon Slayer magic—plus support magic! Reliable as ever, Captain Wendy!" Nami cheered.
"President…" Charle frowned. "What's happening to her?"
"Don't worry," Yuuto said, lifting the little Exceed up casually. "She's fine."
With Irene's buff magic empowering the team, Fairy Tail's girls—though few—fought with the force of an army.
Moria's zombies fell one after another. Even his mighty generals couldn't stand against them.
Clang!
Sparks flew as metal clashed.
Erza blocked a heavy black blade that had been swinging toward Brook.
"Th-thank you, Miss Erza!" Brook gasped, frustration in his tone. Two years ago, he'd lost to this same zombie—and even now, he couldn't defeat it.
"Don't worry. You're our client," Erza said firmly. "Leave this to us."
"Be careful!" Brook warned. "That one's no ordinary zombie—he was a master swordsman in life!"
"As expected," Erza murmured, eyes gleaming. She could feel it—the immense skill behind each swing.
This undead samurai, Zombie Ryoma, was no mere puppet.
And the black blade he wielded…
"Requip—Remove Armor!" Erza shouted, switching to her standard attire.
No tricks. No enhancements. Just her blade against his.
Since her last battle with Daz Bones, she'd grown much stronger. And this opponent was perfect to test how far she'd come.
Meanwhile, in a palace not far from the mansion—
"This is bad, this is bad, this is really bad!"
A petite girl in a frilly Gothic-Lolita dress paced frantically.
It was Perona, one of Moria's three weird generals.
"Absalom's dead! Lord Moria won't last either! I told them—we can't fight the Emperor of the Sea and win!"
She stopped, trembling. "No… I'm not dying here. Sorry, Lord Moria. I'll come back after this blows over!"
She turned to flee.
Back on the Fairy Tail ship—
Zombie animals were hauling piles of treasure aboard.
Mirajane blinked in surprise. "What in the world…?"
Beside her, Marianne pouted in confusion, staring blankly at the sight.
Before they could react, a high-pitched voice rang out.
"So, there are people guarding the ship! No matter—Negative Ghosts!"
Perona waved her delicate hand. Two spectral ghosts drifted through Mirajane's body.
Thud!
Even Mira collapsed to her knees instantly, her spirit weighed down by overwhelming negativity.
"How pathetic! Don't just kneel there—keep working!" Perona ordered, smirking.
But her smile froze.
A dark, terrible aura enveloped the deck.
Perona turned her head slowly—her face twisting in horror as she saw the figure before her.
"Soul of Satan—Full Release!"
Demon Mirajane, awakened!
Perona's voice trembled. "I-I'm sorry!!!"