Faith———Cut!!!
Erza drew a deep breath.
Haki and magic intertwined, wrapping around the sword in her hand.
With a strike fueled by unshakable faith, she aimed at Zombie Ryoma.
Clang!
In an instant, Erza and Zombie Ryoma clashed.
The black sword slid back into its sheath with a sharp kaka!
Erza's armor tore open from the force, while Zombie Ryoma staggered, spinning around.
"An incredible sword… such a strong will… I've never seen anything like it in my life!" the zombie murmured in a deep voice.
"You are an incredible swordsman as well. If it had been me, I would've used every trick I knew!" Erza said solemnly.
Zombie Ryoma nodded, gathering his remaining strength. "I'll leave this black knife, Qiushui, to you… keep it safe."
He threw the sword to Erza, then collapsed.
"This is your sword… consider it part of Ryoma's farewell," she murmured, ready to honor him.
Before she could finish, Sugisawa Yuuto pressed his large hand gently over hers.
"Since it was given to you, don't let him down."
The Black Knife Qiushui was a rare treasure, known throughout the pirate world.
Since Erza was learning the path of Haki, wielding a black knife could give her an edge.
"If that's the case, I'll accept it," Erza said, not refusing.
With a backhand, she stored Qiushui in her weapon space.
Sugisawa Yuuto nodded and pressed forward.
Raising his hand, thunder rumbled.
Click!
Blinding lightning struck from the sky, targeting the remaining zombie soldiers.
Thunder and lightning—the purest forms of rigid, yang energy—were a natural counter to undead creatures.
Even if Moria's zombies were artificial, the sheer force of the lightning tore through their muscle tissue.
In an instant, hundreds of zombies were incinerated, leaving only Moria standing in the vast battlefield.
"Damn it… you… how…!"
Shichibukai Moria's pride in his undead army shattered at the ease of their defeat.
Shock and horror consumed him.
"Moria, you have two choices now," Sugisawa Yuuto said, holding up two fingers.
"The first, release all the shadows immediately—that ends it for today. The second…"
"What nonsense!" Moria barked, cutting him off.
"Do you think you've won? Do you think these zombies are all I have? Just one word from you, and years of my work could be wasted. Who do you think you are?"
Moria's eyes bulged, and his scream rang out, manic and unhinged.
"What Five Emperors? I will never recognize a brat like you as Emperor of the Sea! Let me show you the true power of a real Emperor!"
With a surge of energy—Ying, Zi, Ji, He, Di!!!—Moria slammed his massive hands into the ground.
The ultimate power of the Paramecia Shadow Fruit activated.
Shadows swirled from every corner, converging toward Moria like a rushing torrent.
These were all the shadows he had amassed over the years, now concentrated into one body.
"President, the situation seems… a bit wrong. Should we intervene?" Erza asked.
"No," Sugisawa Yuuto waved dismissively. "Let him have his chance."
One hundred… two hundred… five hundred… eight hundred… a thousand shadows.
Finally, every shadow aboard the Thriller Bark was absorbed into Moria.
Empowered by the strength of a thousand souls, Moria transformed into a 100-meter titan, towering over the battlefield.
Even the collective might of hundreds of ordinary pirates could never match the Four Emperors.
But if that strength concentrated in one person… the result could be terrifying.
The one condition: the human host must be strong, their spirit exceptional, capable of controlling the restless consciousness of a thousand souls.
Moria, confident from ten years of domination, underestimated his limits.
The mental pressure of a thousand spirits battered his mind, threatening to overwhelm him.
"Submit to me! Become my strength!" Moria roared.
A colossal punch, fueled by the souls of a thousand shadows, slammed into the ground.
Boom!!!
The island itself cracked under the impact.
Moria had reached the threshold of imperial-class power.
"The island split with one punch… unbelievable!" Nami exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.
"I thought he was just a zombie army creator… I didn't expect this!" Xia Lulu muttered.
"This is a Shichibukai for sure," Vivi said solemnly.
"But to the President, it's still child's play," Juvia added.
The Fairy Tail girls nodded, returning to their usual calm and confident expressions.
"Hee hee hee… will I crush you first, or will you crush me?" Moria laughed maniacally.
"None of that will happen," Sugisawa Yuuto said coolly.
"I'll crush you before you can even try."
Moria's fist, larger than a hill, slammed toward Sugisawa Yuuto.
Fist met fist.
Boom! Rumble! Crack!
The island, the earth, the battlefield—everything trembled.
Moria's titan arm twisted and deformed under the force.
"Nani!!!" His eyes bulged in pain as he fell backward, desperately clutching the shadows.
"Don't try to escape!" he screamed.
"You're weak, Moria," Sugisawa Yuuto said, shaking his head.
"The next strike ends this."
He leaped skyward, under the blessing of super gravity, his form descending like a meteor.
One foot slammed down on Moria's belly.
The impact sent ripples across the void, the sea and sky roaring in response.
Shadows began to spill from Moria's mouth—first a few, then a torrent—returning to their rightful owners.
Moria's colossal body deflated, collapsing like a deflated balloon, lifeless amid the ruins.
Shichibukai Gekko Moria, defeated.
"It's over… no suspense," Robin remarked calmly, unsurprised.
"Of course, the President is the strongest," Juvia said proudly.
Nami, Vivi, and Wendy nodded in agreement.
Erza, however, frowned, her gaze fixed on the dense forest.
Others followed her look, sensing something unusual.
Soon, ragged figures emerged, cheering.
"Moria is down! Our shadows… they're back!"
"Who are you? Moria's subordinates?" Erza asked, sword raised.
"No! We are victims of Moria, grateful for your help!" Lola, captain of the Rolling Pirates and representative of the Shadowless, replied, kneeling in thanks.
Other freed victims also bowed.
The Fairy Tail girls relaxed, smiling.
Nami eagerly searched for treasure, but all she found was a small piece of paper—a life card from Lola's mother, meant to help in future troubles or serve as a key to treasure.
"Guild under attack!" Erza noticed, seeing fallen animal zombies near the ship.
The girls hurried back to Fairy Tail.
Onboard, Mira greeted them.
"Perona moved the treasures here to show her sincerity—she wants to join the guild!"
Sugisawa Yuuto returned, smiling at the honest Perona.
"Alright," he said. "Perona will officially join Fairy Tail!"
Perona trembled as Mira guided her.
"Master Moria… how is he?" she asked nervously.
"Dead," Sugisawa Yuuto said casually.
Though raised by Moria, the girl's relief and sorrow were visible.
Sugisawa Yuuto had shown mercy to secure her loyalty.
Fairy Tail set sail again, heading for Twin Point, with the next mission: reunite Brook with Laboon.
As they left, the Shadowless cheered.
"Fairy Tail… long live!"
"Spread the word of Fairy Tail to the world!" Captain Lola called.