Take a close look—this zombie was wriggling.
Just moments ago, it had been cut cleanly in half by Karl's flying slash.
Now it could only squirm across the ground, dragging itself toward its severed legs.
Suddenly, Vice-Officer Nelson stepped on its back, forcefully twisting its neck aside.
Fear and disgust flickered across his face.
"Ugh! It stinks!"
"I really hope Colonel Karl is right about this!"
"What are you doing…?"
Nelson didn't answer. He directly sprinkled a pinch of sea salt into the zombie's mouth.
"AAAAAAHHH—!"
As it screamed, the zombie's face twisted grotesquely.
A black, shadowy substance poured out of its mouth, and moments later, its body went limp, turning into nothing more than a pile of foul, decaying flesh.
Nelson shouted excitedly, "Colonel! It really works!"
Seeing this, the other Marines finally overcame their fear.
They rushed at the remaining zombies, stuffing salt into their mouths one after another.
In just a few minutes, the graveyard truly became… a graveyard.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Karl applauded with a satisfied smile.
"Well done. Now tell me—do these zombies still look scary?"
All the Marines shook their heads enthusiastically.
"Not scary at all!"
"Good. Then we—"
"AAAAH! CHARGE! KILL THEM ALL!!!"
Everyone turned toward the source of the roar.
From the forest ahead of the cemetery, a horde of grotesque creatures burst out—
zombies, animals, white ghosts, even what looked like armored knights.
Nelson's pupils shrank.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"All units—defensive formation!"
The Marines raised their rifles and aimed at the incoming monster army.
"Fire!!!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Bullets tore through the air—but they barely slowed the creatures at all.
It wasn't just that they were tough… they simply didn't fear bullets.
Karl, however, smiled faintly when he spotted a tall, gaunt zombie wielding a katana among the horde.
How thoughtful, he mused.
They're delivering it straight to me.
Moria really knew how to do business.
"Colonel, they're almost on us! Guns aren't working!"
Nelson sounded desperate.
Deep down, he felt powerless—ever since they set sail, everything had been handled by Colonel Karl alone. They couldn't share his burden at all.
If Karl knew what Nelson was thinking, he'd feel touched—but he'd still disagree.
Buffing them all with holy light would only waste time, energy, and—worst of all—
his precious slacking time.
Efficiency was king.
"Everyone, move aside."
Karl tightly gripped Raven with his right hand.
Armament Haki instantly coated the blade.
After a brief moment of charging power, he swung forward—
A golden, crescent-shaped flying slash tore diagonally through the monster army.
Where it passed, nothing remained.
The fragile monsters stood no chance.
"AAAAH!"
"It hurts!"
"My head!"
After a wave of screams, barely any of the charging creatures were still standing.
Most had been cut clean in two, limbs scattered across the ground.
"So strong…!"
"A true swordsman—he's a Swordmaster!"
The Zombie General Ryuma stared at Karl with grave seriousness.
Though the shadow within him wasn't Brook's—only that of an ordinary swordsman—
he could still clearly sense Karl's overwhelming strength.
Even so, as a general zombie, Ryuma was far stronger than the others.
Thanks to the durability of Shusui, the Great Grade Blade in his hands, he had barely managed to block Karl's flying slash.
"AAAH! Kumashi!"
A shrill cry rang out.
A pink-haired gothic girl flew out from the forest, clutching the broken half of a bear-shaped zombie, her face filled with grief.
"Perona! Are you insane?!"
"You'll be killed by that Marine!"
Absalom's voice echoed from the woods, though his figure remained unseen.
Those words only fueled Perona's fury. She glared at Karl and shouted:
"You filthy Marine! How dare you hurt Kumashi!"
"I'll make you pay for this!"
"Go—Negative Hollows!"
Dozens of spirit clones burst forth from Perona's body—
white ghosts with sausage-like mouths—rushing straight at Karl.
"Negative~ Negative~"
Karl's expression turned serious.
Perona's Negative Hollows were an extremely troublesome control-type ability.
To him, they were on the same level as Sugar's Hobby-Hobby Fruit—
something that absolutely couldn't be ignored.
With so many Marines here, if any of them got hit…
how would he ever lead his unit again?
"One-Sword Style — Shatter Gold, Cleave Jade!"
SHASH! SHASH!
Two slashes crossed in midair, forming an X.
"It's useless! My Negative Hollows are invin—
…Eh?!"
Perona's words died in her throat.
Her eyes nearly popped out as she watched her Negative Hollows get shredded into pieces.
Even Moria couldn't block those ghosts—
yet Karl had destroyed them with just two slashes?!
Karl, meanwhile, quietly exhaled in relief.
Armament Haki really is amazing, he thought.
"H-how is that possible…?"
"My Negative Hollows…"
A sharp glint flashed in Karl's eyes.
He stomped the ground, using Soru to close the distance, intending to capture her immediately—
CLANG!
A black blade stabbed toward Karl.
He reacted instantly, knocking it aside with Raven, producing a crisp metallic sound.
"Princess of the Ghosts, this place is dangerous,"
a calm voice said.
"Please withdraw at once."
Perona looked at General Ryuma, then nodded blankly.
Casting one last fearful glance at Karl, she fled at top speed.
"Your swordsmanship is exceptional,"
Ryuma said solemnly.
"I may not be your match… but I will give everything I have."
Karl glanced greedily at Shusui in Ryuma's hands and smiled.
"Ryuma's corpse… how much strength can you really display?"
A mediocre body.
An ordinary shadow.
The answer came quickly—
Two slashes later, Ryuma was dead.
"Tsk tsk tsk~"
"The national treasure of Wano… a Great Grade Blade, Black Blade Shusui."
"Moria, you really don't know how to appreciate good things."
Karl was extremely satisfied.
No need to forge a black blade himself—how convenient.
With the prize secured, Karl prepared to leave.
"Nelson," he said calmly,
"the escaping pirate is unaccounted for. We're pulling out."
Nelson froze for a moment, then nodded quickly.
"Yes, sir! Retreat!"
And of course—
If nothing goes wrong, something always does.
"Heh-shi-shi-shi~"
"Marine… after destroying my carefully crafted zombie army, you think you can just leave?"
"Do you really think I, Gecko Moria, don't exist?"
A massive, bowling-ball-like figure appeared before Karl.
Greedy eyes scanned Karl's body from head to toe.
Purple flame-shaped hair.
Horns on his head.
A tail behind him.
Bat-wing collar. Gothic attire.
And legs… absurdly short legs.
"T-that face…"
"H-he's Gecko Moria…!"
"A-another… another Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
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