Build The Strongest Family in the Prirate World

You can read the advance chapters here : patreon.com/Vigilante04

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"Is that Vladimir, the Blood Demon with a bounty of 110 million?"

"Why would someone like him come here?"

"It's pointless, completely pointless,"

"No one can stand up to the terrifying Seven Warlords of the Sea. He'll end up just like us—lost in the shadows forever!"

"Hehehe, looks like we've got a new friend joining our miserable group!"

On Thriller Bark, a group of pirates who had their shadows stolen by Gecko Moria watched as Vladimir confidently walked toward them. Their faces twisted with strange smiles as they whispered among themselves.

None of them warned Vladimir to leave. Instead, their bitterness after losing their shadows made them hope that more people would share their fate.

These pirates were weak—just pawns for Gecko Moria to use. It was clear they were no match for him.

Vladimir, however, didn't care about their whispers. He had come to Thriller Bark with only one goal in mind: to find Captain John's armband and claim Captain John's treasure for Duke.

Anyone who dared to stand in his way would be eliminated.

Vladimir strode straight toward the castle in Thriller Bark, which served as Gecko Moria's headquarters. But before he could reach it, dozens of zombies appeared from the shadows, surrounding him.

Vladimir looked at the horde of zombies without a trace of fear or hesitation. Step by step, he moved forward, his face calm and expressionless.

The zombies swarmed toward him, trying to overwhelm him. But their efforts were useless.

Vladimir's body began to dissolve into scarlet blood, seeping through the gaps between the zombies like water through cracks in a rock. Wherever the blood touched the zombies, their decayed bodies began to wither and dissolve as if they had been drenched in acid. They melted away into putrid puddles of corpse water.

As a master of blood magic, Vladimir wielded terrifying power. The weak zombies under Gecko Moria, who couldn't even use Haki, were no match for him.

Vladimir continued forward, and whether because of fear or some unseen command, the remaining zombies scattered.

When the tide of corpses cleared, Vladimir stood face-to-face with a towering figure—the shadowy master of Thriller Bark, Gecko Moria.

"Hehehehe, so you're the infamous Blood Demon with a bounty of 110 million?"

"How disgusting! How dare you destroy so many of my zombie soldiers!"

Gecko Moria, his large belly shaking slightly, glared coldly at Vladimir. His face twisted into a sinister grin as he spoke:

"But no matter—I'll just take your shadow to replace them!"

"Shadow Box!"

As soon as Gecko Moria shouted, countless shadows surged from his body, merging into a massive, pitch-black box that closed tightly around Vladimir.

On Thriller Bark, Gecko Moria rarely killed his enemies outright; capturing their shadows was far more useful.

But the next moment, the sturdy black box began to shake violently. Thick streams of crimson blood seeped out, staining the box until—BOOM!—it exploded into countless fragments. The attack that worked so well against weaker pirates was completely useless against Vladimir.

"Hehehehe, you broke free from the Shadow Box?"

"You really are impressive—a supernova who's made waves in the first half of the Grand Line!"

"I like it! But your journey ends here," Moria sneered, his grin widening.

"Shadow Revolution!"

Despite Vladimir's escape, Gecko Moria wasn't fazed. In fact, his excitement grew. A stronger opponent meant a stronger shadow for his zombies. Although he already had many powerful zombies, he craved shadows of exceptional strength.

Suddenly, Vladimir's own shadow began to twist unnaturally. It opened a dark, ghastly mouth and shot forward, wrapping its hands around his neck and twisting it violently.

In an instant, Vladimir's shadow snapped his head to an unnatural angle, twisting it more than 90 degrees. His body mirrored the movement, his head lolling awkwardly to one side.

Even for someone as durable as most pirates in this world, such an injury could leave anyone unconscious on the spot.

"Hehehehe, your shadow is mine now!"

Gecko Moria, confident that Vladimir was incapacitated, approached with a large pair of scissors in hand, ready to sever Vladimir's shadow.

But just as Moria moved closer, Vladimir's head, which had been hanging limply, began to rise. Slowly, he placed his hands on either side of his neck. With an eerie calmness, he twisted his head back into place, rotating it full circle until it straightened.

"Nice shadow magic," Vladimir muttered, his voice icy and unshaken.

"But your strength is far too weak!"

Gecko Moria's Shadow Revolution was a powerful ability, capable of controlling others' shadows and manipulating their bodies. It was undeniably a strong technique.

But sadly, Gecko Moria, who put all his faith in his zombie army, never unlocked the full potential of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.

If used properly, this Devil Fruit could rival the might of Kaido's Azure Dragon Fruit.

Vladimir frowned, looking down at Gecko Moria with a cold, disdainful glare. His voice was sharp and icy as he spoke:

"Honestly, if I had known you were this weak..."

"I wouldn't have bothered wasting my time."

It's unclear if Gecko Moria was as weakened now as he would become three years later—a sluggish shell of his former self. To ensure victory, Vladimir had painstakingly prepared. He had pushed himself to achieve A+ combat strength during his journey through the first half of the Grand Line before setting foot on Thriller Bark.

But after facing Gecko Moria firsthand, Vladimir was deeply disappointed.

Looking at Moria's overly round body, his chin completely gone and his belly bulging like a balloon, Vladimir couldn't help but think: Is this really the infamous Seven Warlords of the Sea?

Moria, who once had a bounty of 320 million berries, was nothing but a letdown in Vladimir's eyes.

Vladimir's disdain stung deeply. Gecko Moria, clearly hurt, glared at him in disbelief.

Vladimir, unfazed, raised his hand. Behind him, an endless, crimson sea of blood surged to life. It rose like a tide, crashing forward to devour everything in its path.

"What is someone like him doing here?"

"Shouldn't a monster like this be in the New World?"

Moria's eyes widened as the sticky, corrosive sea of blood approached, leaving decay in its wake. Anger flared within him as he bellowed:

"Are you mocking me, brat?"

"I am Gecko Moria! The man who will take revenge on that guy!"

"Don't think you can defeat me so easily!"

But Moria's defiance was short-lived. The raging sea of blood swept forward, effortlessly destroying his shadow-based attacks, including his Shadow Bats, Shadow Mage, and Shadow Lance.

The horrifying tide consumed everything, swallowing Gecko Moria in one overwhelming surge.