One Piece: From Ninja To Pirates Chapter 87: Dumbfounded Meiser, Mar... Marriage?

Looking at the few individuals kneeling obediently before him, iser crossed his arms and scrutinized them with a judging gaze:

"You... are really not zombies?"

"Absolutely not!" Echo hurriedly replied.

This man was truly terrifying—he'd just casually slaughtered several zombies earlier. Had they knelt even a second slower, that blade might have already reached their necks.

"But why do you look no different from zombies..."

iser examined them closely. They were so thin they were practically skin and bones, appearing severely malnourished with dark circles under their eyes. Their entire beings exuded a... lifeless aura.

Were these really living humans?

How could they look exactly like zombies?

If not for seeing them still breathing, iser would have already disposed of them.

"There's no helping it. After losing our shadows, life beca extrely difficult. Combined with years without sunlight, we eventually ended up like this..." Echo explained.

With Moria's zombies infesting the entire island, surviving at all was already quite an achievent. Their appearances... didn't matter anymore.

"Fine, get up."

"Thank you..."

"Are you... an adventurer lured here by Moria this ti?"

"Moria?"

"One of the Royal Shichibukai," Echo said.

"Royal Shichibukai, huh..." iser narrowed his eyes. So their opponent this ti was another Warlord of the Sea.

The Straw Hat Pirates really did have fate with the Shichibukai—they'd taken down Crocodile in Alabasta, and now they encountered Moria.

How... interesting. "We were indeed tricked into coming here," iser nodded.

"Then we're not enemies." Echo sighed in relief. "We're on the sa side."

"That remains to be seen."

He wasn't the type to trust others easily. Who knew whether they were friend or foe?

Hearing this, Echo and the others tensed up again, fearing the ruthless man before them might cut them down.

"Your na..."

"Just call Bucktooth," the man smiled.

iser's mouth twitched slightly at the vividly descriptive nickna.

"Alright, look into my eyes."

The man called Bucktooth instinctively t his gaze, his eyes briefly glazing over before quickly refocusing.

"I have so questions."

"Please ask."

"Did you see sothing inhuman fly past earlier?" iser asked.

"We didn't."

"Didn't?"

"Please don't be angry, let us explain!" Echo spoke rapidly, afraid this man might slaughter them in a fit of rage. "We truly didn't see what you described."

"But we did find a crater, as if sothing had crashed there."

At their core, they still hadn't gained his trust.

"Right," Bucktooth nodded. "We ca out because of that tremor too."

"Take there."

Without another word, they imdiately led iser to the newly discovered crater.

iser crouched by the pit, looking down at the shattered ground below, where he indeed found sothing unusual.

It looked like so kind of charred tissue that had peeled off after being burned.

"Hah, seems like sothing rescued him," iser stood up and said. "Was it those zombies from earlier?"

"What are you looking for?"

"Soone was knocked down here just now—a guy who could turn invisible. Do you know him?"

"We do!"

The mont this person was ntioned, Echo beca visibly agitated, his eyes burning with fury as if this man were his mortal enemy.

"That bastard was the one who led the group that captured ! If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have lost my shadow..."

He and his companions had managed to escape, but then what?

That invisible bastard suddenly showed up with a horde of zombies, knocked them all out, and took them away—ultimately costing them their shadows.

How could he not be furious?

"That guy is one of Gecko Moria's subordinates," Bucktooth explained. "An Invisibility Fruit user. He looks like soone who's undergone special modifications and is deeply trusted by Moria."

"Quite a few zombies obey his orders."

"So he's an officer? No wonder he was so tough," iser remarked. "What a sha."

He had thought he could pick up that guy, but who knew there'd be zombies here? That was unexpected.

No wonder he'd seen a tree move unnaturally earlier—it must have been a zombie.

"He was probably rescued by the zombies stationed here," Echo said. "There are always zombies lurking around this area. It's one of Moria's ways of keeping watch over this island."

As he spoke, Echo also wore a regretful expression.

If they had managed to catch that bastard, they could've used him—whether for intel or as leverage against Moria.

"Whatever, no big deal," iser shook his head. "Getting info from you guys works just as well."

These guys had clearly been here for a while and likely knew quite a bit.

"By the way, have you seen a group of four?" iser gestured as he spoke. "A little girl about this big, a reindeer, a long-nosed liar, and an orange-haired money-grubber."

Echo: ???

What kind of weird description was that?

The first two made sense, but what was up with the last two?

A liar and a money-grubber?

"I think I know who you're talking about," Bucktooth chid in. "The little girl was wearing a green dress, right?"

"Right!"

"They were taken away by Moria's people."

"What?!"

Killing intent instantly flared in iser's eyes, startling the others into shivering involuntarily.

Noticing their reaction, iser reined in his aura and said, "Explain. What exactly happened?"

"I'll explain," Bucktooth said. "When we ca out earlier, we happened to see Hilton—uh, one of Moria's zombies."

"He said sothing to those four, and then they followed him onto a carriage and left."

"Looked like they were heading to the castle up ahead."

At this point, Bucktooth paused before continuing, "That castle is Dr. Hogback's territory."

So of their group had experienced similar situations—being lured into the castle by that Hilton. So this wasn't unfamiliar to them.

"Doctor... castle..."

As Bucktooth explained, iser instinctively furrowed his brow.

Nami might be greedy for money, but she wasn't stupid enough to be fooled by just a few words. So... was it because of this doctor?

"What's this doctor's background?"

"They say he's the world's greatest physician, though who knows if it's true."

"That makes sense," iser nodded.

Most likely, the doctor's reputation had drawn Chopper in. Combined with the terrifying forest and the occasional Zombie appearances, that was probably why they'd followed him.

Of course, there was another possibility—that bat Zombie had so kind of special hypnotic ability.

With Zombies already running around, iser wouldn't be surprised if they could hypnotize people too.

"What happens after entering the castle?"

"After midnight, they'll be attacked by Zombies and eventually sent to Moria," Echo said. "Then their Shadows will be used to create more Zombies."

"As for them personally..."

Echo hesitated before adding, "They'll most likely be sent back to your ship."

"They won't be killed?"

"No," Bucktooth shook his head. "If we hosts die, our Shadows disappear. Without Shadows to sustain them, the Zombies would die. Moria doesn't want that."

iser imdiately understood—this was why these guys were still alive. Otherwise, with their level of skill, how could they have escaped the Zombies' pursuit?

Still, the news eased iser's mind. At least rry and the others weren't in imdiate danger.

"Got it. Thanks for the intel."

As he spoke, iser lifted the hypnosis.

But Bucktooth didn't notice anything amiss—sharing that information had been his own intention anyway. iser had just added a slight nudge.

Seeing iser about to leave, Echo quickly spoke up, "Where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvious? To find my crew," iser said. "Even if there's no life-threatening danger, having their Shadows stolen is still pretty terrible."

Unable to face sunlight, forced to hide in the shadows forever—that was no way to live!

He had to find rry and the others as soon as possible, before they went through sothing horrifying.

"W-wait!" Echo mustered his courage. "What is it?"

"Moria has his sights set on you now. It's only a matter of ti before he makes his move," Echo said. "Before you leave... could you co with us?"

Noticing iser's skeptical frown, Echo explained, "Our hideout has quite a few people. We've been looking for a way to deal with Moria too. I know you're strong, but..."

"More people ans better chances than fighting alone."

This might be their only opportunity. Even if it risked death, he had to try.

Otherwise, who knows if they'd even get a chance to fight back before they die?

"You?"

iser glanced at these scrawny kids and said, "No offense, but in your current weakened state, what good can you do?"

The zombies in the forest could probably use them as punching bags, and they still think they can take on one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea?

"We're still weak, but we're not completely useless..."

Seeing the stubborn look in their eyes, iser sighed and said, "Since you've given useful information, I'll give you so advice in return."

"Hide in the forest and do your best to survive until your shadows return."

"The Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea aren't opponents ordinary people like you can challenge. Even the aftermath of their battles could kill you."

Luffy had already decided to help Brook reclaim his shadow, so a clash with Moria was inevitable.

And when pirates clash, it's a fight to the death!"

Once they took down Moria, these people's shadows would likely return. Consider that their reward for the information.

The group exchanged glances before Echo cautiously asked, "May I ask... are you a pirate?"

"Yeah."

"What's your crew's na?"

"Straw Hat Pirates."

"The Straw Hat Pirates whose captain has a bounty of 100 million Berries?"

"How outdated is your information?" iser said, surprised. "Luffy's bounty is already 400 million."

Don't those news-delivering birds fly all over the world? Or is this place too terrifying even for them?

"We don't have access to reliable intel..."

"We only get bits and pieces from survivors or newspapers stolen from Moria."

"Exactly. Even the news birds might not dare co to Moria's territory."

iser nodded in understanding. That made sense—no wonder they didn't know.

"So your captain's bounty is 400 million..." Bucktooth said excitedly. "Then maybe you really can defeat Moria!"

Gecko Moria, bounty: 320 million Berries!

Granted, his bounty was frozen after he beca one of the Royal Seven Warlords of the Sea and wouldn't increase further.

But who's to say the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates couldn't defeat him?

"Then you should co with us," Echo said.

"I told you, I'm not interested," iser replied. "I need to find my crew."

"Your four friends should be safe for now," Echo said seriously. "At least until their shadows are taken, they won't be in danger."

"That's just wishful thinking," iser countered. "I'm not willing to gamble."

Who knew if Moria would resort to killing Nami and the others in a desperate situation?

Besides, he couldn't stand the thought of anyone harming his crew. The sooner he reached them, the better.

With that in mind, iser turned to leave, planning to head straight for the castle to find them.

Seeing him about to go, Echo panicked and shouted, "We can strengthen your fighting spirit!"

"Strengthen our fighting spirit?"

iser halted his movents, clearly not expecting such words from the other party. Could they have so special Devil Fruit Ability User? With this thought, iser turned his head and asked, "Do you have a Spirit Enhancer?"

"Spirit Enhancer?" Bucktooth was taken aback for a mont before shaking his head. "No, not exactly."

iser's expression darkened. "Are you ssing with ?"

His gaze turned dangerous. If these bastards were playing gas with him, he wouldn't mind giving them a beating before leaving.

"Ah... please don't get agitated," Bucktooth said awkwardly. "We don't have a Spirit Enhancer who can strengthen battle spirits, but we do have a thod to enhance them."

"Such as?"

"Such as stuffing shadows into a person's body," Echo extended a finger, grinning widely. "This can increase a person's battle power. I think you might find this interesting."

Hearing this, iser indeed showed interest. Using soone else's shadow to strengthen battle power?

This was sothing worth looking into, because it ant even Moria himself could use this thod to enhance his own battle power!

With that in mind, iser said, "In that case, I'll send a clone with you."

Gathering intel could easily be done with a clone, and it would also give him a chance to learn more about the island. The information from their earlier conversation was far too limited.

"Clone?"

The group looked puzzled, clearly not understanding what iser ant.

Without explanation, iser directly activated the Shadow Clone Technique.

Poof!

A puff of white smoke appeared, and an identical iser materialized on the spot. Echo and the others were so shocked their eyes nearly popped out, snot uncontrollably spraying out, and their tongues lolling comically.

"Wha—?!"

"A... a clone?!!!"

They stared at iser in utter disbelief, as if they'd seen a deity.

"Yep, just a clone," iser said cheerfully. "I'm a ninja, didn't I ntion that?"

"Not at all!!"

"Oh, well, now you know."

Echo: "..."

Was this sothing to brush off so casually? This was a ninja!

A legendary ninja, capable of anything!!

"You're actually a ninja?!"

"So cool!"

"I never thought I'd live to see a real ninja... I'm so moved..."

Echo's tears stread down his face—he adored ninjas from folktales, and now he was seeing one in the flesh.

With such a powerful ninja on their side, plus Straw Hat Luffy with his 470 million berry bounty, surely they could defeat Gekko Moria this ti!

"My clone will accompany you," iser said before vanishing, leaving only the identical duplicate behind. "Let's go, everyone."

"Right away! I'll lead the way," Echo said eagerly, darting ahead as if to clear obstacles for iser.

iser didn't comnt. He'd encountered plenty of people obsessed with ninjas before.

Admittedly, ninjas had quite the impact on people in this world.

The return journey went smoothly—not a single zombie crossed their path, much to the surprise of Echo and his companions.

Soon, under Echo's guidance, iser followed them to a peculiar location that appeared to be a makeshift campsite.

Of course, it was extrely rudintary.

"Captain Lola, we're back!" Echo exclaid excitedly. "We've brought back a powerful ally!"

"Powerful ally?"

Hearing these words, a group of people rushed out with Lola and imdiately spotted iser standing beside Echo's group.

Under the dim camp lights, they finally got a clear look at iser's appearance.

"So... so handso!!"

Echo and the others were stunned. In the dark forest earlier, they couldn't make out iser's features clearly—only his strikingly vivid crimson eyes stood out.

Now with proper lighting, they could see his face clearly, and he was unbelievably handso!

Hearing the gasps around him, iser instinctively touched his chin. With his Uchiha Clan lineage, he was indeed exceptionally good-looking.

"Captain, look! It's a handso man!"

"I see him," Lola replied.

"Ahem..."

Lola suddenly cleared her throat and walked up to iser with utmost seriousness, her expression solemn.

Seeing her grave deanor, iser also adopted a serious expression.

"You..."

"Hello, please marry ."

iser: ???

"Huh?"

"WHAT?!"

iser stared at Lola in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Is this woman out of her mind? Who proposes to soone they just t? We don't even know each other, you idiot!

"Who proposes right after eting soone?!"

"And no, I refuse!"

"How could you..." Lola said dejectedly. "To think I finally t soone this handso..."

"Ahahaha! Captain's 4,444th proposal failure!!"

iser:

Fo... four thousand tis?

Is she... even normal?

After a brief mont of shock, iser turned to Echo and asked, "Tell , are you sure this is your captain?"

Is she even reliable?

"Well... Captain Lola's actions can be a bit... unpredictable, but... she's actually very dependable," Echo explained.

After speaking, Echo turned to Lola and said, "Captain Lola, this is the strong ally we found. He's a powerful ninja!"

As he spoke, excitent flashed in Echo's eyes, as if he greatly admired ninjas like iser.

"Whoa!!"

"A ninja?!"

The crowd gasped in astonishnt, never expecting this man to be a legendary ninja.

"A... a ninja?!"

Even Lola looked at iser in shock. Despite coming from a Yonko crew, this was her first ti eting a real ninja.

"Yeah, that's right. A ninja."

"So cool!"

"A ninja! A living, breathing ninja!"

"Tell , can you use Fire Release?"

"Can... can you use Water Release?"

"And what about the Clone Technique?"

Listening to the barrage of questions, iser rubbed his ears and said, "We'll talk about that later. Echo, don't forget why you brought here."

"Oh, right! Captain, please show him our discovery," Echo quickly added. "His enemy is also Moria."

"This ti, we might actually have a chance to take back our shadows!"

The big brother still rembered the purpose of his visit here.

"Alright," Lola nodded, then seed to think of sothing and added, "By the way, my na is Lola. What's yours?"

She couldn't keep calling him Ninja forever.

"Just call iser."

"iser..." Lola fell silent for a mont before asking persistently, "Are you really not interested in marrying ?"

"Keep talking like that and I'm leaving!!"

"Wait, wait, don't!" Echo grabbed iser's arm, saying: "Brother Ninja, please don't go."

As he spoke, Echo frantically signaled to Lola with his eyes, hinting that she should cut it out.

Lola sighed, looking like she'd missed out on a great marriage opportunity, then said: "Fine, follow ."

Glancing at Lola who seed to have given up, then at Echo who was pleading with him, iser remained silent for a mont before sighing and saying: "Let's go."

Admittedly, this person seed a bit problematic, but... well, since we're already here, might as well go take a look.