Chapter 13

The hallways of the mansion were cold, smelling of formaldehyde and old stone. Kurumi moved silently, her boots barely touching the floor. She was close to the treasure vault. Just one more corridor.

Suddenly, her instincts screamed.

She threw herself backward, her body bending like a reed in a storm.

WHOOSH.

A massive axe cleaved the air where her head had been a fraction of a second ago. It smashed into the stone floor, sending sparks flying.

But there was no one holding it.

"My, my," Kurumi whispered, crouching low, her rapier drawn instantly. "So the pervert of the graveyard is guarding the gold? I thought you’d be busy spying on Nami in the bath."

"Do not insult me, woman!"

The voice came from everywhere and nowhere. Absalom.

"I am the Commander of the Zombie Generals! I am the King of Graves! And you… you are a trespasser!"

The Upgrade

Something was wrong. In the anime, Absalom was a joke—a patchwork man with a lion's jaw and elephant skin, relying entirely on his invisibility and bazookas. He was strong by East Blue standards, but weak for the Grand Line.

But the force of that axe swing… it had cracked the stone floor like it was glass.

"Show yourself," Kurumi taunted, her eyes scanning the empty corridor.

"Why should I?" Absalom’s voice echoed. "Dr. Hogback has truly outdone himself! My body isn't just a patchwork of beasts anymore. He grafted the muscle fibers of a New World Giant into my arms! He reinforced my skin with steel from a South Blue battleship!"

Giant muscle fibers? Kurumi’s mind raced. That explains the strength. This isn't the Absalom Sanji kicked around. This is a walking tank that I can't see.

"And the best part?" Absalom laughed, the sound bouncing off the walls. "My Clear-Clear Fruit has evolved! I don't just vanish from sight. I vanish from sound!"

The Fight

Crash!

Kurumi was launched sideways as an invisible fist slammed into her ribs. She hadn't heard him move. She hadn't felt the air displacement until it was too late.

She tumbled, crashing through a wooden door into a dusty bedroom. She gasped, tasting blood.

He’s fast. And silent. My Observation Haki is too weak to track his intent when he’s this erratic.

She stood up, wiping her lip. "So, you hit hard. Is that all?"

"I can do this all day!"

Another attack. This time, Kurumi anticipated it purely on logic. He hit me from the left; he’ll expect me to dodge right.

She dropped to the floor flat on her stomach.

An invisible boot stomped down right where she had been standing, shattering the floorboards.

Kurumi slashed upward with her rapier.

Clang!

Her blade hit… something hard. It didn't cut. It felt like striking solid iron.

"Steel skin under the fur!" Absalom gloated. "Your toothpick can't hurt me!"

He grabbed her ankle. An invisible grip of iron crushed her leg.

"Gotcha!"

He swung her like a ragdoll, smashing her into the wall. The plaster exploded. Kurumi cried out, the impact rattling her teeth. This was bad. Without her Spirit powers, she was physically durable, but not invincible. And she couldn't use Shigan effectively if she couldn't see the target's soft spots.

Think, she told herself, forcing her breathing to steady despite the pain. He is invisible. He is silent. But he is still physical.

She reached into her dress pocket.

"Die!" Absalom roared, charging for a finishing blow.

Kurumi threw a handful of flour into the air. She had raided the kitchen earlier for rations, but this was a better use.

The white cloud puffed out, filling the small room.

For a second, nothing happened. Then, a massive, muscular silhouette appeared in the white dust. The flour clung to his invisible form, outlining the lion jaw, the massive grafted arms, and the bazookas strapped to his wrists.

"I see you," Kurumi hissed.

The Turn

Absalom panicked. "What?!"

Kurumi didn't give him time to wipe it off. She lunged.

Soru.

She appeared inside his guard. His steel skin was tough, yes, but every armor has gaps. The eyes. The joints. The throat.

She didn't stab. She placed both palms on his chest, right over where his heart should be.

Rokuogan (Six King Gun) – Imperfect.

She couldn't do the full technique like Rob Lucci, but she could mimic the shockwave principle using an Impact Dial she had stolen from Skypiea (in her backstory travels) hidden under her glove.

"Reject!" she screamed, channeling the stored kinetic energy from his own previous attacks back into him.

BOOM.

The shockwave rippled through Absalom’s massive body, bypassing his steel skin and rupturing his internal organs.

"GAAAAH!" Absalom vomited blood—visible red liquid appearing from nowhere—as the flour on his chest blasted away.

He stumbled back, clutching his chest, his invisibility flickering.

"You… witch…" he wheezed.

Kurumi fell to one knee, panting. The recoil of the Dial had dislocated her shoulder. She popped it back in with a grimace and a sickening pop.

"I am not a witch," she said, standing up shakily and pointing her flintlock at his head. "I am a nightmare. And you should have stayed hidden."

Meanwhile, Outside

The ground shook violently.

From the window, Kurumi saw a sight that made her blood run cold.

Oars—the massive Ancient Giant zombie—was awake. But he wasn't just mindless. He was moving with a terrifying speed, stretching his arms.

"Luffy's shadow…" Kurumi whispered. "But Moria… he's doing something else."

In the distance, Gecko Moria sat atop the mansion's mast. He wasn't just laughing. He was absorbing shadows before the climax. He had already consumed fifty shadows to bulk himself up, making him faster and stronger than the sluggish Warlord from the anime.

Down below, the Straw Hats were scattering like ants. Luffy was engaging Oars, but he was getting batted away.

"This timeline is harsh," Kurumi noted, reloading her gun. "Absalom was a monster. Moria is a warlord who actually trains. Luffy… you better hurry up and find that Nightmare form, or we are all dead."

She looked back at the unconscious Absalom. The path to the vault was clear.

"Time to get my wish."