"Resurrected" Captain John

With swift and fierce swordsmanship, the sword flashed and struck Moria at incredible speed. Moria's body couldn't react in time, and he hurriedly used his own ability.

"Shadow Warrior!" Moria's body instantly swapped positions with his shadow, as if he were teleporting.

The sword pierced Moria's shadow in an instant, but shadows have no fixed shape; like water, they can recover even if they are destroyed.

Moria broke out in a cold sweat. "Are you really going to be this ruthless? Are you trying to kill me, Captain John?" Moria's eyes widened as he cursed angrily. Just now, he had truly felt his life threatened.

"Haha, probably influenced by the shadow. The owner of this shadow is a Slaughter Swordsman who shows no mercy." The man opposite laughed heartily, taking a sip of wine without a care. Judging from his appearance and the way he was addressed as Moria, he was none other than the supposedly dead Overlord Captain John. It was unexpected that he was alive and even with Moria. What was going on?

"Besides, is this all you've got? Moria, my strength is limited. Because my shadow is too weak, I can only use Swordmaster- level swordsmanship. My Observation Haki and Armament Haki are both extremely weak, and I can't even use Conqueror's Haki. Only my body remains the same, though it's a little weaker than before I died. If this is all you've got, don't even think about getting your hands on the Conqueror's throne."

Captain John showed no mercy to Moria, even though Moria was the one who resurrected him, and even in death, he maintained the arrogance of a ruler.

"Damn it, you bastard!" Moria was a little angry. He switched places with his shadow and appeared to the side, staring intently at Captain John. Even though he was dead and his strength was restricted, Captain John was still powerful. Just by standing there, he had a very strong aura, putting great pressure on Moria.

However, swordsmanship posed little threat to Moria. He was also at the peak of the Swordmaster realm. The shadow that Moria infused into Captain John's corpse was a Slaughter Swordsman at the peak of the Swordmaster realm, and his strength was not weak. However, when facing Moria, he was still captured by Moria using some methods.

However, combined with Captain John's powerful physique, it displayed terrifying power, suppressing Moria in speed alone.

This Captain John is very different from the one in the original story. In the original story, Captain John had been dead for an unknown period of time, and his body had even desiccated and become a mummy.

Now, not long after his death, he was targeted by Moria, who stole his body and used some tricks to restore Captain John's body. So, Captain John maintained a strong physique, although somewhat weakened, he was still powerful.

With such a powerful physique alone, he could secure a place in the New World.

"Shadow Horn Spear." The shadow beneath him shifted, transforming into a sharp spear that pierced towards Captain John with incredible speed.

The powerful piercing made Captain John smile. "Not bad, that move." The attack was so strong that it made him feel threatened.

However, Captain John did not panic. He turned sideways, raised his longsword, and with a flash, dodged the sword with even greater speed, then thrust it at Moria. The sharp light of the sword flashed before Moria's eyes.

"Shadow Mage!"

Moria was prepared. His shadow transformed into a shadow clone identical to Moria's size. This shadow clone could ignore any damage and was as fast as a demon. It could help Moria attack and defend, and its strength was by no means weak.

At the same time, from above the Shadow Mage's body, countless bats scattered and flew rapidly toward Captain John, capable of both defending against attacks and restraining or tearing at enemies.

John seemed completely unconcerned. He moved with incredible speed, quickly overtaking the bats, and thrust his longsword towards Moria's true form.

Moria held the swords in both hands, gripping the hilts tightly, and swung his arms, Observation Haki to detect Captain John's presence.

Bang!

With a crisp sound, the two faced each other. Moria gritted his teeth, his arms trembling. In terms of strength, he was being suppressed by a dead man.

It's important to know that Moria's physique is also powerful. His special bloodline and the strength he was so proud of were no match for Kaido, but in Captain John's hands, there was still a significant difference.

In the continuous clashes, Moria was forced to retreat. Captain John's swordsmanship was powerful, Swordmaster peak-level swordsmanship, yet he possessed the experience of Great Swordmaster. Moria was finding it difficult to withstand him based solely on his swordsmanship.

Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared behind Captain John, its sharp claws reaching for Captain John back. The claws were as sharp and hard as his Shadow Horn Spear.

Captain John sensed the danger and quickly dodged, giving Moria an opportunity. He took a slight breath, a smile on his face, and pressed his advantage.

In the blink of an eye, the situation became two against one, which only put a little pressure on Captain John, since the difference in strength was difficult to overcome.

Captain John remained completely relaxed, showing no signs of panic despite the presence of an extra person.

Even when facing two opponents, he still holds the advantage; in terms of speed, strength, and physical reflexes, he surpasses Moria.

Moria also sensed the power of the Overlord-level strength, but the gap wasn't significant. Although he was at a disadvantage against Captain John, he could still put up a fight.

After all, Captain John wasn't at his peak, and he simply couldn't bring himself to capture Captain John at the very least, let alone Great Swordmaster.

At his peak, Captain John was in no way inferior to Kaido of the Beasts, a fact that Moria, who had challenged Kaido of the Beasts, knew very well.

That monstrous power initially allowed him to put up a fight, but once Kaido gradually figured out his abilities, the entire battle turned into a one-sided affair.

Moria's strength has improved rapidly. He has reached the level of Admiral Candidate in just three years, and is already close to the level of a hegemon, which is the level of Admiral. However, he knows that he is still far from reaching that level. Otherwise, he would not be so suppressed when facing Captain John.

Captain John, whom he resurrected, had not been dead for long, so his memories were preserved very well. Apart from being somewhat weaker, he retained everything, including his combat experience and past experiences.

Unlike Captain John in the original story, who only knew who he was but had forgotten many other things.

This also made Moria realize that the zombies he created were not invincible; there were also significant limitations on the corpses. They couldn't be dead for long, and the shadow's owner couldn't be weak, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to preserve his fighting strength.

There have been experiments before, where a powerful person's corpse was resurrected. This person had been dead for a long time, and the final result was simply appalling—extremely weak, and even lacking complete memories.

Furthermore, the resurrected Captain John is different from ordinary zombies; his body possesses a certain vitality, but he is still a corpse because his heart cannot beat, as he is already dead.

The injection of the shadow awakened Captain John's consciousness and his body, giving him vitality. Otherwise, the corpse would have dried out and its power would have rapidly weakened within a few years.

This also includes the fact that Captain John died not long ago, and that he was powerful and had a strong vitality during his lifetime.

In the end, it was clear that Moria was defeated. Captain John had slashed his face, leaving a gash, and he also had a more serious sword wound on his shoulder.

Gasping for breath, he watched as Captain John deftly sheathed his sword.

"You still have a long way to go, Moria," Captain John, looking at Moria with a smile.

Moria felt a sense of defeat. The difference in strength was too great. Apart from the fact that Moria was slightly stronger than Captain John in terms of Two types of Haki, he was suppressed in every other aspect.

His prized ability was useless; once the pattern of his ability was figured out, aside from being good at dodging attacks and surviving, he couldn't do anything to Captain John.

"Let's end today's battle here. I'm going to have a drink, haha." Captain John chuckled, turned around, and walked deeper into the castle.

Suddenly, a "thump" sounded behind him. Captain John turned slightly to the side and looked at Moria.

Moria was now kneeling on the ground, his seven-meter-tall frame prostrating himself. "Please teach me to become stronger, Captain John."

"Oh, you actually want me to teach you?" Captain John was somewhat surprised.

"I want to surpass you! I want to become stronger!" Moria lowered his head and slammed it hard on the ground. The force was so great that the ground trembled, and cracks appeared where his head struck the ground.

"I have no intention of taking on apprentices, and besides, I'm already a dead man," Captain John said, shaking his head.

"Don't you want revenge? I'll help you get revenge." Moria was rejected, and he looked up, his expression showing some resentment.

"Heh, I'm already dead, so this matter is no longer important. Now, I just want to see what the sea will become next." Captain John had experienced death once, and he had seen through some things and let go of others.

Hearing Captain John's words, Moria felt somewhat disappointed.

"However, I hate traitors the most. I've always killed with my sword, but I've never taught anyone. If you can't hold on, you'll die." Captain John's words stunned Moria, and it took him a long time to react.

"You... agree, Captain John." A look of surprise flashed in Moria's eyes; he hadn't expected such a turn of events.

"After all, I'll still need your abilities to survive in the future. How about I help you out so you can see the world again after you die? It's a kind of fate." Captain John smiled, then changed the subject, "However, before that, you have to help me take care of those three traitors first."

Captain John never relinquished his power; as a powerful figure, it was ironic that he ultimately died at the hands of his own men.

There were four people who betrayed and killed John, all of whom were officers of John Pirates, second only to Captain John, including a first mate whom he trusted.

Everyone had their eyes on his treasure.

One of them is already dead, having died during the period after the collapse of the John Pirates, while fighting with his crew for treasure.

There are three remaining. Two of them have already gone into seclusion, as they are getting old and, after plundering a large amount of treasure, no longer interfere in matters of the sea.

Another is still active on the high seas, leading his own crew and establishing a pirate crew after the collapse of the John Pirates.

As members of the John Pirates, they were all quite strong, with bounties exceeding 600 million Beli. They were not people Moria could easily deal with.

"Consider this a test for you. I'll give you seven days. Use this sword to pierce their hearts, look at their heads, and hand them over to me," Captain John said coldly. Now that he had come back to life, he naturally wouldn't let these three traitors off so easily.

As he spoke, he drew his longsword from his waist, swung it forward, and planted it directly in the ground. The sword stood upright in front of Moria, its entire blade gleaming with silver light and extremely sharp.

"Yes, leave it to me. I'll bring back their three heads in seven days." Moria stood up abruptly and nodded firmly. He had made up his mind. This was a test from John, and it certainly wouldn't be that simple.

Time is a crucial constraint, and now, apart from one person still sailing the seas, the other two have gone into seclusion, their whereabouts unknown. This alone makes them difficult to find, but they must be in the New World.

If they are too far apart, the journey alone will take a long time, so he can't waste time and effort searching. He needs to find someone who might know where those two guys are hiding.

Moreover, not much time has passed since then, and many traces have certainly been left behind, making complete seclusion very difficult.

In a corner of Moonlight Island, a Reporter Bird in the air, hovering back and forth on the island, its eyes occasionally glancing down as if searching for something. It was well hidden, just like an ordinary seabird, changing positions from time to time. Suddenly, it spotted something, its eyes lit up, and it took out a camera and snapped two photos.

Suddenly, it seemed to sense something was wrong, or perhaps danger. It flapped its wings, trying to leave, but it was too late.

One after another, black shadow bats appeared from nowhere, instantly surrounding it and leaving it nowhere to escape.

Nowadays, no one dares to attack the News Bird of the World Economic News or other newspapers on the high seas. Firstly, there is no threat to them, and secondly, the images captured by these News Bird enrich the entertainment of the ocean.

Finally, many people also want to be photographed by these News Bird, perhaps even getting paid for it.

"You should have your President's contact information. Try to notify President, otherwise, you know what will happen." Moria's figure appeared, his demonic presence in the shadows startling the News Bird. His icy voice instilled even more fear in it.

It knew who Moria was, and nodded fearfully, betraying its boss without hesitation.