"What do you mean by that?!"
Faced with Meow Jūshirō's assessment, the zombie Ryuma demanded an answer in some anger.
"Although you have Shimotsuki Ryuma's body, the swordsmanship you use belongs to Mr. Brook," Meow Jūshirō explained calmly. "Your body makes you stronger and faster than Mr. Brook, but your sword techniques, habits, and strategies in battle are no different from his, meow."
The little black cat shook his head and continued listlessly, "Compared to Mr. Brook, your sword even lacks his conviction. So you're neither the samurai Ryuma nor Mr. Brook, just a counterfeit cobbled together from Shimotsuki Ryuma's body and Mr. Brook's shadow, meow."
Finally, Meow Jūshirō asked the most crucial question. "You call yourself Shimotsuki Ryuma, the 'dragon-slaying swordsman,' but do you still remember slaying that dragon, or the life and swordsmanship of the samurai Ryuma, meow?"
"...Yohohoho..." After a moment of silence, the zombie Ryuma suddenly laughed, though a hint of desolation seeped into his laughter. "You're right. I'm merely a 'samurai Ryuma' fabricated by Master Moria... How tragic, bearing a legendary samurai's name without even being able to use his swordsmanship."
Yet no sooner had he finished speaking than the previously listless Meow Jūshirō suddenly stared at him with wide eyes. Xie Wen and the others watching did the same.
Through their Observation Haki, they sensed a slight, sudden change in the zombie Ryuma's presence. Although his physical abilities had not improved, he felt far more dangerous than before.
The zombie Ryuma seemed to notice the change in his body as well, and looked at his palms in some surprise.
"Incredible..." he murmured. "Some memories and sword techniques that don't belong to me seem to have surfaced in my mind... Are these Ryuma's memories lingering in this body?"
After marveling for a moment, he assumed