~Third~

"Zoro we're just trying to buy enough time for Luffy to get our shadows back it's not like we need to defeat him"Usopp said as Zoro walked forward "I'm just finishing the fight he started and i've got this new sword couldn't imagine a better time to see what it's capable of"Zoro said "Yeah! You've got this Zoro!"Nicole cheered him on.

Zoro stepped up and challenged Oars, the giant punched down but he dodged and cut the rubble flying at him "Give it a rest! You're practically begging to get flattened!"Usopp said "Can't you try out that sword some other time?"Franky asked "Just ignore them Zoro! You can't pass this up!"Nicole said.

Zoro smirked a bit and looked at Shusui "Didn't notice it earlier but Shusui's got a lot more heft to it, never used a black blade before"he said more to himself before Oars came in with a punch but he deflected it "Yeah!"Nicole cheered as Zoro launched his flying blade attack but Oars dodged it.

"It was stronger then i expected the blade absorbed the blast from the other two into one, it's impressive but it still moves a little too slow for my liking that means i've got some work to do before i can fully master it"Zoro said "You just gotta get used to it!"Nicole called.

"You could of put my eye with that, you lucky bastard! I'm gonna grind you down to a blob!"Oars said stomping his foot down but Zoro dodged it "Zoro!"Chopper called "Holy crap is he alright?" Franky asked "Of course he is!"Nicole snapped a bit as Zoro continued dodging, he jumped back and attacked Oars' foot making him fall down, Oars used it to his advantage though going for a side crush.

Zoro dodged again and jumped back into the dust using it to his advantage he attacked again but again Oars dodged, Zoro jumped back "Come on Zoro don't push it you're just making things worse cause even if you do miraculously take him down what's the point Luffy's shadow is the only one we'll get back from him, we don't even have the slightest idea where yours and Sanji's are"Usopp said.

"If we really wanna get our shadows back we just need to wait here until Luffy takes care of it, there's no point in killing yourself trying to take down an undead giant all we gotta do is believe in Luffy and try to keep this guy busy for a while"Usopp said "I've got plenty of faith in Luffy but i'm also aware of Luffy's one major weakness"Zoro said.

"You're forgetting Luffy's a total moron, Moria's probably tricked him already and given him the slip"Nicole said "If they manage to stall Luffy and the sun rises then we're screwed, him, me and the cook we'll melt until we're nothing but ash, maybe we can't save ourselves but if we can get Luffy his shadow back he can lay this damn island to waste"Zoro said.

"Looks like we got maybe thirty minutes before sunrise, on the plus side we've got some thick fog the suns gonna have a hard time getting through that"Franky said "So we're that close to dawn we should count our blessings we've got this fog can't say it's much comfort though the reality of melting starting to sink in for me"Sanji said.

Then the island started shaking around, Thriller Bark the ship was caught in a current and the fog started to lift "Oh come on!"Nicole said "Damn it well this changes the situation at this point we got no choice but to stop Oa-"Usopp trailed off as the cloth on Oars' stomach opened like a curtain revealing Moria was inside a cockpit of sorts carved into the giant zombie.

"It's Moria!"Usopp freaked out, Nicole was just as shocked no wonder she wasn't able to sense him even though he was so close "Dawn is just around the corner do you think this the best time for you to be standing around?"Moria asked.

"Wait how are you here? What happened to Luffy?"Usopp asked "I knew it, he got tricked"Nicole sighed with a sweatdrop "Explain this Usopp, Nicole just where the hell are you seeing Moria?" Sanji asked "Are you blind? He's right there"Nicole said pointing to Oars's stomach where Moria was just casually sitting in a cockpit.

Moria laughed as the others finally spotted him "I don't get what's going on how come i can hear master but i can't see him?"Oars wondered before noticing his stomach was a cockpit and played around with the opening though Moria kicked his fingers out "This is so awesome, i'm like a robot now, behold zombie robot! I am called the Oarsbomber!"Oars said.

"Alright you pathetic Strawhats here i am, you wanted a chance to fight me you've got one and if you prove yourself skilled enough to defeat me i'll release all of the shadows, go ahead and come at me all at once but you'll have to take down Oars too that's the only change you've got to pull me out of this cockpit"Moria said.

"That's cheap, you're not fighting fair!"Usopp yelled at him "The only way to defeat Moria is to defeat Oars first but how the heck can do that with him inside Oars' stomach?"Chopper asked "This narrows down our target down to one quit complaining"Sanji said.

"Can't get cold feet now, hey Usopp you're gonna have to find a mountain of salt, our only chance is to purify that monster we'll weaken him as much as we can until you get back"Zoro said and the others got ready for round three "Okay i got it!"Usopp said and took off running.

"I should have figured as much the first thing they're trying to do is to get they're hands on some salt, Oars you hear that? Better make sure long  nose there doesn't make it his way to the kitchen you might as well take out the entrance to the mansion"Moria said "Right i'll get him" Oars said and punched the mansion but Usopp made it out of there thanks to Brook.

"I thought we might need a hefty quantity of salt so i rounded some up"Brook said "Hey you're back i thought you were too hurt to fight"Franky said "It's true, i was seriously injured when i dragged myself to the kitchen to get this salt but then something most fortuitous happened i discovered which i promptly consumed thus recovering my health"Brook explained.

"Calcium doesn't act that fast come on!"Usopp argued "Well it could if you're all bones"Nicole shrugged and Brook laughed "Anyway we have the salt we need now this should be enough to purify that giant but it might be a close call and speaking of close calls it looks like the kitchens blocked off, in other words we only get one chance to do this"Sanji said.

"We don't have much time let's move it, if we don't wanna melt when the sun rises we have two objectives, we gotta feed the salt to that monster and we gotta beat Moria"Zoro said "You guys have any ideas how to get to that things mouth though? It's like climbing a tower with fist and teeth"Franky said.

"You wanted a chance to get your shadows back from me? Well here i am, go ahead and try but i'll warn you i'm more then just a passenger in Oars' stomach when i'm done with you, you'll wish you had melted with the sunrise i'll show you what real nightmares are made of"Moria said and laughed.

"Yohoho thank you for this chance Strawhats i swear that i'll fight beside you with every ounce of my might, although this small gesture hardly repays the debt i owe you for recovering my shadows i shall offer what assistance i can, now let's go!"Brook said something before braking a bone.

"We don't need you braking anymore bones so just hold onto the salt and take it easy"Zoro said before running on ahead, Sanji and Chopper ran off somewhere too, Franky and Usopp tried a combo move lighting Oars on fire but Moria calmed him down, Chopper boosted Zoro up as he sliced up one of the towers and Sanji kicked the pieces sending them flying at Oars.

Oars punched them over to where Brook, Nicole, Robin and Franky were but they took care of it, meanwhile Usopp had prepared a super slingshot but was having a hard time pulling it back, Nicole rushed over and didn't say a word as she helped him pull it back Franky jumped in and the two of them sent him flying.

Franky aimed at Moria but Oars dodged and kicked him into the tower "Gah! Franky no!"Usopp yelled but Franky was still alive, Moria told Oars to stomp on him but before he could Nami showed up and hit him with lightning "Nice shot but where did it come from?"Zoro asked "Over there!"Nicole said pointing over to where Nami was.

"Nami~swan!"Sanji yelled "Would you stop yelling already? Now they're gonna know where i am!"Nami yelled back, Sanji cried about how she yelled at him but really he was just relieved she was okay, Oars noticed Nami anyway "We got strawhats popping out of the wood works, alright Oars you know what to do smash her like you smashed the last guy"Moria said.

"Okay master"Oars said and aimed an attack at Nami and to the surprise of everyone Oars stretched "You've gotta be kidding me"Zoro said as Sanji rushed to save Nami but Robin had reached her with her powers and brought her down "I don't get it but it can be good"Zoro said.

"Two people can't have the same devil fruit power even if he has Luffy's shadow he shouldn't be able to do that"Sanji said "It's Moria"Nicole said "Huh?"the others asked turning to her "He's manipulating the shadow and just as the shadow matches the body the body matches the shadow, this just got ten times trickier"Nicole said.