Ryuma turned his head and saw that these samurai actually mistook him for a grave robber.
He gave a bitter smile and said patiently, "I am not a grave robber. You've got the wrong person."
In his heart, he thought this time it was probably impossible to clear his name—even if he jumped into the Yellow River, he wouldn't wash clean.
If he hadn't experienced it himself, he would never believe that someone dead for hundreds or even thousands of years could come back to life!
Taking a deep breath, Ryuma decided that since explanations wouldn't work, it was better to just leave.
"Hmph, still deny being a grave robber?"
One samurai growled, "Hand over the black blade, Shusui!"
"Quick! We've found the grave robber! Go inform General Orochi!"
That samurai stepped firmly in front of Ryuma.
The few samurai left behind stood their ground, while the rest rushed off—undoubtedly to alert the Wano headquarters.
Ryuma growled in annoyance, "Are you guys serious? If you keep this up, I won't hold back anymore!"
Having merged with the ancient swordmaster Ryuma, he had inherited his memories. No matter what, these samurai from Wano were his descendants, his fellow countrymen. Unless absolutely necessary, he did not want to fight any of them.
"You grave robber! You stole the black blade Shusui and think you can run? You deserve to die by my sword..."
Before the samurai could finish, his pupils shrank suddenly, his body trembled uncontrollably, and with a thud, he collapsed.
He struggled and gasped briefly before losing his breath.
"What? What's going on?" Ryuma frowned.
A bloody hole pierced through the man's chest, with dark shadows lingering around the wound.
Ryuma instinctively looked up to the sky.
Black bats circled above—clearly not living creatures.
He instantly became alert, his mind racing to one conclusion.
Who else in this world, besides Gecko Moria, could control bats?
Only one Wano samurai survivor stood before Ryuma, sweat dripping nervously, face blank with fear.
After a moment, the survivor shouted desperately, "Murder! There's been a murder!"
"Hey! Are you crazy? I didn't kill these people, so shut up!" Ryuma said in exasperation.
He turned around and saw Gecko Moria standing right behind him.
"Swish!"
Before Ryuma could react, a ring of black bats rapidly expanded toward him.
Ryuma snorted coldly, his pupils narrowing as he spun away to dodge.
Though inexperienced in combat, having merged with the ancient swordmaster Ryuma's memories meant that even without muscle memory, he could instinctively avoid ordinary attacks.
Of course, this was no Observation Haki—it was the result of centuries of rigorous sword training.
Seeing this, Ryuma scoffed, "Moria, you're bold to show your face here."
Moria laughed eerily, "Hehehe… you actually know me?"
Ryuma's lips curled into a twisted smile, "Stop with that creepy laugh—don't you know how unsettling it sounds?"
Not only did he know Moria, but as a fan of One Piece, he was quite familiar with him.
Gecko Moria, user of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, a man who could steal others' shadows.
Though calm on the surface, Ryuma's heart was already burning with fury.
In the main One Piece story, the Straw Hat crew was struggling just to fight Moria near the New World. For Ryuma, this foe was definitely not to be underestimated.
Wait...
Ryuma suddenly realized that Moria's power on the Thriller Bark was nearly invincible only because he relied on external forces.
Without his shadows at his command outside the ship, his power would be greatly diminished.
"Hmph, as expected of Wano samurai, every single one is difficult to deal with," Moria muttered, twitching his lips. "Where the hell are Absalom and Hogback? Why aren't they back yet?"
He complained casually.
Ryuma smirked, "Those two? I already cut them down."
"You bastard!" Moria's eyes bloodshot with rage.
Those two were extremely important to his crew—indispensable even.
Without hesitation, Ryuma gripped the black blade Shusui tightly and decided to go all out.
"Hundred-Dragon Divine Slash!" Ryuma shouted as he lightly thrust the blade toward Moria.
Though the move looked effortless, the slash stirred up a massive disturbance in the air.
The sword aura gradually intensified in the air. In less than ten seconds, it fragmented and then recombined into hundreds of colossal dragons, each roaring fiercely!
Moria's pupils shrank in terror. In a panic, he yanked his shadow and shielded his face with it.
The moment the hundreds of dragon-shaped sword energies collided with the shadow, the air trembled violently. The shadow nearly shattered to pieces, while the sword-dragon energies surged upward, breaking through the very sky.
Frightened, Moria staggered back a step.
Ryuma's mind raced... This is my only technique so far!
But Moria was clearly hurting too — from neck to foot, a shocking, vivid scar marked his body.
Gecko Moria trembled all over, his eyes fixed intently on Ryuma. In panic, he stammered, "Who... who exactly are you?"
He racked his memory. Before Kaido defeated him, he had never encountered anyone like this. Unease crept into his heart, and he took another wary step backward.
"I am Ryuma, the swordmaster!" Ryuma declared.
Moria was momentarily stunned, unable to respond.
Swordmaster?
The Dragon-Slaying Samurai?
After a brief pause, Moria's anger erupted, "How dare you mock me! Ryuma has been dead for hundreds of years. How could you be some tender young punk like yourself?"
Ryuma sneered coldly, "If you don't believe me, come and test it."
"Fine! Today, I'll see just what you're capable of!" Moria growled.
Ryuma forced himself to calm down.
He thought to himself: Moria's strength was indeed formidable. But now, he wasn't on his ship, and he had no shadows to use.
Without any shadow to draw on, wouldn't that mean Moria was doomed?
Especially with no defensive moves and Ryuma's mastery of Armament Haki...
That would be far too satisfying!
"Hmph, you look like a moldy old corn cob—who wants to fight you? I'm out of here." Ryuma said, his face calm and his gaze mocking, as he took step after step away.
Moria roared in fury, "You little brat! Who do you think you're talking to?"
Ryuma ignored him.
Moria thought to himself, No, this has to be a quick fight. After all, this is Wano, Kaido's territory... it wouldn't be good to attract the Calamities.
With that, the tension between them thickened.