2 In a Dark and Dreary Ocean.

Rick woke up in a small boat.

It had a small mast and room for one person to lie down in comfortably. 

There were some supplies and some fishing equipment. 

Rick was sitting down with a fishing rod hoping to catch a fish.

The sea around him was filled with fog and the ocean around him was churning slowly. 

Rick has been here for a while and no matter what the sun did not come up. 

It has only been extremely dark and less extremely dark. 

He had been scared at the beginning. He didn't know how to swim well. He knew how to swim slightly. But that was in freshwater pools and without any currents. Here, the ocean was dark, and full of currents. 

Usually it is easier to swim in the ocean compared to fresh water due to the ocean's salt content, but Rick did not want to take any chances. 

He was still in a body that was similar to the one he had before dying. In fact, it was the exact same. 

He was overweight and his BMI was around 31. 

Not a body that was expected to have any semblance of 'stamina'. He remembered that the longest that he swam/stayed afloat was 2 minutes. 

..Yeah he would be dead if he fell over into the ocean. 

....

After 2 days of wandering, he started to see something in the distance. His rations were almost over by that point and he didn't have much water left. 

He had to get some more supplies. 

That was why seeing something in the distance felt like a gift from God. 

-Phew, I won't have to die of starvation. 

Rick thought to himself. Rick then took out the oars and started to paddle towards the object in the distance. 

-Hmm, that looks huge. Is that an island? 

The object he was looking started to get closer....and closer.

Until..

-What the hell? Is that a big mouth? Wait a second. I've seen that before. Is that what I think it is?

Yes the mouth in front of him with red lips and white human-style teeth was the entrance to the 'island'. 

Rick had arrived at Thriller Bark. 

A giant floating ship that housed the crew of one of the stronger characters in the One Piece world. 

One of the warlords of the sea, 

Gecko Moria. 

The wielder of Kage Kage no Mii (Shadow-Shadow Fruit). 

And someone with a bounty of 320,000,000 beli before becoming a warlord of the sea.

Someone who was an insurmountable wall to an overweight weak man. 

**

As Rick was entering the Thriller bark, the inside was in a full-on turmoil. 

A battle of epic proportions was taking place. A battle that determined the fate of many people. 

It was nightmare Luffy vs the great giant oars. 

But even after Nightmare Luffy spent up the ability and strength of a hundred men, but nothing happened to the animated corpse of Oars. 

It simply stood up again.

"UWAHHHH, IT'S OARS!! he's back up!!"

The people around and the crew of Lola exclaimed out of despair. After all, nightmare Luffy was their best chance at taking the giant down. Yet he failed. 

"Where?! where are the strawhats? They were just here?"

"I don't know what happened to Luffy, but he did more than enough to weaken the monster."

Said a man filled with injuries and three swords on him.

The people around him were shocked that someone so injured could move, let alone fight!

A man with a straw hat tucked on his back, wearing shorts and a tattered sleeveless shirt was struggling to get up. All his strength seemed spent. 

"I only need to deal one.. more..blow..!!

Ugh...that thing really tired me out....

Huff..

I almost had him!!!!"

The strawhats soon gathered together. They were all tired. but they had a plan to take him down. 

First, Zoro got close to the monster and told the rolling pirated to clear the way. 

Robin uses her Pierna Fleur ability to create multiple feet on the outer wall of the tower. This allows Brook to carry Luffy to the top of Thriller Bark.

Nami employs her Rain Tempo, completely soaking Oars.

The Rolling Pirates -"Is she using magic?"

Franky and Usopp freeze Oars's legs using the air from the large freezer that housed the corpse of the many people that Dr Hogback used as materials to make the zombies under Moria's control.

Usopp- "Super-Large Freezer Ultra-Cold Blast!"

Sanji and Chopper ensnare Oars in the chain of the rudder.

Sanji- "Go!"

Chopper-"Zoro, make him tuck his stomach!"

Zoro-"Leave it to me!

Ultimate attack!

Santoryu Ougi: Sanzen Sekai!!"

Sanji then kicks the chain, pulling Oars upright and straightening his spine.

Meanwhile, Luffy and Brook reach the top of the mast, preparing for the final attack.

Chopper explains that a human spine is normally curved to absorb shock. By straightening it, they can shatter Oars's spine, maximizing the impact of the attack.

Luffy instructs Brook to throw him toward Oars. Luffy inflates both arms using Gear 3.

Luffy- "Gear 3: Gomu Gomu no Giant Bazooka!"

Oars attempts to retaliate with a Gomu Gomu no Bazooka, but his right arm is too damaged to execute the move.

In a devastating moment, Luffy's Giant Bazooka shatters Oars's spine, leaving him paralyzed and unable to feel pain.

Oars simply lay there, unable to move his body. Yet unable to feel any pain whatsoever. 

The backlash of gear three rendered Luffy unable to move and all the members of the strawhat pirates were exhausted beyond their limit. Almost as if they could no longer move. 

Chopper stared at the animated corpse with pity and sadness in his eyes,

"Even with his bones crushed, he still can't die! 

This power really makes a mockery of life!!"

But no matter how exhausted they all were, time was not on their side. Something unexpected started to happen, 

the sun!

The sun started to come over the horizon. Something that spelled certain death for all the people there. The stakes couldn't be any higher. 

"Wake Moria up!!!

We'll force him to give our shadows back!!

The sun is almost over the horizon!!"

....

"You don't have to wake me up!! "

A simple sentenced that foretold despair for all the people without shadows.