The Thriller Bark loomed—a massive, floating island encased in eternal darkness and fog. The crew ventured inside, driven by the need to retrieve Brook's shadow.
Kenji kept a quiet watch, allowing the initial chaos with the zombies to unfold. He knew his true target was the Warlord Gecko Moria.
He found the hulking Warlord in the main laboratory, surrounded by his zombie army, reveling in his dark power.
"Kishishishi! Another juicy shadow for my collection! And look, a $3 Billion human! Your shadow will be the strongest of all!" Moria boomed, manipulating his own shadow into a massive construct.
• Target: Kage Kage no Mi (Shadow-Shadow Fruit) power and the concept of Shadow Manipulation/The Soul's Reflection.
• Copying...
• Apex Enhancement Active...
• Resulting Ability: [Apex: Absolute Conceptual Manipulation (Shadow/Light)] Acquired. (Absolute control over the properties and existence of all shadow and light constructs, including the soul's connection to its shadow).
Kenji looked at the massive shadow construct. "Your power is interesting, Moria. You steal the reflection of the soul's light. I deal in the soul itself."
Moria attacked first, sending his massive Shadows Asgard tearing toward Kenji.
Kenji simply extended a hand.
[Apex: Absolute Conceptual Dissolution (Shadow)]
Moria's colossal, terrifying shadow construct hit an invisible barrier, not of Haki, but of absolute conceptual rejection. The shadow vanished instantly, not broken, but erased from existence.
Moria stared, his eyes wide. "What... what did you do to my shadow?!"
"I dissolved its conceptual existence," Kenji explained. "You can manipulate shadows. I control the concept of darkness."
Kenji then used his power to address the true threat: the thousands of stolen shadows.
[Apex: Absolute Conceptual Synthesis (Shadow/Soul)]
Kenji created a wave of pure, restorative light that only affected the stolen shadows. The thousands of shadows—Brook's included—were violently ripped from their temporary zombie vessels and instantly snapped back to their owners.
The ensuing scene was chaos. All the zombies collapsed as their borrowed power vanished, and Moria's entire army was instantly disabled. Brook's shadow returned, and he let out a joyful cry.
"My shadow! Yohohoho!"
Moria, robbed of his army and his greatest technique, was left helpless.
"You are defeated, Warlord," Kenji stated. "I'll leave the formality of your capture to the captain."
Kenji had not only saved the crew's shadows but gained a terrifying new ability, Absolute Conceptual Manipulation, making him virtually untouchable by any Devil Fruit user.