He couldn’t carry too many weapons on his own; what he had on him was already pushing his physical limits. Then, it hit him—he could control a few zombies and use them as free pack mules to transport the extra gear.
Acting on the idea immediately, Luffy took control of nine zombies and led them back into the armory.
First, he equipped each zombie with a bulletproof vest, a tactical helmet, and ballistic goggles. Vests would eventually need washing, and helmets or goggles could easily get lost in a fight, so it was wise to keep a few spare sets on hand.
"It’s the end of the world, and you’re still lugging around this massive backpack? You’ll do. Carry the ammo for me!"
He was looking at a tall and exceptionally horrifying zombie—its face, nose, and ears had been completely chewed off. It was wearing a large hiking backpack, a full fifty percent bigger than Luffy’s own duffel bag. Luffy pulled the bag off the zombie and dumped its contents onto the floor. There was nothing useful inside, just an assortment of men’s and women’s clothing and some toiletries; the original owner had probably been traveling with a lover before the apocalypse struck.
Luffy tossed the loose ammunition inside. Considering the zombie’s weight-bearing limit, he only filled the pack halfway before strapping it back onto the creature. He then commanded it to stand by on the side.
He didn’t need too many handguns; five or six would suffice, easily fitting into a single zombie’s pockets. However, he decided to take several shotguns. As the ultimate close-quarters weapon and a godsend for novices, they required barely any aiming. At close range, he could hit a target with his eyes half-closed, and the destructive power was immense. Luffy could already picture the scene of himself blasting an enemy away with a single shot. He was also reminded of those badass movie scenes where Wu Mengda wielded a shotgun and annihilated everything in his path.
Soon enough, one of the zombies was completely decked out in shotguns.
Next came the submachine guns and assault rifles. Earlier, he had opted for rifles and abandoned the submachine guns simply due to his limited carrying capacity. Now that he was free of those constraints, he was absolutely going to stock up on every type of firearm. Two zombies, now slung with submachine guns and rifles, were ordered to stand to the side.
There were only three sniper rifles in the entire armory, all of which were strapped to another zombie. As for the remaining four zombies, they would strictly carry ammunition.
This grand looting operation nearly cleared out more than half of the armory’s inventory. Looking at the heavily armed and equipped zombies surrounding him, Luffy let out a series of delighted roars.
One might wonder why he needed so many weapons. But in Luffy’s mind—and likely the minds of any survivor—you could never have too many weapons. The more, the better. No one could predict what the future held, and he firmly believed that holding weapons meant holding power.
Take the incident at the supermarket, for instance. If he had possessed a firearm then, he wouldn’t have feared those survivors at all. A single magazine of bullets would have settled the matter. And if one wasn’t enough, he would just use two. After all, he wasn’t afraid of attracting zombies with the noise.
Furthermore, Luffy noticed that as he used his Control Ability more frequently, its effectiveness was steadily improving. Although he couldn’t yet control the zombies to perform complex actions like raising a gun, aiming, and firing, he was confident that he would eventually reach that level. Just the thought of commanding an armed squad of zombies to intercept his enemies while he hid safely in the shadows was thrilling.
Since it was still too early to venture outside, Luffy decided to practice his Control Skills. He relinquished his hold over the rest of the horde to completely focus on just one zombie.
Staring intently at his target, Luffy issued a mental command: "Pick up the gun!"
An invisible psychic link formed a bridge between their minds. The targeted zombie slowly extended its right hand, grabbed the handgun beside it, and adjusted its grip into a proper firing stance, strictly adhering to Luffy’s mental prompt.
"Raise your arm! Fire!" he commanded.
CLICK!
Since the gun’s safety was still on, it obviously couldn’t fire. This was intentional on Luffy’s part; his goal was merely to train his Control Ability, not to randomly discharge weapons.
The experiment proved that Luffy could indeed control a single zombie well enough to execute the precise actions of drawing, aiming, and pulling the trigger. However, an entire afternoon of trial and error also made him realize something crucial: achieving such delicate movements required absolute, undivided focus. Trying to micro-manage even one zombie pushed him to his absolute limit. Attempting to add a second zombie into the mix resulted in completely scrambled commands.
Luffy guessed that this bottleneck was directly related to his current strength—or more specifically, his Spiritual Power. Since he lacked the mental bandwidth to multitask effectively, he naturally couldn’t force multiple zombies to simultaneously execute complex individual orders. He would just have to rely on future practice or wait until his power grew stronger.
After nightfall, a heavily armed Luffy finally stepped out of the police station. Surrounding him were nine zombies, each loaded with an assortment of weapons and ammunition, shuffling slowly in sync with his steps. They served as both his mobile armory and his protective vanguard.
Their destination: City Garden in the CG District.
If any survivor were to witness this bizarre procession, their jaw would absolutely hit the floor. This entourage was nothing short of a miniature, mobile armory. Fortunately, the night provided the perfect cover. Not a single survivor hiding in the high-rises lining the streets could peer through the pitch-black darkness to see them.
A journey of roughly thirteen kilometers wouldn’t take long by car on a clear road. However, zombies were exceptionally slow walkers. Luffy didn’t dare command them to run; a sudden sprint would not only cause a massive commotion on the streets but could also cause his controlled minions to scatter. Therefore, he had no choice but to take his time.
Along the way, Luffy constantly tinkered with the firearms in his hands. Although he had never handled real guns before, he wasn’t completely clueless. Following what he had seen in movies, he loaded the firearms strapped to his body and flicked off their safeties, ensuring he was ready to fire at a moment’s notice. In this post-apocalyptic world, he had to tread lightly and stay vigilant at all times. He couldn’t expect blind luck to save him over and over again.
As he walked, he took in the atmosphere of the apocalyptic night. If the days in this new world felt bleak and desolate, the nights were an entirely different beast—eerie and absolutely terrifying. Horrifying, disfigured zombies wandered aimlessly everywhere he looked.
Occasionally, large, unidentified birds would fly overhead. Luffy recognized them—they were zombie birds, mutated scavengers that had fed on infected flesh. They were hyper-aggressive. If a survivor hiding in an apartment made even the slightest loud noise, these avian horrors would frantically dive-bomb their windows, shattering the glass to get to the prey inside.
Every so often, the distant, agonizing screams of a survivor would echo through the air, a chilling reminder of the grim fates befalling humanity.
It had been nearly a month since the apocalypse began. Without the constant smog of industrial emissions, the stars in the night sky shone much brighter. The trees and shrubbery lining the streets had also grown wildly robust. Bathed in the pale glow of the moon and the flickering streetlights, the overgrowth took on an eerie, unsettling hue.
Suddenly, Luffy came to a dead halt. He had just noticed a sharp decrease in the number of zombies wandering the immediate area, and his guard instantly went up. Glancing at the street to his left, he saw that the storefronts on both sides were entirely pet-related—veterinary clinics, pet supply stores, and grooming salons.
Before the end of the world, most households kept dogs and cats as pets. Luffy suddenly recalled a movie he had watched titled *Apocalypse Revelation*. The film had vividly depicted just how dangerous animals could become during a viral outbreak. Humans weren’t the only ones susceptible to the virus. When animals were infected, the vast majority mutated into fierce Mutant Beasts. If the infection killed them, they would reanimate as zombie beasts.
Luffy figured the real-world animals had likely suffered a similar fate.
"I’d better take another route!" he decided.
He was just about to turn back, but it was already too late.