Chapter 152: Moria's Curtain Fall (Two-in-One)
Boom!!
A massive wall was shattered, and two figures, one large and one small, flew out from it.
The main mast of Thriller Bark had been converted into a building; this was also the final mansion of the ancient castle where Moria resided. Behind it was an endless, gloomy forest.
Moria's figure fell from the sky, with Luffy in hot pursuit.
"Blackwing Archdemon!!"
With a sharp cry, Doppelman instantly scattered into countless bats, which flew behind Moria and formed a pair of giant bat wings, carrying his figure as he slowly descended.
Inside the mansion, by the wall with a giant hole in it...
"Tsk, what an ugly Blackwing Archdemon." Looking at Moria's obese body, Reiner's eyes were filled with disdain.
"You guys don't seem worried at all. Will it really be okay?" Nami couldn't help but look at Luffy with concern.
"If a Warlord's strength is only at this level, he can't win against Luffy."
Zoro walked forward, his hand on his sword hilt, and said faintly, "What's more, since our idiot captain has already accepted the duel, we can't interfere until a winner is decided."
Sanji took a drag from his cigarette, his gaze fixed on the two fighting below. "We just need to watch quietly. Let's believe in Luffy, Nami-san."
"What duel, what not a duel? Hasn't Moria already broken the terms!"
Nami turned her face away unhappily, puffing out her cheeks. "Why talk about a fair duel with that kind of person?"
"Hey, look!"
The sharp-eyed Usopp seemed to have spotted something. He pulled down the scope he wore on his head, closed one eye, and looked carefully.
"There seems to be a person standing there."
He extended his hand and pointed into the distance, towards the top of a Ferris wheel-like ship's helm that was attached to the building.
Following the direction Usopp pointed, they could vaguely see the silhouette of a tall figure.
Unfortunately, under the shroud of the faint mist, they couldn't see the person's appearance clearly.
"Well, that's Bartholomew Kuma."
Reiner spoke faintly, "He doesn't have any malicious intent. No need to pay him too much mind."
"Another Warlord?!"
Robin exclaimed in shock, immediately drawing the gazes of the others.
Chopper shouted in panic, "A Warlord?! What's going on? Have the Warlords teamed up to kill us?!"
"Bartholomew Kuma, nicknamed 'The Tyrant'. He's said to be a man of cruel methods," Robin said with a grave expression.
"What! What's he doing here? Don't tell me we have to fight two Warlords in a row? And one who's known for being cruel?!" Usopp couldn't help but become afraid.
"More importantly, Reiner is so badly injured. What do we do? Even if he doesn't have malicious intent right now, we should still be on guard," a trace of worry appeared in Nami's eyes.
"You all worry too much."
Reiner couldn't help but shake his head. "And besides, although he's very strong, he's not as brutal as the rumors say. If he really were cruel, it might actually be better."
This man's life was truly hard to put into words.
Doflamingo: You didn't experience my childhood! How would you know... Oh, it's Kuma. Why haven't you turned to the dark side yet?
How tragic could one person be?
"In any case, if something really happens, don't I still have my undead? Don't worry too much about it," Reiner said softly.
Nami, Chopper, and Usopp stepped forward and patted his shoulder, acting as if it had nothing to do with them and wanting to distance themselves, saying:
"Mm, then we'll leave it to you."
"That guy, sounds really strong," Zoro's eyes burned.
This was already his instinctive reaction; every time he heard of a strong person, he couldn't help but be eager to try.
"Can you not think about fighting every expert you meet?"
Reiner rolled his eyes at him. "Aren't you afraid your iron head will get smashed one day?"
"You're wrong. He doesn't have a head, he's clearly a clump of seaweed. One day he'll be uprooted," Sanji mocked coldly.
"Exactly, exactly!"
"Battle maniac."
"Directionally challenged swordsman."
"You guys! Bastards..."
Zoro gritted his teeth. Faced with this condemnation from the entire crew, he could only endure it unhappily.
At this time, Kuma stood on the giant ship's helm, his gaze fixed on Luffy and Moria fighting below.
"Is it a trap or..."
He looked back at the Warlord invitation letter in his hand, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
When he came, the order from the Five Elders was that if Moria failed, he could try to invite the Straw Hat crew to take the former's place and become the new Warlords of the Sea.
If they accepted, he would kill Moria. If they refused, he would directly move to eliminate the Straw Hat crew.
When he heard this order, Kuma was incredibly shocked. After all, Luffy and his crew had done many major things that had caused headaches for the World Government.
The Alabasta incident was one thing; a legal pirate recognized by the World Government actually plotting against a member nation of the World Government. This scandal was quickly covered up.
But the Enies Lobby incident had long since spread, appearing in newspapers and becoming a household name in recent days.
Clearly, their crew was now considered a major criminal organization in the eyes of the World Government. Logically, Luffy was unlikely to receive a Warlord invitation.
What's more...
Luffy's identity was that of the son of the revolutionary leader. This made it even more impossible for him to receive a Warlord invitation.
"Your son is really something else, Dragon," Kuma couldn't help but sigh, looking at the invitation letter in his hand.
There was likely only one reason why the World Government would issue such an invitation: at this critical juncture, they valued and needed the strength of their crew.
The World Government was planning some major event!
After Crocodile's defeat, the vacant position had already been filled.
The one who had just defeated Portgas D. Ace and captured him alive to trade for the position of Warlord – Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach!
And the major event the World Government was planning seemed to be related to Ace!
"Whitebeard's second division commander..."
Kuma's tone was low as he looked up at the bright moon in the sky. "I'm afraid a war is coming."
After coming here and seeing it with his own eyes, he also understood why the World Government would want to win over the Straw Hat crew.
Their strength was indeed beyond everyone's expectations, especially that Black Snake Reiner. After seeing him make a few simple moves, he knew this person was extremely strong.
But even if they accepted the Warlord position now, after the World Government finished using them in the future, they would probably be secretly eliminated, and then Luffy's identity would be made public.
Crumple~~
The Warlord invitation was crumpled into a ball by Kuma. His gaze once again fell upon the battlefield below, which was filled with rubble and resembled ruins.
An arm steaming with white smoke became a blur of afterimages, a storm of blows hammering the black figure before it, splattering globs of black, mud-like substance.
Pap! Pap! Pap!
Doppelman dispersed like ink, revealing Moria's real body behind it, looking disheveled. He clenched his slender arms into fists and smashed down through the black shadow.
Bang!!
Luffy met him with a punch of his own. A violent sound instantly exploded, and a powerful wave of air pressure out.
"For a skinny monkey, where does this astonishing brute strength come from?"
Moria was secretly alarmed. He staggered back a few steps, completely shocked by the power Luffy displayed.
The clumps of black shadow floating in the air now condensed into countless sharp blades, which, under his control, stabbed down at his opponent.
"Shadow's Pointed Blade!"
The sharp, pitch-black blades were deep and dark. Luffy, however, relying on incredible core strength, twisted his body like a noodle into a bizarre posture to avoid them.
"Of course, it's because I've trained my body well since I was little! After all, I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!"
As the blades flew past his body, Luffy quickly whipped out his foot, lashing it towards Moria's waist like a whip.
"Rubber Jet Whip!"
The red-hot leg whistled through the air. Just as it was about to strike...
The opponent's body actually began to twist bizarrely, just like his own rubber body!
"The one who becomes Pirate King should be me! Shadow Revolution!!"
Moria arched his back, and his entire obese abdomen instantly twisted backward, becoming as thin as paper, dodging the rapidly lashing leg whip.
Shadow Revolution – using the characteristic that the shadow and the master are one, he controls his own shadow to deform, which in turn affects his real body!
"What is this!"
Bang!
Although Luffy was shocked, he still subconsciously threw a punch. The opponent's face, which had moved closer due to his bending over, was immediately hit.
Moria's head was instantly thrown back, blood flying from his nose. His eyes hardened as he gritted his teeth and kicked out with his wide foot.
Bang!
Luffy crossed his arms to block and was pushed back several meters by the impact, his feet scraping two lines on the ground.
However, ordinary blows couldn't cause him any harm. After stabilizing himself, he immediately disappeared from his spot and rushed forward again.
"Damn rubber man! Doppelman!"
A shadow identical to him condensed from the black shadow at Moria's feet. The two massive figures surrounded him as he charged in.
The real body's five fingers tore down like claws, while Doppelman directly transformed its hands into sharp blades, hacking, thrusting, and slashing at him without any pattern.
Luffy's figure was incredibly agile, weaving and dodging through the continuous attacks, occasionally countering with a punch or a kick.
He did a backflip off his hands, dodging two horizontal slashes, one high and one low.
Bang!
He kicked away Moria's swinging arm and shot out his right fist, striking the opponent's face.
"This level is far worse than that pigeon bastard." Luffy grinned.
When he fought Lucci before, the strength and speed the opponent displayed were no weaker than his own in Gear Second.
That agile movement and superb combat skills had made it difficult for him to handle.
In comparison, Moria was just a bit strong.
Although that shadow's weird moves were a bit tricky, its movements were too sluggish, and it wasn't hard for him to deal with.
"Aaaah! Damn monkey!" Moria shrieked.
His current fighting skills couldn't keep up with his opponent at all; he could only barely cope by relying on his shadow's various tricks.
"Scattering Bats!"
Doppelman autonomously dispersed into a scattered black shadow. At almost point-blank range, it was difficult for Luffy to dodge the dense swarm of bats.
"—Hiss!"
Several bats opened their mouths and sank their sharp fangs into his body. Luffy paused for a moment in pain.
His gaze focused. He endured the pain and stretched out his arms.
After wrapping them around Moria, he exerted force suddenly, and the massive body was actually lifted right up.
"Rubber Jet Shoulder Throw!!"
Bang!!!
Luffy gritted his teeth, veins popping on his forehead. He swung his hands and slammed the opponent headfirst into the ground in a pile driver!
The hard ground was smashed to pieces, cracks spreading out like a spiderweb!
"Puwaah!!"
Under the huge impact, Moria's thick neck compressed into a lump like a spring.
He couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolling back as he nearly lost consciousness.
Rage instantly flooded his heart. Under this impulse, a hesitant thought immediately became firm.
"Shadow Box!!"
The few bats biting Luffy melted like water, turning into thin black snakes that coiled around his body, binding him tightly.
He was just about to exert force to break free when the other bats instantly swarmed up, covering his body and then condensing like a pool of black mud.
In the blink of an eye, a black box had trapped Luffy. Moria kicked the Shadow Box away with one foot and then immediately fled in the opposite direction.
"You bastard! Let me out!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The square Shadow Box was bombarded with fist imprints. In the blink of an eye, a hole was broken open, and a red figure jumped out.
Luffy's eyes were wide with anger. He spread his legs, squatted down, and pushed off, flying out at extreme speed.
"I knew I couldn't hold you! But it's too late! Shadow Warrior!" Moria let out a savage laugh.
Just as Luffy rushed before him, he immediately swapped places with Doppelman and then dispelled it.
"Shadows Asgard!!"
Countless black shadows, like long snakes, erupted from beneath his feet, instantly spreading out across the island from him as the center!
"Those are the zombies I painstakingly created, cutting shadow after shadow, placing them into corpse after corpse!"
Moria roared ferociously. Clumps of black shadow clung to the ground, beginning to wriggle and surge into his body.
"To be able to force me to this extent, you can already be proud, Straw Hat! Now, die with that pride! The only one who will become the Pirate King is me!!"
"I'm not going to die, you big onion-head! I'll never give the title of Pirate King to you!!" Luffy roared back at him.
"Arrogant little brat! Don't be so conceited!"
As the shadows continuously poured in, Moria's figure began to swell, and his voice gradually became hoarse.
"What's going on?!"
Looking at Moria's transformation, Nami's brow furrowed tightly.
In the distance, some previously defeated zombies were being stuck to by a black shadow, and then a pitch-black substance seemed to be pulled out, flowing along the shadow line towards Moria.
"That should be the shadows," Robin mused.
All the struggling zombies on the ground then became motionless, returning to the silence that corpses should have.
"After the shadows are extracted, the zombies are just simple corpses. However..."
Robin looked again at the swelling Moria. "To think he can use shadows to strengthen himself. He's almost like a giant."
"I'm more curious about another point."
Reiner suddenly spoke. "From the previous zombies, the shadows should have only inherited the original owner's personality and combat skills."
"The strength should rely on the corpse itself. How is it that after absorbing these shadows, he can also receive a power boost?"
"He's a Devil Fruit user, so no matter how magical it is, I think it's normal. After all, even the dead can be resurrected," Zoro said faintly, involuntarily turning to look at the skeleton beside him.
"Yohohohoho~~" Brook just chuckled in response.
"How ugly."
Looking at the bloated, massive figure below, Reiner couldn't help but think of a certain toad evil god.
"Kishishishishi! How exhilarating! It feels like I have endless power now! Straw Hat, what will you use to stop me!"
Moria's expression was crazed. His thick neck had become incredibly fat, connecting with the body below like a gourd.
He bared his sharp teeth and chopped down with his palm.
The massive arm seemed slow but was actually extremely fast, slashing down like a great sword.
However, Luffy pushed off with his feet and dodged with even more agile movements.
Boom!!!
The moment the immense force landed, the entire ground was instantly split open, forming a massive fissure!
The entire Thriller Bark shook violently. The deep chasm rapidly spread towards the forest, like an invisible great sword about to cleave the entire island in two!
Rumble!
"This is... too terrifying!"
The sudden earthquake-like shaking made the group unsteady. The exaggerated power made them look on in terror.
"No Haki, no special techniques, just pure brute force can achieve this. This is even more absurd than your two giant undead," Zoro couldn't help but say gravely.
Reiner stared intently below without a word, his silent response already confirming the answer.
Luffy, having dodged the attack at high speed, flashed in front of the opponent.
"Rubber Jet Bazooka!!"
Bang!!
His palms together, arms stretched far behind him, an angry blow slammed viciously into his abdomen!
"Urk!!"
Like a pebble dropping into a calm lake, ripples spread across Moria's flesh. His pupils rolled up, showing the whites of his eyes.
From his mouth, several shadows struggled between his two rows of sharp teeth, desperately trying to escape.
"Such a massive body is just like a target!" Luffy's gaze was sharp as a hawk's as he unleashed a flurry of fists!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Rubber Jet Gatling!!"
Like a torrential downpour beating on a water surface, countless fists struck the opponent's neck, each punch sinking into the flesh!
"Don't run! Come back to me, come back, my shadows!!"
Moria tilted his head back and roared savagely. A large number of shadows struggled out of his mouth and flew away.
He ignored the enemy below him, instead looking frenzied, constantly trying to catch the fleeing shadows and stuff them back into his mouth.
Suddenly, Moria, who had been constantly reaching out to catch shadows, turned his head again, his eyes filled with malice as he smashed his fists down at Luffy one after another.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Die, Straw Hat! Die, die, die!!"
The entire island shook continuously. The ground was smashed to pieces, kicking up clouds of dust that filled the sky.
His fists were without any pattern. The moment he saw Luffy's figure appear, he would smash down at him.
Once Luffy's figure disappeared into the dust, he would just swing wildly and frantically.
"Has he lost his mind..."
Behind Moria, Luffy looked at his opponent with a grave expression. "What's the use of power that you can't even control? It's time to end this."
He spread his legs and rushed forward, using Moria's body to constantly jump, soon arriving above his head, and then pushing off forcefully to fly high into the sky.
He raised his hand, bit his thumb, and took a sharp breath, blowing into his arm. His right hand, burning red and steaming with white vapor, began to expand.
"Bone Balloon!!"
Luffy's eyes were resolute. He dragged his massive, thick arm as he rapidly descended, bent his thumb, and spread his palm, four fingers together.
"Rubber Jet Giant's Palm!!"
Bang!!!
A massive palm descended from the sky, carrying the force of a thunderbolt as it slammed down on Moria!
This blow pressed down on his head, viciously driving him into the ground from above!
His demon-like face was twisted beyond recognition. The ground was heavily crushed, leaving a palm print.
Boom!!!
Moria's massive body crashed to the ground, and a large area of ruins was crushed to pieces.
"...Ho... how."
His entire head was deeply embedded in the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices, his eyes rolled back. His bloated, air-filled body began to shrink continuously.
Countless black shadows shot up into the sky like a black pillar, gushing out in all directions like a fountain, then streaked across the sky and fell into the forest.
—Swoosh!
Luffy, in the air like a deflating balloon, spiraled outwards, his body gradually becoming smaller.
Flap!
A falcon swooped past. A large hand grabbed his foot, holding him upside down.
"Blegh~~, I'm so tired~~"
Luffy's face was long, his tongue hanging out, looking half-dead.
"Well, time to go back and eat some meat."
Reiner looked at the chibi Luffy in his hand with a smile, tossed him onto the falcon's back, and took him back.
On the way, he couldn't help but glance back at Moria, who was lying motionless on the ground.
He was once a man who challenged a Yonko, yet now he could only hide in this sea, secretly creating zombies, attempting to take revenge on Kaido with a zombie army.
To say his will wasn't firm... he was able to step into the New World and come face to face with a Yonko back then.
After being defeated and losing all his comrades, most people would probably break down after experiencing such a thing.
Though, it had nothing to do with him.
"The sea realizes all fantasies, yet it is also so cruel."
Reiner turned his head back. The falcon carried them towards Nami and the others.
The light of dawn pierced through the thick fog. For the first time in a long time, Thriller Bark welcomed a day with sun.
(End of chapter)
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