Shadow's Asgard, Defeat Once More

'We've arrived at the Thriller Bark? Good,'

'Have you informed Moria about the newly appointed Shichibukai and warned him not to contact the Straw Hat crew?'

Bartholomew Kuma, who was silently watching from the sidelines, held a tiny Den Den Mushi in his hand, mimicking the voice on the other end.

"It's no longer necessary."

?

Upon hearing Bartholomew Kuma's reply, the Den Den Mushi was taken aback for a moment before realizing what was happening.

'Moria has already clashed with the Straw Hat crew?'

"Yes,"

'How is the battle going?'

When asked by the Den Den Mushi, the tall bear looked up and calmly glanced at the battlefield.

"Good, the shadows are being held back, let's go!"

With the Straw Hat crew members locked in a fierce battle with Moria's summoned shadows, Roman, no longer holding back, unleashed his full power with a flick of his longsword, which was imbued with Armament Haki.

"Three-Sword Style: Hundred and Eight Calamity Phoenix!"

Zoro, wielding his three Famous Swords, broke through the encirclement of shadows and charged forward. Not to be outdone, he spun his three swords like wheels, unleashing three Flying Slash that resembled phoenixes spreading their wings, hurtling towards Moria in mid-air.

"Gomu Gomu no Jet Rocket!"

In Gear Second Gear, Luffy flashed forward, his two arms extending backward like tiger claws, slamming out and creating rings of blazing white air.

The Straw Hat crew's three main fighters almost simultaneously converged and launched a counterattack, their momentum several times stronger than when they first clashed and Moria was forced to hastily parry!

Although Moria used his Devil Fruit ability quite well and even had the 'Shadow Illusion' to teleport his clones during battles, his bulky main body was always a huge burden.

In addition, he had just split his 'Shadow Illusion' into a swarm of bats to force the Straw Hat crew away, which prevented him from using his 'Shadow Dancer' ability to escape in time. As a result, Roman, Zoro, Luffy's killing moves all hit their target!

"Plop—"

Amidst the rising and falling sword energy, the whistling of blades, and the explosive sounds of fists, Moria coughed up a mouthful of blood. At the same time, Roman's sword energy and Zoro's blade energy struck his round belly simultaneously, instantly leaving him covered in wounds and in a sorry state!

What is the actual situation of the battle?

Bartholomew Kuma calmly answered the second question from the Den Den Mushi in his hand.

"Moria was surrounded and seriously injured by the Straw Hat crew."

?!

'Then why don't you hurry up and help!'

The people on the other end of the Den Den Mushi were utterly speechless. Did they think we sent you there just to give a live broadcast of "how the Straw Hat crew take down the second Shichibukai"?

Is your head made of steel too...?

"Moria is preparing to use 'that move'."

'...Let's wait and see—hopefully that guy won't tarnish the reputation of Shichibukai!'

"Huff, huff, huff~~~"

With Moria reduced to low health after this burst of damage, the Straw Hat crew also stopped to recover.

It wasn't that they didn't want to pursue, but this kind of high-intensity life-or-death battle was extremely exhausting. Even Luffy had to deactivate his 'Second Gear' and was panting with his hands supporting his knees.

Besides, in a one-on-one fight, the current Straw Hat crew is no match for Moria. —Unless he roars and instantly unleashes a power-up...

Hehehehe~~

Clutching the wound Roman had inflicted on his waist, Moria's eyes... how to put it? Jealousy, resentment, and longing mixed together?

"You're Captain Straw Hat Luffy?"

After all, they were a 'star' pirate crew that suddenly rose to fame this year, and Moria, as the Navy's 'watchdog,' naturally recognized the people in front of him.

His gaze swept over the three people in front of him in turn:

Luffy with his Straw Hat, Zoro with his Three-Sword Style, and Roman in full armor—all are 'Supernovas' with bounties exceeding 100 million!

"Although you have a few capable henchmen, you will never reach the New World!"

You will lose them eventually!

Moria's eyes gradually turned despair and madness.

"I once had a group of subordinates who were both highly capable and had excellent reputations, but I lost them all—"

"What is this guy saying?"

In response to Zoro's sarcastic remark, Roman shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe people just like to reminisce about the past when they get old?"

"Because they are alive, that's why they lose!!"

As if suddenly driven mad, Moria opened his arms, and shadows shot out from all directions along the ground! Under the watchful eyes of the Straw Hat crew, these shadows did not transform into weapons again, but instead surged into Moria's body.

"Come on—Shadow Gathering Place!"

"Oh no, stop him!"

Amidst Lola's shouts protecting Nami and the others, Moria was rapidly expanding.

Ten meters!

Fifteen meters!

More than 20 meters!

Previously just a tiny seven-meter-tall giant, he had now become a true giant! As his shadow was continuously absorbed, Moria's size and strength increased rapidly! When he could no longer suppress his surging power and slammed his fist into the ground:

Rumble, rumble—!!

A fist as massive as a house crashed down, shattering the solid ground like a crunchy biscuit before Moria! The shockwave and tremors spread wildly in all directions, uprooting forests and collapsing buildings! Huge chunks of rock were sprayed outwards from where the fist landed. It was like the end of the world!

Click click click!

A kilometer-long fissure... or rather, a canyon splitting open, and the world's largest ship: a Thriller Bark that occupies an entire island, groaned and trembled! It seemed as if it would collapse into Four-Point Separation at any moment.

"See? This is my true power!!"

"Invincible power!!"

Moria, now transformed into a terrifying, bloated 'giant,' roared to the sky.

"What do you little brats know? How dare you go against the Shichibukai? I'll kill your comrades and teach you a lesson in defeat—"

"Enough!!"

Luffy interrupted Moria's frantic rant, placing one hand on the ground.

"I don't want to play with a lunatic like you who's lost his buddies anymore!"

"That's right,"

Roman stepped forward and Luffy between Moria and the Straw Hat crew, alongside Luffy.

"No one here will die today. Unlike you—we won't lose a single comrade!"

——!

"Then let's start with you!"

With a thunderous roar, Moria inhaled and his entire body seemed to swell even larger. His fist, as massive as a large building, slammed down heavily towards Roman, who was standing in front of him, with an overwhelming pressure!

Boom!!

With a deafening roar, the ground beneath our feet trembled violently as if possessed!

The rest of the Straw Hat crew nearby were thrown high into the air by the force of the punch, as if the world had lost its weight. Moria's entire fist was embedded in the ground. The power of that punch was such that even Elite Vice Admiral -on, let alone the Straw Hat crew! However:

Pfft!

A flash of white light, and a large spurt of blood erupted from Moria's massive fist. While it didn't cause much damage to the currently gigantic Moria, the humiliation was immense! He had just boasted of killing his opponent, and now he'd been struck by a sword...

"You--"

Splash splash~~

Before the gigantic Moria was Roman, whose upper body remained in the form of a sword-wielding human, while his lower body transformed into fluttering white paper.

"It's just Elementalization."

Roman's gaze, hidden beneath his helmet, calmly fixed on Moria.

"No matter how strong you are, you can't hurt me who can split into pieces like paper!" This simple, violent attack sent Roman flying 'automatically' before the fist even landed.

?!

"Hello--"

Just as Moria was in shock, Luffy's voice came from below.

Steaming from his body, Luffy, who had 'expanded' to the height of an 'Admiral' Luffy, simultaneously activated 'Second Gear' and 'Third Gear'! If it weren't for the presence of Advanced Armament Haki, it would have looked quite like the prototype of his later 'Fourth Gear'.

"Gum-Gum Jet Stamp!"

As Luffy a powerful punch, the terrifying force slammed into Moria's gigantic belly, causing his massive body to jerk backward! At the same time, a flash of white light appeared again, and Roman instantly left a long gash on Moria's shoulder.

"You... pfft... these... pfft..."

Amidst cries of shock and rage, one dark shadow after another escaped from Moria's mouth! Clearly, he could no longer control such immense power.

Luffy, who can greatly reduce blunt force damage, and Roman, who can dodge by Elementalization, are helpless against Moria, who has long lost his Armament Haki. He can only swing his fists in vain, repeatedly inflicting damage on the two of them with his immense strength!

"Two-Sword Style - Seventy-two troubles of the phoenix!"

"Storm Kick - Three-Point Cut!"

"Ultimate Move - Firebird Star!"

"Weapon in the left hand!"

"Discharge!"

Although the giant Moria was too dangerous, and the rest of the Straw Hat crew, lacking Roman 'Luffy special abilities, dared not approach him, various ranged attacks still flew towards Moria from all directions! Except for:

"Oh dear, it seems that only my little boat doctor and I lack ranged attack capabilities..."

Robin's Flower Flower Devil Fruit ability is actually a 'ranged attack' ability, but unfortunately it was no longer useful against the gigantic Moria.

"Sorry, I also..."

"Don't be discouraged,"

Nami comforted Chopper was intermittently bombarding him with lightning.

"Anyway, our abilities are pretty useless against such a giant enemy. —Why don't you throw a few rocks at it?"

"In Roman's words, it's just about getting an 'assist'..."

'Has Moria still not dealt with the Straw Hat crew?'

Faced with the impatient questions from the Den Den Mushi, Bartholomew Kuma thought about it seriously for a moment.

"Moria was quickly dealt with by the Straw Hat crew."

????