The Meeting of Shadow and Light!

The latter half of the Grand Line.

The third island on the second route through the New World was a winter snow island called the White Asia Three Islands.

It had three main islands arranged in a triangular formation, along with several tiny islets that could hold fewer than a hundred people.

It was also the third island on the first route, so pirates from both routes often encountered each other here and fought.

The victors continued onward, while the defeated sank into the sea with their ships.

Thus, the most common sights here were shipwrecks and corpses impaled on wooden stakes and left to dry on the beach.

At that moment, on the easternmost of the three large islands.

Twenty strange beings occupied the place, each with twin horns on their heads, mouths full of fangs, and bodies over six meters tall.

Murderous intent radiated from them as they stomped through the blood and wandered among the corpses strewn across the ground.

Whenever they occasionally heard a weak, dying sound.

They would walk over without a word and crush the victim's chest beneath one foot, putting them out of their misery.

"Moria! You'll die a horrible death! You'll never have a good ending!"

"It won't be long. Cough, cough... It won't be long before trash like you reports to the Underworld too!"

Temple's hands were tied behind his back as he knelt in the bloodstained snow.

Enduring the pain of his battered body by sheer force of will.

His eyes reddened and soaked with tears, he wildly hurled curses at the man before him.

Just moments ago, the companions he had spent years living alongside had been slaughtered one by one by these foreign bastards from the Moonlight Pirates.

"Hehehehe~"

The lean, lanky Moria sat atop the sturdiest corpse.

A long blade over three meters in length stood embedded in the ground at his right.

Seeing the other man's hysterical state, he flashed a wide, fanged grin.

"Ugly. How very ugly. Captain Temple of the War Elephant Pirates, you're a well-known pirate with a bounty of sixty-seven million Beli. Can't you maintain a little dignity?"

But Captain Temple had long since fallen into Despair. Knowing he was bound to die, he did not care what Moria said. He only wanted to use what little time he had left to curse him a few more times.

"Eh, how boring. I thought you were someone special."

Moria rose with a disappointed look, casually gripped the hilt of his sword, and pulled it from the ground. Looking up at the bright sun, he smiled.

"Still, I admire the bond between you and your companions. Pirate crews like yours are rare, so I've decided to give you a magnificent death. It'll definitely be more beautiful than the death of One Piece, Roger."

"Wow, Captain's doing Light Burial again!"

"Hahahaha, now this is interesting! No matter how many times we've seen it, it always makes us look forward to it!"

The Moonlight Pirates' crew gathered around ten meters directly in front of Captain Temple, their excited eyes wide as they waited for something to happen.

"Y-You! What are you going to do?!"

Captain Temple was both shocked and furious to see them watching him like spectators at a clown show. At the same time, a towering shadow fell over him from behind.

His heart sank, and he understood that his end had come.

Is he going to cut off my head from behind?

Just then, Moria's great blade slashed down.

The sharp whistle of it cutting through the air made Captain Temple close his eyes in resignation as he thought:

Maybe this is for the best. My companions only just died. I should be able to catch up with them on the road to the Underworld—

Yet one second, two seconds, three seconds seemed to pass in the darkness, and he felt no pain at all.

After about ten seconds, he opened his eyes in confusion.

"I'm still alive?"

"Hehehehe~ Experience the scorching heat of sunlight, Captain Temple of the War Elephant Pirates!"

Moonlight Moria stepped one pace to the right behind him.

Captain Temple, still kneeling on the ground, immediately noticed that the large shadow before him had disappeared.

[Whoosh----]

Before he could react, an intense burning sensation erupted across his back as if he had been set on fire, then spread throughout his entire body.

The cold sunlight spilling down from the sky had, at this moment, become the most cruel punishment.

"AAAAAAAH!"

A shrill scream suddenly rang out.

Moonlight Moria held the freshly severed black shadow in his left hand.

He watched excitedly as Captain Temple slowly turned to ash beneath the sunlight.

"It's starting, it's starting, it's starting!"

"Hahahaha, this show is so good!"

His fellow tribesmen danced about excitedly, occasionally hopping into the air.

Once Captain Temple's form had completely vanished, the shadow in Moria's hand disappeared as well. He was not surprised in the slightest.

Even when separated, a shadow and its physical body retained a certain connection.

When the physical body changed, the shadow would undergo a corresponding change.

Therefore, once the body had turned to ash, the shadow naturally ceased to exist as well.

"Eh, we should've tried to capture them alive and let the entire crew enjoy Light Burial together. That would've been an even better sight!"

An Oni Tribe crewman from the Moonlight Pirates grinned broadly.

"The dead ones would've worked too, but Captain doesn't like cutting off dead people's shadows."

"What's the point of watching dead people turn to ash? Their screams before death are the most appealing part!"

As the towering men began chattering away, Moonlight Moria laughed and cursed at them.

"You bastards, hurry up and search their ship! Move anything useful or edible onto our ship!"

"And toss all these corpses into the sea. Consider it a feast for the fish!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Come on, come on! Let's go see what's up there!"

"It'd be great if they had booze. We don't need meat, though. There's already a pile of Sea King meat on the ship—enough to eat."

Moonlight Moria watched them run eagerly toward the War Elephant Pirates' ship, then turned in high spirits and headed toward his own pirate ship.

Today's sunlight was far too bright for him, making him uncomfortable. He still preferred dark environments, though watching a magnificent Light Burial every now and then was not a bad show.

"Oh~ I finally found you, Moonlight Moria, with a bounty of one hundred and twenty million Beli~"

Suddenly, a drawn-out voice that sounded exceptionally lazy and relaxed came from behind him.

Moria hurriedly turned around, sword in hand, on guard.

At the same time, he watched a brilliant golden flash transform into a figure roughly half his height not far away.

The man wore a black gentleman's hat and a bright yellow suit beneath it.

Most importantly, the white Coat of Justice draped over him fluttered gently in the wind and snow.

"A Marine?"

Moonlight Moria's expression darkened. "That ability you just used was a Logia, wasn't it? You're the newly promoted Admiral candidate, Kizaru?"

"Eh~ Impressive. You guessed it right away~"

Borsalino put on a surprised expression, then casually asked:

"Since that's the case, how about you come with me quietly? My mission can end sooner, and you'll suffer a little less too."

"Hehehehe— I don't know why you Marines are targeting me, but since you've appeared before me, let's see the strength of a top-tier Logia!"

Moonlight Moria sneered, exposing a mouthful of sharp fangs.

His eyes brimmed with malice as he stared at Borsalino, while the long blade in his hand seemed eager to strike.

"What a bother~ I knew it wouldn't be that easy." Borsalino removed his gentleman's hat with a troubled expression and tucked it into the pocket of his coat.

The next instant, he appeared directly in front of Moonlight Moria.

At the same time, golden light shone into the latter's face and eyes.

The intense glare forced him to close his eyes instinctively, but a light, airy question drifted into his ears.

"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light~~?"

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