Instant Kill Gecko Moria

"Kishishishi~ Doflamingo, I never expected the renowned Heavenly Yaksha to actually obey the orders of the Marines. Kishishishi~"

Before Zhu Mang's ship had even docked, they saw a strange man standing on the shore—a man with a round, bloated belly and a long, thick neck, resembling a giant garlic bulb.

"Fufufu~ So it's Moria. I heard you were defeated by a bunch of rookie pirates. As a disgrace to the Shichibukai, do you really have the nerve to come here and make a fool of yourself?" Doflamingo retorted with unbridled mockery.

Gecko Moria's face turned black with rage. He seemed to channel the power of his Shadow-Shadow Fruit, as if he were about to launch an attack on Doflamingo right then and there.

However, he was well aware of Doflamingo's strength.

Though he hated to admit it, this guy was indeed stronger than him.

Doflamingo could thrive in the New World, unlike himself, who could only play around in Paradise.

Furthermore, the only reason he had agreed to follow the World Government's orders and assist the Marines this time was because he had lost so many shadows and corpses in his previous battle against Straw Hat Luffy.

He intended to use this unprecedented war as an opportunity to collect more powerful Marine or pirate corpses and steal enough shadows to rebuild his Zombie Army back home.

For now, his goal remained unachieved; this was not the time to get into a major conflict with Doflamingo.

However...

As a member of the Shichibukai, Gecko Moria felt he had his pride to maintain.

His eyes darted around until they landed on the man lying on a lounge chair behind Doflamingo, a man who wasn't wearing a Marine uniform.

"Doflamingo, this must be one of your family members, right? Kishishishi~"

Whoosh!

As he spoke, the shadow cast upon the deck by the setting sun began to writhe violently. It suddenly leaped up, taking on a physical form, and lunged toward Zhu Mang's hand.

"Hm?" Zhu Mang raised an eyebrow and shifted his body slightly, easily dodging the shadow's sneak attack.

Gecko Moria was somewhat surprised; he hadn't expected this person brought by Doflamingo to be so capable.

But then again, as a subordinate of a Shichibukai, having some skill was to be expected.

Just as he prepared to launch another shadow attack, several voices rang out in unison.

"Enough, Gecko Moria! Stop!" It was an elderly woman in a Marine uniform who had hurried over.

"Gecko Moria, how dare you be so insolent!" Doflamingo's face turned livid. He threw his hands open, unleashing countless strings that coiled toward the figure standing on the shore.

However, at that very same moment.

Swish!

A figure appeared directly above Gecko Moria as if he had teleported.

Zhu Mang spread his five fingers and looked down at the giant garlic-headed man: "You're the one who attacked me, right?"

"Kishishishi, so what if I did?" Gecko Moria was surprised by Zhu Mang's speed, but he remained unperturbed.

He didn't believe that Doflamingo would dare escalate things, even if he himself didn't.

Besides, Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marine Headquarters Chief of Staff responsible for receiving the Shichibukai, and Admiral Aokiji were both nearby. He...

BOOM!

A dazzling beam of energy erupted from Zhu Mang's palm, instantly engulfing Gecko Moria's body.

The section of the coastline beneath him—which had only just been reinforced with thick iron plating—vanished along with him. The ground within a five-meter radius of where Gecko Moria had been standing disappeared entirely in that single instant.

"Phew."

Zhu Mang retracted his palm and blew lightly at the non-existent dust on his hand.

"How was that? A 'small' lesson for you. Remember to keep your eyes open when picking your opponents in your next life."

"What's going on? What happened?"

"Was that an earthquake?"

"Has Whitebeard attacked?"

"Defend! Get into defensive positions!"

At the same time, the entire island of Marineford shook to varying degrees due to the impact of Zhu Mang's casual strike.

The Marine soldiers already on high alert for the war fell into a state of panic, having no idea what had occurred.

Some scrambled to find their weapons.

Others rushed to the batteries, ready to open fire at a moment's notice.

The few who had been nearby and witnessed the entire process wore expressions of shock.

Vice Admiral Tsuru stared at Zhu Mang with a scrutinizing gaze, her hands slightly curled. It seemed that if Zhu Mang made any further move, she would unleash the power of her mysterious Wash-Wash Fruit to engage him.

Standing beside her were two others. One was a man significantly taller than her, with an eye mask perched on his forehead.

He was Marine Headquarters Admiral Aokiji, Kuzan, a user of the Ice-Ice Fruit and one of the highest combat powers in the current Marine force.

He had originally come with Vice Admiral Tsuru to welcome the Shichibukai and give them a warning to ensure they wouldn't cause trouble on the battlefield and would follow orders.

He had assumed he was just going through the motions, with Vice Admiral Tsuru taking the lead.

He never expected something like this to happen!

Gecko Moria, one of the Shichibukai, had been killed in a single blow by a long-tailed man brought along by Doflamingo!

Their Observation Haki told them that there was absolutely no trace of Gecko Moria's presence left within that massive crater.

He was dead, beyond any shadow of a doubt!

Walking on the other side of the pair was a swordsman wearing Gothic attire with a massive black blade strapped to his back, possessing a pair of slender, sharp eyes like a hawk's.

Shichibukai, Hawkeye Dracule Mihawk!

The world's greatest swordsman!

Just moments ago, Vice Admiral Tsuru and Aokiji had finished taking Gecko Moria off the ship before heading over to pick up Hawkeye Mihawk. Upon receiving notification that the Heavenly Yaksha's ship had also reached the coast, they brought Hawkeye Mihawk along, intending to escort all three of them inside together.

The result...

At this moment, Hawkeye Mihawk opened those hawk-like eyes of his, staring intently at Zhu Mang, who was hovering in mid-air without using any technique, and then at the crater on the ground that still seemed to be radiating heat.

No one knew what he was calculating.

"Ara ara, Doflamingo, are you trying to declare war on the Navy?" Aokiji pushed his eye mask up onto his forehead. His gaze had turned as sharp as Hawkeye's, and wisps of cold air began to emanate from his hands and arms.

This was the precursor to the activation of the Ice-Ice Fruit.

"Fufufu~ wasn't it that idiot Gecko Moria who provoked him first?"

"Doflamingo, this handsome gentleman is..." Vice Admiral Tsuru was clearly much more level-headed than Aokiji. She was not aggressive, and there wasn't a hint of dissatisfaction in her tone. Aside from her physical guard, she seemed entirely indifferent to what Zhu Mang had just done.

"This is Lord Gebinz, the most distinguished guest of our Donquixote Family," Doflamingo said, lowering his posture to make the introduction.

However, his words played a small trick; he subtly pointed out that this man belonged to the Donquixote Family, so they shouldn't even think about trying to recruit him.

At the same time, he also expressed his loyalty to Zhu Mang.