Instantly Killing Gecko Moria

"Heh heh heh~ Doflamingo, I never thought the renowned Heavenly Yaksha would obey the Navy's orders. Heh heh heh~"

Before Zhu Mang and Doflamingo's ship had even docked, they saw a strange man standing onshore, with a round belly, a long thick neck, and a garlic-shaped head.

"Fufufu~ So it's Moria. I heard you were defeated by a bunch of rookie pirates. A disgrace to the Shichibukai like you still dares to come here and make a fool of himself?" Doflamingo mocked him without mercy.

Gecko Moria's face immediately darkened with rage, as though he had activated the power of his Shadow-Shadow Fruit and was about to attack Doflamingo.

However, he still knew something of Doflamingo's strength.

Though he did not want to admit it, that guy really was stronger than him.

Doflamingo could thrive even in the New World, unlike him, who could only fool around in Paradise.

Moreover, the main reason he had obeyed the World Government's orders to help the Navy this time was that he had lost too many shadows and corpses in his previous battle with Straw Hat Luffy.

So he planned to use this unprecedented war as an opportunity to gather more corpses of powerful Marines or pirates, steal some shadows, and return to rebuild his Zombie Army.

His objective had yet to be achieved. This was not the time to start a major conflict with Doflamingo.

Still...

As one of the Shichibukai, Gecko Moria believed he had his pride to uphold.

His eyes rolled as he fixed them on the man lying in the recliner behind Doflamingo, a man who was not wearing a Marine uniform.

"Doflamingo, this is one of your family members, right? Heh heh heh~"

Whoosh!

As his words fell, the shadow cast across the deck by the setting sun began to writhe wildly. It then leaped up, becoming almost tangible as it reached for Zhu Mang.

"Hm?" Zhu Mang raised a brow and shifted sideways slightly, easily evading the shadow's sneak attack.

Gecko Moria was somewhat surprised. He had not expected the man Doflamingo brought along to be so capable.

Still, as a Shichibukai's subordinate, it was only natural for him to have some skill.

Just as he was about to launch another shadow attack, several voices rang out at once.

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

"Gecko Moria, how dare you!" Doflamingo's face turned livid. He spread his hands, unleashing countless threads that lashed toward Gecko Moria on the shore.

Yet at the same time—

Whoosh!

A figure appeared directly above Gecko Moria as if teleporting.

Zhu Mang spread his fingers and looked at the scallion-headed man before him. "You're the one who attacked me, right?"

"Heh heh heh, so what if I was?" Though Gecko Moria was startled by Zhu Mang's speed, he was not flustered.

He did not believe that if he himself dared not make a big deal of this, Doflamingo would dare to.

Besides, Vice Admiral Tsuru, the chief strategist of Marine Headquarters responsible for receiving the Shichibukai, as well as Admiral Aokiji, had both arrived nearby. He...

Boom!

A dazzling beam of energy burst from Zhu Mang's palm, directly swallowing Gecko Moria's body.

Along with him, the stretch of coast beneath his feet, which had just been reinforced with thick iron plating, vanished as well. Within roughly five meters of where Gecko Moria had stood, every bit of ground below disappeared completely in that instant.

"Whew~"

Zhu Mang withdrew his hand and lightly blew at nonexistent dust on his palm.

"How was that? Consider it a 'small' lesson. In your next life, remember to open your eyes when choosing an opponent."

"What happened?"

"Was that an earthquake?"

"Did Whitebeard attack?"

"Defensive positions! Defensive positions!"

At the same time, Zhu Mang's casual strike caused tremors of varying intensity throughout Marineford.

Thus, the Marine soldiers stationed across Marineford, who had already been in a state of war readiness, all began to panic without knowing what was going on.

Some ran to fetch their weapons.

Others rushed to the artillery platforms, ready to fire at any moment.

The few people who had been nearby when it happened and witnessed the whole process firsthand now wore very different expressions.

Vice Admiral Tsuru studied Zhu Mang with a scrutinizing gaze, her hands slightly curled. It seemed that if Zhu Mang made any unusual move, she would use the bizarre power of her [Wash-Wash Fruit] to fight him.

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

He was Kuzan Aokiji, an admiral of Marine Headquarters, wielder of the Ice-Ice Fruit and one of the Navy's greatest military powers.

Originally, he had come with Vice Admiral Tsuru to receive these Shichibukai and give them a warning, making sure they did not cause trouble on the battlefield and followed arrangements properly.

He had thought he was merely there for show, while Vice Admiral Tsuru was the main attraction.

He never expected something like this to happen!

Gecko Moria, one of the Shichibukai, had actually been instantly killed in a single move by a long-tailed man Doflamingo had brought with him!

Their Observation Haki told them that Gecko Moria's presence had completely vanished from that enormous crater.

He was dead beyond any doubt!

Following on the other side of the two of them was a swordsman carrying an enormous black blade on his back, dressed in Gothic clothing and possessing a pair of narrow, sharp hawk-like eyes.

One of the Shichibukai, Hawkeye Dracule Mihawk!

The world's greatest swordsman!

Just moments ago, Vice Admiral Tsuru and Aokiji had first escorted Gecko Moria off his ship, then gone to receive Hawkeye Mihawk. After receiving word that Heavenly Yaksha's ship had also reached the coast, they brought Hawkeye Mihawk over, intending to take all three of them inside together.

And yet...

At that moment, Hawkeye Mihawk opened his hawk-like eyes and stared fixedly at Zhu Mang, who was floating in midair without using any apparent technique, as well as the crater on the ground that seemed to still be giving off heat.

No one knew what he was calculating.

"Ah la la, Doflamingo, are you declaring war on the Navy?" Aokiji pushed his eye mask up onto his forehead. His gaze became as sharp as Hawkeye's, and threads of cold air rose from his hands and arms.

This was the sign that the [Ice-Ice Fruit] was about to be activated.

"Fufufu~ Wasn't that idiot Gecko Moria the one who provoked us first?"

"Doflamingo, this handsome gentleman is..." Vice Admiral Tsuru was clearly far more levelheaded than Aokiji. She did not press the matter aggressively, and there was not even the slightest dissatisfaction in her tone. Other than her guarded posture, she seemed to offer no response to what Zhu Mang had just done.

"This is Lord Gebinz, the most esteemed guest of our Donquixote Family," Doflamingo introduced him in a lowered, respectful tone.

However, his words contained a small trick. He subtly pointed out that Gebinz belonged to the Donquixote Family, telling them not to even think about trying to recruit him.

At the same time, he was also expressing his sincerity to Zhu Mang.