Giant-Human Hybrids? How Would That Even Work... Cave Adventure?

"Wow... that really caused quite a ruckus."

Back in the Building Area, Xi Yan glanced around and found the place in ruins. The culprits were the two guys who were confronting each other in the open space.

"Straw Hat!!"

Moria, whose body had grown to nearly ten meters tall, roared madly, his eyes bloodshot, "Don't think you're the only one who can enhance yourself with shadows! As a Devil Fruit user, I can do it too!"

"Roar!!"

To defeat the kid in front of him, he directly extracted the shadow of a portion of the zombies on the island, making himself even stronger!

In this way, his strength and speed will be no weaker than the kid in front of him.

"So what?" Luffy calmly looked at Moria and said, "Even if you can strengthen yourself with shadows, you're still no match for me!"

"I'm one of the Shichibukai..."

"I'm going to be the Pirate King! So what if I'm Shichibukai?!"

Luffy roared, pushed off with his legs, and shot forward, charging towards Moria.

"Rubber Nightmare Punch!"

"Shadow Fist!!"

"Boom!!"

In mid-air, the two exchanged a powerful punch, creating a shockwave that sent debris flying.

This acted as a fuse, and the two engaged in a frenzied battle in the open, displaying utter madness!

"This guy can actually Luffy to this extent in this state?" Xi Yan frowned and said, "That's really surprising."

Based on Moria's previous display of strength... Xi Yan felt he was quite weak; he felt Moria might not even be as strong as Crocodile.

But now this guy is like a completely different person; both his speed and strength have become terrifying.

It seems the shadow is very effective in enhancing his abilities; even Luffy can't easily defeat him.

Just then, Xi Yan noticed the pair of horns on Moria's head and said in surprise, "These horns... don't they look similar to the ones on Oars's head?"

Could it be that Moria also has Giant Clan blood?

That's true. Without the blood of the Giant Clan, this guy couldn't have grown so tall.

But... just what kind of person could have mated with the Giant Clan to create a hybrid offspring?

The body types don't match... Is this Cave Adventure?

As if recalling some kind of scene, Xi Yan revealed a strange expression, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

The image is blurring... The image is blurring...

After shaking his head, Xi Yan banished the image from his mind.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Xi Yan's mind!

"Oh... I see..." Xi Yan Satori, "There must be Devil Fruit that can make you grow bigger."

Otherwise, how could humans possibly have offspring with the Giant Clan?

Thinking about this, Xi Yan felt it made sense.

"Hello!!"

"Xi Yan!!"

"Um?"

Upon hearing Nami's voice, Xi Yan instinctively turned around and immediately spotted Nami and the others on the ground.

After jumping down from the roof, Xi Yan looked at Nami and asked, "Is the battle over on your side?"

"Yes, it's over," Nami said. "Our battle wasn't as intense as yours."

"There are very few zombies?"

"That's right, we haven't encountered many zombies," Ai Ke said.

"Black Leg Big Brother and his gang are incredibly powerful. Even the General Zombie is no match for them, hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Xi Yan glanced at the ground beneath their feet and noticed that many of their shadows had already returned.

"Looks like everything went smoothly..."

"The other zombies have already hidden themselves, so finding them won't be easy," Sanji said. "That's why we came over here to check things out first."

If Luffy can defeat Moria, then they won't need to worry about their shadows.

Once the ability user is defeated, the shadow will naturally return to their side.

"What about Hogback?"

"I've defeated him!" Chopper said.

This time, he gave that bastard a good beating, letting him know the consequences of disrespecting medical ethics!

"Xi Yan, Xi Yan, I also defeated the enemy!" Merry raised her hand and said.

She used a little hammer to smash down several zombies.

"Merry is awesome!"

Xi Yan smiled and squatted down to ruffle Merry's hair, his eyes full of affection.

"What's the situation here?" Nami asked.

"Oars has been defeated by me," Xi Yan said. "I purified him with seawater."

"Huh?!!"

Lola and the others stared at Xi Yan in shock. Had he actually used this method to purify that terrifying behemoth?

"I'm Ninja, have you forgotten?" Xi Yan laughed.

"Oh right..."

Ai Ke immediately realized that the Ninja Bro might also know Water Release Technique, which would make his ability to manipulate seawater more plausible.

As expected of the Ninja Bro!!

"The commotion over there..."

Is that Luffy?

"That's right." Xi Yan nodded and said, "Luffy is currently fighting Moria, and the battle is extremely fierce."

Now, it all depends on when Luffy will win.

"Let's go take a look," Merry said.

After she finished speaking, she quickly ran towards the corner with her Short Legs, and her voice came from the other side of the corner.

Seeing this, the others followed. Xi Yan glanced at the crowd and asked, "By the way, where are Zoro and the others?"

"I... I don't know."

"I know!" the Baoya suddenly said, "I saw those people in the hallway just now. They were running around on the ground, looking like they were looking for something."

"Run..." A bad thought suddenly flashed through Xi Yan's mind, and he subconsciously asked, "Who will lead the way?"

"Big brother, the Pirate Hunter!"

Xi Yan:...

Covering his face, Xi Yan muttered, "Why him...?"

Nami and the others also sighed deeply, wondering what those guys were thinking, actually letting Zoro lead the way.

This guy has absolutely no sense of direction!!

Don't let your running lead you back to your own boat.

Just then, Merry, who had run to the corner, shouted, "Xi Yan, what's that horned guy?"

Upon hearing this, Xi Yan came to Merry's side and looked at Moria in the distance, saying, "That's a piece of trash who has lost his spirit and only knows how to rely on external things."

Lola:...

Is Moria a piece of trash?

In Xi Yan's eyes, Gecko Moria, Shichibukai- level figure, merely a piece of trash?

What a... terrible man.

Meanwhile, Franky, running down the main road, opened his shark-like mouth and roared at Zoro beside him, "What kind of road are you leading?!"

He shouldn't have trusted this guy. It was only a few hundred meters away, but he ended up being led on a roundabout route that stretched for several kilometers.

Franky was furious.

Zoro, who had been sprayed with spittle in his face, scratched his head and said, "I don't remember going the wrong way..."

"Yohohoho~"

"Mr. Zoro is really interesting~"

Brook wasn't angry; instead, she found him quite amusing.

"You guys really believe Zoro..." Usopp sighed helplessly, "That guy's notoriously bad with directions!"

"Hello!"

Ignoring Zoro's protests, Usopp continued, "It's fortunate you ran into me, otherwise you'd still be going around in circles here."

After defeating Ghost Woman, Usopp went downstairs to look for his friends, only to find a crowd circling around.

He couldn't catch up the first time, but he caught up with these guys the second time.

Upon asking, Usopp learned that Zoro was leading the way, and his expression at that moment was incredibly complicated.

"You defeated that Ghost Woman?"

"Hmm," Usopp said proudly, "Clearly, that guy is no match for me!!"

"Pretty capable, huh?" Franky said, giving a thumbs up.

He had personally experienced just how troublesome that Ghost Woman was. The moment that terrifying, negative Negative Ghost touched his body, it would instantly strip away all his fighting spirit, turning him into a pessimist.

Only someone like Usopp, who isn't afraid of his opponent, could defeat her.

"That's right, don't you even know who I am!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

Usopp laughed heartily, very satisfied with his victory.

But this mere Ghost Woman dares to act so presumptuously in front of him.

"By the way, who are they?" Usopp asked, pointing to Xi Ke and the others.

"Them..."

Franky scratched his head and said, "They said they're Lola's subordinates, and Luffy sent them to find us."

"Huh?!"

"You just believed that?" Usopp stared at Franky in shock. Was Franky an idiot too?!

Um?

also?

Thinking back on his previous foolish actions, Usopp fell into deep thought.

"Because they don't have shadows," Franky said, shrugging.

He's not stupid; he'll naturally try to discern the truth.

Although it's impossible to confirm whether the other party is Lola's subordinate, anyone without a shadow is Moria's enemy.

Since they're the enemy, what's wrong with joining them?

"That's true..."

"Boom!!"

Just then, another booming sound came from afar, as if something terrible had exploded there.

"Quick, let's go take a look over there."

"Profound!"

Upon arriving at their destination, the group saw Xi Yan and the others standing behind a pile of stones.

"Hey everyone!!"

"Ah, Usopp, you've come."

Seeing that Usopp and the others were safe and sound, Merry was very happy and waved her little hand joyfully from the rock.

After reuniting, Zoro asked, "What's going on here...?"

"Is that Luffy?"

Zoro pointed at Luffy in his nightmare state, a hint of confusion in his eyes.

If it weren't for the fact that this person was talking about rubber and such, he really wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

But what's Luffy?

"Let me explain," Xi Ke said, walking over. "The shadows Moria stole can be placed inside the body to enhance combat power. Now, Straw Hat Luffy has 100 shadows inside him."

"He now possesses the strength of a hundred people!"

"One hundred people?!"

"Yes," Xi Ke gave a thumbs up and said, "The Straw Hat Puppy is pretty strong now!"

They were almost killed by flying pebbles while trying to protect these shadows.

However, Xi Ke didn't care about such things; a man should keep his word!

"That's right, Straw Hat Boy is incredibly powerful; he can withstand a hundred shadows!"

"Yes, we wouldn't even dare to think about something like that..."

"An ordinary person can barely withstand one shadow, let alone a hundred."

Everyone chimed in, each praising Luffy's strength.

Finally, Xi Ke smiled and looked at Xi Yan, saying, "Ninja Bro, we haven't let you down, have we?"

Upon hearing this, Xi Yan smiled and gave them a thumbs-up, saying, "All I can say is... well done!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

Everyone burst into laughter immediately; it was a feeling of being recognized!

"So, Luffy becoming like this is all thanks to you guys..." Sanji said, "The power of this shadow is truly terrifying."

"He's powerful, but he can't last long..." Lola said. "Hopefully, he can defeat Moria before his powers disappear."

If Moria isn't defeated before then, the Straw Hat will be at a disadvantage.

"Hmph, these ants actually dare to show their faces..."

Moria, who had just exchanged a punch with Luffy, turned to look at the figure in the distance, and grinned maliciously, saying, "You've got some nerve..."

The Straw Hat Pirates are one thing, but they are powerful enough to have the courage to fight against me.

But why do those creatures who hide in the forest, barely clinging to life, dare to come out?

Did they really think... I wouldn't kill them?

Thinking this, Moria sneered, "A bunch of fools who don't know their own mortality. Since you're so eager to come out and die, don't blame me for being impolite!"

By this time, Moria was truly enraged and clearly didn't intend to keep these guys around any longer. He could just collect them later; they were all just a bunch of weaklings anyway!

"I won't let you attack them!" Luffy said coldly, looking at Moria.

"Kid, you should ask them for help in a situation like this."

"Unnecessary!"

"I told you, I will Teuchi!!"

Luffy roared and suddenly increased the strength in his hand, forcefully pushing Moria back.

"Varied..."

As Moria stumbled backward, disbelief flashed in his eyes. How could he, in his current state, be pushed back by the Straw Hat?

You should know that the number of shadows within him is twice that of the Straw Hat!

Without giving Moria a chance to retaliate, Luffy swung his arm, sending it spinning wildly in the air, before delivering a powerful punch to Moria!

"Rubber Rocket Cannon!!"

"Boom!!"

The incredibly heavy blow struck Moria in the stomach, causing his eyes to bulge out and his abdomen to cave in!

"Bump!!"

"Ah!!!"

A piercing scream rang out as Moria flew backward and crashed heavily into the tallest building!

"Boom!"

They literally punched a huge hole in the building!

Looking at Moria lying on the ground, Ai Ke excitedly asked, "Did... did you win?!"

"I... I don't know..."

"After taking such a heavy blow, he must be defeated!!"

Everyone stared excitedly at the gap, waiting for the shadow to return.

But to their surprise, not a single person flew back, just as Moria's loss of consciousness couldn't disable his abilities.

"What's going on?" Franky frowned. "Even if you lose consciousness, your abilities won't stop working?"

Normally, when a person with superpowers is beaten unconscious, their abilities should become ineffective.

"Because that guy didn't lose consciousness at all." Xi Yan, who had jumped onto the boulder, said calmly, "He's still alive."

From his angle, he could clearly see Moria's condition. Moria was unconscious, but was panting with his mouth open, as if he was trying to control his injuries.

"What? After such a terrible attack, that guy is still not unconscious?"

"What a terrifying guy..."

"Is this what the Shichibukai like?"

Ai Ke and the others looked shocked, clearly not expecting Moria to be so resilient.

How much power would it take to defeat him?

Just then, Luffy, who was standing on the ground, trembled, and the next moment, a large number of shadows emerged from his body and flew into the air.

Luffy's body shrank rapidly back to its original size, like a deflated balloon.

"It's not working..." Lola said, her face grim.

Even someone as powerful as the Straw Hat couldn't maintain his Shadow State for long.

"What do we do now?"

"Let's go up and help!" Ai Ke said to Xi Yan, "Ninja Bro, using shadows will make you feel very tired."

"That's right, let's attack together and not give Moria a chance to catch his breath!"

"Hey, say something!"

But none of the Straw Hat Pirates spoke; even though they were very worried about Luffy's current condition, no one made a move.

Because Luffy said he would Teuchi!

Seeing this, Ai Ke was stunned. Who cared about the duel between captains at this moment? The most important thing was to take down the enemy!

"Big Brother Straw Hat, we're here..."

"No!" Luffy shouted.

"Don't want?"

Ai Ke was taken aback. In this state, was he still going to show off?

Luffy slammed his fist into the ground, forcing himself to stand up, and said, "None of you should interfere!"

"I told you, leave Moria to me, I'll take him down!"

After taking a deep breath, Luffy crouched down, staring intently at the gap in the distance.

Clearly, he had also noticed Moria's situation.

Moria, who was being stared at by Luffy, trembled, then slowly stood up, his expression becoming even more ferocious!

Moria smashed through the wall blocking his way and roared, "Straw Hat!!"

"Moria!!"

Seeing that Luffy wasn't afraid of him, Moria sneered and said, "Heh, has your ability failed?"

The opponent's condition has been resolved, which means that what was once a formidable opponent has disappeared.

"So what?" Luffy took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his physical discomfort, and immediately activated Second Gear.

Then, Luffy looked at Moria and said, "Even so, I can still defeat you!"

"Anyone can talk big!"

After saying that, Moria glanced at Xi Yan and the others, and grinned maliciously, saying, "A bunch of Highland brats... I'll crush you with my strongest power!"

"Let me show you what a real nightmare is!"

"Shadows... Great Gathering!!"

"Boom!!"

Numerous black lines burst forth from beneath Moria's feet, spreading rapidly across the entire island.

All the zombies hiding in the shadows were covered by Moria's ability, which forcibly extracted their shadows.

And so, under everyone's watchful eyes, Moria's body began to grow rapidly.

"Straw Hat..."

"I will use my absolute power to show you how laughable your strength is!!"

"300!"

"500!"

"700!"

"..."

"888!!" Moria roared, "With the shadows of 888 people empowering my body, you can't possibly be my match!!"

"Roar!!"

Moria roared, his eyes filled with madness.

Clearly, even for Moria, maintaining consciousness after empowering 888 shadows was no easy task.

After absorbing 888 shadows, Moria's body became enormous, reaching a terrifying height of tens of meters!

At this moment, Moria exerted even greater pressure on everyone than they had on Oars before!

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not kidding, are you?!" Xi Ke exclaimed in horror, "The Straw Hat Pirates were this terrifying with just a hundred shadows, and Moria is using 888 now?"

"Damn, how terrifying must he be right now?!"

"He looks so big!!"

Xi Yan frowned as well. Luffy could send Oars flying with just a hundred shadows, so how strong would Moria be with so many shadows?

"Luckily, some zombies were burned to death by the Xi Yan earlier..." Usopp said, swallowing hard.

Otherwise, Moria might have been able to absorb far more than 888 shadows.

Upon hearing Usopp's words, the others showed expressions of relief; Xi Yan truly had foresight!

Xi Yan didn't say anything about this, but just stared at the veins on Moria's face.

Judging from the other person's expression, maintaining 888 shadows is no easy task.

'If there were more shadows... wouldn't this guy risk losing consciousness?' Xi Yan murmured to himself.

"Hey, run!" Ai Ke shouted. "Get away from this monster!"

"No."

"There's no need for that," Zoro said calmly.

Not only Zoro, but everyone in the Straw Hat Pirates remained still, because they believed that Luffy could definitely defeat this guy!

"Hey, you guys..."

Before Ai Ke could finish speaking, Moria began to move.

"Straw Hat, your crew really trusts you." Moria shook his head, slowly looking down at Luffy, and said, "But it's alright, I'll take you all down!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Moria raised his enormous fist and threw it at Luffy, roaring, "Try the power of these 888 punches!!"

"Straw Hat!"

Luffy's expression changed, and he immediately jumped aside to avoid the attack.

The next moment...

"Boom!!!"

The incredibly terrifying blow shattered the ground of the Thriller Bark!

The terrifying power caused the entire island to tremble!

"What power this is..."

"What a terrifying creature!!"

Ai Ke stared at the ground in horror. Moria's attack had actually shattered the ground?

How terrifying is this?

"Don't be fooled by appearances!!" Xi Yan shouted, "He's in a state of berserk rage right now, and his condition isn't good at all. He might collapse on his own soon."

This guy is struggling to even maintain his current state; how long can he fight?

Even if he were the ability user himself, Xi Yan didn't believe he could fight like this for so long.

"Ninja Kid, who do you think you are?!" Moria roared, "I am Gecko Moria!!"

"How could my own power possibly cause me to go berserk?!"

"With my current strength, even the Four Emperors..."

"Rubber Rocket Cannon!!"

"Boom!!"

Luffy didn't give him a chance to talk nonsense and struck Moria hard, making him cough up some shadows.

"Forehead..."

"Oh no, my shadow!"

Moria immediately covered his mouth, afraid that the shadows would leave his body.

Once all the shadows disappear, his condition will collapse, and he won't be able to kill these people at all.

After forcibly stabilizing himself, Moria looked down at Luffy and said, "Straw Hat, you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Luffy leaped into the Luffy again, his hands visibly growing larger until they became as large as Giant Clan's!

"Hey, is Luffy really okay in this state?!" Usopp exclaimed in alarm.

Back in Judicial Island, Second Gear brought Luffy to the brink of death, and now he's using both at the same time?

Then... wouldn't that make things even worse?

Unfortunately, no one explained it to him, because others were also curious.

"Moria!!"

"I will defeat you and leave this place alive with my friends!!"

"Rubber Giant Rocket Cannon!!"

Seeing Luffy getting closer and closer, Moria roared and swung his fist at Luffy.

"Straw Hat!!!"

"Go to hell!!"

"Bump!!"

"Boom!!"

Moria's attack struck Luffy, deforming his body, but Luffy's hands didn't stop, relentlessly pounding Moria's body!

"Boom!!"

"Boom!!"

Moria's power struck Luffy, slamming him into the ground and creating a huge crater!

Luffy's attack struck Moria hard in the abdomen, causing a deep dent and sending him flying backward, crashing into the mainmast of Thriller Bark!

"Boom!!"

The massive building began to tilt, pressing directly towards Moria.

"No!!"

Seeing the massive building hurtling towards him, Moria's eyes nearly bulged with rage, but he was powerless to do anything and could only watch helplessly as the building crashed down on him.

In the end, the enormous building crushed Moria beneath it.

The terrifying force was so great that he could barely maintain his consciousness, and his eyes began to roll back.

Moria reached out as if to grasp something, but his hand fell limply to his side.

"Looks like we won," Xi Yan said with a sigh of relief.

He then jumped over to find Luffy, who had been slammed into the ground, intending to pull him out and treat him.

"Hateful..."

Moria glanced at Xi Yan, who had jumped over to find Luffy, and recalled the things Xi Yan had said to him before.

'What are the consequences of not striving to strengthen myself...' Moria murmured to himself.

Right now, it's as if he's handing over an answer to Xi Yan, an answer that... Xi Yan had given him from the very beginning.

After a bitter laugh, Moria used his last strength to say, "Ninja Kid... was I really wrong?"

He didn't want any more of his companions to die, so he created immortal zombies, hoping to use their power to defeat his enemies.

However, judging from the results, the zombies they created were not very meaningful.

Even the incredibly powerful Oars was no match for them.

Not only that, even his shadow-enhanced self was defeated.

For a moment, Moria's heart was filled with complex emotions.

Hearing Moria's words, Xi Yan turned to look at him and said, "You should find the answer to this question deep within your own heart."

"Search for the answer within yourself..." Moria murmured.

The next moment, Xi Yan's blood-red eyes gradually magnified in Moria's eyes, and his signature Three-Tomoe slowly rotated.

Moria's consciousness began to fade, his breath grew weaker and weaker, and he was about to lose consciousness.

Moria gave a bitter laugh to himself; he hadn't expected to be defeated by a group of newcomers in the end.

My consciousness is fading... Is this the end?

However, to Moria's surprise, in these final moments, he saw his beloved companions!

It wasn't a memory, it actually appeared right in front of him!!

It was as if... they hadn't died at all!!

"Have you... come to pick me up...?"

At this moment, the memories buried deep within Moria's heart were completely awakened!

Tears welled up in Moria's eyes, and his head lolled to the side as he lost consciousness.

'sorry...'