This Isn't Home!

Shadow's Body Technique seemed to be on par with Moria.

There was still some gap, however, when it came to that Great Scissors.

The Great Scissors, specially made to cut shadows, were naturally a nemesis to shadows.

Even Moria's own shadow.

"Heeheehee." A smug smile finally appeared on his great bat-like face.

That was truly terrifying just now.

It was one thing for Moria himself to lose to a Pacifista; after all, that thing used Kizaru's Laser. But to have his own shadow defeat him? What would that make him?

Did this former Shichibukai still have any face left?

With a clang, the Great Scissors, gleaming coldly, sliced the shadow-formed scissors in half.

The shadow didn't seem surprised by this turn of events.

It was a part of Moria, so it naturally anticipated such an outcome.

"Heeheehee—"

The shadow's smile didn't diminish at all. Its signature laughter now struck Moria's ears as particularly grating.

He had a very ominous premonition.

The shadow stood calmly.

Then it raised its hand and punched itself.

Damn it!

Moria's eyes widened considerably.

This was the real Shadow Revolution this time.

A move Moria had developed himself and was immensely proud of.

The shadow and the physical body were connected. Therefore, if the physical body changed, the shadow would also change.

Conversely, if the shadow changed, theoretically, the physical body would also change.

He had once used a similar technique to control Oars, making his limbs stretch.

Now it was his turn.

The shadow delivered a heavy punch to itself, and the resulting change also manifested in Moria's physical body.

Moria grunted, his cheeks stinging.

He knew best how to hurt himself!

But shadows don't feel pain.

"Why does it listen to you?"

Moria hung his head, this was the point he couldn't understand the most.

Even a split shadow was still his own shadow.

Why would it turn on him?

"Listen?"

"No, no, no, we're just in a cooperative relationship."

Buggy gently closed the coffin lid. It was his first time sleeping in a place like this.

But he had to admit, the coffin's excellent soundproofing had significantly improved his sleep quality.

"The one who truly has a problem with you is yourself."

As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow slapped Moria twice more.

Slap, slap.

The blows turned Moria's pale skin red.

But he still managed to lift his head, looking at his shadow with some confusion.

Dissatisfaction with himself?

He was dissatisfied with himself?

The shadow was as huge as Moria, its grinning mouth seeming to mock him.

Then it slapped itself twice more.

"Because you're alive, you lose things."

"On this point, I am definitely not wrong!"

Moria stubbornly raised his head again, staring directly at his shadow.

"Hogback and the others will definitely create a Zombie Army that can conquer the world!"

He didn't mention a single word about what he himself intended to do.

The shadow slapped itself twice more.

Moria's cheeks were as rosy as if they had just been fished out of a pot.

Tears streamed from the pain.

"I'm not wrong!"

How could the great Moria, a former Shichibukai, admit he was wrong?!

"..."

"..."

"I was wrong."

Bruised and swollen all over, Moria lowered his head before Buggy.

After a prolonged struggle with the shadow, he accepted his fate.

The old Moria had scoffed at the theory of Devil Fruit counters, but now he believed it.

The Four-Way Split-Split Fruit was the greatest counter to his Shadow-Shadow Fruit!

A sense of sorrow, like "Why must there be Yu when Liang also exists?", arose in his heart.

How could there be a Devil Fruit ability product in this world that could actively attack Devil Fruit Users!

Fortunately, it was only admitting defeat to his own shadow.

It was no big deal.

He comforted himself, trying to salvage a little of his dignity as a Great Pirate.

"Wrong?"

Buggy turned his head, his gaze having been fixed on the dense fog in the sky.

The black shadow within the dense fog seemed to be approaching bit by bit.

It was surprised by Moria's predicament, his pain and fear.

It even felt a desire to take a bite.

However, out of instinctual caution, it maintained a certain distance.

This indicated that the pain and fear were not yet sufficient.

"Who said you were wrong?"

His confusion in his words didn't seem fake.

"Didn't you say there was something you were unhappy about?"

Moria automatically saw the object of this dissatisfaction as the slightly comical Joker before him.

Although he didn't know why the other party was treating him this way, "No, no, no."

"The shadow is your own avatar, a collection of your fears and desires."

"What you need to defeat is yourself."

Buggy waved his hand and pointed to the shadow, which had climbed to the top of the castle at some unknown time.

The shadow spread its arms at the top of the tower, in a free-fall posture.

Gulp--

Moria's already pale complexion had turned a fearful white, his lips trembling.

He finally understood.

The shadow wanted Moria to fight it endlessly.

As soon as he stopped, or "bullied" it with scissors, the shadow would enter self-harm mode.

"Don't, you can't jump!"

Moria's voice trembled.

The shadow turned its head, its grin from ear to ear never changing.

It leaped.

With a bang.

It smashed into the ground like a red onion, creating a large pit.

"Rooooar----"

Moria, who had done nothing, cried tears of pain.

But before the pain could subside, he saw the shadow climb out of the pit and then resolutely head towards the top of the castle again.

Moria's mind was a mess.

To alleviate the damage caused by the shadow's self-harm, he could only fight with the shadow.

But the punch that hit the shadow also acted on himself.

It meant that to prevent the shadow from hurting him, he chose to hurt the shadow himself, and hurt himself at the same time.

Nima!

Why is it so convoluted!

But the pain was real.

The body's wails were also a real torment to the soul.

There was even a questioning in the depths of his heart, an unending questioning of his own years of slacking off.

The shame of a dignified Great Pirate being easily defeated by juniors again and again.

It was the past self, full of ambition under the Execution Platform, the self who dared to fight the strongest creature head-on, questioning the current self.

Moria saw the Joker's smiling face again, and it slowly merged with the shadow's grin.

Doctor Hogback's greeting echoed repeatedly in his mind.

"Welcome home, my master."

"Welcome home--"

"No, this is not home, this is a nightmare!"

Moria's eyes welled up with tears.

"Hehehe, my fish has finally taken the bait."

Buggy was in no mood to pay attention to Moria's wails.

He looked up at the sky, which was occupied by a black shadow.

Pain and fear seemed to be the delicacies of this mass of shadow.

It quietly covered the top of the Terror Thriller Bark.

In the world of the black shadow, on that cheerful pirate ship.

Buggy, who had once again killed all his comrades, also looked up.

He had been staying here all along.

The ship's lamp that fell onto the deck ignited a faint blue flame.

But that slightly thin figure showed no fear in the flames, only looking up.

Their gazes converged, piercing through the body of the black shadow.

"The 489th time, I've got you."