Boom!
A deafening explosion came from the direction of the shore. Flames soared into the sky, instantly illuminating the night and staining half the island Orange-Red.
Moria abruptly halted his escape. He stared toward the shore in disbelief, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints—he saw that the pirate ship he had arrived on had become a massive fireball, burning fiercely.
Above the clouds, on the deck of Herman's Revenge, Stella licked her lips and breathed out a tiny flame. She clasped her hands together and prayed for Dawn.
Aside from Lucci, who still wore his ever-unchanging poker face, and Lafitte, whose lips held the faintest hint of a smile, everyone else looked worried.
On the ground, Moria slowly turned around and stared fixedly at Dawn as he strolled out of the forest without hurry. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked like a vicious demon.
"Brat, if you wanted to anger me... you've succeeded!"
That ship was not only his hope for making a comeback, but also the culmination of more than two years of hard work. Now, everything had turned to nothing amid the flames. His killing intent toward Dawn had become almost tangible.
"Stay here and fight me to the end, Moria."
With a thought from Dawn, countless rocks and broken trees left behind by their previous battle rose into the air as if they had lost all weight. Then, like raindrops pulled by an invisible force field, they shot toward Moria in an overwhelming barrage, shrieking through the air.
"This kind of harmless attack won't work on me."
Moria roared as he repeatedly swung his long blade, sending several solid Flying Slashes tearing out. They shredded every incoming rock and splintered trunk into a cloud of stone chips and wood dust. Then he stomped down, and the ground