This Ship Is Mine Now / Rob Lucci
He had already overestimated Atlas considerably. This was the Calm Belt, and he hadn't sensed any warships docked near Thriller Bark. This meant that the Marine had arrived out of thin air, most likely possessing Devil Fruit that allowed him to fly!
"What keen insight! Hehehehehe..."
Moria quickly dispersed his shadows, while his true form raced rapidly toward Atlas.
In just a moment, the shadow and body reunited, and Moria's expression became even more solemn. In the brief exchange, he had already experienced Atlas's astonishing strength and combat acumen, which forced him to be cautious.
"Moria, let me put it this way, I've got my eye on your ship. Are you going to give it up willingly, or...?"
"I'll beat you up and then take you away!!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Atlas once again displayed his ghostly speed.
"Blast Fist!"
Moria's heart skipped a beat. Before he could think, Atlas's cauldron-like fist was about to land on his face!
"Hehehe! If you're so capable, come and take it yourself!"
"Shadow Revolution!"
The shadow beneath his feet rapidly wriggled and deformed, and his arms grew enormous, Armament Haki Infusion.
Boom!
What's it like to experience both immense strength and Explosion power simultaneously on one person?
Moria would answer that question.
It's so refreshing!
Chapter 182 This ship is mine
Moria was in a sorry state, his face so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water, his clothes were tattered, and he was covered in burns of varying sizes. His right arm, which had just exchanged blows with Atlas, hung limply at his sides.
His right arm is ruined!!?
Moria was utterly horrified; this guy's power...
This is definitely not something a mere Vice Admiral could possess. He had just used 'Shadow Warrior' to temporarily enlarge his arm, instantly increasing his strength several times over, yet he was defeated in an instant. If it weren't for the shadow beneath his feet pulling him back in time, he would have been sent flying backward!
Suddenly, Moria inexplicably recalled a piece of information he had glimpsed some time ago: the youngest Candidate Admiral in the Navy, only in his early twenties, had taken the head of the legendary Pirates Golden Lion from the Old Era.
Moria subconsciously glanced at Atlas's youthful face and blurted out, "You're Admiral Candidate Admiral 'White Hou'?!"
"You got it right! Too bad..."
"No reward!"
"Shadow Horn Spear!"
It has to be said that Moria is indeed a cunning old fox. It seems that Kaido has helped this man grow a lot. Just as the two were talking, a part of Moria's shadow quietly slid around behind them, and a jet-black spear suddenly shot out, its sharp point pointing directly at Atlas's back!
Clang--!
Atlas neither dodged nor evaded. Under his Observation Haki, all of Moria's small movements were just paper tigers. His powerful Armament Haki blocked Moria's 'Shadow Horn Spear' from his skin!
"Such powerful Armament Haki!!"
After a few exchanges, Moria had completely confirmed the identity of the Marine in front of him, but he was now completely trapped with nowhere to turn.
If he wasn't mistaken, the navy officer in front of him possessed the ability to fly, and his maneuverability far surpassed his own.
If it were a few years ago, before he fought Kaido, he would have rushed forward without hesitation to fight to the death. But not now. In the past few years of being imprisoned by Kaido, he has made almost no progress in terms of physique, Haki, or Devil Fruit Ability.
The fact that the White Hou before him could be ranked alongside the other three monster Vice Admiral at such a young age shows that he possesses combat power on par with Kaido. Moria believes that the two are no longer on the same level!
"Tempest Kick - Wind Scythes!"
Atlas raised his right foot, unleashing countless vacuum slashes that transformed into a massive storm of sword blades that swept towards Moria. At the same time, black and red Haki coiled around him, creating terrifying wind pressure. Even Moria, who was far away, felt a piercing pain all over his body!
Hehehehe...
Upon seeing this, Moria let out a series of low laughs, his face contorted with rage, and the shadow behind him surged, rising directly from a flat surface and rapidly filling out.
"Doppelman!"
The two switched positions, and the shadow, almost as tall as Moria, stood horizontally in front, bypassing the storm of swords and heading straight for Atlas!
Moria himself rapidly enlarged his left arm using the 'Shadow Revolution,' covering it with Armament Haki as well. As Pirates who had once conquered the New World, he naturally possessed a high level of proficiency in Two-Color Haki, and was adept at various Hand-to-Hand Combat. His combat experience was also not to be underestimated.
Clang--!
Moria's left arm swung continuously, locked in combat with the Tempest Kick that cleaved through space. Sparks flew as the two clashed, and the sound of metal clashing filled the air.
Meanwhile, Atlas shook his head as he watched the approaching 'Doppelman'. Moria's actions were utterly irrational. Although the Doppelman was immune to any damage, somewhat like Logia elementalist, the prerequisite was that the enemy didn't Armament Haki; otherwise, they would be sitting ducks.
No matter how strong the shadow is, it only has seven or eight tenths of the original body's strength. It might have a synergistic effect against weaker Pirates, but against Atlas, it would only hasten its own demise.
Leaning slightly forward, his arms already covered in Armament Haki, he slammed into the Doppelman who was also rushing towards him like an arrow!
BOOM BOOM BOOM--!
Atlas struck first, clearly far surpassing Moria in both reaction speed and dynamic vision. His fists, accompanied by terrifying air blasts, rained down on the Doppelman, instantly creating deep craters in his head, limbs, and torso. The entire shadow suddenly transformed into a swarm of bats that scattered in all directions.
Showing no mercy, Atlas unleashed a powerful punch and without pausing for a moment, charged toward Moria's main body with tremendous momentum!
"Shadow's Asgard!!!"
Seeing this, Moria couldn't care less about anything else. Suddenly, a large number of shadows gathered from all directions on the island toward Moria. These were the shadows he had painstakingly collected after escaping from Wano Country, meant to create the Zombie Army he had been longing for. He never expected to use them here ahead of time.
Thinking of this, Moria gritted his teeth inwardly, his heart filled with intense hatred for Atlas.
The Shadow's Asgard is his most powerful ability when using the Shadow-Shadow Fruit. It allows him to absorb the shadows he controls into his body, theoretically increasing his strength infinitely. However, this not only demands extremely high physical abilities but also requires even more stringent mental discipline.
Even at this point, Moria could only barely control 1,000 shadows. This is probably why Moria could inhale 1,000 shadows in one go more than ten years later. It can only be said that he underestimated his decline in strength and his mental will.
"Hehehe--! You damn navy bastard, I want your shadow!!!"
Moria, having completely absorbed all the shadows, suddenly grew larger, and all his injuries were completely healed. His originally pale skin turned bluish-black, making him look like Evil Ghost from hell!
The Shadow's Asgard brought not only physical expansion and immense power coursing through his body, but also gave Moria the illusion that he could defeat Atlas, leading him to clamor to take away Atlas's shadow.
"Is this... your last resort?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Atlas drew his longsword. He intended to finish the fight quickly. Although the War God Body was very effective at fighting, he had no extra clothes left and did not want to fly naked in mid-air.
"The One Sword Style Secret Art..."
Atlas slowly traced the back of the blade with his palm, holding it horizontally before him, his muscles bulging, the blade swirling.
"Thousand Slashes in an Instant!!!"
With a shift in form, Atlas appeared instantly behind Moria, as if displacing space itself.
"I don't feel anything at all! Hehehe, you bluffing bastard!"
Clang!
Sheath your sword!
Laugh--!!!
"Your boat is mine now!"
Chapter 183 Rob Lucci
Laugh--!!!
Moria, who had been so smug, suddenly displayed an expression of utter horror. His body, which had been swollen, was riddled with countless deep, bone-revealing gashes the moment Atlas sheathed his sword, gushing forth copious amounts of blood, and...
Countless dark figures darted out from the wound!!
Whoosh--!!
Moria shrank like a deflated doll, his body shrinking continuously, and the look of terror on his face grew stronger. No matter how hard he tried to control himself, the wounds on his body increased, and the shadow inside him rushed to leave his body!
Bang!
Finally, Moria returned to his six-meter height and collapsed with a thud. His already pale skin turned bluish-black from excessive blood loss.
Another defeat...
Lying on the ground, Moria stared blankly at the darkening sky, a sense of desolation washing over him.
"Hmm? This guy seems to have grown a little taller?"
Atlas leaned closer. Could it be that the 'Shadow's Asgard' had a detrimental effect, like forcing growth?
Well, maybe Moria suddenly had a second growth spurt. Atlas didn't understand it either. Moria was already quite old when he fought Kaido, but he still managed to grow this tall afterwards. It's just unbelievable!
Clang!
Futsu-no-Mitama has been unsheathed once again!
With the blade pointed at Moria, Atlas, too lazy to waste words, prepared to finish him off with a single strike. After all, Moria wasn't Shichibukai yet, so he was essentially at Atlas's mercy.
"Etc!"
Suddenly, a dark figure darted out from the side and blocked Moria's path.
Atlas narrowed his eyes, paused slightly in his hand holding the Futsu-no-Mitama, and carefully examined the boy who had suddenly appeared before him.
He was fair-skinned and beardless, with long, curly hair cascading over his shoulders. His expression was indifferent, and his eyes stared directly at Atlas without fear. He wore a black Suit with a cape on his back, and the rolled-up sleeves revealed his full-arm tattoos.
"Cipher Pol?"
Atlas was slightly surprised. The boy in front of him looked somewhat familiar, but the cold aura he exuded easily reminded him of CP, the intelligence agency under the World Government.
"You can't kill Rob Lucci, a CP9 agent!"
Rob Lucci still looks quite young, but the coldness in his expression is enough to make people forget his age, and that's certainly true.
Atlas had indeed seen intelligence about Rob Lucci a few years ago. This guy slaughtered 500 Kingdom soldiers during his agent training mission and then joined CP9.
The Cipher Pol has ten departments, numbered 0 to 9, each with different responsibilities. CP0 is responsible for protecting the Celestial Dragons, while CP9 is purely a secret agent, with assassination and espionage being their main tasks.
Like the Navy's Recruit Training Camp, the Cipher Pol also has assessment and allocation systems, but it is far more brutal than the Navy's.
Every year, the World Government recruits talented children from all over the world, subjecting them to rigorous training from a young age and instilling in them loyalty to the World Government. Charlotte Linlin almost became one of them back then. If Carmel hadn't mysteriously disappeared, perhaps there would be no Big Mom, the Emperor of the Sea, but rather CP's top agent Charlotte Linlin!
After the training was completed, they would be assessed on a mission. Rob Lucci, as the most talented person in that class, was naturally assigned to the most difficult mission. Unexpectedly, he easily solved it by himself and then cruelly murdered the 500 captured soldiers afterward. He then joined CP9 and believed that weakness is the original sin.
Lucci is now being hailed as the 'strongest member of CP9 in eight hundred years'.
Who do you think you are to order me around?
Without a word, Atlas wasn't going to let this CP genius get away with it. He lunged forward and delivered a straight kick to Lucci's chest!
Bang!
Caught off guard, Lucci was sent flying backward, blood slowly trickling down his chin, but he didn't utter a sound of protest.
Indeed, Atlas, as Candidate Admiral in the Marine Headquarters, already wielded far more power than him in terms of actual authority, even though they were not in the same department.
"Moria has already accepted the World Government's invitation and will soon become the next Shichibukai. Your Navy has no right to execute him!"
Lucci remained expressionless. His mission was to invite Moria to fill the vacancy of the Shichibukai. Maintaining a basic balance of power on the high seas was the Five Elders' most steadfast bottom line.
"You mean..."
"You just came to invite him, and he doesn't seem to have replied yet?"
Atlas's eyes were playful.
Not good!!
Lucci's expression changed, and he opened his mouth to shout!
Pity...
Too late!!!
A flash of cold light, as if a slash that seemed to cut across the entire space, descended upon the half-dead Moria. A gust of wind swept by, and a wave of air rose.
Laugh--!!!
A fine head flew into the air, splattering with a splatter of crimson blood, and disbelief still lingered on Moria's face.
It can be said that from the moment he set sail, he grew all the way, from a hero of the West Blue to a contender against Kaido. He never imagined that he would die so quietly, not in a great battle, but in the deserted Calm Belt.
"You..."
Upon seeing this, Lucci's originally indifferent expression softened slightly.