In reality, Moria had greatly overestimated himself. A being like Big Mom, not to mention her Soul Fruit ability, was clearly out of his league.
Otherwise, killing Big Mom or Kaido would be far too easy—just steal their shadows and that's it.
Meanwhile, while Gekko Moria was unconscious, Luffy was in a fearsome state once again, hurling Oars into the air. At that moment, a large number of shadows suddenly scattered out of Oars and flew away, and Luffy also returned to his original state.
"Huh? What just happened?" he asked in confusion.
Tap tap—Ezekiel's phone rang. He squinted and smiled as he looked at the message:
[Gekko Moria
Advanced Shadow Fruit ability 50 GB]
Ezekiel started downloading the Shadow Fruit data. The current speed was 10 MB per second, so the download would be finished in just an hour or two.
Then only one thing would remain…arresting Emperor Big Mom.
Destroying the entire Charlotte Family was simply impossible, but if he wanted to take down Big Mom today, Ezekiel believed his chances were good.
Fujitora, Smoker, and the others were fending off the members of Big Mom's pirate crew, who stubbornly pressed their attack.
Hancock and Zephyr were launching attacks against Big Mom herself.
Luffy walked over to Katakuri, his expression shifting when he saw the sorry state Katakuri was in.
"Whoa!" "Whoa! Big guy, you're tough—are you just going to die like that?" Straw Hat Luffy stood beside Charlotte Katakuri, looking sad as tears ran down his cheeks, but then he couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Sorry! I can't help it! Your mouth just cracks me up! Shi-shi-shi-shi-shi!"
It was getting harder and harder to look at Katakuri's face. Blue veins bulged on his forehead, and suddenly, enraged, he opened his eyes and let out a terrifying growl:
"Get lost!"
He was gasping for air; there was barely a part of his body left unscathed. Luckily, his mother's monstrous physique had given him incredible endurance—he wasn't going to die so easily, and after a short rest he could even open his eyes and speak.
"Whoa! You're alive again?! Did you turn into a zombie or something?!" Luffy shouted in surprise.
"Idiot!" Nojiko smacked him hard on the head. "He's not dead!"
Just then, Vivi suddenly spoke up:
"Big brother."
A few people froze immediately. Luffy looked at Ezekiel, who was approaching with a group of soldiers
"Huh? Who's that?"
Katakuri's eyes were fixed on the dark sky. He was half-conscious, but he realized Ezekiel had arrived.
Ezekiel patted Vivi on the shoulder, then said with a smile:
"The sea… it's no joke, you can lose your friends out here…"
Vivi's face was pale. Over the course of their journey, she'd formed a certain friendship with Katakuri and Brulee. It was no exaggeration to say they were a team. When Katakuri made the decision to lay down his life to protect her, Vivi truly hated herself—her own weakness. Even with the power granted by her brother, she was still weak.
"Katakuri, what do you want?" Ezekiel asked, looking at the battered Katakuri.
With Brulee's help, Katakuri finally managed to sit up slowly. He looked at Ezekiel and said:
"Let Mom and her crew go."
...Sanji and Zoro stared at Katakuri, utterly astonished.
What a strange guy!
Ezekiel was silent for a moment. The soldiers by his side still stood frozen in place. Unable to hold back, he shot Katakuri a cold look:
"That's impossible," Ezekiel replied.
Even without Katakuri, Ezekiel was confident that Vivi had been safe all this time. After all, there was always a mirror by Vivi's side, so Ezekiel could appear next to her whenever necessary, no matter where she was.
Ezekiel had asked about Katakuri's wishes mostly out of admiration for his willingness to sacrifice his life to stop Big Mom. No matter what, part of his goal was to protect Vivi.
But all that still wasn't enough for Ezekiel to give up the chance to deal with Big Mom's Pirates.
If Ezekiel were a lone wandering pirate or a captain of some pirate crew, he might have agreed and sailed away, but he was the King of a nation.
Katakuri shuddered and, with difficulty, stood up, blood still streaming down his body.
Though he really did have a funny mouth, his sharp stare made Luffy turn serious.
Slowly stretching out his bloodied fist, Katakuri said,
"In return, I'll join Alabasta and become your warrior… for the decisive battle with Big Mom's Pirates!"
He was covered in blood, but his eyes shone with an indescribable intensity. His gaze was firm, and then, suddenly, he sank to his knees, bowing his proud head.
"I beg you, Your Majesty Emperor!" he nearly shouted, pressing his forehead—sticky with blood—deep into the dirt.
Everyone was stunned and speechless, and Brulee covered her mouth as tears streamed down her cheeks.
Even when their mother had beaten Katakuri, she hadn't been so upset as she was at this moment—her brother truly bowed before another!
Even the fighters around them paused, shocked by the sight.
Amande exhaled smoke and said,
"A proud man like Katakuri, kneeling!"
"Has the world truly gone mad?" "Or am I hallucinating? It looks like… Katakuri is kneeling?" Perospero trembled.
Ezekiel was stunned and simply stared at this strange man in shock for a while.
It turned out that the request Katakuri had spoken of was not the price for Vivi's safety—but the price of his own freedom and pride! And now he was waiting for justice from Ezekiel!
This isn't just about freeing Big Mom and her crew.
There will be a fair battle at sea.
What a man!
Ezekiel smiled silently. Katakuri was undoubtedly one of the talents he had always dreamed of.
As for Ezekiel himself—he was a King, weighing the interests at hand.
And the choice now lay between Big Mom's Pirates and Katakuri.
At least, at this moment, he believed Katakuri was more important!