Katakuri unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, the wave of pressure crashing down on Moria.
Moria just grinned coldly. "Brat, your Conqueror's Haki is far too weak compared to Bege's. It can't affect me at all."
Having been constantly exposed to Bege's Conqueror's Haki, Moria had developed a certain resistance to it. Katakuri's Haki, being much weaker than Bege's, had little to no effect on him.
Katakuri tightened his grip on his trident and burst forward with a surge of speed.
The shadow beneath Moria's feet writhed, forming into a volley of Shadow Spears that shot out. Katakuri swiftly dodged them, slicing through any he couldn't avoid with his trident. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Moria, his trident thrusting forward with a ferocious power that pierced the air.
Moria's reaction was just as swift. He met the trident with his giant scissors, and sparks flew at the point of impact. Shockwaves ripped through the ground, sending sand and stone flying.
"You want to fight me up close? You're thinking too highly of yourself," Moria sneered. With a surge of strength, he sent Katakuri flying. In his perfect Shadow Asgard form, his strength and speed were perfectly balanced. Katakuri's power was not yet enough to contend with him.
As Katakuri was thrown back, a volley of Shadow Spears followed, instantly piercing his body.
Unfortunately for Moria, Katakuri's Mochi-Mochi Fruit was a special Paramecia, allowing him to be immune to certain physical attacks. Katakuri sliced through all the Shadow Spears with his trident, and his body quickly reformed.
Moria charged forward, his giant scissors a whirlwind of deadly blades. But thanks to his powerful Observation Haki, Katakuri was able to anticipate and evade every one of Moria's slashes.
The two of them were locked in a fierce back-and-forth battle. Moria had a slight advantage, but Katakuri was far from defeated. The fight grew more and more intense, leveling the surrounding terrain.
Meanwhile, the battle between their respective crews was just as fierce. Moria's men proved to be the stronger force, defeating Katakuri's soldiers and then moving to surround the two combatants.
Only then did their fight come to a halt.
"There's no need to continue this. Ruri Island is yours," Katakuri said, his face grim. He knew that for a clear winner to emerge between him and Moria, they would have to fight for at least half a day, if not longer. But regardless of who won, the outcome would not be good for him. It was better to end the fight now.
"Now that's more like it. Take your men and go," Moria said with a smile.
Katakuri turned without hesitation and quickly left with his surviving crew members.
Just as Bege said, this guy is decisive. He'll be even more troublesome in the future, Moria thought, watching Katakuri's retreating back. It's a shame I couldn't take him down by myself. Then again... even if Bege were here, he probably wouldn't have killed him. He's Big Mom's most prized son, after all. Now is not the time to start a war with the Big Mom Pirates.
Still, having reclaimed Ruri Island, Moria breathed a sigh of relief.
On Dragon Fruit Island, the largest island in the former territory of the Fear Pirates and second in importance only to Fear Island itself, a constant roar of battle echoed from a smaller island nearby. Terrifying shockwaves swept out continuously, and the surrounding sea was churned into a frenzy of violent winds and massive waves.
The small island was crumbling. At its center, two massive figures were locked in a furious battle, flames and lightning spreading out in all directions.
A demonic giant, bathed in lightning and fire and covered in deep red dragon scales, was completely unfazed by the elements. He wielded a massive club, clashing with a large, pink-haired woman who held a giant longsword. Every collision created a world-shaking shockwave that made the entire island tremble. In the sky above, a massive ball of fire and a dark thundercloud shot flames and lightning down at the dragon-scaled giant.
These two were none other than Kaido of the Beasts and Big Mom, Charlotte Linlin.
They were fighting for control of Dragon Fruit Island and had already been at it for two whole days without a clear winner.
Off the coast of the small island, two pirate ships were anchored: Kaido's and Big Mom's. The two massive warships rocked violently in the turbulent waves.
Suddenly, a figure shot out from the Beasts Pirates' ship. It was a flying Devil Fruit user. He flew toward the island in a panic, but as soon as he entered the airspace, he was hit by a powerful shockwave. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and nearly fell from the sky like a broken kite.
He quickly stabilized himself and shouted toward the center of the island.
"Captain! Bad news! Demon Dragon has invaded our territory and is on a killing spree!"
Kaido, who was in the middle of the fight, froze for a moment. That brief lapse in concentration was all Big Mom needed. Her longsword slashed across Kaido's body, sending him flying. He tumbled across the shattered landscape for a thousand meters, nearly falling into a chasm.
His dragon scales were shattered, and a gruesome wound was left in their place.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so much!" Kaido roared as he climbed to his feet, clutching the wound. The gash was already healing at a visible rate.
He stood up and strode toward the crew member in the air, his large eyes wide with fury. "What did you just say?!"
The crew member swallowed nervously and quickly flew to Kaido, holding out a Den Den Mushi with a trembling hand. "Captain," he stammered, "Demon Dragon is on the other end. He's attacked our home territory."
"Hey, hey, is this Kaido of the Beasts? This is Demon Dragon," Bege's voice came from the Den Den Mushi.
"Capone Bege! You have a lot of nerve!" Kaido roared, grabbing the crew member and shouting into the Den Den Mushi. The terrifying killing intent radiating from him was so intense it caused the man in his hand to faint.
"Kaido, your pathetic threats don't work on me," Bege said with a cold snort. "I fought and bled for the Fear Pirates' territory. That is my territory. You dare to steal my territory, so I will destroy yours."
"Get out of my territory now," Bege threatened. "Or don't blame me for the massacre that follows."
Kaido was consumed by a furious rage. He unconsciously tightened his grip, and the crew member in his hand was jolted awake by the immense pain, only to be squeezed into unconsciousness again.
"Brat, do you think that if I leave, you'll be able to take over the Fear Pirates' territory without any problems?" Kaido roared. "You dare to attack my territory, so I will attack yours! You dare to kill my men, so I will repay you tenfold!"
"Then let's see who can hurt the other more," Bege retorted, not backing down. "Let's see who has the last laugh."
"Hahahaha! Kaido, you should just leave. That little brat might actually destroy the territory you've spent all these years building," Big Mom said, walking over with a laugh.
"Shut up, you old hag!" Kaido cursed.
"Big Mom, you're there too? Perfect. I've sent a little gift to Totto Land as well. You should be getting the news soon. You'd better get out of my territory too. Otherwise, I'll destroy Totto Land," Bege's voice came through again.
Big Mom rushed over in a rage and roared into the Den Den Mushi, "Brat, you're looking to die!"
"Why is that the first thing all of you say? Such a waste of breath. Big Mom, you're not strong enough to kill me. Both of you, get out of my territory, or we'll see who gets destroyed first. I'd like to see if you're willing to gamble the empires you've spent decades building."