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"Huh? What's going on? That's Absalom's voice!"
Gecko Moria, who had been slouched inside his castle, naturally heard Absalom's scream. He instinctively leaped up from the floor, ready to investigate.
The number of shadows is still too low. It's so troublesome without zombie guards on patrol...
The thought of sailing into the Florian Triangle grew stronger in Moria's mind. He had also been considering the World Government's invitation.
"A Marine Vice Admiral..."
Although Moria's Observation Haki wasn't particularly outstanding, it could easily span a third of the massive Thriller Bark.
However, he couldn't identify Atlas.
While Moria had heard that the Marines seemed to have a new, young Admiral Candidate, he had been so focused on avenging himself on Kaido after his hasty escape from Wano that he had rushed across the Grand Line to the West Blue without paying much attention to news about Atlas.
"Perfect. I still don't have suitable shadows for the corpses I stole from Wano. This Marine seems to be a swordsman. What a perfect prey, delivered right to my doorstep, Kishishishishi..."
Moria was constantly thinking about his zombie army, especially the corpse of the legendary Wano samurai, Ryuma. Without the shadow of a powerful swordsman, the body's true potential couldn't be unleashed.
"However, Absalom... was he killed?"
Suddenly, Moria could no longer sense Absalom's life force with his Observation Haki. His eyes narrowed, a cold glint flashing within them.
This feeling... It's so familiar!!!
Although Absalom hadn't been on his crew for very long, as a man who cherished his companions, he had already lost a group of trusted crewmates not long ago.
Seeing the same thing happen again before his very eyes made it difficult to suppress the killing intent in his heart.
He hadn't wanted to deal with the intruder on his ship personally, but he had no one else available.
The genius surgeon Hogback was just a doctor and possessed no combat ability, let alone enough to stop a Marine Vice Admiral.
Elsewhere, after noticing that Absalom had finally breathed his last, the pattern on the Snake Talisman in Atlas's mind grew a few shades deeper.
He had no way of knowing what changes this would bring to its ability. However, the current task was to deal with the trouble that was Moria.
The Snake Talisman could wait.
Within the range of Atlas's Observation Haki, a massive life form was rapidly approaching him.
Soon, a large number of black bats appeared not far from Atlas, quickly converging into a giant, dark shadow.
"Kagemusha!"
A sharp voice rang out, and the giant shadow instantly transformed into Moria's likeness.
The entrance was dramatic, but Atlas's Observation Haki had clearly 'seen' the mechanics behind it.
It was nothing more than turning his shadow into scattered bats and then swapping his body's position with the shadow.
So he doesn't recognize me... Atlas's eyes narrowed.
Against an ordinary pirate or Marine, Moria's bizarre entrance might indeed create a sense of pressure, but in Atlas's eyes, it was just comical. Was he trying to show off in front of a true master?
"Gecko Moria..." Atlas looked at the lean, powerful man before him.
The food from mining in Wano wasn't very good, because the Moria of this time was quite thin, not at all out of shape like he would be when he later met Luffy.
"Marine! You killed Absalom!"
In his peripheral vision, Absalom's mangled corpse came into view. The anger in his heart flared up like fire on oil, growing increasingly intense.
SWISH!
Atlas couldn't be bothered to waste words on one of Kaido's defeated generals.
He pushed off with his feet, his body instantly appearing in front of Moria, and threw an uppercut straight at his chin!
WHOOSH!!!
There was no sensation of hitting a solid body. Moria's figure vanished from before Atlas's eyes!
Atlas's gaze hardened. His attack didn't stop. He coated his leg in Armament Haki, flipped in mid-air, and brought it down like a battle axe!
POW!!
A black shadow on the ground was struck as if by lightning, and small cracks appeared on the surface. This was with Atlas holding back his strength.
After all, once Moria was dealt with, this Thriller Bark would be his flagship. If he accidentally broke it, who would he get to fix it?
That's right, Atlas had taken a liking to this ship. As a Marine Admiral Candidate, it wouldn't do for him not to have his own flagship. That would be a disgrace to the Marines.
"Ptoo!"
While Atlas was scheming about how to reform Thriller Bark, Moria, who had swapped places with his shadow again, not far away, spat out a mouthful of blood.
It felt as if every bone in his body was about to fall apart.
Although 'Kagemusha' allowed his main body to swap places with his shadow at a speed akin to teleportation, its fatal flaw was that if the shadow were hit with Armament Haki, his main body would suffer the same damage!
He had been planning to take advantage of Atlas's presumed ignorance of his Devil Fruit ability to launch a surprise attack, but he never expected this Marine to see through his trick in an instant.
He had already overestimated Atlas. This was the Calm Belt, and he hadn't sensed any warship docked near Thriller Bark.
This meant that this Marine had arrived out of thin air, most likely with a Devil Fruit that granted him the ability to fly!
"What keen insight you have! Kishishishishi..."
Moria quickly dispersed his shadow, while his main body rushed toward Atlas. In just a moment, his shadow and body reconverged.
Moria's expression was even more solemn. In their brief exchange, he had already experienced Atlas's astonishing strength and combat acuity, which forced him to be cautious.
"Moria, let me put it this way. I've taken a liking to your ship. Will you hand it over willingly, or..."
"Do I have to beat you up and then take it!!"
As soon as he spoke, Atlas once again displayed his ghostly speed.
"Explosive Fist!"
Moria's heart trembled. Before he could think, Atlas's work-sized fist was about to descend on his face!
"Kishishishi! If you've got the guts, come and take it yourself!"
"Shadow Revolution!"
The shadow beneath his feet quickly writhed and transformed, and his arm swelled to a massive size, coated in Armament Haki.
BOOM!
What does it feel like to be hit by an immense force and an explosion at the same time?
Moria could answer that question.
It's excruciating!
Moria was wretched, his face so dark it looked like water could drip from it. His clothes were tattered, and his body was covered in burns of various sizes.
His right arm, which had just clashed with Atlas's fist, hung limply at his side. 'My right arm is crippled! Moria was horrified.'
'This guy's strength... is absolutely not something a mere Vice Admiral should possess.'
Just now, he had used 'Kagemusha' to temporarily enlarge his arm, increasing his strength several times over, yet he was defeated in an instant.
If the shadow beneath his feet hadn't pulled him back in time, he would have been sent flying!
Suddenly, Moria vaguely recalled a piece of information he had glanced at some time ago: the youngest Admiral Candidate in the history of the Marines, who, at just over twenty years old, had taken the head of the legendary pirate of the old era, the Golden Lion.
Moria subconsciously looked at Atlas's young face and couldn't help but blurt out, "You're the Marine Admiral Candidate 'Byakko'!!?"
"Correct! But unfortunately...There's no prize!"
"Shadow Horn Spear!"
It had to be said, Moria was a cunning old fox. Kaido had taught him a lot. As they were talking, a part of Moria's shadow had quietly circled behind Atlas.
A pitch-black spear suddenly shot out, its sharp point aimed straight at Atlas's back!
CLANG—!
Atlas didn't dodge. Under his Observation Haki, all such petty tricks were paper tigers. His powerful Armament Haki blocked the 'Shadow Horn Spear' at the surface of his skin!
"Such powerful Armament Haki!!"
After a few exchanges, Moria had completely confirmed the identity of the Marine before him, but now he was trapped with no way out.
If he guessed correctly, this Marine could fly, a mobility far beyond his own. A few years ago, before his battle with Kaido, he would have charged forward without hesitation for a fight to the death.
But not now. After being imprisoned by Kaido for several years, his physique, Haki, and even his Devil Fruit ability had hardly improved at all.
And the White Hō before him, to be able to stand alongside the other three monster Vice Admirals at such a young age, meant he had a combat power on the same level as Kaido.
Moria believed that their strengths were no longer on the same plane!
"Tempest Kick: Destructive Wind!"
Atlas lifted his right leg, and countless vacuum slashes shot out, forming a massive blade storm that swept toward Moria.
Black and red Haki coiled around it, creating a terrifying wind pressure that made even the distant Moria feel a bone-chilling pain!
"Kishishishi..."
Seeing this, Moria let out a low laugh, a savage look on his face. The shadow behind him surged, rising up from a flat plane and quickly becoming solid.
"Doppelman!"
The two swapped places. The shadow, almost as tall as Moria, stood in front of him, bypassing the blade storm and charging straight at Atlas!
Meanwhile, Moria himself used 'Shadow Revolution' to rapidly enlarge his left arm, coating it in Armament Haki as well.
As a pirate who had fought in the New World, he was naturally proficient in both types of Haki, and various martial arts were second nature to him.
His combat experience was not to be underestimated.
CLANG—!
Moria's left arm swung continuously, clashing with the space-rending Tempesta Kick slashes. Sparks flew, and the sound of metal clashing was incessant.
Meanwhile, Atlas looked at the charging 'Doppelman' and couldn't help but shake his head. Moria's move was simply foolish.
Although Doppelman was immune to physical damage, much like a Logia user's elemental form, that was only if the enemy couldn't use Armament Haki; otherwise, it was just a living target.
No matter how strong the shadow was, it only had 70-80% of the main body's strength.
Against a weaker pirate, it might produce an effect greater than the sum of its parts, but in front of Atlas, it was just hastening his own demise.
He leaned forward slightly, his arms already coated in Armament Haki. Like an arrow loosed from a bow, his body collided violently with the equally fast-charging Doppelman!
POW-POW-POW—!
Atlas struck first. Whether in terms of reaction speed or dynamic vision, he was leagues ahead of Moria.
His fists, carrying terrifying sonic booms, rained down on the Doppelman. Its head, limbs, and torso were instantly dented with large craters, and the entire shadow suddenly dispersed into a swarm of bats that flew in all directions.
Showing no mercy, after his heavy blows, Atlas's feet didn't stop for a moment. He charged with great momentum toward Moria's main body!
"Shadows Asgard!!!"
Seeing this, Moria couldn't care about anything else. From all over the island, a massive number of shadows converged on him.
These were the shadows he had painstakingly collected since escaping from Wano, meant for his cherished zombie army.
He never thought he would have to use them here. At this thought, Moria couldn't help but grit his teeth, his heart filled with hatred for Atlas.
Shadows Asgard was his most powerful application of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
It allowed him to absorb the shadows he controlled into his body, theoretically allowing him to increase his strength indefinitely.
However, this not only placed extreme demands on his physical condition but also on his mental fortitude.
Even the current Moria could only barely control 1000 shadows. This was likely why, over a decade later, Moria would absorb 1000 shadows in one go—he had underestimated the decline in his own strength and willpower.
"Kishishishi—! You bastard Marine, your shadow is mine!"
Having completely absorbed all the shadows, Moria's body suddenly swelled. His injuries were completely healed, and his pale skin turned a bluish-black, like a demon from hell!
The power of Shadows Asgard brought not only a physical expansion but also an immense strength that coursed through his body, even giving Moria the illusion that he could defeat Atlas, as he clamored to take his shadow.
"Is this... your final resort?"
As soon as he spoke, his longsword was unsheathed. Atlas intended to end this quickly.
The War God Body was fun to fight in, but he didn't have any spare clothes. He didn't want to fly around naked.
"One Sword Style Secret Art..."
Atlas's palm slowly slid over the back of his blade. He held the sword before him, his muscles tensed, the blade glinting.
"Thousand Slashes!!!"
His figure shifted. As if teleporting, Atlas instantly appeared behind Moria.
"I don't feel anything! Kishishishi, you bastard who's all talk!"
CLICK!
He sheathed his sword!
SHIIIIIINNNNG—!!!
"Your ship is mine now!"
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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