"You brat! You've made me angry!"
Moria's eyes flashed, no longer mocking, but filled with dark rage that flared uncontrollably.
"Oh? Do I have to let you monologue before a fight too?" Luffy twisted his body fluidly, his arm rotating in sync. His two-toned eyes shimmered with brilliance as he locked his gaze forward.
Sparks swirled in his palm, forming a searing blaze that distorted the air around it, warping the very space with heat.
"Shadow Asura!"
Moria cut the talk short this time. With Perona and Absalom behind him, he had no room to dodge, he had to confront this head-on!
A dark purple figure appeared instantly in front of him. It matched Moria's height and build, but its edges were sharper, its mouth a hollow void filled with beastlike fangs.
Boom!
Luffy's fireball surged forward, blazing with heat as it collided with the Shadow Asura. Golden flames burst outward, shining brilliantly, then twisted mid-air like a giant python, jaws wide open. It devoured the Shadow Asura, then, without slowing, shot straight toward Moria himself.
But Moria was ready. The moment the Shadow Asura dissolved, a surge of darkness returned to his feet.
"Bats, Fragmented Swarm!"
Acting swiftly, Moria activated his Devil Fruit again. Countless dark violet bats exploded from his shadow like a storm, flinging themselves into the firestorm. The swarm collided with the flame-serpent like moths to a flame, each impact like a phantom strike, and began to merge.
The fluttering swarm gradually condensed into a solid wall of darkness, a shield of shadows erected in front of Moria to block the searing assault.
Standing behind this "shadow wall," Moria gritted his teeth against the waves of heat pouring through. Controlling the shadows took intense focus, and the oppressive force of Luffy's attack made his heart pound uncontrollably.
Fwooom!
The fire-serpent slammed into the shadow wall. Heat blasted in every direction, a roaring wave of fire sweeping outward, forcing Robin and the others back nearly ten meters.
As the flames receded, the battlefield looked scorched beyond recognition. Wooden structures had turned to blackened charcoal, wisps of smoke curling upward.
The painted zombie murals, immobilized in the castle, were reduced to ash during the clash. Their stolen shadows returned quietly to their rightful owners.
Above, the starry sky emerged, the heatwaves having burned away the fog that had blanketed the island.
Hiss,
A puff of white vapor escaped from Moria's nostrils. His body, unused to battle for so long, now trembled from the strain, and excitement.
It felt like a return to his prime, when he had sailed the turbulent seas, clashing with countless powerhouses, once ruling a corner of the world.
But in the end, he was the only one left.
Panting, Moria's demonic eyes never left Luffy, watching warily for the next strike.
Luffy, too, caught his breath. His fight with Ryuma had taken a toll, and the Zero Point breakthrough had drained him. Following it up with back-to-back attacks had left him spent. This lull was a chance to recover.
He glanced behind, Brook lay on the ground, and Robin stood, slightly disheveled.
Luffy suddenly lowered his arm and said coolly to Moria, "Let's take this somewhere else."
Moria had blocked all of Luffy's previous attacks, but Robin and Brook, unprepared, had been badly affected by the shockwave.
Moria's pupils dilated slightly. His bat-like eyes twitched, but he chuckled as if it didn't bother him. "Keh keh keh… You're not planning an escape, are you?"
"Cut the crap," Luffy snapped. "Or do you want me to see if my next attack can hit that girl behind you?"
Moria's sick laughter halted as Luffy waved dismissively.
"Cheh." Moria's eyes twitched. Clearly hit where it hurt. He growled, "Hogback, get Perona and Absalom out of here. Now."
Only those three mattered to him. The rest, the zombies, were just tools.
"Yes, Moria-samah!" Hogback, still pale from the earlier battle, jumped to obey. He hoisted Absalom, grabbed Perona, and bolted.
"Moria-samah!" Perona called out angrily, clearly unwilling to leave.
But Moria didn't respond. He'd already stepped out of his usual bounds today, he didn't plan to go further.
"Robin. You too. Go," Luffy said calmly, glancing over his shoulder.
Robin bit her lip, nodded quietly, and left without protest.
"I'm still too weak," she whispered, fingers brushing the ring on her right hand, frustrated.
Brook, clutching his lower back, hurried after her.
Luffy bumped his fists together, his gauntlets clanged, the metallic sound cold and sharp. A layer of black Haki enveloped them, swallowing the light around them. He lifted his gaze and grinned at Moria.
"Now… we can fight for real."
Moria's brow twitched. He'd noticed the change in Luffy's arms.
In the first half of the Grand Line, few could wrap their Armament Haki this tightly, this cleanly.
"This kid… His fruit powers are terrifying enough, but his physical abilities aren't ordinary either," Moria thought, growing more cautious.
He could no longer afford to hold back.
Seizing the moment before Luffy struck again, Moria raised a hand toward the distant zombie ranks.
"Shadow Gathering Ground!"
A hundred zombies instantly collapsed. Inky shadows peeled away from their bodies and surged toward Moria.
With each shadow absorbed, his body swelled.
He waved his other hand, and a second hundred shadows flowed in.
His upper body ballooned. He now stood over ten meters tall.
His limbs, bulky and grotesque, hunched like a beast. Coupled with his bat-like face, he looked exactly like a demon from legend, one that walked the earth.
"Brat… you should never have forced me to use this. Keh keh keh keh…"
When Moria spoke now, it sounded like a chorus of voices, deep, guttural, and echoing from some abyssal pit.
Powered by two hundred shadows, Moria could easily punch through a warship. This was how he had once made his name in the New World.
Luffy felt it too, this overwhelming power, and his heart stirred with anticipation.
For the first time since arriving in this world, he faced a true powerhouse.
He dropped into a stance, arms lowered to his sides.
He still couldn't fully control the explosive "Lightning Flame" yet, but the gentler "Sky Flame," though weaker, was already at his command.
Whoosh!
Nearly a thousand points of mental energy poured into his [X-Gloves]. A massive aura erupted from within him.
Blazing fire wrapped around his body. A radiant cloak of red flame surrounded him, he looked like a demon of fire incarnate.
On the deck of the demonic three-masted ship, two towering figures now stood opposite each other: one in shadows, one in flame.
A world-shaking battle was about to begin!
==========
You can find much more on my Patreon: Patreon.com/Veltoria
There are currently 5 active fanfictions on Patreon, with over 582+ advanced chapters available across them!
From Naruto Onwards, I Control Time — Up to Chapter 337
Haikyuu!!: Rise of Sengoku — Up to Chapter 279
Danmachi: Is It Wrong To Aspire to Be An Adventurer? — Up to Chapter 97
Legend of Hogwarts (Harry Potter x League of Legends) — Up to Chapter 186
I Am Luffy: Partner System Online (One Piece) — Up to Chapter 168
Playing Genshin Impact in Danmachi (Danmachi x Genshin Impact) — Up to Chapter 98
Kuroko no Basket: The Phantom Ace — Up to Chapter 19