Dark clouds loomed over the city, threatening to crush it. At some point, the once-clear sky had become overcast with rolling thunderheads.
Moria and his Shadow Doppelganger stood opposite each other, left and right. Due to the effects of Shadow Asgard, Moria's true body was significantly taller than his doppelganger, and both now wielded their cane swords once more.
"Piercing Ultimate Art: Drill Gun Wave—Moonlight Double Doors!"
Moria and his Shadow Doppelganger moved in perfect synchronization, each unleashing a spiraling drill-shaped slash. As the attacks were released, the two drills rapidly converged, forming a larger, double-helix combined drill. While each drill spun in opposite directions, they also rotated around a central axis as they advanced.
This was a technique Moria had conceived in a flash of inspiration while in his Shadow Asgard state—a fusion of Chin Jao's "Eight Impact Fist Ultimate Art: Drill Dragon Nail—Chin Jao's Door" and abilities he had absorbed from other shadows, combined with his own skills.
Though immensely powerful, this move required Moria to first enter his Shadow Asgard state and rely on the abilities of various shadows to execute it. Only when he could perform it unaided would this technique truly be perfected.
"So fast!"
Badak's Observation Haki struggled to keep up with the speed of the combined drill. His Fiery Eyes and Golden Gaze were pushed to their limit, making time seem to slow to a crawl. Only then did he fully grasp the true menace of this double-helix drill.
The two drills, interacting with each other, generated a cyclone of air currents like a shredder. The hard glacial ice shattered as easily as brittle cookies, and larger fragments were sucked into the space between the drills before vanishing entirely.
"The range is enormous—it even has a vacuum effect!"
Badak realized evading it wouldn't be easy. There was a high chance he'd be pulled in mid-movement. And why did he feel such an urge to confront it head-on?
"Hm? What's that?"
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he immediately sprang into action.
His body rapidly expanded, transforming in an instant into a 30-meter-tall Great Ape. With a powerful stomp, the sheer force—enhanced by the Eight Impact Fist technique—created a massive radial impact crater beneath him.
The Somersault Cloud, which had previously been part of his clothing, now morphed into an enormous staff in the Great Ape's grip. Badak channeled all his Haki into it, turning the once snow-white cloud into a deep violet-black.
The double-helix drill was now dangerously close, the sheer wind pressure causing the Great Ape's fur to ripple wildly.
"Time to send you flying!"Badak mustered all his strength to swing his staff diagonally. He had already noticed that Moria's two drills were not synchronized—one large and one small. The drill slash attack from the shadow clone was significantly weaker, and this was the opening he needed.
If he could strike this drill and alter its trajectory, making it collide with the other one, he could disrupt the double helix stability of this technique—using the shadow clone's drill to break Moria's drill.
"Boom..." The staff and the drill collided.
At the very last moment before the club and drill bits made contact, Badak channeled all the Armament Haki from his Somersault Cloud into the point of impact—a technique he had comprehended from the Eight Impact Fist. This was the next stage beyond Armament Haki wrapping, known as the flow of Armament Haki, or "Ryou" in Wano Country.
After delivering this strike, Badak could no longer maintain his giant ape form and shrank back to his original size.
"Clang!" The sound of two drill bits colliding rang out.
To Badak's surprise, the two drill bits weren't destroyed. Instead, they scraped against each other and were sent flying diagonally into the sky by Badak's strike.
Had he not exhausted his strength and reverted to his original size, Badak would still have been hit by this "Moonlight Double Doors." In that case, with his Armament Haki depleted and relying solely on his Indestructible Body for defense, it would have been far too dangerous.
"How is this possible?"
Moria was in an even worse state than Badak. His Shadow Doppelganger had already reverted to a shadow, and the moment he unleashed this technique, he could no longer suppress the shadows within him. To prevent these precious shadows from escaping, he had pushed himself to the limit, only recalling them at the last possible moment.
Now, Moria couldn't even stand. Seeing Badak dismantle his ultimate move left him with indescribable bitterness.
If he had known that Badak had escaped unscathed purely by luck, he might have felt slightly better.
"Great!"
Seeing Badak perfectly counter Moria's attack, Robin and the others were completely relieved. The scene had been utterly shocking—the glacier's durability was undeniable, yet under Moria's assault, it had crumbled effortlessly, with just the residual force carving a massive fissure over ten meters deep.
Daz Bones observed Moria's slashing technique with a rare look of astonishment on his usually composed face. So this was how slashing attacks could be used? Could he achieve something similar?
Sai and Boo's expressions were even more dramatic. The glacier that had stumped their grandfather for over a decade—how could these people break through it so effortlessly, one after another?
Badak and Daz Bones had previously slashed at the glacier, creating a narrow fissure too small for a person to pass through. But Moria's technique was undoubtedly more destructive than the ultimate move their grandfather had described—the Eight Impact Fist Secret Technique: Drill Dragon Nail - Chin Jao's Door.
"So beautiful."
A beam of light descended from the sky. Perona looked up to see a massive hole torn through the dark clouds, sunlight streaming through to illuminate Badak below. The golden fur of the Monkey King shimmered, radiating an almost sacred aura.
It turned out Moria's "Moonlight Double Doors" had pierced straight through the cloud layer, opening a path for the light.
Approaching Moria, Badak pointed the club—transformed from his Somersault Cloud—at him and grinned. "Moria, looks like you've lost again, huh?"
In truth, Badak was only slightly better off than Moria. He couldn't use any Haki at the moment, but his stamina was recovering rapidly—likely an advantage of his Mythical Zoan-type Devil Fruit.
"Kishishishi! Badak, I lost... but I also won."Moria, after his initial disbelief, was now even laughing. He continued, "Compared to the first time, this time was a proper back-and-forth battle between us. And this still isn't my limit. So, what do you say? Still dare to schedule our next fight?"
"Hahaha, Moria, you're not afraid I'll eliminate you, are you? Don't worry, I'm even happier that you've grown stronger. I'll be waiting for your third official challenge."
Badak noticed Moria's nervousness and, after a brief thought, realized he was worried Badak might fear his rapid improvement.
"Challenge? That's quite an arrogant word, but I'll let it slide since you're stronger now."
Moria sighed in relief. He had genuinely been concerned Badak wouldn't let him go. If he had won this time, he wasn't sure if he would have taken Badak's shadow.