Moria's decision to close the gap was admittedly a bit of a meme, but in this situation, there really wasn't a better option.
In terms of shipboard firepower, he was several generations behind. Trying to trade broadsides with lead cannons against their laser cannons at long range was suicide. Besides, even if he wanted to trade fire, he'd need to get closer first — right now, his cannons couldn't even reach them.
As for breaking off to either side, the pursuing Marines behind him weren't just for show. Running was essentially impossible — he could only try to break through in one direction.
His identity as a pirate made Moria instinctively rule out charging toward the Marine fleet. And besides, there was only one Inazuma ship on the other side.
So Moria's only option was to push forward, full speed ahead!
Seeing that the enemy hadn't turned around but was actually accelerating, Shichisei realized she was being looked down on. She immediately ordered the gunners to cease fire.
"Ram them!"
The iron warship accelerated sharply. The salty sea wind hit her face, but as the two ships drew rapidly closer, there wasn't a hint of worry in Shichisei's eyes.
A ship forged from solid iron was incomparably sturdy — it couldn't even be compared to an ordinary wooden sailing vessel.
To be fair, Moria's ship wasn't made from ordinary materials either. While it wasn't Adam Wood, it used a rare tree species for its keel. But that only applied to the keel and certain parts of the hull.
Most of the ship was still built from standard timber. How could it possibly withstand a head-on collision from Shichisei's iron warship?
BOOM —
A tremendous crash!
The two ships cut through the waves and slammed into each other. In an instant, Moria's already-damaged bow was smashed to splinters! Wood fragments flew in every direction.
The iron warship's bow acted like an axe cleaving through a wooden board — it nearly sliced Moria's ship clean in half!
The deck split apart like paper. Massive amounts of seawater surged into the hull below.
"Captain Moria, the ship is sinking!"
"Jump ship! Everyone, jump!"
"Where's the captain?! Save the captain — he's a Devil Fruit user!"
For a moment, the crew aboard Moria's ship screamed in sheer panic!
"Heh heh heh — going toe-to-toe with Inazuma? Do you really have what it takes?" Shichisei crossed her arms and sneered.
She was petite and slender, with a well-developed figure that strained against her military uniform, making one worry the buttons might pop off at any moment.
Moria, his face dark with fury, was standing at the break in his ship.
His vessel had nearly snapped in half from the collision. Even the keel hadn't been able to withstand such a violent impact and had fractured clean through.
The ship was now split in two, like a snapped candy bar, both ends tilting and beginning to sink into the sea. Moria could only stand on the slanted deck, glaring at the smug-faced Shichisei.
"Damn it — my ship!" Moria shrieked, baring his fangs like a terrifying vampire, as if he wanted to sink his teeth into Shichisei's throat.
"You dare destroy my ship?! Fine — I'll kill every last one of you and take yours for myself!" he howled, his eyes red with rage.
"Boys — charge! Kill that woman and everyone else on that ship!"
With that, Moria led the charge himself. His legs launched him forward, and his massive frame — nearly four times Shichisei's height — barreled toward her like a speeding truck!
If his target had been an ordinary person, the impact alone would have caused multiple compound fractures, shattered organs, and massive internal hemorrhaging.
More likely, the sheer force would have caused the blood vessels to burst under tension, making the person explode like a balloon!
But his target was Shichisei!
"Perfect timing!" Shichisei's body dropped into a lower stance, and she extended both hands forward. She didn't even look like she planned to dodge — she was going to take the hit head-on.
"Don't look down on me! Die!"
Moria moved so fast he left only a faint purple afterimage in the air. In a flash, he was right in front of Shichisei, an eerie coldness rushing at her.
CLANG —
A thunderous impact echoed as the shockwave from the collision rippled outward!
The iron plating of the warship shuddered violently. The sound was like a massive bell struck at full force — it rang and hummed incessantly, and even the surface of the sea rippled outward in concentric circles!
At the bow, Shichisei was nowhere to be seen. The only one left was Moria — his face pale, swaying unsteadily on his feet like a roly-poly toy, eyes rolled back and head lolling.
"So strong! Lord Moria is incredible as always!"
"Hahahaha! So much for Inazuma — one hit from Captain Moria sent her flying!"
"Captain Moria forever — blub blub blub..."
Seeing their captain's attack connect, Moria's crew completely forgot that their own ship was sinking and started celebrating.
"Lord Ryuki!"
The Oni aboard the warship saw Shichisei get knocked flying — she'd even crashed into the ship's interior. They cried out in alarm, and many of them couldn't hold back, ready to swarm Moria.
"Stand down! I'll handle this one personally. You're no match for him."
Just then, Shichisei emerged from inside the ship, rolling her arm. Her sailor's cap was gone, and her trench coat had been tossed aside. But she seemed mostly unharmed.
In terms of raw strength, she hadn't actually lost the exchange. She'd been sent flying purely because her body weight was so much lighter than his.
"You're not bad — you must not have run into any real heavyweights back in Paradise. No wonder you were brazen enough to burn our Inazuma flag."
Shichisei spoke as she stretched and loosened her muscles.
Moria, who had seemingly sent her flying, was still wobbling on his feet.
It took Moria a while to shake off the dizziness. He tossed his head, trying to dispel the little stars circling above him, and pressed a hand to his forehead — it felt like his skull was about to split open.
"What the hell is that woman made of? She's tougher than a steel plate!"
He cursed under his breath, then looked up to see the woman who was harder than a steel plate walking toward him with heavy, deliberate steps. A jolt of fear shot through him.
But Moria quickly recovered — it was just a momentary shock, not true fear. He immediately swung his massive greatsword, cleaving the air with a whoosh, and brought it crashing down on her!
His crew members also began climbing from the wreckage of their ship and from the sea onto Shichisei's warship, launching attacks at the Oni soldiers!
"My slashes can cut through a one-meter-thick steel plate like it's tofu! Shishishi — die, woman!"
Moria's eyes were cold with cruelty as his blade came slashing down.
But just as he thought he was about to carve his enemy to pieces, a flash of black light streaked across his vision!
CLANG!
Sparks flew, and the sound of clashing steel rang out!
[
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