Moria’s eyes turned bloodshot. It was a significant burden to absorb other people’s shadows, both physically and mentally.
Living beings already have their own shadows, and absorbing a large number of shadows normally causes them to compete with each other and generate rejection within a few minutes.
The more shadows there are, the stronger the rejection.
For Moria to maintain high-intensity combat, this number of shadows is the most suitable for him. That’s why he carries this number of shadows with him.
The average height of an adult Giant is about twelve meters, but Moria’s current size was already quite rare even among Giants.
The small horns on top of his head have also transformed into a pair of much larger bull horns, somewhat resembling Kaido’s horns.
His massive fist struck the ground, creating a deep pit. Even the residents of the Ringo region nearby could feel the tremendous impact.
Then Moria consecutively punched in Kaido’s direction, causing the accumulated snow in the area to be shaken off, and the frozen land below, which had been frozen for many years, was exposed. A large number of cracks spread out in all directions.
This place was originally a small hill, but due to Moria’s attack, it had now turned into a small basin.
Kaido, who had been standing there, had disappeared in the center of the basin.
In Moria’s eyes, someone who had received so many attacks of his wouldn’t be able to continue fighting. So he turned around to leave, his companions still waiting for him.
“Shadow..huh?!”
Just as he was about to join the battle on the other side, he sensed a dangerous aura behind him. Moria, with a reaction completely contrasting his size, swiftly moved his body to the side, narrowly avoiding a scorching beam of light.
“Worororo, you’re an interesting opponent, but I’m done playing.”
Only a large pit was left where Kaido had been standing, while the current Kaido had already transformed into an azure dragon and appeared in the sky.
“A devil fruit user?!”
Moria wasn’t surprised by the fact that Kaido was a devil fruit user. After more than a year of sailing, he had encountered all sorts of people, including those with troublesome powers.
But he couldn’t accept that when he was using almost his full strength to fight him, Kaido hadn’t even used his ability.
It was only when Moria used his strongest technique that Kaido finally used his ability.
“Your strength is not bad, but it’s a pity that your Haki is too weak; it can’t hurt me!”
Haki was one’s own power. During his long journey, Moria had gradually learned to utilize some aspects of dual-colored Haki in battles, which was the way most people mastered Haki.
Only a few can receive systematic guidance; most people improve their Haki through battles. Compared to Kaido, who has honed his Haki for countless years, Moria’s Haki looked insignificant.
“Too bad. Although you have decent abilities, you rejected my recruitment. It’s better for you to die here. Blast Breath!”
Once again, flames spewed out of the dragon’s mouth. Although Moria dodged it, he soon realized something was wrong. When he turned around to look, members of the Gecko Pirates were already engulfed in a sea of fire.
Due to the massive shockwave he had created, both sides had temporarily halted their battle, giving Kaido the opportunity for a large-scale attack.
“You ba*tard, Kaido, you bastard! What have you done?!”
Witnessing the plight of his companions, Moria’s heart was on the verge of collapse. Immediately, he crazily charged towards Kaido, but his attacks lacked any strategy compared to before, becoming nothing more than wild punches.
“Since you’ve set sail, you must be prepared. Moreover, this is my territory. You invaded it and robbed my subordinates. Don’t make a victim’s expression. From the moment you attacked, it was already a declaration of war!”
Haki swirled above Kaido’s head as his dragon horn aimed for Moria’s body. Moria had better methods of dealing with it, but the miserable condition of his companions caused him to lose his rationality, and he chose to clash head-on with the current Kaido.
The result was obvious—two bloody holes appeared on his body, and he was sent flying to the place where the flames were burning.
“Since you declared war on me, you should have been prepared for this!”
Moria’s massive body extinguished the flames, and the bodies of many of his fallen companions came into view. At this moment, he wasn’t paying attention to Kaido’s words.
“Captain Moria, I’m dying, but you must survive. I believe you can…become the Pirate King.”
“I’m sorry, Captain. It seems our journey ends here.”
“Kaido!!!”
The last words of his companions drove him completely mad. He got up and rushed towards Kaido, disregarding everything. However, this only served to completely diminish Kaido’s interest in him.
Originally, he thought Moria was a fine warrior, but now he appears to be nothing more than a deranged beast.
“Idiot, what do you think you can do in this state?”
The previous Moria deserved his attention, but now, Kaido returned to his human form. Dodging Moria’s attacks, he adopted a classic pose.
“Spear of Elbaf, Ikoku!”
Ikoku struck Moria’s abdomen, but with the power of five hundred shadows, Moria’s strength surpassed that of an average Sea King. Ikoku didn’t penetrate his body but left a massive wound from bottom to top.
Blood sprayed out, and the shadows within him ran out of control and started to escape. Moria’s body began to shrink at a visible speed.
“Captain, you must survive.”
“Moria, get up! You can’t die here!”
“Captain Moria, didn’t you want to become the Pirate King?”
In Moria’s chaotic consciousness, the voices of his companions echoed one after another, but then gradually faded away. The scene of his companions death replayed once again in his mind.
“I can’t die here!!!!”
His own shadow mixed with the fleeing shadows, and just as Kaido was about to deliver the final blow, Moria vanished.
“Boss Kaido, should we go after him?”
“Let him go, he is just a homeless dog now. Clean up this place. I still have things to do.” He had just finished the first round of the game with Yamato. Based on his estimation, Yamato could endure at least three rounds.
Currently he was contemplating what other games would be fun, of course, they were all quite deadly games.
Compared to Moria, he was more concerned about Yamato’s growth.
The commotion in the Ringo region naturally caught the attention of others. The entire Ringo region witnessed Kaido soaring in the sky, and shortly after the battle ended, a man with dark blue hair, accompanied by a fox and a group of samurai, appeared.
Shimotsuki Ushimaru, the daimyo of Ringo, looked at the destroyed ground with a complex expression on his face. He looked similar to Zoro.
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