[Moria manipulates Oars and constantly destroys thre surroundings with powerful attacks.]
[With Oars's terrifying body size and the ability to possess the powers of the Gomu Gomu no Mi fruit, any attack causes a devastating blow!]
[Zoro and Sanji, along with all the zombies who stood together against Moria, could only dodge, with no spare strength for combat.]
"Damn it, he's a tough one to deal with!" Sanji exclaimed. "Where did Luffy run off to?"
At that moment, everyone realized, where was Luffy?
[Meanwhile...]
In a forest far from the battlefield, Luffy finally woke up, his expression confused.
It turned out that during the recent battle, while he was giving his all against Oars, a single punch sent him flying without him noticing, causing him to land here and pass out briefly.
"You're finally awake!" Luffy saw a group of worn-looking pirates surrounding him.
They were all pirates whose shadows had been stolen by Moria, just like Luffy and his crew. They all dreamed of defeating Moria and reclaiming their shadows.
"If you want to beat Moria, we have a secret weapon!" The leading female pirate spoke mysteriously.
["Secret weapon?" Luffy looked puzzled, but seeing the anxious expressions on their faces, he had a feeling that something was amiss…]
In a small town at the Marine base...
At that time, Zoro, who was once a pirate hunter, watched the live broadcast screen with curiosity.
"A secret weapon?"
"Can they defeat Moria..."
Even though he didn't know Luffy and his crew yet, and had no intention of becoming a pirate, he couldn't help but feel a connection to them while watching the broadcast. It seemed like being with this group of companions would be a great thing!
Even though they hadn't met in person, he already felt a sense of partnership deep inside his heart.
The most important thing was that his own swordsmanship had received a tremendous boost!
At the Baratie restaurant...
"Can we really defeat the Shichibukai?" Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, had beads of sweat on his forehead.
Like Zoro, he was now just a chef at a seaside restaurant, but he had already started to connect with this group of companions he hadn't met yet. His heart naturally began to worry about their safety, and of course, his own safety as well.
In the East Blue, in Orange Town...
Nami sat in her room, drawing a map, but her pen had been motionless for a while. Her gaze was fixed on the sky screen.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't help but cover her mouth with her hand.
"So, this is how it is..."
"In the future, I'll have so many companions who care about me!"
All this time, she had kept her heart closed under Arlong's control. However, through the live broadcast, she could genuinely see that this group of companions truly cared about her.
Syrup Village...
Usopp stood in front of a villa window, lying atop a tree trunk, with Miss Kaya, the girl he had feelings for, in the adjacent window.
"Usopp, are you really that strong in the future?" Miss Kaya asked in amazement and admiration.
Usopp, while watching the battle on screen, couldn't help but puff out his chest. Although his legs were trembling with fear, he couldn't show weakness in front of his beloved.
"Of course! I never lie to you!"
...
Luffy's expression remained resolute. "As long as we can defeat Moria, I'm in!"
"Alright, in that case, use this secret weapon!"
Many pirates suddenly grew excited and began to act very enthusiastically.
After a while, they brought shadows from all directions.
This was their secret weapon: the various shadows these pirates had collected during this time.
Laura said, "This is the secret we've uncovered. Although we don't know where these shadows come from, if you absorb them into your body temporarily, you can gain their abilities. Go ahead, try one."
With those words, the pirates picked up an unknown shadow and infused it into Luffy...
Luffy, upon receiving the shadow, was shocked. In an instant, his eyes gleamed with power.
Originally, he didn't know how to wield a sword, but at that moment, he casually pulled out a sword and effortlessly shattered a nearby tree into pieces.
The pirates exclaimed, "This shadow belonged to a swordsman!"
Not to mention the shock of the pirates in the scene, those watching the live broadcast were equally amazed.
It turned out that these shadows had such incredible effects.
Originally, everyone thought that Moria could only control the shadows he had taken. However, it seemed that once you possessed these shadows, you could use them freely.
The combined strength of these shadow abilities was remarkable.
It felt like a whole new application of the powers of the Kage Kage no Mi!
Laura and the other pirates were equally astounded and wore delighted expressions.
"Ordinary people can absorb one or two shadows, but Luffy, you're incredibly strong. You can surely take in more. The more shadows you absorb, the stronger you become. Bring all the shadows over!"
As the pirates continued to infuse various shadows into Luffy, they were increasingly amazed.
They initially thought that Luffy, with his physicality, could handle twenty or thirty shadows at most, but...
He actually absorbed hundreds of shadows!
The quantity stunned Laura and her crew.
This man's strength and willpower were truly unfathomable.
And at that very moment, after obtaining hundreds of shadows with different abilities, Luffy underwent a tremendous transformation.
His body grew taller and more robust, his skin turned a shade of gray, and boundless power surged from his being.
This was Luffy's limited edition state...
Nightmare Luffy, behold!
*****
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