Moria's menacing gesture sent shivers down everyone's spines.
Even from the images, it appeared incredibly daunting.
It left countless viewers around the world breathless as they watched the live broadcast.
It seemed like the Straw Hats were on the verge of defeat in this battle.
After all, they had expended a tremendous amount of energy contending with Oars, and even their captain, Luffy, was running on fumes.
And now, instead of falling, Moria had absorbed a thousand shadows, making him even more terrifying!
The question on everyone's mind was, how could the Straw Hats possibly contend with him?
Despite the touching and moving scene before them, it seemed like Moria was destined to emerge victorious.
This sentiment was shared by a significant number of Navy personnel and pirates.
However, not everyone shared this view.
Whitebeard gazed at the sky, his eyes narrowing slightly as he commented, "Moria is running on fumes; he doesn't have much strength left."
Many captains found this hard to believe, especially given Moria's terrifying presence in the images.
"How can he be running on fumes when he just absorbed a thousand shadows?" someone asked.
Whitebeard chuckled in response, "Moria has lost his composure; he's on the brink of desperation. He won't personally strike unless he's at the end of his rope. Besides, he's been controlling Oars and contributing to the battle. Revealing his last trump card is his last resort. Controlling a thousand shadows also means containing the power of a thousand individuals. It's not necessarily a good thing, perhaps... it could even be a bad thing."
"To push Moria to this point, Straw Hat Boy, I'm impressed," Whitebeard continued.
Listening to Whitebeard's words, everyone on the ship contemplated the situation. They trusted Whitebeard's judgment, knowing that he possessed far greater strength than anyone else and could see beyond the surface.
Since it was Whitebeard who spoke, there had to be some validity to his perspective.
Perhaps, this battle would indeed have an unexpected outcome.
Sengoku, Garp, and others who shared Whitebeard's view considered Moria's imminent defeat.
Their strength far surpassed Moria's, and they understood that his current form was unsustainable. It might not even last as long as Luffy's ten-minute limit. As the battle continued, Moria's control would slip further.
As long as Luffy and his crew held on, Moria would ultimately defeat himself.
However, almost everyone else was pessimistic about Luffy's chances in this battle.
The difference in power between the two combatants was simply too vast.
Luffy and his crew didn't want to give up, but even with the support of pirates like Laura, they couldn't envision victory tipping in their favor.
After all, Moria had absorbed a thousand shadows, including those of the Straw Hat crew. How could they possibly defeat him?
Many pirates couldn't hide their fear, and some shouted for Luffy and his crew to flee.
But the Straw Hat crew paid no heed to these words. Only Zoro, somewhat irritated by the shouts, replied coldly, "If you're watching, watch closely; we're winning this battle."
This resolute stance and unwavering declaration left the pirates stunned. They couldn't fathom how Luffy and his crew could win, but they might just be putting up a brave front before their inevitable defeat.
However, Luffy and his crew knew that their fear didn't stem from Moria's transformation but from the sun.
Devoid of their shadows, they feared the sun's rays. Moria had reached his limit and could crumble at any moment.
The crucial question was whether they could defeat Moria first and reclaim their shadows or if they would succumb to the sun's rays.
Moria had become consumed by rage, focused solely on annihilating everyone before him.
But just as he was about to strike, Luffy and his crew sprang into action.
Luffy activated his second gear and charged at Moria, causing him to stumble backward and spit out some shadows.
Zoro, Sanji, Robin, and the rest followed suit, launching successive attacks on Moria.
As Moria took these critical hits, more shadows spilled from his mouth.
Within moments, hundreds of shadows had been expelled.
As he lost control over the shadows, Moria's power waned. The battle was pushing him to his limits, and his grip on the shadows was slipping away.
The unfolding scene left countless viewers in shock, as it deviated from their expectations at the outset of the battle.
Moria's transformation had appeared formidable, but now it seemed to be going in an unexpected direction.
Even in the Navy's headquarters, aside from Garp and Sengoku, who had mentally prepared for this, everyone in the room, including the Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji couldn't help but be astounded.
Akainu, in particular, wore a visibly changed expression, his face growing increasingly pale.
It appeared that Garp's grandson was far more formidable and posed a greater threat than he had anticipated.