Navy Headquarters...
Akainu's face was contorted with anger, his volcanic rage hard to miss.
In the previous scene, he had struggled to grasp the direction of the battle. Unlike Garp and Sengoku, he couldn't perceive it with the same clarity. However, now, he had found his answer.
As a seasoned Marine Admiral, he was convinced that Gecko Moria had reached his limit. Both sides were exhausted, but the Straw Hat Pirates managed to maintain their composure even in dire straits.
Confronted with the dual threat of Moria and the sun's relentless onslaught, they fought with remarkable poise.
Moria, on the other hand, had just lost Oars, sending him into a blinding fury. He had recklessly devoured a thousand shadows, regardless of the consequences to his own state.
If he had been wiser, he would have consumed only a fraction of those shadows to boost his combat capabilities and prolong the battle until sunrise.
The Straw Hat crew had outwitted Moria.
But now...
"Idiot!" Akainu exclaimed as he watched the scene.
Moria, standing beside him, was dumbfounded, not just by Akainu's angry outburst but by the realization that he had acted in sheer madness.
As the "star" of the live broadcast, Moria knew better than anyone whether he could control a thousand shadows. It was undeniably beyond his limits. Yet, in a fit of rage, he had devoured an excessive number of shadows without a second thought.
Not only Akainu but even Moria himself wanted to scold himself.
[As Luffy and his crew continued their assault, shadows continued to pour from Moria's mouth.]
[The loss of Oars had driven him to the brink, causing him to devour a thousand shadows recklessly.]
[Even though Moria was a shadow fruit user, this quantity far exceeded his capacity.]
[Under normal circumstances, he would have struggled, but after a day of gruelling combat, he was utterly exhausted. His reckless actions had sealed his impending defeat.]
Moria, carried away by anger, remained oblivious to his predicament. Seizing a slight opportunity, he initiated another attack.
Countless shadow bats swarmed around Luffy before he launched a powerful punch. Luffy was sent flying and fell into a shadow coffin that had appeared behind him.
Moria, believing he had dealt with Luffy, unleashed a barrage of punches onto the coffin. After dozens of strikes, he assumed Luffy had been defeated and prepared to target the others.
But then, to Moria's astonishment, Luffy burst out of the coffin.
Moria couldn't fathom why he had resorted to so many punches when Luffy was still far from defeated.
What he didn't realize was that Luffy, being a rubber man, was naturally resistant to physical attacks.
Luffy crouched on the ground, surrounded by red steam, his strength peaking. He declared boldly, "Whether you're a Shichibukai or whatever else, I won't be brought down by you here because... I am the man who will become the Pirate King!"
His resolute words echoed throughout the world, leaving all who heard them deeply moved.
Luffy gazed at Moria, exhaling into his fist, which swelled to match Moria's size. This spectacle not only shocked Moria but also Usopp, Chopper, and the others.
"He's using Second and Third Gear together!?" Usopp exclaimed.
"Luffy's risking it all," Chopper added. "The aftermath of using Third Gear for an extended period was brutal last time, and now he's using it in conjunction with Second Gear!"
However, Luffy paid no heed to the potential consequences. His sole objective was to defeat Moria. He activated Second Gear and immediately followed with Third Gear, enveloped in red steam. He charged at Moria.
The impact of Luffy's colossal attack caused shadows to erupt from Moria's body. Desperately, Moria tried to stuff the shadows back into himself.
The pirates watched, shocked and helpless, for the man before them was none other than one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria.
Luffy raised his head and shouted," My Shadow, If you want to be Pirate King then come back!"
His voice resonated across the globe, leaving everyone who heard it in awe.
In a final, desperate move, Luffy attacked with all his remaining strength. His punch, infused with every ounce of his power, struck Moria, who had already been pushed to his limit. Shadows poured uncontrollably from Moria's mouth, merging into a towering black pillar of light.
As the shadows spiralled out of control, they yearned to return to their rightful owners. At the same moment, the sun began its ascent, casting its radiance upon the world.
*****
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