The next moment, the Super Shadow Lance, infused with Moria's furious strike, pierced Kaido and launched him into the sky.
Time seemed to freeze. Countless viewers watching the live broadcast couldn't believe that someone dared to interfere in a battle between two Yonko, and it even looked like they managed a successful sneak attack.
The Super Shadow Lance, carrying all of Moria's strength, glowed with a dark light, like black lightning making intimate contact with Kaido's body.
The entire scene fell into a dead silence.
Then, a blood-red flower suddenly bloomed from Kaido's chest.
"Hehehehe~"
Seeing his attack land successfully, Moria let out a shrill laugh.
"Kaido! Do you know how I've lived all these years!?"
"Moria, after all these years, you're still as weak as ever."
Hearing Kaido's words, Moria's laugh abruptly stopped, like a duck being strangled.
Kaido then raised his left hand, covered in Armament Haki, and grabbed the massive shadow spear lodged in his chest.
Crack!
With a harsh sound, the Super Shadow Lance that had sent Kaido flying was snapped in half by his brute force.
Falling from the sky, Kaido glanced at the spear tip stuck in his chest and yanked it out with a swift motion.
After casually tossing the broken spear aside, Kaido grinned wickedly at Moria.
In Moria's terrified eyes, Kaido assumed the starting stance of his Thunder Bagua.
"Scatter, bats!"
A large swarm of bats made of shadows shot out from Moria's shadow and flew towards Kaido.
Buzz!
But Kaido instantly burst forward with terrifying speed, shattering the shadow bats as he charged.
Moria was stunned by Kaido's overwhelming momentum, his mind conjuring the image of a ferocious beast lunging at him with its jaws wide open.
In a daze, he even heard his own heartbeat. The tangible sense of death made him relive the moment when Kaido slaughtered his entire pirate crew.
"Whitebeard, what are you waiting for!? Let's team up and kill this guy!"
Faced with the threat of death, Moria shouted desperately at Whitebeard, knowing their chances would be much higher if they joined forces.
"Gurararara, I've never had a habit of teaming up."
Whitebeard, holding his naginata, coldly watched the scene.
To him, it didn't matter if Kaido or Moria survived. He had no fondness for either of them. Even if Kaido killed Moria, so what? Whitebeard was still at his peak!
Moria instinctively opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, Kaido's club was already in front of him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A series of deafening explosions echoed. Amid the continuous noise, Moria's agonized screams rang out, lasting for more than ten seconds before finally stopping.
From Whitebeard's perspective, Moria was beaten beyond recognition. His body, which had swelled to over twenty meters after absorbing shadows, had returned to its original size.
Though barely holding his original form, almost every bone in Moria's body had been shattered by Kaido.
At that moment, Kaido stomped on Moria's head, grinding it into the dirt.
Moria's head was bleeding profusely, but he was still barely alive, gasping for breath.
"Gecko Moria, it's over. Just like before, you couldn't protect anything."
Kaido looked down at Moria with disdain.
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Hearing Kaido's words, Moria seemed to recall his comrades who sacrificed themselves to protect him.
He wanted to stand and fight, but the excruciating pain and his drained energy made it impossible for him to even lift his massive body.
After struggling for a moment, Moria gave up.
Kaido, however, didn't intend to spare him. Raising his club, he aimed it directly at Moria's head. It was clear that this strike would crush his skull.
But just as Kaido was about to swing, a transparent flash cut through the air. A bundle of TNT explosives, with its fuse nearly burnt out, suddenly appeared in front of Kaido.
Boom!
The massive explosion engulfed Kaido.
When the smoke cleared, Moria's body was gone.
Seeing Moria's disappearance, Kaido's eyes scanned the area as he spoke, "It must be that Absalom guy who saved him again. You can only pull that trick once."
Noticing blood stains on the ground nearby, Kaido sneered and opened his mouth, gathering flames.
Blast Breath!
A scorching blast of heat melted everything in its path. Ahead of it, Absalom, who was dragging Moria away, sensed something and turned just in time to see the roaring flames consume them both.
They were vaporized instantly, not even leaving time to scream. When the flames died down, two charred corpses were left behind.
The Warlord Gecko Moria appeared briefly in this Yonko-level battle, only to be immediately taken out!
"Old man, the distraction's gone. Let's resume our fight."
After glancing at the burnt bodies, Kaido withdrew his gaze and gripped his club, looking at Whitebeard in the distance.
…
Divine Departure!
The Griffon, coated with Conqueror's Haki, slashed toward Nicholas.
"Roger's move, huh? Brings back memories."
Seeing the familiar technique, Nicholas felt a bit nostalgic.
Then he chuckled and swung his sword, meeting the attack with the same move.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Their slashes clashed repeatedly, each strike stirring the already turbulent sea around them.
"Man, you're really a tough opponent."
Shanks took a deep breath, his eyes snapping open as his aura surged. His Conqueror's Haki fused with his Armament Haki.
The sheer power caused intricate patterns to appear on his limbs, face, and exposed chest. The flowing Haki within these patterns made him even more formidable.
The Griffon in his hand turned into a black blade, etched with fiery patterns and emitting intense heat.
A faint cry of a griffon echoed.
"Going all out, huh? Impressive aura…"
Nicholas narrowed his eyes, but before he could finish speaking, his gaze shifted to the distant battlefield.
There, Red-Haired Pirates' first mate Ben Beckman underwent a similar transformation.
He spat out his cigarette as Conqueror's and Armament Haki enveloped his body. Even the gun in his hand was now infused with Conqueror's Haki.
Ben Beckman, the only Yonko first mate who mastered Conqueror's coating—definitely on another level compared to the others.