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*Whoosh!* Ian vanished from Moria's sight in an instant. Moria assumed he had utilized Soru, that swift Marine footwork, to reposition himself for an attack.
Suddenly, a massive green energy slash materialized out of thin air, cleaving through Moria's body, leaving a bloody gash. The wound, however, was not severe.
"As expected of a Warlord. You're quite durable!" Ian reappeared, still in the same spot, as if he had never moved.
"That's Absalom's invisibility from the Suke Suke no Mi! You already have a Devil Fruit! How can you have two powers?!" Moria exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief.
"Who says it's impossible? You need to broaden your horizons. The vastness of the sea, the world itself, is beyond your comprehension. And you'll see even more examples of this in the future... No, you won't. Because you're going to die here today."
Ian's voice was cold and emotionless. Every year, over a hundred ships fell prey to Thriller Bark in the Florian Triangle, their crews tortured and transformed into grotesque zombies.
He couldn't believe they were all villainous pirates. He would never spare a wicked soul, nor would he abandon an innocent life. That was his creed.
He was, of course, referring to Blackbeard's acquisition of Whitebeard's Gura Gura no Mi, the power to create earthquakes, during the Paramount War. Moria had witnessed that event firsthand.
But due to Ian's presence, the course of history had been altered.
This was the butterfly effect in action. His arrival, an anomaly in this world, had triggered a chain reaction, changing the destinies of countless individuals. The clash between Ace and Kid, two of the strongest Supernova captains from different seas, Gion's early intervention in Crocodile's Alabasta plot, and now, Moria's imminent demise – all had been accelerated.
"Brick Bat!" Moria extended his massive black claws, shadows gathering in his hand before dispersing into countless tiny black bats.
He had decided to capture Ian alive and extract the secret of wielding two Devil Fruit powers, by any means necessary. With such power, he could return to the Grand Line, defeat Kaido, conquer the world, challenge the Marines, and become the Pirate King!
Conqueror's Haki, two Devil Fruit powers, a promising young man... It was a shame his arrogance had led to his downfall.
He hadn't bothered to conceal his strength, waiting to shock the world when he was truly powerful. Instead, he had challenged Moria prematurely, seeking fame and recognition.
*Whoosh!* As expected, Ian vanished with Sonido, activating his invisibility and unleashing a barrage of sword pressure attacks, interspersed with a Cero blast.
"Damn Kid! You have quite a few tricks, but you can't break through my defenses!"
Moria roared, his Haki radiating outwards, forcing Ian back.
Armament Haki, Observation Haki… Having clashed with Kaido, Moria was no stranger to Haki.
He now understood the true terror of an invisible swordsman, combined with the speed of Soru. It was impossible to predict where the next attack would come from. Even with Observation Haki, he could only barely sense the trajectory of Ian's attacks.
His Brick Bat couldn't keep up. Therefore, he focused on reinforcing his defenses, utilizing Shadow's Asgard and enhancing his own body with Armament Haki.
Absalom had employed a similar tactic, utilizing his invisibility and enhanced physique to attack Sanji.
"Really? Then try this!" Ian smirked, his grip tightening on the Shusui katana as he poured his spiritual pressure into the blade, his power steadily increasing. He simultaneously raised his left index finger.
*Whoosh!* A Cero and a sword pressure attack erupted simultaneously, unleashed with full force. After all, his opponent was a Warlord, albeit one of the weaker ones, Gecko Moria.
Moria's bounty had stagnated at 320 million berries, but his true strength was likely around 600-700 million. Ian, with his current power, was comparable to a pirate with a 700-800 million berry bounty. Their strength was relatively evenly matched, necessitating a full-powered attack.
"A laser beam? Isn't that Kizaru's power? How can he use it too? Could he have three Devil Fruit powers?" Moria wondered, momentarily stunned. But then he recalled Ian's Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit and dismissed his concerns.
Marco the Phoenix, with his Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix, could also manipulate flames. Kaido, with his Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, could unleash both lightning and fire. It was reasonable for Ian's demon form to possess similar abilities.
While he couldn't achieve the complete elemental transformation of a Logia user, his physical resilience and regenerative abilities were monstrous, rivaling an Awakened Zoan user. After all, Mythical Zoan fruits were incredibly rare.
*BOOM!* Faced with the overwhelming power of the Cero and the sword pressure attack, Moria instinctively channeled his shadows into his hands, imbuing them with Armament Haki, turning them pitch black.
The attacks struck his hands, creating a metallic screech as they slowly but surely pierced through his defenses, blood trickling from the wounds.
This was Ian's full-powered attack. While the power gap between 500 million and 1 billion berry pirates wasn't significant, there were still differences in offensive and defensive capabilities. Each individual had their strengths and weaknesses.
Moria, having survived a clash with Kaido, clearly possessed impressive durability.
*BOOM!* A massive explosion erupted, consuming everything in a blinding flash of light. When the dust settled, a black shadow of Moria was seen dissipating, returning to his body.
Doppelman, a technique similar to the Shadow Possession Jutsu in the Naruto universe, except it utilized tangible shadows instead of chakra.
Moria had used this technique to toy with Luffy, and now, in a desperate attempt to survive, it had saved his life.
"Damn it!" Moria's hands were mangled, flesh and bone exposed, blood gushing from the wounds. But his monstrous regenerative abilities were already at work, rapidly healing the damage.
"Impressive resilience," Ian remarked casually.
The demon and the vampire faced each other, their auras clashing, the air thick with tension. Both were creatures of darkness, but Moria was destined to lose.
Ian was an Espada, a powerful Arrancar from Hueco Mundo, while Moria was merely a competent Paramecia Devil Fruit user from the world of One Piece. If he were facing Redfield, the legendary vampire from the games, who rivaled the likes of Whitebeard, Roger, and Shiki…
Then Ian might have been truly concerned.
But Redfield was a non-canon character, his existence uncertain. Perhaps he could investigate Impel Down and God Valley someday.
"Shadow's Asgard!" Moria roared in fury, enraged that even in the relatively weak first half of the Grand Line, he had been wounded by a mere brat.
He refused to believe he had become complacent and weak. After all, he was a Warlord of the Sea, someone who had challenged Kaido. This kid must be cheating somehow. Two Devil Fruit powers, Conqueror's Haki, and a skilled swordsman?
It was impossible! A monster! But he had forgotten that in the world of pirates, where strength reigned supreme, any advantage, even a seemingly unfair one, was a valid weapon.
Therefore, he resorted to his ultimate technique, devouring shadows from his surroundings, including those of his zombie minions.
They collapsed instantly, lifeless, as their shadows were ripped from their bodies. Moria's own body swelled, transforming him into a giant, similar in size to Oars.
He was utilizing his Kage Kage no Mi to absorb all the shadows he controlled, a total of eight hundred to nine hundred, his maximum capacity. This granted him immense strength and size, enough to shatter a small island with a single blow.
Of course, he couldn't compare to Whitebeard's devastating power with the Gura Gura no Mi.
However, this technique required immense mental focus. If his willpower faltered, he would lose control and go berserk. During his fight with Luffy, he had absorbed one thousand shadows, leading to his downfall. It wasn't until Luffy, in Gear Second, bombarded him with Gomu Gomu no Jet Gatling, forcing him to expel half the shadows, that he regained control.
During the Paramount War, he had attempted to use Shadow's Asgard against Jinbe, but he was easily defeated, the stolen shadows expelled once more.
As Jinbe had pointed out, Moria relied too heavily on the strength of others, neglecting to develop his own abilities. Luffy, after absorbing one hundred shadows and entering his Nightmare Luffy form, had effortlessly defeated Oars.
"Transformations? I can do that too!" Ian chuckled, observing the monstrous Moria, now resembling a giant toad, sprawled on the ground. He felt no fear.
Moria's appearance was indeed reminiscent of certain poisonous toads from the Naruto universe. Ian checked his fusion rate, currently at 36%, still a ways off from the 40% required to unlock his first Resurrección, Murciélago. However, he had only absorbed about half the souls on Thriller Bark.
Moria, in his final form, possessed power comparable to a 1 billion berry pirate, on par with one of Big Mom's Sweet Commanders or Kaido's All-Stars, at least the weaker ones like Jack the Drought.
Even Cracker, with his Biscuit Soldier and mammoth form, was a formidable opponent, but not unbeatable.
Therefore, Ian activated his Soul Absorption, unleashing its full power, devouring souls throughout Thriller Bark. A visible vortex of energy formed around him, drawing in souls with irresistible force. While Moria couldn't see souls…
He could sense the terrifying spiritual pressure, even more potent than Conqueror's Haki, sending a shiver down his spine. What was this kid up to?
Ian's fusion rate surged upwards. 38%…
Then it stopped. He had absorbed enough souls for now. Moria, sensing the growing threat, launched an attack, attempting to interrupt Ian's power-up.
He couldn't allow Ian to succeed. He wouldn't survive otherwise. Ian smiled.
He hadn't reached 40% fusion yet, but that wouldn't prevent him from utilizing his Resurrección. He plunged the Shusui katana into the ground, its exceptional sharpness easily penetrating the earth. His voice, cold and resolute, echoed across Thriller Bark.
"Lock on, Murciélago!"
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Word Count [1722]
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To Be Continued..
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