"What?!!"
Everyone turned their heads in shock at the sound, only to see Oz still lying on the ground, seemingly motionless.
But then Moria emerged from behind Oz, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at everyone.
"You… are unforgivable!"
"First, you killed Absalom, and now you've destroyed my hard-earned body. It's unforgivable!"
"Moria, you're the one who just surrendered!"
"So far, your zombie army has been defeated by us, and you… have no means left!" Sanji stated calmly, staring at Moria.
"Jiheeheeheehee!"
To everyone's surprise, Moria started laughing. The derisive tone in his laughter was clear to anyone with a discerning ear.
"Why are you laughing?" Zoro asked, frowning.
"Of course I'm laughing at your ignorance! A bunch of clueless pirates who haven't seen the vastness of the world, daring to boast so recklessly!"
"Even if I reveal everything today, I'll still kill you all!"
"As long as you're dead, no one will ever know my secrets!"
"Hey! Moria, are you losing it because you can't accept your defeat? How can you say such things?" Nami taunted mercilessly.
Although they hadn't fought Moria before, Kai had told them that Moria's strength as a Shichibukai was merely average.
They had always believed Kai's assessment.
But in the next moment, shock was evident on everyone's faces.
An immense pressure suddenly radiated from Moria, bearing down on them.
Nami, Usopp, and Chopper felt disoriented and were forced to their knees by the pressure.
"Hey! You..." Zoro shouted, trying to rally the others.
After a moment, the crew managed to get back on their feet. Nami looked at Moria, her voice filled with concern.
"Is this… Conqueror's Haki? I almost lost consciousness just now!"
Usopp echoed her sentiment.
"Yeah, I felt like reality was slipping away. Is this what Conqueror's Haki feels like?"
"Chihehehehe~ How does it feel to experience such power?" Moria grinned wickedly at them.
It wasn't just Luffy and the crew who were stunned; Kai and Kuma, watching from a distance, were also taken aback by the display.
Kai's eyes locked on Moria, his expression dark. The events unfolding on this Thriller Bark had surpassed his expectations.
Moria with Conqueror's Haki? What a twist!
Could this be linked to Rocks in some way?
As Kai pondered, another surge of Conqueror's Haki appeared, grabbing Kai's attention. When he saw the source of this new aura, a smile crossed his face.
"Luffy?" Sanji exclaimed in shock as Luffy's Conqueror's Haki flared beside him.
"It looks like what Kai said was right—you've got some impressive potential!"
Luffy didn't respond to Sanji. Instead, he focused on his own Conqueror's Haki. However, having just mastered it, he could only sustain it briefly before it faded, and he struggled to summon it again.
"You kid… How do you have Conqueror's Haki?" Moria's face twisted with rage.
"Because… I want to become the Pirate King!" Luffy declared resolutely, meeting Moria's gaze.
"Straw Hat brat, don't get too cocky! You won't get that chance!"
With that, Moria's form began to change. His bloated figure shrank down, revealing a much stronger physique with no trace of his former obesity.
Moria extended his hand, and a shadow blade materialized in it. He cracked his knuckles and said:
"I haven't fought like this in ages, hehehehe~"
"For years, the world thought I was despairing after my defeat by Kaido. Little did they know, it was just a facade I put on!"
"For the execution of a grand plan, I was willing to do this! You're the first to see me in this state in years. As a reward, I'll leave you with a complete corpse!"
With those words, Moria swung his shadow blade at them.
A massive wave of sword energy surged towards the crew.
"Get down!" Zoro shouted.
Everyone immediately dropped to the ground.
The sword energy whizzed past their heads, slicing through the surrounding forest with ease.
"This power..." Zoro said, cold sweat forming on his brow. As a swordsman, he knew how difficult it was to execute such a slash.
Before they could fully recover, Moria unleashed another wave of sword energy, forcing the crew to dodge and scatter in a panic.
Luffy, having recovered, charged towards Moria, shouting, "Moria!"
Moria, watching Luffy with a mocking glint in his eyes, raised his hand and effortlessly caught Luffy's attacking fist.
"How… how is this possible?" Luffy's face showed shock as his powerful punch was stopped with ease.
"Nothing is impossible, Straw Hat! As I said, you've never seen the full breadth of the sea!"
With that, Moria turned his palm into a fist, encased it in Armament Haki, and delivered a brutal punch to Luffy's stomach.
"Whoosh!"
Luffy was sent flying like a meteor, crashing through countless trees and traveling several kilometers before finally stopping. He landed and coughed up a large amount of blood.
Struggling to get up, Luffy felt as if his bones were shattered and pain radiated throughout his body.
Zoro and the others were stunned, unable to believe that Luffy had been incapacitated with just one blow. Their expressions grew grim as they looked at Moria.
"That guy Kai... Is this what he means by average Shichibukai? He's far stronger than Crocodile!" Sanji said, his face ashen.
"Crocodile? Don't compare that trash to me!" Moria sneered.
"How can someone who lost his spirit after being defeated by Whitebeard even be compared to me?"
"So boys, don't think you're so impressive for defeating a Shichibukai! You'll understand this truth in your next life!"
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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.