"Don't be too quick to celebrate; the battle isn't over yet," Yun Lie's calm voice suddenly cut through the momentary relaxed atmosphere, clearly reaching everyone's ears.
Hearing this warning, the women swiftly activated their Observation Haki, their gazes vigilant and focused, sensing every slight movement within the ruins of the ancient castle with full concentration.
A tense atmosphere permeated the air, as if even the wind had stopped blowing.
Sure enough, two faint auras belonging to Moriah emanated from deep within the ruins.
This bizarre situation caused everyone's brows to furrow, their hearts filled with doubt, and the atmosphere grew even heavier.
"Shadow Box!" Moriah's furious roar suddenly erupted from the ruins, his voice filled with unwillingness and savagery.
In an instant, countless pitch-black bats surged out from the piles of ruins like a black tide.
They weaved and crisscrossed in the air, emitting sharp screeches, as if they were an extension of Moriah's rage.
These bats rapidly converged and merged, outlining a giant black silhouette in the air, finally solidifying into a massive black box.
With a violent surge of energy, the black box continuously shrunk, and a disheveled Moriah emerged from within it.
Behind Moriah, a physical shadow, faintly glowing with a purple light, slowly materialized.
It had a large, penetrating wound on its chest, and eerily, the "flesh" at the wound seemed to slowly squirm as if alive, emitting an unsettling aura.
"Quite impressive, Gekko Moriah."
Yun Lie watched the scene before him, a playful curve on his lips, his tone carrying a hint of mockery and disdain.
He knew well the peculiarity of Moriah's ability—this Shadowman, created by the Shadow-Shadow Fruit's power, not only possessed the same abilities as Moriah himself but could also swap positions with Moriah at any time.
If it hadn't been for the Shadowman stepping forward at the critical moment to block the fatal blow for Moriah, Moriah would have already perished.
"Why?! I clearly haven't offended you!" Moriah gasped for breath, his face etched with unwillingness and anger, his voice hoarsely questioning.
He merely wanted to quietly stay at home, continuously accumulating power to take revenge on Kaido, and truly couldn't understand when he had provoked Yun Lie, such a formidable enemy.
"No way? You, a pirate, are actually lecturing me on these principles?" Yun Lie showed an incredulous expression, his eyes full of ridicule.
As a Shichibukai recognized by the World Government and the Marine, Moriah plundered freely under the "legal" banner at sea.
Those innocent people he had harmed, when encountering his atrocities, never had a chance to reason with him. The answer was obvious: Moriah was by no means a kind person; he would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, and killing was merely commonplace for him.
In this world where the strong prey on the weak, strength was the only law, and for this reason, Yun Lie found Moriah's questioning utterly absurd.
"Trying to escape?" Yun Lie's gaze was like lightning; he suddenly stretched out his hand towards the distance, clenched his fist, and coldly shouted, "Spatial Tremor!"
With this command, an invisible and terrifying force instantly erupted.
Moriah, as if caught completely off guard, was struck as if by lightning, violently spat out a large mouthful of blood, his body swaying precariously, and his aura became listless.
"Damn it!" Moriah could no longer support himself, dropping heavily to one knee, his hands propped on the ground, his face filled with pain and despair.
Yun Lie's attack directly destroyed his Shadowman. Although the damage sustained by the Shadowman would not transfer to him, the destruction of the Shadowman caused him immense trauma.
At this moment, his heart was filled with fear. He had never imagined that, as fellow Shichibukai, Yun Lie's strength could be so unfathomable.
He feared death, and even more, he feared perishing here before he could avenge his comrades.
"What? Still want to run away ignominiously like you did against Kaido back then?" Yun Lie slowly walked up to Moriah, looking down at him from above, his words full of contempt.
He looked at the disheveled Moriah before him, his heart filled with emotion—Moriah, having lost his fighting spirit, was so vulnerable, his strength almost entirely dependent on the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
When he was young, Moriah could at least use Armament Haki, but now he had degenerated into a "dead shut-in" with no fighting spirit, barely able to use Armament Haki.
"Damn it!" Moriah's sore spot was hit, and a wave of humiliation surged through him.
He buried his head deep into the ground, his hands tightly clenched into fists, his knuckles white from the exertion.
Just then, a sharp cry came from a distance: "Let go of Moriah-sama! Negative Hollow!" Several white ghosts, like arrows, rushed towards everyone.
Yun Lie turned his head and saw a girl suspended in mid-air, wearing a crown-shaped hair ornament, with pink twin tails, dressed in a Gothic-style dress, and holding a burgundy umbrella. Her small face was flushed red, and her eyes were filled with anger.
"Paramecia, Hollow-Hollow Fruit?" Yun Lie stared at the flying ghosts, a surge of curiosity rising in his heart, wanting to verify if this ability was truly irresistible.
However, before conducting the experiment, Yun Lie mercilessly punched Moriah on the head.
Perhaps Moriah was still young, but this punch directly knocked him unconscious.
After dealing with Moriah, Yun Lie extended his hand and slowly reached for the flying Negative Hollow.
The moment his fingertips touched the ghost, an indescribable wave of negative emotions surged into his heart like a torrent, as if he had experienced all the pain and despair of life in an instant.
"Disperse!"
Just as Yun Lie felt he was about to be overwhelmed by this negative emotion and was about to bend over and collapse, an incredibly powerful Haoshoku Haki erupted from within him.
Under the impact of the Haoshoku Haki, the Negative Hollow instantly disintegrated, vanishing without a trace.
"I almost fell for it. Without Haoshoku Haki, this ability is almost unsolvable."
Yun Lie muttered to himself with lingering fear. He knew that to deal with mental attacks like Negative Hollow, only those with extremely strong mental or willpower could resist.
Just like the women not far away, after being touched by the Negative Hollow, they all, without exception, fell into a negative state.
"Damn it! You made me so embarrassed!" The women recovered, their faces flushed with shame and anger, as they ran over, gritting their teeth.
After speaking, they tried to grab Perona, who had been stunned by the Haoshoku Haki.
But at this time, Perona was in a spiritual state. Although she was unconscious, everyone's hands passed directly through her body, unable to touch her at all.
Seeing this, Yun Lie helplessly covered his forehead, pointed to a small castle on the edge of the ancient castle ruins not far away, and said, "Her main body is there. Don't go too far."
During the previous battle, Moriah had intentionally avoided this ancient castle where Perona was, so it was fortunately preserved, like a tranquil spot in this brutal battle.