A few days later, on the Sabaody Archipelago.
The sun was bright, and colorful bubbles floated gently from the mangrove roots into the sky. In the lawless zone, the usual noise and chaos seemed unchanged. But for those with a keen sense of the world, there was a new scent in the air—the scent of order.
A dilapidated single-masted sailboat was docked quietly at a pier in the most chaotic part of the island, the area furthest from the Marine base. Gekko Moria's tall figure stood at the bow, his shadow nearly enveloping the entire boat. The sea breeze rustled his worn but clean clothes. The physical injuries from Wano had mostly healed, but the memory of that crushing defeat was now a permanent scar on his soul.
"Moria-sama…" a faint voice whispered beside him.
Moria lowered his head and looked at the small girl with pink pigtails. Perona was clutching his pant leg, her big, dark eyes filled with unease as she looked out at the strange, bustling island.
"Stay on the ship. Don't go anywhere," Moria said, his voice hoarse. He gently guided Perona toward the cabin door, then turned and stepped onto the soil of Sabaody without a second's hesitation.
He was going to see that man. Aaron Kyle. The name was like a curse that now haunted his every waking moment. Every night, he was jolted awake by nightmares of his companions dying, immediately followed by the image of that man casually smashing the "World's Strongest Creature" into the ground. After absolute despair, came his only hope.
He soon found himself standing before the villa on the hilltop. He looked at the two expressionless guards in black suits at the entrance, and a long-forgotten sense of fear welled up in his chest.
Would that man really care about a loser like me? he wondered. Maybe his intervention in Wano was just a whim, like stepping on an annoying ant. Will I be seen as a joke for showing up here uninvited?
No!
Moria clenched his fists, his fingernails digging so deep into his palms that they drew blood. He had already lost everything. His dignity, his crew, his future—it had all been crushed into dust by Kaido on that snowy field. All he had left was this pathetic life and a burning obsession to become stronger, no matter the cost. He needed power. Power to protect himself. Power to never lose anything again.
And following that man was the only possible way to get it.
"My name is Gekko Moria," he said, walking up to the guards. His massive figure cast an oppressive shadow, but his voice was uncharacteristically low. "I have come to seek an audience with Aaron Kyle-sama."
The guards exchanged a glance, completely unfazed by Moria's strange appearance or immense size. One of them picked up a Transponder Snail and spoke a few words into it. A moment later, he put it down and made a "please enter" gesture to Moria.
"Kyle-sama is waiting for you inside."
Moria said nothing more and pushed open the heavy villa door himself. With a dull thud, the door slowly closed behind him, sealing off all light and sound from the outside world.
The room was not the golden, resplendent place he had imagined. It was pitch black. A faint, crushing pressure filled the air, like being at the bottom of the deep sea, squeezing every one of his nerves. Moria's heart constricted, and he instinctively straightened his back. He squinted, his eyes struggling to adapt to the darkness. Finally, at the far end of the hall, he saw a blurry outline. It was a huge, ornate seat—less of a sofa and more of a throne.
A figure was leaning back on it in an impossibly lazy posture, propping his head with one hand. He seemed to have merged with the surrounding darkness. Moria's breath caught in his throat. He walked forward, each step feeling as if he were treading on his own heart. He stopped ten meters from the throne. Then, the giant who stood nearly seven meters tall respectfully knelt on one knee, lowering the head he had once held so proudly.
"Kyle-sama," his voice echoed in the empty hall, carrying a tremor he didn't even notice. "I, Gekko Moria, wish to follow you."
The figure on the throne did not respond. Darkness and silence were the only answer. The air seemed to solidify, and time stretched on for an eternity, each second grinding away at Moria's fragile hope. Just as he was beginning to think this was all just a cruel illusion, the lazy voice finally spoke, as casually as if commenting on the weather.
"Is that so?"
Those two simple words made Moria's entire body tense up.
"Then…" Kyle, on the throne, straightened up slightly. In the darkness, a pair of golden eyes suddenly lit up like burning stars. "Prove it to me!"
The moment the words fell, a terrifying aura erupted. Black and gold arcs of lightning surged wildly around Kyle, crackling like explosions. The very space of the villa seemed to wail and twist under his will.
It was Conqueror's Haki.
Moria's tall body was slammed downwards. That invisible pressure was like an entire mountain pressing down on his head, his shoulders, and his very soul. His bones groaned under the immense strain, and cold sweat instantly drenched his clothes. He gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his contorted face, trying to resist this power that made him want to collapse.
"A captain who couldn't even protect his own crew," Kyle's voice drifted over, each word a dagger twisting in Moria's most painful wound. "A loser whose entire army was wiped out. What makes you think you're worthy to stand before me?"
"Your companions, your family… all slaughtered before your eyes. And you were as helpless as a stray dog."
"No… it's not…" Moria squeezed the words out through clenched teeth, his breathing becoming heavy and ragged.
"Not?" Kyle's tone took on a hint of mockery. "Then what do you plan to do? Hide in the fog, steal other people's shadows, and play with cold corpses? Drown yourself in a false sense of strength?"
Every word was a hammer blow to Moria's heart. The blood-stained snow of Wano appeared before his eyes. He heard the dying roars of his crew, saw Kaido's demonic figure, and felt the spiked club that had shattered his dreams.
"Ahhhhhh!" A suppressed roar tore from Moria's throat. His huge body trembled violently, and his other leg finally gave out, slamming him to the ground. The hard wooden floor cracked beneath his knees.
"Look at you now," Kyle's voice remained cold and merciless. "You can't even withstand my will. How do you expect to get revenge? How, with a heart that's already filled with fear?"
"Shut up… SHUT UP!" Moria clenched his fists, blood dripping from where his nails dug into his palms. Pain, regret, powerlessness, despair—all of it threatened to engulf his sanity.
No! I cannot fall here! If I fall, then everything is truly over! I've already lost everything else! I can't lose this last chance!
"I…" Moria forced his head up, his bloodshot eyes locking onto the figure on the throne. "I want power!" he roared. "I want to become stronger! I want to obtain absolute power that can control everything! I never want to feel it again! The despair of watching my comrades die while I can do nothing! I never… EVER… want to lose anything again!"
He roared with all his might, pouring every last ounce of his shattered and re-ignited will into his voice. As his emotions reached their peak, something inside him snapped. A nascent, tender, yet unbelievably stubborn will erupted from within him. Under the crushing abyss of Kyle's Haki, it was like a tiny seed stubbornly breaking through tons of solid rock—small, but undeniably alive.
It was the birth of a new Conqueror's Haki.
A hint of genuine appreciation finally appeared in Kyle's golden eyes. The corner of his mouth curved into a slight smile. In the next second, the terrifying pressure that had filled the villa vanished as if it had never existed. The lights in the hall came on one by one, chasing away the darkness.
Moria was on the floor, gasping for breath and drenched in sweat, but the light in his eyes was completely different.
Kyle rose from his throne and walked toward him, a look of undisguised approval on his face. He stopped in front of Moria and looked down at the kneeling giant. Then, he extended his hand.
"I acknowledge your will," he said.
Moria looked up, staring at the hand before him. It wasn't a particularly large hand, yet it seemed to hold the power of the entire world.
"Become my shadow, Moria."
Moria froze. He looked into Kyle's calm, profound eyes. There was no sympathy or pity in them—only recognition. He slowly extended his own massive hand and grasped Kyle's. A surge of power flowed from that grip, pulling him back to his feet.
The moment he stood, the last traces of confusion in Moria's eyes faded away, replaced by an unprecedented determination.
"I pledge my allegiance to you, Kyle-sama."
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