"How could this be! How could this happen?!"
Gecko Moria was battered miserably by a man crackling with lightning he had never seen before. He couldn't believe it—he, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, reduced to such a state by some nameless upstart.
Had the pirates of this era truly grown this powerful?
"Yehahahaha! Your ability, this god acknowledges it. But your Haki is far too weak. You are no match for me!"
Enel roared with laughter, arrogant and booming. Even he was impressed by Moria's techniques—the 'Shadow Doppelgänger' that ignored damage, and the instant evasive 'Shadow Swap' that allowed him to teleport out of danger. They were almost fast enough to rival his lightning.
Watching Moria's shadow clones gave Enel inspiration—perhaps he too could develop lightning-based clones. He vaguely remembered his boss mentioning that Admiral Kizaru could produce dozens of light clones. The thought of creating his own thunderous replicas thrilled Enel, who was obsessed with unlocking the full potential of the Goro Goro no Mi.
At the edge of the battlefield—
"Captain, our comrades are incredible!"
Brook was stunned as he watched just one member of Souta Kiryuu's crew dominate Gecko Moria. It dawned on him—he had aligned himself with a truly formidable force.
Yet his attention drifted more toward the duel between Ryoma and Law, swords flashing with deadly intent. After all, Ryoma's body was infused with Brook's very own shadow.
"So if you're too weak, you won't fit in with us. You'd better get stronger. See that girl over there? She's only nine, and she might already be stronger than you."
Souta Kiryuu gestured toward Jewelry Bonney, who was locked in combat with the zombie Silver Axe. Her potential, he thought, was no less than that of the Celestial Dragon Doflamingo.
A nine-year-old supernova—already surpassing most pirates on the seas.
"N-Nine? But she looks so… grown-up…"
Brook stammered, staring at Bonney's adult form in disbelief.
"She ate the Toshi Toshi no Mi. Don't provoke her—she's fierce. And her father is fiercer still."
Souta gave a light chuckle before turning his eyes toward Perona, who was hiding in the shadows. He guessed that Absalom, the Transparent Man, was lurking nearby as well. After all, Absalom had once saved Moria during the Paramount War, slipping past Doflamingo and a host of Pacifistas. His mastery of the Suke Suke no Mi had to be noteworthy.
Could it be that after the Thriller Bark incident, Absalom had refined his power enough to mask sound, scent, even slip past Kenbunshoku Haki detection?
Perhaps that explained why Shiryu of the Rain later coveted the Transparent Fruit—there must be untapped depths to its power that Absalom had failed to realize.
"You stay here and watch," Souta told Brook casually.
Then, before the skeleton's empty sockets, Souta vanished—slipping into invisibility.
He moved silently toward Perona.
Moments later—
"I've found your real body."
Perona's astral form jolted in terror as Souta's voice whispered in her ear. She frantically scanned around, finding no one, her face paling. Her spirit darted back to her body in fright, terrified someone might discover her true, fragile self.
Souta merely smirked, following her like a shadow until she returned to her chambers. Just as Perona's spirit merged with her body, she leapt from bed to check for intruders.
But the next instant, her ornate bedroom doors burst open. Screaming, she hastily summoned a swarm of negative ghosts and explosive phantoms.
A wave of overwhelming killing intent crashed through the room. Perona's eyes rolled back as she fainted, her summoned ghosts dissipating into nothing.
"Twenty-two years old, and still that flat?"
Souta stepped out of invisibility, casually hefting the pink-haired gothic lolita over his shoulder. He strolled out of the castle without a care. Given two years on Kuraigana Island, this girl would blossom into a beauty rivaling even Nico Robin—worth cultivating.
As he exited, faint footsteps caught his ear. Souta smirked. Compared to his own genetically enhanced invisibility, Absalom's fruit-based transparency was crude.
Was Vegapunk's research into transparent lineage factors based on Absalom himself—or an earlier user of the fruit? Souta didn't know, nor did he care. What mattered was that this fruit's current wielder was about to fall.
Absalom crept closer, aiming his pistol at Souta's back, desperate to rescue Perona. Yet unease gnawed at him. Where had he seen this man before—on a bounty poster, or in the papers? His face was too familiar.
Just as he pulled in close, Souta turned his head with a chilling grin. Absalom froze, his scalp prickling with dread.
A burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted, rattling Absalom's very soul. The next moment, a searing laser pierced his thigh.
"There's no mercy for men."
Souta's cold laugh echoed as he seized Absalom by the leg and dragged him across the ground.
Before long, Souta returned to Brook, who watched in astonishment. In mere minutes, Souta had captured not one, but two of Moria's strongest subordinates. His strength and efficiency were staggering.
On the other side of the battlefield, Gecko Moria fumed as he saw his followers taken. He could take a beating himself, but he would never tolerate harm to his crew.
Snarling, he forcefully absorbed nearly a thousand shadows—despite struggling to control even six or seven hundred. His body swelled to nearly a hundred meters tall, his presence surging monstrously. With a single punch, he split the earth like an earthquake, the ground trembling violently. Yet one of his hands remained clamped over his mouth, shadows spilling uncontrollably from between his fingers, proof of his overexertion.
If Bartholomew Kuma struck him now with a Paw-Paw shockwave, Moria might well cough up his own guts.
But neither Souta nor Kuma needed to intervene. A colossal thunder god descended—Enel's massive Raijin form crashed a mighty fist into Moria's stomach. The warlord reeled, spewing torrents of shadows into the air.
"Souta Kiryuu! I'll finish him—leave it to me!"
Obeying his captain's command, Enel unleashed his newly developed Raitei form, a stronger evolution of his Raijin state. With one overwhelming strike, he shattered Moria's swollen body, forcing him back into his true form.
Shadows poured from his mouth, streaking back into the bodies of terrified pirates cowering across Thriller Bark. Cries of joy erupted as men felt their souls restored.
Meanwhile, Law triumphed over Ryoma, seizing the black blade Shusui and returning Brook's shadow to its rightful owner.
Elsewhere, Bonney struck down the zombie Silver Axe, while Lafitte plundered Captain John's famed blade and pistol.
The battle was ending. Victory belonged to Souta Kiryuu's crew.