Using my Tempest Kick imitation fired in rapid succession like Kaku with two legs, I shot down the swarm of bats that burst forth from Moria. Why is a guy like this showing up in West Blue!? Are you insane!?
Hard to see in the darkness, but I could tell one of the bats I'd blown away was wriggling.
"Don't switch places!!"
"Guoh...!?"
Targeting the moment he switched, I kicked that huge face at full speed. As expected from its size, it's heavy and I don't feel like I'm doing damage! Dammit!
"Daz, lead the Marines and hold back the zombies! Shove emergency ration salt into their mouths! Have several free the captured soldiers! Clear as much space as possible!"
"You brat!!"
"Too slow!"
Anyway, he's tough—tougher than Bege, his destructive power is insane, and he's pulling the worst horror game shit imaginable with masses of zombies in an enclosed space, but—
He's far from the Kaido level I imagined!
"Thrust--!"
"Stop scurrying around!!!"
This guy's basic techniques are all centered on the massive swarm of bats created by his ability. If I can just see through that!
"I'm not there anymore, Moria!!"
"Guh--!"
I'm certain now. In terms of speed alone, I'm superior.
"Geh...you're kidding me! In West Blue—why does someone like you exist in the four seas!?"
"That's my line."
I really don't want to hear that from you, dammit!!
"But fine. Fine, Silent Step... I was gonna put a decent pirate or Marine's shadow in your body, but... opposite."
...Moria-san, Moria-san. Aren't those bats looking kinda glossy black?
"I'll rip out your shadow! Hell, even in some fodder Marine's corpse, you'd do good work!"
There are only female Marines here right now!?
"Kishishishi!"
This is bad, incoming!!
"I'll show you, 'Silent Step'... the power of a Grand Line pirate!!"
–
"Out of my way...!"
Daz Bones was a blade human who ate the Dice-Dice Fruit. His defensive power was top-class in the crew, and especially in one-on-one battles, he'd never even struggled before.
"Sparkling Daisy!"
'Kyaaahhh!!?'
The shadow escaped from the zombie that collapsed after being sliced, returning to its original owner—a Marine still strung up. He was momentarily surprised by zombies as an existence, but they weren't opponents to struggle against.
However, Daz Bones himself understood. All the enemies he currently couldn't beat were handled and defeated by their captain, Kuro.
The Marine branch Vice Admiral, the gangster, and now the Grand Line pirate before him. The figure of their captain not retreating a step against such opponents was far too distant, yet dazzling.
"Daz-san! Robin-chan used her ability to bring more salt in bags!"
"Everyone, pockets, anywhere—stuff salt where you can reach immediately."
And he understood. More than anyone, what was required of him as vice-captain was steady work.
They have physical strength, but their movements are still clumsy. The Captain said Marine shadows were put in. A Devil fruit ability.
With enemies before them and combat starting immediately, Kuro couldn't convey sufficient information, but Daz assembled the situation from those fragments.
Even if it's a gangster's body accustomed to violence, those movements are influenced by the shadow placed inside. And the weakness is salt.
"Form groups of three. Minimum pairs of two."
During their time on that island, Daz had accompanied the Marines' training.
All were rookies or below, but whether from fear of nearly becoming slaves or other reasons, all the Marines desperately trained while advancing development.
Despite being a Devil Fruit User and pirate, they bowed their heads to the child Daz.
"Enemies are strong but slow. Numbers are their threat, but paired with defense, you won't easily collapse."
They were probably still far from being called combat forces. But Daz Bones knew they were no longer rookies.
"One person engages, one assists with defense. The remaining person watches for interference while shoving salt in their mouths."
"Pairs just don't collapse. I'll reinforce as soon as I spot you."
"If we steadily reduce their numbers, they're not opponents our trained group would lose to."
–
"Brick Bat!!"
"One pattern!" (TL/N: Both of them are attacks from kuro and gecko.)
"But the power and speed are completely different!"
"True—but so what!!!!"
Shit! Shit shit shit!! This damn brat!!
While hiding his inner feelings with laughter, Gecko Moria was panicking. The bats that should have been wrapped in Haki got closer to 'Silent Step' than before but didn't land direct hits.
Enduring the flying slashing attacks, the approaching bats were directly kicked to pieces.
Though invisible to normal eyes, Moria's eyes saw each bat kicked over five times in an instant.
What kind of legs does this guy have!?
There wasn't pressure equal to the strong enemies he'd fought in the Grand Line. Attack-wise, it was still first-half Grand Line level. It hadn't reached the New World level.
But his legs... in terms of speed, it was like—
Can't hit him! No matter how much I try crushing with Brick Bat numbers, he kicks them all down! Even wrapped in Haki, my current self isn't enough... Damn—
--Throb
If my body were in perfect condition, this brat—!!
The pirate he challenged while losing subordinates—Kaido of the Beasts. The battle with that monster called man left abnormal damage on Moria.
And the subsequent flight. The life-or-death—and solitary—crossing of the Calm Belt. It had definitely left indelible damage on Gecko Moria's mind and body.
But if I just stop his legs, he's just fodder. To stop this damn brat's legs—
He glanced at Kuro's subordinates suppressing the zombie army he'd hastily made as provisional forces.
"Kishishishi, hey brat—ogohhh!?"
The moment he tried to steal the shadows of what seemed to be subordinates—the Devil Fruit User child and the strangely attractive soldiers steadily neutralizing zombies under their command—to use as hostages, an unprecedented strike kicked through his jaw.
--Zzzt, zzzzt... ZZZZZZZZT!!
"I vaguely understand what you're thinking, but... I won't let you."
"You bastard... that leg...!?"
A black leg shining blue, wrapped in lightning. And that strike with speed that couldn't be dodged even when seen—
--'Thunder Bagua!'
It was enough to recall the strike burned into pirate Gecko Moria's heart.
"I won't let you cut any more shadows here."
"You bastard... Silent Step...!!"
–
I knew it, I knew you'd do it! I absolutely knew you'd do something like that, that's just who you are!!
As expected at this period, he can wrap Haki. But—
Slow. More precisely, for some reason there's a slight time lag between entering an attack and wrapping Haki.
Moreover, while he wraps Haki around attacks, he seemingly can't maintain it continuously.
In that moment, my kicks land. The problem is I can't tell if they're actually doing damage even when they land.
His muscles are too hard—what did he eat to become like this!?
The technique with most power currently is my Diable Jambe imitation. It's my current finishing move that penetrated Bege's castle walls and dealt damage.
I thought this alone would be enough during my time in West Blue, and look at this!
"Ah, I was naive. Kuro, you're not some pirate-playing brat, and you're definitely not some rookie who can only do lukewarm plundering."
No really, could you just stay careless forever? What? That sword... sword... wait a minute, could that possibly be—
"I'll face you with everything I've got! Silent Step!"
--Gh, fast! The blade... no, if it's imbued with Haki, it'll cut through my shoe's iron plate!
I hastily changed my target to the gripping hand and kicked upward—it was hard!?
"That brat too, and those brats above using annoying abilities—hurry up and peel off their shadows!! Become zombies!! And!!"
"--Guah...!!"
The next moment, I was blown away hard and slammed into wooden crates and barrels piled at the edge. I could see Perona's Negative Ghosts flying, but they were all being knocked down by bats probably wrapped in Haki.
"Make me Pirate King!!"
Dammit... can't let him cut my shadow!
I tried to move my body, but my legs were caught in debris and 'Silent Step' wasn't working well. This is bad—
--Ice Block Partisan!!
Just when I'd resigned myself to worst-case shadow theft, the approaching Moria was blown away by a mass of ice spears.
...Why!?
"Oh my... when that Nico Robin personally used a Den Den Mushi to call for help, I thought something serious was happening."
"Kuro-kun, you're fighting quite the big shot."
"Vice Admiral Kuzan!!"
Robinnnnnn!!!!
I'll feed you anything you want next time!!
--
PS Goal: 50