It was a pity that none of his punches landed.
Against the agile Soifon, every attack missed.
Instead, he was beaten until more than a hundred shadows flew out of him, and his massive body shrank even further.
The proud Warlord of the Sea, Moonlight Moria, was being used by Soifon as a living training dummy… a punching bag for her to study Armament Haki.
To feel the essence of Armament more clearly, Soifon deliberately suppressed her Reiryoku output to the absolute minimum.
Even so, Moria kept being pushed back.
"So you deliberately drew Perona away, didn't you?"
In this moment, that old pirate instinct of Moria's finally returned.
He looked at the people surrounding him and knew he probably wouldn't survive today.
Oguro… and those uniformed weirdos beside him… every one of them was stronger than he ever imagined.
Especially this woman wearing the white haori.
Moria could feel it clearly. If she wished, she could probably kill him in a single move.
Damn the World Government.
What a load of garbage intelligence.
"Lost to Aokiji and barely escaped with his life"?
What a joke.
This was clearly someone who fought a fierce battle and walked away unscathed.
Those bastards… those trash heaps… those absolute scumbags.
They set him up to die.
Moria cursed every ancestor of theirs in his heart.
Oguro said lightly, "What comes next is a bit too cruel for a young girl to watch."
"…I figured."
Moria let out a long sigh.
At this point, he had no hope of living.
A heartbeat later, he seemed to reach a decision. His eyes burned as he looked at Oguro.
"Can I ask you… to take care of that girl?"
Oguro froze, his expression unreadable. "We're enemies."
Moria snorted. "You know exactly what Perona's Fruit can do. You honestly trust that girl to wander around the world alone?"
The Hollow-Hollow Fruit was a terrifying ability that could suppress more than ninety percent of the strong on the sea.
Anyone who saw it would fear it… and covet it.
Oguro said coldly, "I can kill her. She's my enemy too."
Moria shook his head. "If you had the heart to do that, she'd already be dead. Why scare her away earlier?"
Before Oguro could speak, Moria continued.
"She's not like us. Perona has never killed anyone. She's just a clueless, silly kid."
"I've met many pirates in my life. You're not like them. You have principles. With you, at least she won't become a tool for killing."
Oguro fell silent.
What the hell was this…
A dying request?
He didn't expect that even at the end, Moria still put his companion above all else.
Even willing to trade his own life for her safety.
No wonder Perona treated him like a father.
"…Fine. I promise you. Perona will be under my protection."
The moment Oguro spoke those decisive words, the last bit of tension left Moria's eyes.
As for Hogback still on Thriller Bark?
Heh.
Moria wasn't delusional.
A butcher like that… of course Oguro would never let him live.
"Then let's end this with everything we've got."
Moria's gaze sharpened.
For just a moment, the great pirate who once roared across the New World returned.
"Shadow Asgard… Final Strike!"
Moria merged with his own shadow, and countless other shadows condensed into a long spear in his hands.
He thrust it forward with all his might.
The pressure was enormous. Even the air felt thick.
The spear of shadow screamed like thunder and wind.
Oguro gestured for Soifon to retreat.
This challenge was meant for him alone.
"Moria… I'll send you off with my strongest strike."
Black Armament Haki washed across his Zanpakutō.
"One Sword Style… Severing Caress."
A faint tearing sound echoed.
In the air, a thin line appeared.
The next instant, that line erupted into a monstrous slash that pierced sky and earth.
A crisp shatter rang out.
Moria's spear of shadow was ripped apart instantly, and a sword mark ran straight down his body from head to toe.
He opened his mouth but could say nothing.
His towering body collapsed.
"This is… the Captain-Commander's swordsmanship?" Soifon murmured, startled.
As the founder of the Genryu, the Captain-Commander Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni mastered both swordsmanship and hand-to-hand combat at the highest level.
Oguro hadn't summoned Yamamoto yet, but the system still contained detailed explanations of the captains' techniques.
He could study and train them himself.
Or he could spend Achievement Points and learn instantly.
But that price was ridiculous. Far less cost-effective than drawing new cards.
Right now, Severing Caress was the only one he had mastered to a decent level.
With Moria's death, all the shadows he controlled dispersed and returned to their owners.
Oguro also obtained the Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
"Ding. Superhuman-type Shadow-Shadow Fruit detected. Eligible for exchange: Gold Legendary Lottery Ticket."
Exactly as expected from a Fruit with massive potential.
Moria simply wasted it.
"System, exchange it."
With a new captain joining soon, he would have three top-tier fighters.
His crew's strength was approaching that of the Marines.
After defeating Moria, Oguro ordered the others to clean Thriller Bark completely.
Scum like Hogback were executed on the spot. No need to report back.
Oguro headed to Perona's room.
Since he accepted her, he had to do this properly.
Inside, Perona had been tied up by Robin and Nami and tossed onto the bed.
At first she tried using negative hollows on them, only for Robin to catch her real body and force her to surrender.
Now she was curled up on the bed, crying her heart out.
She obviously knew Moria was gone.
The animal zombies in the room lay motionless on the floor, lifeless without their shadows.
Nothing spoke clearer than that.
Before Oguro could speak, Robin stepped forward.
"Lord Oguro, once we get back, let me handle Perona for a while."
"Hmm?" Oguro blinked. "How did you know I planned to take her?"
Robin pointed at the zombie collapsed in the corner.
"Just now, Moria used this zombie to come here and tell Perona he entrusted her to you."
Oguro paused.
For someone who looked so dumb… Moria's heart was unexpectedly delicate.
He did it to stop Perona from fighting Oguro to the death, which would force Oguro to kill her.
"Uuuh… even if Moria said that, I'm never staying with the murderer who killed him! I'll stay here forever!"
Perona cried loudly, shaking from anger and grief.
Robin frowned.
A girl like her, with such an ability… they absolutely couldn't leave her unchecked.
Otherwise she would become a massive threat in the wrong hands.
***
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