chapter 204 part 2
Ren Arakawa stood under a temporarily erected simple shed, his brows slightly furrowed. Looking at the ship shrouded in fog, he felt somewhat anxious.
Every day of delay set his plan to go to Skypiea back another step.
At this moment, on Thriller Bark, Gecko Moria, Absalom, and Perona stood by the window, looking at the fog-shrouded sea with excited expressions.
"Hahahaha, the opportunity has finally arrived!" Gecko Moria's corpulent body trembled slightly with excitement. "This foggy weather... it's as if Heaven itself is helping me! In this vast fog, I can unleash my ultimate technique and leave him without a place to be buried!"
Absalom rubbed his fists together, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes. "This time, that damned fellow will definitely pay for what he's done!"
Perona also put her hands on her hips, saying maliciously, "Hmph, let's see how arrogant he'll be then!"
"When the time comes, we'll find a powerful shadow for his corpse. Hehehehe, it will surely be a great weapon for Lord Moria's conquest of the seas!" Hogback rubbed his palms together.
The four of them plotted in the room as if they could already see Ren Arakawa being defeated. Their triumphant laughter echoed through the room.
Meanwhile, on Ren Arakawa's side, Brook approached slowly, holding his violin.
"Yohohoho, Captain, don't fret about this weather! Let me play a song for everyone to lighten the mood!" Saying so, he began to play his violin. The melodious music drifted gently through the fog, adding a different kind of tranquility to the slightly oppressive atmosphere.
Listening to the music, Ren Arakawa finally understood why that brute Luffy had specifically invited a musician to join his crew.
It truly allowed one to calm down and briefly forget their worries.
However, while the music healed Pirate Ren Arakawa, it did not improve Gecko Moria's mood.
The zombie army he had painstakingly built for years was dissolved within days of Ren Arakawa's arrival on the island, with shadows flying everywhere. Gecko Moria was so angry his belly felt three sizes bigger!
Hiding in the mist, Gecko Moria, aided by Absalom's Clear-Clear Fruit, completely vanished from sight.
Looking at Ren Arakawa, who was enjoying the music not far ahead, both of them revealed sly expressions, anticipating their imminent success.
When he was five meters behind Ren Arakawa, Gecko Moria lightly licked his lips and silently activated his ability.
He suddenly extended both hands. His palms seemed to hold invisible black holes, which wildly pulled at Ren Arakawa's shadow on the ground.
A specially made giant pair of scissors, enveloped in an eerie wind, cut toward the shadow with the force of a thunderbolt!
The "snip" sound was like the whisper of death, attempting to sever the shadow in one fell swoop and turn it into a subordinate.
Ren Arakawa's expression was cold, but a mocking smirk hung on the corner of his mouth.
The mist and an unawakened Clear-Clear Fruit couldn't block the detection of Observation Haki. Especially with Gecko Moria's large frame standing there like a small mountain, Ren Arakawa had spotted him long ago.
Just as the scissors were about to touch Ren Arakawa's shadow, Ren Arakawa instantly shifted, easily dodging the attack.
At the same time, the wings on his back instantly spread. The pristine white feathers were suddenly twisted and deformed by a strange power, transforming into countless sharp, barbed blades. They whistled shrilly through the air as they shot toward Moria like a storm of pear blossom needles!
Seeing this, Moria's face paled, and terror instantly filled his eyes.
He hastily commanded his shadow to scatter into a swarm of bats, scurrying away in all directions. After dodging the feather attack, the shadow bats reassembled into Moria's human form.
It must be said that Gecko Moria was quite capable.
Though he was also defeated by plot armor, he at least forced out Luffy's Gear Third, whereas Crocodile was sent flying by Luffy in his base form.
"Hmph, a sneak attack?" Ren Arakawa's voice was filled with utter disdain. His hands quickly formed seals, and his aura surged dramatically. Powerful chakra gathered and swirled around him, forming a visible vortex of energy.
"Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu!"
A miniature sun surged toward Moria!
Moria was greatly alarmed, cold sweat pouring down his forehead as large beads slid down his cheeks.
In a hurry, Moria unleashed his gigantic Shadow Asgard, which could ignore any damage! It shielded him tightly, forming an unbreakable defense!
The fireball slammed heavily into the Shadow Asgard, emitting a deafening roar.
The terrifying impact force sent the Shadow Asgard stumbling backward continuously, and the ground was scorched dry and cracked.
But it only served to push him back; it caused no harm whatsoever.
That's how the One Piece world is: even very weak people can become incredibly strong by utilizing their Devil Fruit abilities. If the abilities are used properly, even a trash fruit can allow someone to join the ranks of the powerful.
Katakuri and Doflamingo were prime examples.
Gecko Moria, however, was a classic case of a good fruit ending up with a trash user.
If Neji Hyuga had eaten this fruit, he wouldn't have ended up just watching Hinata and Naruto's wedding via an iPad held by Hanabi after the Great Ninja War.
For a couple's wedding, not even showing up in person... how rude.
Moria gritted his teeth, suppressing the fear in his heart. Seizing the interval in Ren Arakawa's attack, he fiercely activated Shadow Warrior, instantly swapping places with his shadow and appearing behind Ren Arakawa!
The scissors in his hand flashed with a cold glint, their speed creating a sharp whistle as they cut through the air.
However, Ren Arakawa had already seen through his intentions.
The moment the attack neared, he shifted his body slightly, dodging the fatal blow by a hair's breadth.
An ordinary person might only be able to dodge the attack on their body, forgetting that the shadow was the key.
But with the dual danger perception of his Mangekyo Sharingan and Observation Haki, dodging attacks aimed at both his body and his shadow was a simple matter for Ren Arakawa!
With a "clack," the scissors cut through empty air!
Moria was dumbfounded! He could even react to that?!
Immediately after, Ren Arakawa's arm muscles tensed, veins bulging. A heavy punch, enveloped in Armament Haki, was thrown back without warning!
Unable to dodge, Moria was struck squarely by the punch.
The powerful force sent him flying. After tracing an arc through the air, he crashed heavily onto the ground, creating a human-shaped crater!
Ren Arakawa turned around, looking down at Moria from above, his eyes full of disdain.
"You think you can challenge me?"
Moria struggled to climb out of the rubble. The ferocity and arrogance were gone from his eyes, replaced by deep terror.
A few days ago, Moria had felt that he was just unprepared and caught off guard. One look from Ren Arakawa, combined with the pressure of Conqueror's Haki, had brought him to his knees.
But now, even with a sneak attack and full preparation, this was the result...
Moria was scared.
But he still held a glimmer of hope and decided to use his ace in the hole.
"Shadow Asgard, go!" Moria roared, summoning his Shadow Asgard! His figure flickered as he lunged toward Ren Arakawa like a phantom, a sharp blade condensed from shadows clutched in his hand, flashing with a cold light.
Ren Arakawa's expression was calm. Facing Shadow Asgard, he neither dodged nor retreated.
The moment Shadow Asgard approached, the Armament Haki around him erupted. The black Haki enveloped him tightly like a surging tide.
Shadow Asgard's blade struck the Armament Haki, making muffled "thump-thump" sounds, but it couldn't cause him the slightest harm.
Watching his Shadow Asgard fail to harm Ren Arakawa, the fear in Moria's heart intensified.