Blood trickled down from the wound on his cheek.
Moria's expression instantly turned terrifying.
"Hehihihi..."
His signature laugh echoed through the area, disturbing countless creatures lurking within the shadows.
"Bacardi Maude, your shadow... I'm taking it!"
Moria spread his arms wide, baring his sharp, menacing teeth. His face, and even his eyes, radiated a cruel and chilling aura.
He knew.
The rookie before him was no ordinary pirate.
Since entering the Grand Line, this man's bounty had skyrocketed, and he navigated the treacherous sea routes with an ease that defied common sense.
Not long ago, Maude had been seen on one sea route, only to appear abruptly on another, and now, he had even entered Moria's domain—the Florian Triangle.
How had he done it?
Moria had no interest in finding out.
What he did acknowledge, however, was that Maude was the strongest rookie he had encountered in the nine years since his return from the New World.
But so what?
Throughout the years he had spent lurking in the Florian Triangle, he had crushed countless upstart pirate crews.
His favorite sight was that of ambitious rookies standing just one step away from the final island of the first half of the Grand Line, only to have their dreams and aspirations shattered before his eyes.
"Hehihihi..."
Moria stared at Maude, bloodshot veins appearing in his eyes.
The swarm of shadow bats he had conjured scattered briefly before surging toward Maude from all directions.
"Intel is one thing, but some information can only be verified in actual combat..."
Maude's Observation Haki remained fully active.
The bats approaching from all sides were clearly within his "vision."
"First..."
A sharp glint flickered in Maude's eyes. He loaded a uniquely colored lead bullet into Dark Crow's chamber before stowing away the flintlock and bringing his sword, Chidori, to the ready.
A faint, blood-tinged aura radiated from his feet.
Gun: Daisy.
Maude's sword-wielding arm bent backward like a coiled spring, mimicking the tension of a drawn bowstring.
Then, in an instant, he unleashed a flurry of piercing sword slashes at incredible speed, each one resembling the fine, pointed petals of a blooming white daisy.
This technique was adapted from the swordplay of that madwoman, Abby, from Mad Hat Town.
The difference? Abby couldn't send her thrusts flying. Maude could.
The razor-sharp slashes, akin to bullets, tore through the incoming shadow bats, shredding them to pieces.
"Their strength is mediocre. Is it because the shadow has been dispersed?"
Compared to the massive shadow spear that had previously shot out from the darkness, these bats were utterly fragile.
Then again, the mechanics of shadows were similar to Logia abilities. Once separated from the body, they could change shape freely.
This meant that no matter how much damage a detached shadow suffered, as long as it could reform into its original shape before returning to its host, the host would remain unharmed.
In other words, attacking the shadow directly was a waste of effort—unless...
"Let's see what happens with Armament Haki."
With that thought, Maude obliterated the remaining bats and charged straight at Moria.
Moria's gaze turned icy as he watched Maude close the distance.
"Doppelman."
The dispersed shadows rapidly reformed in front of Moria, shaping into a three-dimensional replica of his own body.
"Hehihihi..."
Standing behind his shadowy duplicate, Moria remained motionless, as though he had no intention of fighting directly.
It wasn't that he believed his shadow alone could defeat Maude—it was simply his nature.
Whether in battle or daily life, Moria had always relied on others. On his crew. On his shadow.
In everyday situations, this trait wasn't necessarily a weakness.
But in battle, it meant willingly giving up a portion of his own potential.
The shadow duplicate grinned with its jagged teeth and took a bold step forward, lunging at Maude with outstretched hands.
No intricate technique. No deception.
It simply raised both hands high and brought them down, aiming to crush Maude's skull.
The attack was slow. Not only could Maude react, but he could easily slip past the shadow and strike Moria directly.
But he didn't.
He knew that Moria had the ability to swap places with his shadow at any moment.
Calmly watching the descending strike, Maude infused Chidori with Armament Haki.
Not far away, Moria's pupils shrank slightly.
With a single glance, he could tell that Maude's mastery of Armament Haki was exceptionally high.
In the New World, this ability was commonplace.
But in the first half of the Grand Line, it was rare.
And among rookies? Even rarer.
He had never encountered a rookie with such refined Haki techniques.
Swoosh—!
Maude swung his sword, effortlessly severing the shadow duplicate's arms.
He should have followed up by cutting off its legs as well.
But in the next instant, a crimson gleam flashed in his eyes, and he vanished with Stealth Walk, retreating ten meters in the blink of an eye.
At that moment, the severed black arms morphed into a dark net, falling precisely where Maude had just stood.
"Heh..."
Seeing the net miss its target, Maude let out a soft chuckle.
That last slash had seemed like a clean cut through the shadow's arms. But in reality, the shadow had detached them voluntarily just before impact, creating a gap for the sword to pass through.
A technique Logia users commonly employed to evade Haki attacks.
The fact that shadows, which functioned similarly to Logia abilities, could do the same wasn't surprising.
But this also confirmed something for Maude—
Armament Haki could indeed harm shadows. More importantly, it could disrupt their ability to reform and reshape.
If that last attack had truly severed the shadow's arms—
Then when it returned to Moria's body, the damage would have transferred to him as well.
With this realization, another possibility crossed Maude's mind.
Even if Moria's arms were severed, he could likely "correct" his shadow to reattach them—or perhaps even regrow them entirely.
The question was, had Moria's mastery of his Devil Fruit reached that level?
"The Shadow-Shadow Fruit..."
From just this brief exchange, Maude had to admit—the fruit possessed immense versatility and adaptability, with a high potential ceiling.
Instead of wasting it on creating a flawed zombie army, Moria should have focused on refining its combat applications.
In the end, he had chosen the wrong path, squandering his years.
Maude dismissed the thought and refocused on the reshaping shadow.
Extending his left hand, he watched as Bailey, the weapon he had thrown earlier, returned to him.
Mid-air, Bailey transformed into a longsword, its hilt aligning perfectly with Maude's outstretched palm.
It looked as though the blade had flown into his grasp of its own will.
Now wielding dual blades, Maude once again charged at the shadow.
Having confirmed that Haki could affect shadows, he could now direct all his attacks toward them.
Not far away, Moria sneered.
He had crushed countless pirates in the Florian Triangle.
Yet only Maude had made him feel a sense of unease.
And he didn't like it.
"All I need is one opening."
Moria's cold gaze flickered toward Maude's shadow.
If he could sever it—
The battle would be over in an instant.
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