From all directions, shadows surged toward Moria, drawn along dark tendrils that resembled pipelines, converging at his feet.
As he absorbed the shadows into his body, Moria began to expand at a visibly rapid pace.
His already towering height of nearly seven meters shot past nine meters in an instant.
Yet beyond that, there was no further change.
This was completely different from what he had expected.
Moria's composure shattered.
There were nearly nine hundred shadows on the island ship.
But after using Shadow's Asgard, he had only managed to recover around a hundred.
That alone was frustrating enough.
Even worse, the shadows he did absorb were mostly weak!
The higher-quality shadows? Nowhere to be found.
Why was this happening?
Moria didn't know the reason, but that didn't stop him from placing all the blame squarely on Maude.
In an instant, his rising fury transformed into murderous intent.
Eight hundred high-quality shadows—gone, all because of Maude.
That was the culmination of years of effort!
"Bacardi Maude!!!"
Moria's enraged roar echoed.
Even with only a hundred lesser shadows absorbed, Moria's strength and physique had undergone a significant improvement.
Perhaps this was the true allure of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit—the ability to stack power through shadows, temporarily amplifying one's own strength to extraordinary levels.
Skills like these, which offered explosive boosts, usually came with drawbacks.
But Shadow's Asgard had no such weakness.
The only real limitation was endurance.
One hundred shadows fell precisely within Moria's acceptable threshold.
Any more than that—let alone reaching nine hundred—and the consequences would be disastrous.
The intricacies of this balance weren't something that could be explained in just a few words.
This was why, before making his move, Maude had instructed his crew to purge the island of shadows—to weaken Moria's trump card.
And judging by the outcome, Maude had succeeded within an acceptable margin.
Moria didn't understand the specifics, but he was almost certain that Maude was the culprit.
Boom! Boom!
He took a heavy step forward, the impact kicking up dust with each movement.
His massive, mountain-like frame cast a deep shadow over Maude, who was already charging in with his blade.
Facing the significantly strengthened Moria, Maude remained unfazed.
If anything, he welcomed this confrontation.
Dealing with Moria's endless escape tactics was far more troublesome than engaging him in a head-on battle.
The moment he stepped into striking range, Maude unleashed two crossing slashes of sword energy, cutting straight toward Moria's body.
Moria glanced down at the incoming attacks and raised his arm defensively.
Boom!
The sword energy collided with Moria's arm, triggering a violent explosion.
As the dust settled, only a few faint scars marred Moria's forearm.
"Kehehehe! Even just a hundred shadows are more than enough to deal with you!"
Having tanked Maude's attack head-on, Moria was not only furious but also brimming with confidence.
Although the shadows appeared to be absorbed into his body, in reality, they had fused directly into his own shadow.
And when his shadow grew stronger, so did his physical body.
That was the fundamental connection between his body and his shadow.
In other words, the hundred shadows he absorbed not only granted him new skills and abilities but also significantly bolstered his durability.
That was why he could take Maude's slash without suffering serious damage.
Clicking his tongue in annoyance, Maude glanced at the insignificant wounds on Moria's arm.
Shadow's Asgard really was an absurd ability.
However, in the grand scheme of things, his Hunter's Notebook was even more unreasonable.
Moria, now brimming with confidence, wasn't about to let Maude follow up with another attack.
Raising both fists high above his head, he brought them crashing down toward Maude with devastating force.
Whoosh—!
The attack hadn't even landed yet, but the sheer wind pressure sent debris flying in all directions, uprooting shattered trees.
Maude looked up at the descending attack, eyes narrowing slightly.
"If this is going to be a direct fight, then there's no need to hold back…"
That thought flickered through his mind in an instant. Just before Moria's fists made contact, Maude reversed his grip on Chidori, sheathing it in one swift motion. In the next breath, he drew Shusui, the legendary Great Grade Sword he had claimed from the swordmaster Ryuma.
Immediately, a surge of Armament Haki erupted from his right hand, flowing like a coiling dragon before spiraling around the dark purple blade of Shusui, which bore a distinctive red serrated pattern.
Finally, the Haki condensed over the sword, forming an impenetrable black sheen that seemed to swallow all light.
Maude swung.
A single, pitch-black slash cut through the air, intercepting Moria's descending arm.
No techniques, no flourishes.
Just raw, unrelenting power—one pure strike.
Slash!
The dark arc of energy flashed past.
Moria's falling right arm was severed at the shoulder, tumbling wildly through the air like a snapped cable car.
From the gaping wound, a torrent of blood gushed forth.
Moria's face froze in shock as his remaining fist slammed into the ground.
Boom!
The impact sent tremors rippling through the earth.
Nearby trees, already tilting from the battle, snapped apart under the force and were hurled into the air.
Thick clouds of dust billowed outward.
Blood poured from Moria's severed arm, splattering against the airborne dust like raindrops creating ripples on water.
Standing amidst the swirling blood and dust, Maude remained motionless for just a second or two—long enough for stains to mark his face and clothing.
He didn't care in the slightest.
Maintaining his stance from the slash, his gaze fell upon Shusui's deep-hued blade.
"…Good sword."
That single full-power strike with Shusui had given him a thrill unlike anything he'd ever felt before.
Just as firearms could develop character over years of use, so too could swords.
And this blade, once a national treasure of Wano, was undoubtedly a masterpiece among them.
Before the dust could fully settle, Maude swiftly sheathed the blade, then readied himself once more.
One arm wasn't enough.
The other one had to go too. And if necessary… perhaps even a leg.
If he could knock Moria unconscious here and now, that would be ideal.
"Damn you!!!"
A furious roar erupted from within the dust cloud.
Whoosh!
A sudden gust dispersed the lingering haze.
Moria stood there, veins bulging across his face, his eyes burning with murderous rage.
While Shadow's Asgard had significantly amplified his strength, it had also restricted his usual combat flexibility.
This meant he couldn't summon Doppelman or execute three-dimensional shadow-based attacks.
In essence, he had traded his usual sorcerer-like playstyle for that of a brute-force brawler.
"Die!!!"
Ignoring the blood gushing from his wounds, Moria swung his remaining left arm with all his might.
Maude responded with another slash.
Another jet-black arc of energy flashed.
Silently, Moria's left arm separated from his body.
"Second arm," Maude murmured calmly, sheathing his sword once more.
Moria stood frozen, unable to react.
From the depths of the forest, the watching pirates were utterly speechless, staring as if witnessing a dream.
They had assumed Maude was doomed.
Yet reality had delivered an overwhelming surprise.
The Warlord of the Sea, Gecko Moria—the ruler of Thriller Bark—had just been dismembered by this young man.
Shock and awe filled their hearts.
Who exactly was this man?
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