[Whoosh!]
As a golden, shimmering leg flashed by, Gecko Moria's head shattered into pieces, transforming into torn fragments of shadow that danced in the air.
"Huh—?"
Borsalino looked puzzled at Moria's body, which had turned into a mass of dark purple shadow.
[Swish!]
Suddenly, the shadow swung its sharp shadow blade, transforming into a black streak that slashed horizontally at Borsalino's waist, cutting him in two.
However, there were no wounds or blood at the cut; instead, there was a bright golden light. In the blink of an eye, Borsalino reappeared at his original position.
"So scary~"
Borsalino looked genuinely shaken as he glanced over the shadow, his eyes landing on Gecko Moria, who had appeared about fifty meters away, his face filled with confusion.
"Are you a Logia user too? But the records say you're a Paramecia user with the Shadow-Shadow Fruit."
"Hey, hey, hey—I'd like to know why your elementalization can nullify my slash. I clearly infused Haki into that attack."
Gecko Moria had no interest in explaining his abilities and instead countered with a question. This was his first time facing a Logia user, so he wasn't sure if Haki could harm someone in their elementalized state.
"Well, who knows~"
Borsalino's response was utterly insincere.
"Hmph, we'll find out by fighting. I refuse to believe Haki is useless against you!" Gecko Moria snorted coldly and then shouted, "Shadow Asgard, attack with me!"
[Boom—]
With a powerful stomp on the ground, his nearly seven-meter-tall body accelerated instantly, easily shattering the shockwave created by the sound barrier, transforming into a massive dark purple blur as he charged forward.
At the same time, a shadow identical to him, wielding a shadow blade, closed in on Borsalino, slashing at him.
"Ama no Murakumo~"
Borsalino moved even faster, casually drawing a golden sword entirely composed of light particles, instantly blocking the shadow blade's attack.
In the next two seconds, the shadow blade and the light sword clashed at a speed so fast it was a blur to the naked eye. Black streaks and golden light clashed repeatedly, creating rippling shockwaves in the air. Occasional slashes left long, jagged cracks on the ground.
A moment later, Gecko Moria's main body closed in, attempting to flank Borsalino from behind. But the latter swiftly retreated a few meters, leaving no room for a pincer attack.
Left with no choice, Moria and his 'Shadow Asgard' launched a rapid assault from both sides, each swing of their blades releasing dangerous dark purple slashes.
Borsalino parried with his sword while observing both opponents.
He noticed that this so-called 'Shadow Asgard' matched Moria's main body in strength, speed, and reaction time.
The only difference was in their Haki. The shadow blade was coated with a faint layer of Armament Haki, while Moria's blade exuded a much denser Haki aura, even hardening the blade.
However, in terms of swordsmanship alone, Borsalino was clearly superior, though Moria's blade work was also quite impressive.
And then, there was speed!
[Swish—]
Borsalino transformed into a flash of light once again, disappearing in an instant and reappearing to the left of Moria's main body, slashing down with his sword.
Fortunately, Moria's Observation Haki was decent, allowing him to react in time, but it was too late to block with his sword.
As for hardening his body with Armament Haki to test the sharpness of the "Ama no Murakumo Sword," he didn't even dare to think about it, as the light sword was clearly also imbued with Haki.
"Shadow Clone!"
At this critical moment, Moria once again utilized the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit to swap places with his shadow, the "Shadow Doppelganger."
"Oh my~~"
Borsalino raised an eyebrow at this sight, but Moria didn't hesitate in the slightest, immediately unleashing his killing move.
"Scattering Bats!"
With a loud explosion, the "Shadow Doppelganger" in front of Borsalino suddenly burst apart, transforming into a dense swarm of shadow bats that lunged forward. They scattered in all directions, forming a black net that enveloped Borsalino from multiple angles.
Although this move was sudden, Borsalino also possessed Observation Haki, and coupled with the unparalleled speed of the Glint-Glint Fruit, he instantly dodged all the bats' attacks. When he reappeared, he was already high in the air.
"Yo~ What a troublesome ability—" Borsalino muttered, scratching his chin as he looked down with a troubled expression.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Gecko Moria was also frowning deeply, his gaze fixed on the sky as he muttered, "This guy's speed is just too fast. How am I supposed to fight him?"
In his view, their swordsmanship was evenly matched, with neither side able to gain an advantage. The battle would come down to Haki and Devil Fruit abilities.
In terms of Armament Haki and Observation Haki, he seemed to be at a slight disadvantage, and in terms of abilities, it appeared to be a stalemate as well.
The combination of "Shadow Doppelganger" and "Shadow Clone" was essentially elementalization plus spatial displacement, but while it was great for self-preservation, actually harming Borsalino was proving to be extremely difficult.
"It looks like this fight is going to drag on for a while," Moria thought to himself. Suddenly, he remembered his fellow clan members.
The battle had already escalated to this point, so why hadn't they noticed yet?!
[Beep————]
But Borsalino didn't give him any chance to check on his clan members. The "Ama no Murakumo Sword" in his hand had already vanished, replaced by a dazzling golden flash of light at his fingertips.
[Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!]
Three beams of light shot out, their speed so fast that they were upon Moria in an instant. However, Moria casually took a few steps, relying on his Observation Haki to easily dodge the laser beams.
"Heh heh heh—, what's the point of that?" Moria sneered.
Although Borsalino's Observation Haki seemed slightly better than his, the gap wasn't large enough for Borsalino to predict his predictions.
But in the next moment, when the light beams landed on the snow behind him, three bright red explosions erupted. The high-temperature flames and shockwaves instantly engulfed a large area of snow and Gecko Moria.
[Beep————]
Borsalino, high in the air, remained calm at this sight. The light beams at his fingertips continued to fire, sending three more shots downward.
You can swap places with your shadow clone, right?
Fine, then I'll just blow up both of you at the same time. Let's see you dodge that!
[Whoosh!]
Suddenly, an anomaly occurred. Amidst the continuous explosions and flames, a massive purple-black slash appeared, momentarily cutting through the fire and shockwaves.
Immediately after, the 'Shadow Mage' soared into the sky, flying straight towards Borsalino. The blackness on his body rapidly faded, revealing a somewhat disheveled Moria himself.
"Die!!"
A three-meter-long greatsword swung down violently, its sharp blade wrapped in a thick layer of purple-black shadow and dense Armament Haki, cleaving Borsalino in two from top to bottom.
However, just like before, no blood appeared. Instead, Borsalino split into two golden lights that shot out to the left and right, only to merge back together in the distance. That infuriating, lecherous face reappeared once more.
"Yo~ Your shadow clone can fly too? What a terrifying ability~~"
Borsalino pouted, feigning surprise, but then noticed Moria descending and grinned, "Ah, I see. You can't fly after switching positions, huh?"
However, the tattered clothes and furious expression on Moria's face clearly indicated that the earlier six beams of light had indeed had some effect.
In that case, let's ramp it up!
As Gecko Moria landed back on the scorched, crater-filled ground, it was as if another sun had appeared in the sky. The dazzling golden light blotted out the entire blue expanse.
"Yasakani no Magatama~~"