"Moria-sama, come and save me!"
Perona shut her eyes and shouted loudly.
Caelan looked at Perona and chuckled.
"Let's go. I want to see what he plans to use to save you."
Caelan lifted Perona by the neck like she was a kitten.
Soon, guided by Observation Haki, Caelan and his group arrived at the hall where Moria was.
"You were able to defeat Absalom and Perona. Seems you've got some skill."
"My zombies are just missing a few suitable shadows!"
Moria sat on the sofa with his back to the door, his domineering tone carrying an air of arrogance.
He didn't care who the visitor was. In the first half of the Grand Line, there wasn't anyone who could scare him. Well, except for Caelan, but Caelan wouldn't be interested in him… right?
"Save me, save me!"
Perona's eyes lit up. At this moment, she found Moria absolutely domineering.
Surely, such a Moria would save her.
"Ugh~"
As soon as Caelan stepped in and saw Moria posturing, he couldn't help but laugh at the sight of his bloated figure.
Once upon a time, this man had the potential to challenge Kaido. Whether it was swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, or his Devil Fruit ability, he had all the makings of a top-tier fighter. If he had stayed on the right path, reaching the level of a Yonko commander would have been easy, and even becoming a Yonko himself wasn't out of reach.
But after that battle, he gave up. Now, his strength wasn't even comparable to early-stage Crocodile. He was at the bottom of the Warlords of the Sea.
Still, with this level of power, Caelan wouldn't mind having him as a subordinate.
"Moria, be my subordinate."
Caelan didn't bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
While Moria's strength meant nothing to him, he was still one of the most powerful people on the sea.
His Devil Fruit ability was also quite practical. If used well, he could raise a massive undead army and unleash a plague of shadows upon the world.
It also made him perfect for managing prisoners. Build a prison under the sun and attach shadows to the inmates. They wouldn't even be able to escape if they wanted to.
If Moria had taken Magellan's position, Impel Down would've never experienced a breakout.
"Arrogant! Who do you think you are?!"
Moria suddenly turned around, eyes glowing red, glaring furiously at Caelan.
But the moment he saw Caelan's face clearly, his hair stood on end. His pale complexion grew even paler.
It was the exact same face as the one who had defeated Admiral Aokiji in the newspapers.
"C-Caelan… What brings you here?"
Moria wiped his nonexistent sweat to hide his panic.
Why did this monster come here?
And he had Perona with him. That alone told Moria this wasn't a social call.
"I've seen your recent progress and came to recruit you."
Caelan's tone softened, and his expression looked almost friendly.
"I have a reputation, you know. Isn't this a bit too much?"
"If you leave now, I can pretend nothing happened."
Moria forced a fake smile as his tone turned grim.
Even after getting crushed by Kaido and losing his will to fight, he still had his pride. He wouldn't submit so easily.
If he could just find the right shadow to power Oars, he could make a comeback.
"There's nothing wrong with what I'm doing. I just came to recruit you."
"This has to work today. It will work today!"
Caelan's tone grew colder, filled with overwhelming authority.
Whatever he set out to do, he would accomplish.
"I'm a renowned pirate! And a newcomer who just made a name for himself thinks he can conquer me?!"
"Don't look down on me!"
Moria was enraged and couldn't hold back any longer.
He knew Caelan was strong enough to defeat Aokiji. But if he gathered all his strength, there might still be a chance.
"Shadow Asgard!"
With a roar, Moria summoned all the shadows on the Thriller Bark. They surged into his mouth.
Thousands of dark shadows merged into his body, filling him with unprecedented power.
Caelan didn't stop him. He wanted to defeat Moria at his strongest, so the man could truly understand the gap between them.
After swallowing the final shadow, Moria grew into a giant over ten meters tall.
Drunk on power, Moria felt like he could tear the world apart.
In that moment, all fear vanished. His fighting spirit surged back, almost as fierce as it was during his youth when he challenged Kaido.
Moria laughed menacingly, as if he had just stolen Caelan's shadow and was about to return to the New World to battle Kaido again.
"You might not be my match! I'll take your shadow!"
Moria roared, swinging his massive fist at Caelan with all his strength.
The punch came with such force that the wind alone made Caelan's hair rise, like a lion's mane spreading out.
Caelan didn't dodge. He clenched his right fist and met Moria's attack head-on.
Boom!
Though their sizes were worlds apart, strength wasn't about size.
The instant their fists collided, Moria felt a monstrous force surge through his arm. He was sent flying and slammed into the castle wall.
"Surrender?"
Caelan stood there calmly, hands at his sides, radiating divine authority.
"Roar!"
Moria roared and charged again, while his Shadow crawled silently beneath Caelan's feet.
Moria had already realized he couldn't stand against Caelan's power in a head-on clash.
But he still had a trick up his sleeve. If he could just activate his ability and sever Caelan's shadow, he could flip the tide.
Caelan noticed the move but didn't care. He kept fighting Moria, calm as ever.
With A-rank Divinity, if you can tear off my shadow, then I'll admit defeat.
Boom!
As expected, Moria was blasted away again, smashing through the hall's wall.
But instead of despair, excitement filled his eyes.
His Shadow had sneaked under Caelan's feet and was just about to sever the shadow.
Do it!
Moria shouted internally, urging the Shadow to act quickly.
"You can't pull it off?!"
But what he saw next left him in shock.
His seemingly invincible Devil Fruit ability couldn't sever Caelan's shadow.
Caelan's shadow was like a mountain. No matter how the Shadow pulled, it wouldn't budge an inch!
"You've got quite the imagination."
Caelan kicked the Shadow away with an Armament Haki-infused strike. He cracked his knuckles and walked toward Moria with a sinister smile.
Moria looked at Caelan in horror and gulped repeatedly.
Damn it… Don't come any closer!
(To be continued.)
***
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