At the summit of King Punch Mountain, everyone was fixated on the fierce aerial battle raging between the two combatants.
At that moment, Little Oars Jr. suddenly made his move. His colossal blade sliced through the air, whipping up a violent gust of wind.
A tall, imposing figure abruptly charged forward, positioning himself before the others. With an iron staff, he parried Little Oars Jr.'s massive sword. Under the terrifying force of Oars Jr.'s blow, the man was sent sliding dozens of meters across the ground, yet he ultimately managed to block the devastating slash.
Looking closely, this individual stood five meters tall, fully transformed into his beast form, resembling a gigantic ape.
He was Seph Alletha's vice-captain, Ape King Hachi, a user of the Zoan-type Ape-Ape Fruit, Model: Gorilla, with a bounty of five hundred million Berries and astonishing strength.
"He blocked it! The Ape King blocked Oars' giant blade!" The others collectively sighed in relief.
"In that case, you can all take a taste of my iron fist as well!" A strange, cackling laugh suddenly rang out. A massive figure loomed over them, and the expressions of Bisacchi Bourne and his men instantly contorted in panic.
"It's Moria! Quick, dodge!" Everyone vividly remembered Moria's monstrous punch from the tournament, a single blow that had sent all the other contestants flying.
Mike Phyton, who had experienced its force most acutely, reacted instantly upon seeing Moria's raised fist, yanking Bisacchi Bourne backwards.
"Demon Iron Fist!" Moria roared, and without further ado, his terrifying fist blasted through the air. The immense pressure from the blow descended upon them like a small mountain.
Ape King Hachi flashed in front of Taku, grabbed him, and executed an explosive retreat.
However, Moria's iron fist had been primarily aimed at Hachi. Gritting his teeth, Ape King Hachi struck out in a rage-fueled attack, bringing his staff down upon Moria's descending fist with fearless ferocity.
The iron staff bent instantly upon impact. Hachi swiftly coated both his hands with Armament Haki and continued his explosive retreat. The iron fist grazed past Hachi's arms and slammed into the ground.
With a world-shaking BOOM, Hachi was smashed into the already leveled summit of King Punch Mountain. Great, thick cracks, like bolts of lightning, spread rapidly from the mountaintop down its slopes, and the entire King Punch Mountain began to crumble and tilt precariously.
The astonishing shockwave generated by Moria's full-power punch sent everyone flying, slamming them into the collapsing ruins.
The entirety of King Punch Mountain was slowly disintegrating, countless tons of rock and debris tumbling down its sides.
Moria and his allies were naturally caught in the impact as well. However, at the crucial moment, Little Oars Jr. incredibly bent his massive frame over them, shielding them with his own body. The shockwave crashed into him.
His arms were torn to shreds, flesh and blood flying everywhere. He was violently pushed backwards, tumbling down with the collapsing King Punch Mountain.
Little Oars Jr. slammed his feet hard into the mountainside, arresting his descent.
The continuously fluctuating, terrifying shockwaves in the sky above Black Fist Island, combined with the deafening rumbles and the sight of King Punch Mountain collapsing, threw the island's inhabitants into a state of terrified panic.
Amidst the ruins on the collapsing summit of King Punch Mountain, Ape King Hachi lay in a deep fissure, coughing up mouthfuls of blood, his arms dangling uselessly. Moria's punch had grazed them, and they had immediately gone numb, shattered by the force.
After unleashing that single, all-out punch, Moria was completely drained. He knelt on the ground, countless shadows spewing from his mouth. He paid them no mind, forcefully controlling his own shadow beneath his feet to spread out towards the ruins.
"Quick, kill Moria!" At that moment, figures burst forth from the rubble – it was Bisacchi Bourne and his men. They too had been injured by the shockwave, but the current situation didn't allow them the luxury of waiting. Gritting their teeth, they charged forward, intending to finish Moria off.
"If you want to kill someone, you'll have to get through me first!" Little Oars Jr. pushed himself to his feet, ignoring his mangled, bloody arms. With a furious roar, he swung his giant blade in a wide, horizontal arc. The movement stirred up the dust and debris, forming an astonishingly powerful slash that sent Bisacchi Bourne and his charging men flying.
Meanwhile, in the sky, Seph Alletha attempted to return to the mountaintop to rescue Taku but was intercepted by Bege, who employed his most powerful "Beast King" sword technique. By the time Alletha managed to block the "Beast King" slash, the situation on the summit had undergone a dramatic and shocking reversal.
A figure was being held aloft by pitch-black shadows, surrounded by countless black Shadow Spears, all aimed at the ensnared individual.
This person was none other than Taku.
Moria had used his shadows to locate the heavily injured Taku amidst the impact debris and had successfully bound him.
"Stop!" Seph Alletha's eyes looked as if they might crack from sheer fury. He shot towards Taku at incredible speed.
"You're the one who should stop," Bege declared, instantly appearing behind Seph Alletha, his Fire Cloud Sword slashing downwards.
Alletha spun rapidly to block Bege's attack, then, with a sudden exertion of force, pushed Bege back and dived towards the ground.
"Demonic Swordsman, you stop right there! Otherwise, I'll kill Taku!" Moria bellowed, his voice sharp. A Shadow Spear instantly shot out, piercing clean through Taku's right leg.
Taku let out a bloodcurdling, piercing scream.
"Uncle Alletha, save me!"
Seph Alletha's descent came to an abrupt halt. He hovered in mid-air, his face a mask of extreme, dark fury.
"That's more like it," Bege chuckled heartily, landing beside Moria. Moria's shadows then brought the captured Taku over to them.
Bege contemptuously ground Taku under his foot, the tip of his Fire Cloud Sword pressed against Taku's neck.
"Moria, good work. You've been through a lot," Bege said, patting Moria on the shoulder.
Moria managed a pale, weak smile, his body utterly exhausted.
"Luckily, Little Oars Jr. helped out. Otherwise, catching this bastard wouldn't have been so easy."
Bege glanced up at Little Oars Jr. Blood was streaming from Oars Jr.'s arms like small rivers, collecting in pools within the craters and broken ground below.
Yet, he was still gritting his teeth, his massive sword held ready, his gaze fixed intently on Seph Alletha.
"Little Oars, it's over now. I'll send you into the castle for treatment," Bege said, placing a hand on Little Oars Jr.'s body and transferring him into his internal castle.
Seph Alletha landed before Bege, his expression grim, his eyes glinting with a cold, dangerous light. "Capone Bege, do you have any idea what you're doing? If you dare to harm a single hair on Taku's head, even if you flee to the very ends of the sea, our Fear Pirates will hunt you down and tear you limb from limb!"
Bege casually lit a fresh cigar, took a leisurely drag, and let out a faint, disdainful smirk. "Such big talk. You almost scared me to death there."
Bege's dismissive tone made Seph Alletha's face contort with extreme savagery. The black flames on his odachi blazed even more fiercely. But with Taku in Bege's hands, he dared not make any reckless moves.
"You release Taku," Seph Alletha said grimly, "and I'll let you leave."
"Like I said," Bege took another cigar from his pocket, lit it, and exhaled a satisfying ring of smoke with a cold snort, "you're not the one calling the shots now."
Seph Alletha took a deep breath. "What exactly will it take for you to release Taku?"
Bege's gaze shifted, landing on Bisacchi Bourne. Bourne's heart gave a sickening lurch; a terrible premonition washed over him.
"The Bisacchi family dared to ambush me. They should pay the price," Bege stated his terms. "Hand over all the members of the Bisacchi family, along with their entire family fortune, to me. Do that, and I'll release Taku."
"Lord Alletha, he's trying to sow discord! He wants to weaken our strength! Don't fall for his tricks!" Bisacchi Bourne's face changed drastically, and he yelled out in urgent desperation.
Seph Alletha's face was a grim mask. "The Bisacchi family are partners of our Fear Pirates. To act against our partners would violate the ethics of piracy. Isn't letting you go sufficient?"
Bege slowly shook his head with a cold laugh. He leaned down, looking at the tormented Taku, and taunted, "Well, Taku, it seems you're not quite as important as you thought, are you?"
"How about this..."