Chiyu unleashed nearly his full power. Bolts of lightning as thick as barrels and as fierce as laser blasts tore straight through Gecko Moria's body.
In an instant—
Moria let out a scream, and countless shadows burst out of his mouth, scattering in all directions. Many of them flew right back to their original owners — the members of the Victims' Alliance.
The moment the shadows returned, cheers erupted.
These people had lived like prisoners ever since Moria stole their shadows, trapped forever in the Florian Triangle without ever seeing sunlight.
Now, finally, they were free.
Some cried, some laughed — all of them hugged one another, overwhelmed with joy.
But Moria wasn't dead yet.
His massive body had shrunk to half its size, and he'd lost most of his shadows — fewer than 500 remained.
Oddly enough, losing that many shadows actually cleared his mind.
When he'd forcefully absorbed over a thousand shadows, his strength peaked — but it was more than he could handle, and he went into a berserk frenzy.
After Chiyu's devastating hit forced out most of the shadows, Moria regained enough control over the rest to stabilize his mind.
"Uchiha Chiyu!!"
Feeling the damage in his body, Moria exploded in rage.
Even with half his body size, he still held the power of nearly 500 shadows — and that made him ridiculously strong.
With a furious roar, he launched a massive punch, like a human cannonball.
But Chiyu didn't even flinch.
He met the attack head-on with a punch of his own — his fist wrapped in Armament Haki, charged with his lightning Devil Fruit power. Thunder exploded on impact.
BOOM—
CRASH!!!
The clash didn't just block Moria's attack — the thunder burst sent Moria staggering backward, knocking more shadows out of him.
"No way…"
"Even with 500 shadows, I still can't beat him?!"
"Damn it! I need more power — more shadows!"
Chiyu's voice was calm and cold.
"Moria, you've completely lost yourself."
"You're so obsessed with borrowed power that your own strength has rotted away."
"There was a time when you had the guts to take on Kaido. But now? Out of all the Warlords, you're probably the weakest."
Moria was furious. "You're calling me the weakest?!"
"Yeah. Even Crocodile was stronger than you."
Moria could only rage helplessly. His attacks, even driven by anger, still couldn't land a solid hit on Chiyu.
Meanwhile, even more shadows were knocked loose, flying back to their owners.
The longer the fight went on, the weaker Moria became — and the more hopeless it all felt.
"This can't be happening…"
"Am I really going to die here today?!"
"No! I won't let it end like this!"
"Chiyu! You already killed Crocodile! Now you're coming for me too?!"
"The Warlord system was created by the World Government — are you seriously declaring war on them?!"
Chiyu didn't even bother replying to his desperate screams.
"That's right. I killed Crocodile. What difference does one more Warlord make?"
He raised his arm — lightning blasted forward like a cannon shot.
But just then—
Another shockwave exploded into the scene, slamming straight into Chiyu's lightning with overwhelming force.
BOOM—
BOOOOM!!!
The power behind it was even stronger than Moria's.
And it didn't just clash — it repelled everything in its path.
The two forces collided so hard it tore up the deck of Thriller Bark.
Everyone on the ship was stunned.
"W‑Who…?!"
A new figure had arrived on the battlefield—
Rear Admiral Hina muttered, "Another Warlord…"
"The Tyrant — Bartholomew Kuma?!"
"What's going on?!"
The marines and the Victims' Alliance were equally shocked.
On this one ship, now two Warlords had shown up?!
And then Nami came running out of the building, shouting:
"Chiyu! I found the real body of that ghost girl and was about to take her down — but this bear-looking guy just showed up and slapped her out of sight!"
"I don't even know where she landed!"
"And it looks like he's targeting you too, Chiyu! He might be working with Moria!"
At this point, Moria was completely finished. His three lieutenants were gone, his zombie army was powerless, and he himself was barely standing.
But the sudden appearance of Kuma gave him a spark of hope.
"Kuma?! You came to save me?!"
Moria shouted with glee.
Kuma held a book in one hand, his expression emotionless, mechanical.
"I'm not here to save you."
"I'm here to protect the Warlord system."
"Uchiha Chiyu — you already killed Crocodile. If you kill Moria too, the Seven Warlords and the World Government will become a global joke."
"By the authority of the World Government and Navy Headquarters, I order you to stand down immediately."
Chiyu remained unfazed. "Or what?"
Kuma responded coldly, "You will be erased."
Moria shouted, overjoyed, "Exactly!"
"Kill that arrogant punk!"
"He's already betrayed the Navy and the Government multiple times! He destroyed CP9, blocked the Buster Call, and now he treats the Warlord system like garbage!"
Kuma looked at him, deadpan.
"Moria — even if Chiyu dies, you're done too."
"What?!"
"Your power is too weak. You've lost your edge. No matter what happens today, the Government will strip you of your title."
Moria trembled with rage, but said nothing.
At this point, surviving was all that mattered.
"Fine! As long as you kill Chiyu, I'll accept anything!"
Kuma turned back to Chiyu.
"What's your answer, Uchiha Chiyu?"
Chiyu replied coolly, "If I decide to kill someone, nothing will stop me."
"I don't care if it's a Warlord, an Admiral, a Yonko, or even the Five Elders."
Kuma was silent for a moment.
"…You're just as arrogant as they say."
"In that case, I'll carry out my orders."
He set down his book, raised his right hand, and calmly said:
"Ursus Shock."
Kuma, a Paw-Paw Fruit user, could launch shockwaves that repelled anything — injuries, pain, even memories.
That kind of power made him nearly unstoppable.
The Ursus Shock he released now compressed air into a giant paw-shaped bomb that could rip through anything and explode on contact with terrifying force.
BOOM—
The shockwave didn't crawl — it rocketed toward Chiyu in an instant.
Chiyu could've dodged easily.
But if he did, the marines behind him would be caught in the blast.
He smirked, flipped his palm, and activated his own Devil Fruit power.
"Ball Lightning."
This was Chiyu's original move — a fusion of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and ninjutsu from his previous life. A compact orb of pure thunder, packed with destructive power, that explodes on contact.
At that moment—
The paw-shaped shockwave and Chiyu's lightning orb collided.
BOOOOOOM!!!
A massive explosion split Thriller Bark in half. The earth cracked, the sea surged, and waves swallowed everything nearby.
People stumbled in all directions — even the shockwave alone nearly knocked them down.
Moria watched in horror.
"Damn it… Chiyu really is a monster!"
"But Kuma's this strong too?!"
"Am I seriously the weakest Warlord?!"
Even Kuma was surprised that his attack was countered — but his face didn't change.
"Rapid-Fire Ursus Shock."
He coldly muttered, then thrust both hands forward again and again. A barrage of paw-shaped shockwaves blasted toward Chiyu and the marines.
But Chiyu waved his hand casually—
Dozens of Ball Lightnings and laser-like lightning bolts burst forth, intercepting and detonating every incoming shockwave.
Explosions thundered across Thriller Bark. The shockwaves rolled like tidal waves, forcing everyone back.
Moria was shaking in fear now.
He had lost his courage and his will to fight. All he wanted was to escape.
But—
"Trying to run, Moria?"
"Not happening."
Rear Admiral Hina, Franky, Nami, Brook, Elephant Blade, Giraffe Fruit-user Box, Bubble Fruit-user Barbara, and members of the Victims' Alliance surrounded him.
"W‑What do you want?!"
Hina stepped forward, her tone icy.
"You've done more than enough. Today, you die."
"This is Chiyu-sama's will."
"Even if the Navy or the World Government tries to stop us — they won't succeed."
"As Chiyu's subordinates, it's time we prove our resolve."
"Attack!!"
At Hina's command, everyone launched a terrifying wave of attacks, completely overwhelming Moria.
"AAAAHHHHH—!!"
Moria's scream echoed through the battlefield, and even Bartholomew Kuma finally furrowed his brow as he turned to look…