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With a thunderous groan, the ground split apart.
Giant arms, like steel cables, erupted from the earth, locking the colossal Oars firmly in place.
Robin's time aboard the Demonic Carrier had not been spent in idleness. She had seen the world, and she had seen what true strength looked like.
In the world of pirates, strength was as much a matter of will as it was of muscle. To broaden one's mind, to expand one's horizons—this too was a form of power.
Her expanded worldview demanded more of herself. She would not let her potential lie dormant, as it had in the past.
In addition to her Haki training, she had begun to actively develop her Devil Fruit powers.
And now, free from the fear of being hunted, she could focus completely on her training. With a clear direction, her strength had grown exponentially.
The restrained Oars went limp. A shadow detached itself from his massive form, slithering away and disappearing into the ancient castle.
Then, Oars fell silent.
Robin's senses flared. She vanished from her spot just as a giant figure wielding two massive pairs of scissors lunged at where she had been standing.
"Shadow Cut!"
"Moria?" Robin identified the giant instantly.
Moria's hair was styled like a fiery onion, and his features were demonic. Horns jutted from the sides of his forehead, and his ears and teeth were pointed. A series of cross-shaped stitches ran from his head down to his neck. He wore an artistic shirt with a bat-like collar.
His skin was a pale blue, his lips a dark purple.
The user of the Paramecia Shadow-Shadow Fruit.
He had just tried to steal her shadow, but she had dodged in time.
"Dammit!"
Moria landed, and the shadow beneath his feet spread like spilled ink. In an instant, it sharpened into spikes that shot up from the ground, aiming to impale Robin.
"Horn Blade Shadow!"
"Cien Fleur, Shield!"
A hundred arms bloomed from Robin's body, weaving themselves into a shield. She hardened it with Armament Haki and raised it just in time.
The shadow spikes, which could have pierced Oars, were stopped cold.
"Haki?"
Moria was stunned. In that moment of distraction, Robin's gaze fixed on a spot on the ground. Flower petals bloomed, and a swarm of arms sprouted forth. They coalesced into a single giant arm that grabbed Moria's hands and feet, then wrapped around his waist.
"Diez Mil Fleur, Big Tree Swing!"
The giant arm twisted, and Moria was slammed to the ground.
A cloud of dust erupted.
Moria gasped for breath.
The trauma of losing his former crew had left deep scars. He was no longer the confident man he had once been. He still harbored the ambition of becoming the Pirate King, but he had grown lazy, reliant on others to do his fighting for him.
As a result, his own combat abilities had actually declined. His obese body was bloated and sluggish. His height of nearly seven meters was less impressive than his waistline.
Even so, he struggled against his bonds.
"Brick Bat!"
His shadow split into a swarm of bat-like projectiles that flew toward Robin.
"Diez Mil Fleur, Bodhisattva!"
Thousands of arms sprouted from Robin's body, all hardened with Armament Haki. They moved in a blur, swatting the shadow bats out of the air.
Moria seized the opportunity to break free. Realizing Robin was a tougher opponent than he'd expected, he roared, "Shadow's Asgard!"
His eyes glowed red.
In an instant, a thousand shadows from across the island ripped themselves free. They streamed through the air like screaming specters, pouring into his hulking frame.
With each shadow he absorbed, his body grew larger, his strength, his destructive power, and his defense all increasing exponentially.
He grew larger and larger, and a maniacal laugh began to bubble up from his chest. He slammed his hand down.
The ground shattered, and massive trees were uprooted.
"Soru!"
Robin used the Six Powers technique to evade the blow, leaping to the side. She crossed her arms, and six giant arms erupted from the ground, reaching for Moria.
But he was too strong. He broke free and swatted the giant arms, which dissolved into a shower of flower petals.
He began to rip massive boulders from the ground and hurl them at Robin.
She moved with incredible speed, using Soru and Geppo to weave through the projectiles. The Six Powers techniques were not so difficult to master, with proper practice.
She calmly observed, analyzing the situation.
'His strength and defense have increased... his speed as well. But his bloated, massive form has slowed his overall movement.'
Robin circled around behind him, preparing to attack.
But the shadow below him morphed into a forest of "Horn Blade Shadows," a thousand spears and spikes of pure darkness that shot toward her.
Robin defended with her Haki-infused shield.
The two forces collided again and again.
After hundreds of impacts, the shield finally shattered.
Robin dodged, but one of the shadow spikes grazed her side, tearing through her clothes and leaving a bloody gash.
"ROOAAR!"
Moria let out a bestial roar.
With a thousand shadows now inside him, his body had swelled to the size of a small mountain, even larger than Oars.
But controlling so many shadows required an immense amount of mental energy.
Under the strain, Moria's consciousness began to fade. He was going berserk.
He raised his massive arms and slammed them down.
Though Robin was out of the direct path of the attack, the shockwave sent her flying.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The force of the blow was terrifying. The ground shattered, massive fissures spreading out in all directions.
Moria raged, destroying everything around him.
Robin pushed herself up from the ground, her gaze hardening.
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"Hey, need a hand?"
Jin had appeared at her side, she didn't know when. He was holding a sheathed sword, ancient in its design.
"Thank you," Robin said, taking a deep breath. "But I want to see what it feels like... to defeat one of the Seven Warlords."
The battle so far had shown her that the gap between them wasn't so large. Moria was one of the weaker Warlords.
This was her chance to prove herself.
Not to Jin.
To herself.
She was grown now. She was strong enough to protect herself.
"Oh?"
A playful glint entered Jin's eyes. Robin had always been a resilient woman, just... overshadowed by her childhood trauma. All she lacked was a little confidence, a little desire to live.
He smiled. "Don't die."
"I won't."
Robin nodded and walked toward Moria. A thousand arms sprouted around her, enveloping her, as if her own flesh were growing outside her body, merging with her, becoming one.
In an instant, a colossal, demonic figure rose in her place.
Taller even than Oars.
It was pitch black, with demonic wings unfurling from its back. Horns sprouted from its head, and sharp fangs jutted from its mouth. It possessed six powerful arms.
A powerful aura radiated from her.
"Demon Fleur," Jin mused.
In the original story, it was the technique she had used against Black Maria in Wano. That had been a particularly... brutal fight. Jin had re-watched it several times.
But this was different. Robin wasn't creating a clone; she was merging with her power.
She was becoming the demon.
"Demon Child: Robin," She breathed, a goddess of destruction. Her six massive arms swung, crashing into the equally massive Moria.
The two giants traded blows, each punch a cataclysmic impact.
The ground beneath them shattered. Their power was absolute, devastating, unstoppable.
With each blow, shadows were forced from Moria's mouth, and his strength waned.
But the demonic Robin only grew stronger. Her eyes were sharp, her giant fists coated in the black gloss of Armament Haki.
She rained down a flurry of blows, sending Moria stumbling back, coughing up blood.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Another punch slammed into his chest. More shadows spewed from his mouth, and he regained a sliver of consciousness, his eyes widening in horror.
"How...?" he stammered, his lips trembling with fear.
He looked up at the demonic woman, who now towered over him.
What is this woman? She's more of a monster than Oars!
"Fist of the Demon!" Robin roared. She swung a single punch, and the arm began to grow, to lengthen.
Her other five arms vanished, absorbed into the one, single, devastating blow.
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