"Although I don't know when you found out, knowing full well that I'm with the World Government and still daring to follow me here to this destination… should I say you're bold, or foolish?"
I'm a government agent. After learning my identity, instead of fleeing or killing me immediately, this pirate followed me all the way into such an obvious trap.
In Rasya's eyes, that was pure stupidity.
"As someone from the government, you talk too much. If you've prepared any backup here, call them out."
The moment he first saw Rasya, Vane had already confirmed her identity.
No matter how well an agent hides on the surface, their inner thoughts can't be concealed. He had read through every one of her arrangements clearly.
After several evaluations, Vane judged this trip to be profitable—because there truly was a Devil Fruit here. The claim about two Devil Fruits wasn't entirely false.
"Interesting pirate. Now I do believe you came here out of confidence in your own strength… Make your move. I know you're here. Capture him, and your objective will be completely fulfilled."
Rasya spoke toward the darkness in the shadows.
The shadows of trees and scattered rocks grew even darker. They stretched like writhing liquid, then transformed into black bats that flew out, swooping straight toward Vane.
Blood Demon Art—Netherworld Mist · Thousand Needles.
A frigid mist gathered in the air, condensing into countless crystalline ice needles that shot out like rain, colliding with the swarm of bats.
Pop~ Pop~ Pop…
The bat swarm and the rain of ice needles clashed, each consuming the other, until both sides were left in mutual ruin.
"Controlling shadows to attack—there's only one person in this world with that ability… the great pirate Gecko Moria."
Vane smiled. It was exactly as he had read from her thoughts.
This was the World Government's backup plan against him—Gecko Moria.
"Gehehehe~~ Young pirates nowadays are quite well-informed~ Gehehehe~"
Another mass of shadows surged forth. This time they gathered together, forming an enormous lump before finally coalescing into a bizarre-looking human nearly seven meters tall.
Gecko Moria! A Paramecia-type Devil Fruit user—the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, capable of controlling shadows in battle,
able to cut off others' shadows to use as his own power, or to create zombies.
Moria's bounty was 320 million Belly, though that figure was from several years ago.
Now his physique had already begun to deteriorate. Though he hadn't yet fully become the future obese recluse, he wasn't far off.
"Gecko Moria—once absolutely a great pirate. You dared to venture into the New World and challenge the super pirate with a bounty in the billions, Kaido of the Beasts. And now you've become a lapdog of the World Government?"
Gecko Moria was unquestionably ruthless. In his early years, he had far more ambition than Doflamingo—leading his crew with blades on their shoulders to clash head-on with Kaido.
That was Kaido. Even years ago, before reaching his peak strength, he was already an absolute physical monster. Facing such a pirate in direct combat was practically equivalent to what Luffy, Law, and Kid would do more than a decade later.
Unfortunately, Moria didn't have the protagonist's halo those three possessed. Aside from Moria himself, his entire crew perished in Wano Country.
Moria himself likely suffered irreversible injuries. The warrior who once dared to trade blades with Kaido turned instead toward deep development of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, becoming a "shadow mage."
But that wasn't the most terrifying part. The most terrifying thing was that Kaido shattered his spirit, leaving behind a severe obsession.
Moria had always been a captain who deeply cherished his crew. That much was clear from how he later risked himself to rescue a subordinate from Blackbeard, how the invisible man saved him at the Paramount War, and how Perona ventured alone into Hachinosu.
When Luffy lost his brother, he regained the will to live by remembering that his comrades were still waiting for him.
Moria had nothing—only his companions. And they were all killed by Kaido. His heart collapsed and twisted.
From then on, his obsession became creating a batch of immortal zombie companions. Since they were already dead, he wouldn't have to worry about them dying at the hands of enemies.
A genius-like idea.
"What do you mean, lapdog of the World Government? I'm going to become one of the Shichibukai!"
That's right. Moria intended to join the Shichibukai. In his plan, he would next build an enormous ship and find a place without sunlight [because those who lose their shadows die if exposed to sunlight, and the zombies created through belief would also perish].
Then he would gather powerful bodies, seize powerful shadows, and create mighty zombie companions.
Carrying out so many operations—none of them small in scale—would inevitably attract the attention of the World Government and the Marines. It wouldn't do to be surrounded and exterminated by them.
So Moria revealed his intention to the World Government to become one of the Shichibukai.
The Shichibukai had the right to plunder. In seizing shadows, he would certainly have to deal with many pirates—perfectly aligned with the nature of a Shichibukai.
This matter had originally been all but settled.
But at this time, Vane emerged out of nowhere. The World Government temporarily assigned Moria an additional assessment mission: capture or kill Vane.
"The World Government calculated well, sending you to deal with me."
They had assessed his strength—he possessed the ability to escape even under an Admiral's pursuit. Every Shichibukai had comparable capability, and Moria had been a famed great pirate years ago.
In terms of raw strength, Moria seemed to hold a slight edge over him.
"Gehehehe~ Just obediently accept my judgment!"
The Shadow-Shadow Fruit truly was an outstanding Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. If Vane's first fruit in the pirate world had been the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, he very well might have eaten it.
Shadows could not truly be killed. Even if destroyed, they could re-form.
Round, plump bats reappeared, forming dark storms that surrounded Vane in the center.
Blood Demon Art—Netherworld Demon Form.
A chill enveloped Vane, forming an ice cocoon around him. The shadow bats slammed into it, turning semi-liquid upon impact, unable to shake it.
Boom!
All the Bats merged into one enormous bat. With tremendous force, it hurtled toward the ice cocoon.
Crack!
The ice cocoon shattered on its own just before the massive shadow bat could collide with it.
Vane emerged, already in his Blood Demon Art state.
"Frost Round Dance!"
A defensive sword technique erupted outward just as the giant shadow bat completed its charge.