Naruto: From Konoha to One Piece

Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Shadows of Defeat



"No, how is this possible?! How could this be?!" Moria stared in disbelief at the corpse of Shimotsuki Ryuma, now cleaved cleanly in two.

Kyros, standing beside him, looked somewhat dazed. Although his body bore a few wounds, they were clearly superficial.

Earlier, Moria had unveiled his trump card—the legendary Dragon Slayer Swordsman, Shimotsuki Ryuma. Without hesitation, Kyros, also a swordsman, stepped forward to engage him.

In Kyros' eyes, if Moria regarded Ryuma's zombie as his ultimate weapon against Kaido, then its strength should at least rival that of a Warlord of the Sea. However, after just a few dozen exchanges, Kyros had sliced the zombie in half with a single stroke.

Judging from its strength, this so-called trump card barely compared to an average officer of the Beasts Pirates. Even Ulti and Page One were leagues ahead. Was this really something to be called a trump card?

Having honed his skills over time, Kyros had grown vastly stronger, easily dispatching an opponent of this caliber.

"Damn it! My Ryuma zombie!" Moria bellowed. "To be defeated so easily! Could it be that you're one of Kaido's new subordinates? Another one of his top officers?!"

"Uh... I don't even know Kaido personally, and I doubt I have the strength of a Tobiroppo..."

"Then you must be the powerhouse Kaido sent to deal with me! But I won't accept defeat so easily!" Moria shouted, completely lost in his delusions.

"Come out, my strongest warrior—Oars the Devil!"

Boom! Boom!

A hulking figure appeared, looming like a walking mountain, accompanied by the sound of massive footsteps.

However, despite its size, this creature moved sluggishly, its eyes void of any life. Even small chunks of rotting flesh fell from its body as it walked. Aside from its enormous frame, there was nothing impressive about it.

"Oars the Devil?" Ulti tilted her head. "Is this another guy with a big reputation but no real skill?"

Moria's face darkened. "Damn it, my Oars won't end up like Ryuma—what?!"

Before he could finish, Ulti and Page One launched their attack, transforming into massive dinosaurs. Coating their strikes in Armament Haki, they instantly shattered Oars' leg.

The slow-witted giant zombie flailed its arms uselessly before crashing to the ground. The bandages and stitches barely holding it together snapped apart, causing its entire body to fall to pieces.

There was still nearly a year before the Straw Hat Pirates would confront Moria, meaning Oars' current level of completion was far inferior to what it would become. Simply keeping him moving was an achievement—expecting him to fight effectively was unrealistic.

As the remains of Oars crashed to the ground, silence blanketed the battlefield.

"That's it?" After a long pause, Pudding tilted her head in confusion.

Her words seemed to stab deep into Moria's pride. He roared in anger, "Impossible! How could this be?! What kind of trickery did you use?!"

"Aren't you being a bit unreasonable?" Ulti rolled her eyes. "These are just zombies. They don't have Haki, and their muscles have shriveled and rotted away. And you actually thought they could defeat Kaido? Are you serious?!"

"Damn it! I'll kill you!" Enraged, Moria charged forward with surprising speed for his massive frame.

But both Ulti and Page One had already seen through his bravado. Without hesitation, they retaliated, striking him squarely in the stomach with a Haki-infused punch and a devastating headbutt.

"Gah!" Moria's eyes nearly bulged out of his skull as he spat out a mouthful of blood. His body flew backward at an even greater speed than he had charged, crashing into the castle behind him and disappearing under a pile of rubble.

The sound of shifting debris filled the air as a swarm of bats emerged from the wreckage, reforming into Moria's grotesque silhouette.

"Shadow Lance!"

With a wave of his hand, dark shadows rose from behind his opponents like spears, launching a surprise attack.

Shin remained motionless as the so-called lances pierced his body—only for them to shatter upon impact, not even leaving a scratch.

Kyros, sensing the attack with his keen observation haki, swung his sword behind him. With a sharp slash, the shadow spear was cleaved in two.

Meanwhile, Ulti and Page One, cloaked in Armament Haki, sustained minor injuries as the shadow spears scraped their skin. However, for ancient Zoan Devil Fruit users like them, such wounds were barely scratches.

Violet, using her clairvoyant ability, gracefully dodged the attack, while Charlotte Pudding activated her Susanoo. A spectral ribcage formed around her, protecting her from harm.

Realizing his ambush had failed, Moria's expression shifted from rage to something colder—survival instinct. For the first time, he truly understood that he was facing a life-and-death crisis.

Under this pressure, his battle instincts, dulled by years of complacency, slowly resurfaced. Though his body was sluggish, his Devil Fruit abilities remained at their peak.

Shadow Puppeteer, Shadow Warrior, Shadow Transformation—one ability after another flowed seamlessly. Using his unpredictable shadow movements, Moria managed to temporarily hold off Ulti and Page One, even gaining the upper hand.

Yet, Shin watched without concern, even stopping Kyros from stepping in.

"No need to interfere. Those two can handle him."

Indeed, as time passed, Moria's breathing grew labored. Meanwhile, Ulti and Page One, though bloodied, fought with increasing ferocity, their stamina seemingly endless.

"Moria hasn't fought in too long. Even if his Devil Fruit powers are well-developed, they still require physical stamina."

"Given his current condition, he may have initially had the upper hand against Ulti and Page One, but ultimately, he would end up exhausting himself." Just as Shin had predicted, Moria's movements soon began to slow down. When he attempted another shadow shift, his technique wavered for just a fraction of a second.

That moment was all Ulti needed. With a fierce battle cry, she struck Moria with a devastating headbutt. Moria's mind went blank; that single attack stunned him completely, leaving him defenseless.

At that moment, a flurry of blows descended upon him. The battle had concluded.

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