One Piece: Bai Ye Deputy Captain of the Straw Hats

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

In the heart of Thriller Bark, within the looming, shadow-filled castle—

"You disrespectful fiend, wake up already!" Sanji's voice boomed through the eerie hall.

Bang! Boom! With those furious shouts, a massive explosion tore through the wall of the dark and forbidding castle. Debris scattered in all directions as dust clouded the air.

Moments later, Sanji emerged at the broken entrance, lighting a cigarette. His gaze fixed on the figure sprawled on the ground, still reeling from his powerful kick. The anger hadn't yet left his face.

The unconscious man resembled a penguin, dressed in a one-piece black mesh outfit and a purple scarf. This was Dr. Hogback, one of Moria's last commanders.

Unbeknownst to many, Dr. Hogback was once idolized by Chopper for his medical miracles. However, the truth was less admirable. Hogback was a man driven by wealth, not welfare, deeply scarred by the death of his beloved Victoria Cindry.

In his desperation, he had made a dark bargain with Moria, resurrecting Cindry as a zombie in exchange for creating more undead servants.

Sanji, oblivious to these complexities, had acted on instinct when he encountered the zombie Victoria Cindry. To him, Hogback's perverse actions were unforgivable, and his response was swift and decisive. The doctor's combat prowess, or lack thereof, made the confrontation brief and one-sided.

In less than ten minutes since they disembarked, the four mightiest warriors of the Straw Hat Pirates, along with Brook, had decisively taken down all three commanders under Moria, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Sanji, having just left Dr. Hogback's quarters, was pondering his next move in search of Moria when a furious roar echoed across the castle. "Straw Hat Boy!!! You are looking for death!!"

Boom! A thunderous crash reverberated, signaling that a battle was underway.

Just then, the ceiling above Sanji began to crack. He looked up as chunks of rock started tumbling down towards him. Despite the impending danger, Sanji remained calm, even managing to quip, "Luffy actually found him first? It seems that even Bai Ye can be outdone by Luffy's luck."

Bang! As the debris fell, creating a cloud of dust and smoke, Sanji had already vanished from the spot.

-----

As Bai Ye observed Moria's sinister figure atop the castle, he commented dryly, "Well, this guy does look quite... unusual."

"Mr. Bai Ye, are you sure you don't want to step in?" Lola's voice emerged from behind him. After her failed marriage proposal, Lola had tried to explain Moria's powers to Luffy. However, despite hiding away in the castle for three long years, their knowledge was embarrassingly shallow—far less accurate than the bits and pieces Luffy had mentioned.

They had offered to give Luffy and his crew the shadows they had collected over the years, but Luffy had declined, confidently stating, "I can knock down the guy right now!"

Lola, having heard of Luffy's weird actions from her crew, doubted his reliability. Observing that Bai Ye, who seemed more sensible, remained uninvolved, she grew concerned.

Carefully, Lola expressed her worries: "He's a formidable opponent, and if Luffy fails, he might lose his shadow as well."

Bai Ye, understanding her concern, reassured her with a dismissive wave, "Don't worry, Moria is no match for Luffy."

In his mind, Bai Ye compared Luffy's current strength to that from the original story, confident in the outcome. "Luffy's capabilities have only grown; there's no need to worry about the result."

Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!

Luffy, his arms coated in Haki, stretched them back over ten meters before launching forward like a cannonball, striking Moria squarely. The impact created a deep indentation in Moria's ample belly, sending ripples through his layers of fat.

Moria's eyes bulged, and saliva flew from his mouth as the force of the blow knocked him back to the top of the castle. The once menacing structure now sported numerous dents and looked rather pitiful.

Standing tall, Luffy mumbled to himself, a trace of boredom in his voice, "As Bai Ye said, so weak. Is this really an opponent I can beat without even using Gear 2?" Though he spoke softly, Moria overheard every word, causing him to cough up blood in frustration.

Moria recalled a past conversation with Kuma: "They can hold their own against Aokiji for a while... could it really be true?" He pondered, disbelief in his tone, "He's just a newbie who recently set sail, how can he be this powerful?!"

Wiping blood from his mouth, Moria glared at Luffy, filled with resentment and defiance. "Do you think this is enough to defeat me? Dream on!" he barked. "Who do you think I am? Even Kaido couldn't finish me off! You're just a kid; watch as I unleash my true strength!"

Shadow Asgard!!!

As Moria roared in desperation, the entire island transformed dramatically. Dark shadows, whether moving across the ground or floating through the air, seemed drawn by a powerful force, swirling into Moria's open mouth in a furious rush.

Lola watched in astonishment, exclaiming, "He can actually... consume so many shadows at once!" She and her crew were aware of his shadow-consuming abilities, but they also knew there were limits to how much a body could absorb. Yet, within moments, Moria seemed to have engulfed nearly a thousand shadows, a feat beyond their wildest expectations.

"This is truly horrifying," Lola murmured, unable to fathom the level of power Moria might have reached.

Bai Ye, standing nearby, appeared less concerned but was nonetheless intrigued. "They've only exchanged a couple of blows, and he's already resorting to his ultimate move?" he mused aloud.

Moria had indeed become a shadow of his former self, relying heavily on external forces since his defeat by Kaido. However, his mastery of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit was not to be underestimated. Beyond the brute force of Shadow Asgard, Moria also wielded techniques like Doppelman, Shadow Lariat, and Shadow Revolution, showcasing his strategic depth.

"It doesn't seem like he should be desperate enough to use all his power now," Bai Ye thought, a hint of suspicion creeping into his mind.

Glancing down at their feet, Bai Ye noticed something he had initially missed—an eerie detail that caught his attention.

Moria's own shadow was gone.