Chapter 435: Shadow Gathering Ground

“And his opponent? Also an extraordinary individual!”

“Moonlight Moria!”

“The former Warlord of the Sea before Knight Gao Wen!”

Before the projection screen, some who knew of Moria’s past now eagerly anticipated the coming battle.

“I recall the World Economic Report once covered it: Kaido and Moonlight Moria once fought in Wano.”

“The details of that battle remained unknown to the outside world, but after it, Moonlight Moria withdrew from Wano and soon after became one of the World Government’s recognized Warlords of the Sea.”

“He even lost all his companions.”

“Clearly, that battle was an unimaginable defeat for Moonlight Moria.”

“Now, twenty years later, these two men meet again in the quarterfinals of the World Martial Arts Tournament…”

“This is the final reckoning—the end of their fated enmity!”

Those watching the projection immediately grew excited.

The previous matches had already shown them that every warrior appearing in the World Martial Arts Tournament was a top-tier monster.

Even among those like Daz Bonis or Kid, whose strength paled beside the others, they were still major figures capable of stirring up storms across the Four Seas and holding their ground in the New World!

Others like Akin, Redfield, and Zoro were simply absurdly strong.

And even among these monsters, Kaido was the most dazzling—widely regarded as a candidate for the strongest in the world.

Whoosh—!

Wild winds howled, whipping the cloak on Kaido’s shoulders.

He stood calmly on the Round Table Arena, gripping Hachisaijie.

His towering, immensely muscular frame—over seven meters tall—combined with the invisible aura radiating from him, was enough to strip any ordinary person of the will to fight, even if he merely stood there.

Such a being was born to stand atop the food chain, taking and giving as he pleased upon the sea.

Truly worthy of the name “monster!”

Boom—!

As the crowd gasped at Kaido’s presence, heavy footsteps echoed from a distant corridor.

From within the ten-meter-high corridor came grinding, crushing sounds—as if some monstrous entity were forcing its way out.

“Huh?!”

Kaido raised an eyebrow and gazed toward the distant corridor.

A giant hand emerged—no, it could no longer be called a hand.

Bulging veins, swollen muscles, grotesque claws—it was less a hand than the claw of some monstrous creature!

At that moment, not only Kaido, but even Gao Wen, watching from the city hall far away, froze in surprise.

“So… the one who attacked the prison last night was Moria?!!”

“No wonder those prisoners only lost consciousness briefly and woke up unharmed—the prison was dark, so no one noticed their shadows had vanished.”

Gao Wen felt a sudden surge of interest:

“But I remember there were many Gold-rank pirates inside—if Moria absorbed all their shadows…”

Gao Wen could clearly see that this Moria had undergone a radical transformation compared to his original timeline.

Not just in size—his entire aura now rivaled that of other Warlords; though his power had not yet reached Legendary status, it was firmly at the upper-mid Gold rank.

It was nearly identical to the strength he should have possessed during his battle with Kaido twenty years ago.

Add to that the amplified power from thousands of absorbed prison shadows, and his strength would surge to an absurd level!

“This battle might actually be worth watching.”

Whoosh—!

Another hand burst from the corridor, gripped the wall, and tore the contestant passage apart with brute force.

Only then did Moria’s massive body barely squeeze free.

At that moment, not only Kaido on the Round Table Arena, but everyone watching the battle froze in shock!

“What the hell is that?!”

“Can a human even grow this big?!”

“A giant?!”

“No—giants aren’t this deformed. This is a twisted monster!”

“This is nothing but a complete monster!”

…

As the crowd screamed, Moria crouched on the ground, hands planted, gazing down at the towering Kaido before him.

His body was now completely twisted.

Bulging and bloated like a balloon, his legs thin as toothpicks stuck into a ball, yet most grotesque were his arms—so long they nearly dragged on the ground even while standing.

This was Moria’s unique ability, developed from the Shadow-Shadow Fruit: Shadow Gathering Ground.

In this life,

the Straw Hats still entered the Devil’s Triangle, clashed with Moria, and defeated him.

Yet from the Straw Hats, he saw a reflection of his younger self—and learned to absorb others’ shadows to strengthen himself!

Shadow Gathering Ground!

The prisoners attacked last night in Britannias Prison? They were Moonlight Moria’s victims.

Among the thousands of shadows he absorbed were many Gold-rank warriors; now, the excess shadows surged inside him like countless parasitic worms writhing beneath his flesh.

Some shadows even tried to escape through his lips and teeth, but invisible force held them fast, immobile.

Moria’s body had long since reached its limit—what sustained him now was only his hatred for Kaido.

For twenty years, day and night, Moria had seen nothing but his companions being brutally slaughtered before his eyes by Kaido!

He had lived the same nightmare for two decades—he was already insane.

“Of course…”

“No matter what, I must kill you myself!”

“Kaido!”

With a roar, Moria lunged forward.

His body was grotesquely bloated, yet his movements were terrifyingly fast.

The spectators saw only a black blur flash past—and the arena’s outer wall exploded into rubble.

As stones flew and dust swirled, Moria’s twisted, grotesque grin could barely be seen through the haze.

“Hehehehe—!”

His laughter echoed across the Round Table Arena.

Even those watching through the image phone worms felt the oppressive, twisted terror radiating from Moria.

Soon,

the dust cleared.

The Round Table Arena, now missing a huge chunk, reappeared before them—but it only left them breathless.

A single punch had caused such destruction; with the power of thousands of shadows, Moria now clearly possessed the strength to challenge a Sea Emperor.

“Is this… the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit?!”

Even Gao Wen, standing by the window, couldn’t help but gasp.

Among the three types of Devil Fruits, the Paramecia had the lowest baseline—but also the highest potential.

With a little imagination, one could easily conceive fruits like the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, where power could stack nearly without limit—if the user could endure it.

The combat power Moria displayed now was unquestionably Legendary.