158 Romance between men

New World, Saken Island.

Richard stood atop a colossal rock giant, looking down at the cold and lifeless Moria below. 

"You punk, do you even know who I am? I've sailed the seas for over a decade, building my strength and reputation. How could I lose to a rookie like you just setting sail?" Richard clenched his fists, and the earth beneath him trembled.

"Rock, Iron Spike!" Countless stone pillars erupted from the ground, forming chains of rock that bound Moria tightly.

"Dammit!" Moria roared in frustration, trying to break free but finding no escape.

"That bastard! How can he be this strong? Didn't the intel say he's the weakest in the Golden Lion Pirates' crew?" Hearing Moria's words, Richard suddenly burst into laughter.

"Kid, who told you I'm the weakest among the Golden Lion Pirates' officers?"

Richard, controlling the rock giant, sat down and stood before Moria, looking down on him.

"Sure, my bounty might be the lowest among the officers at just 800 million Berries, but that's because I don't like to draw unnecessary attention."

"When it comes to raw power, apart from Joseph and Minerva, no one in the Golden Lion Pirates crew dares to claim they can beat me."

"Kid, it seems like your intel was misleading." Richard pointed a finger at Moria, and the earth quaked. Countless rocks and soil gathered to form an incredibly sharp, black-glowing sword.

"Multi-Pillar Rain Sword!"

"Damn it! Shadow Bats!" Seeing the multitude of rock swords, Moria roared angrily and shattered into countless black shadow bats, scattering in all directions.

"Heh, these tricks won't work on me." Richard swung his arms like a conductor, and the earth responded.

"Iron Chain Arm!" A massive stone wall shot up, enclosing the scattered bats in a giant cage.

"Rock Mountain!" Boom! Under Richard's control, the colossal rock giant descended like a mountain, smashing down on the bat-filled cage.

Rumbling! The thunderous noise echoed across Saken Island's sky. The shockwave destroyed countless buildings. Countless citizens were swept into the air and then crashed back onto the ground and into the sea. The entire island shook violently due to Richard's strike.

"Cough!" The dispersed bats reformed into Moria's figure. Having taken the full brunt of the blow, Moria coughed up a large amount of blood, his eyes slightly glazed over. His clothes lay in tatters, and his blood-stained his massive body red.

Richard looked at the unconscious Moria lying in the bottomless pit with disdain. "Heh, he is an ignorant brat. The Rocks Pirates aren't as powerful as I thought."

Richard spat and turned to leave.

"So boring, and because of this trash, the island I painstakingly built is gone. What a jinx!"

"Cough!" Suddenly, a pitch-black shadow rope appeared out of nowhere, tightly binding Richard's feet and preventing him from leaving.

"Cough, cough, cough, I haven't lost yet! Where do you think you're going?" Struggling to stand, Moria held the black shadow rope, panting heavily. Richard glanced at Moria, observing his pitiful state and the puddle of red blood on the ground.

"Kid, I was thinking of letting you live a little longer, but it seems like you're in a hurry to die! Ah!" With that, countless massive stone pillars shot up from the ground, whipping wildly toward Moria.

"Shadow Spear!" Moria shouted lowly, and countless black shadows formed into a razor-sharp spear. It clashed fiercely with the approaching stone pillars.

"Shadow Leap!" A pitch-black ripple shimmered beneath Moria's feet, and he vanished instantly.

"Shadow Manipulation!" Moria's voice seemed to come from nowhere.

"Shadow Judgment!" A massive spiral spear, composed of pitch-black shadows, suddenly appeared in front of Richard's chest and pierced through it mercilessly. Richard stared in disbelief at the shadow spear that had pierced his chest seemingly out of nowhere.

"When did this happen?" Moria slowly emerged from the shadows on the ground, breathing heavily but with a smile on his face.

"Heh, heh, I'm quite strong, you know!" Moria grabbed the pitch-black spear embedded in Richard's chest and pulled it out.

"Heh, heh, heh! Die now! Huh?!" Just as Moria was about to deliver the final blow to Richard's head, an incredible scene unfolded. What should have pierced his chest turned out to be Richard's entire body, shattering into pieces of rocky debris, scattering all over the ground.

"What's going on?!"

"Overlord Rock Shatter!" Countless rocks surged and enveloped Moria, followed by a massive explosion. A blinding white light flashed, and Saken Island experienced violent tremors.

The explosion's thunderous roar flattened the entire island. A massive black mushroom cloud rose into the sky. After the explosion, Richard's figure slowly emerged from the ground. "Heh, heh, my body is fused with the entire Saken Island. To kill me, you'll need to destroy the whole island."

"Kid, you are just a kid. Weak as hell but loves to scream and shout." With that, Richard turned to leave. However, just as he was about to take a step, countless pitch-black shadows erupted from the ground, forming a massive cage that enclosed the entire Saken Island.

The entire island had turned into a pitch-black cage.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

"Darn, you! Where do you think you're going? Huff, I haven't died yet!" Moria's entire body oozed blood from numerous wounds. Though heavily injured, Moria's expression was filled with determination and madness.

"Huff, huff, if you want to leave, you must kill me completely! Today, only one of us is walking away!"

"You brat!!!!!!" Richard roared, and in an instant, he appeared again in front of Moria. His clenched fist struck Moria's chest.

"Ugh!" Moria was punched hard, spewing blood from his mouth, drenching Richard's entire being in crimson.

"You brat, you've provoked me!"

"Heh, heh, I'm a man who will help Captain Rocks become the king! I won't die here!"

"Boom!"