The Man Who Connects the Earth

New World, Secken Island

Richard stood atop the massive stone giant, looking down at Moria lying coldly on the ground below.

"You think I'm a pushover, kid? I've been sailing the seas for over a decade to gain this strength and reputation. There's no way I'd lose to a newbie like you who just set sail." Richard clenched his fists, and the earth beneath him rumbled.

"Iron Rock Spikes!" Countless stone columns surged from the ground, transforming into rock chains that tightly bound Moria.

"Damn it!" Moria roared in frustration, attempting to break free, only to find himself powerless.

"This bastard, how can he be this powerful? The intelligence said he's the weakest among the Gold Lion Pirates' executives!" Hearing Moria's words, Richard suddenly burst into laughter.

"Kid, who told you I'm the weakest among the Gold Lion Pirates' executives?" Richard controlled the stone giant to crouch down, towering over Moria and sneering down at him.

"Though my bounty is the lowest among the executives, at only 800 million Berries, it's simply because I don't like attracting unnecessary attention."

"If we're talking about sheer strength, except for Joseph and Mina, no one in the Gold Lion Pirates can confidently claim to defeat me."

"Kid, it seems you've been fed false information." Richard pointed at Moria, causing the earth to stir. Countless soil and rocks gathered, forming an exceedingly sharp sword with a black sparkle.

"Multi-Pillar Rain Sword!"

"Damn it! Shadow Bats!" Seeing the barrage of rock swords, Moria yelled and shattered into numerous black shadow bats, scattering in all directions.

"Heh, such tricks won't work against me." Richard wielded his arms like a conductor guiding an orchestra.

"Iron Arm, Chain Link!"

"Buzz!" Multiple massive stone walls instantly sprang up, forming a gigantic cage that enveloped the dispersing bats.

"Iron Mountain!"

"Boom!" Under Richard's command, the massive stone giant descended like a mountain, heading directly for the bat-filled cage.

"Roar!" A tremendous explosion echoed across Secken Island. The shockwave destroyed countless structures, and numerous forces lifted countless individuals into the air, crashing back to the ground or into the sea. The entire island trembled violently under Richard's strike.

"Cough!" The scattered bats converged back into Moria's form. Fully bearing the attack's impact, Moria spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes slightly pale. 

His clothes were torn apart, revealing a body drenched in crimson. Richard gazed at Moria's figure in the massive crater, a disdainful snort escaping him.

"Heh, what a fool, thinking he could defeat me. The Gold Lion Pirates aren't as powerful as imagined." Richard spat on the ground, turning to leave.

"Boring, and now, because of this garbage, the island I painstakingly built is going to waste. What rotten luck."

"Cough!" A dark, shadowy rope suddenly materialized, wrapping around Richard's feet and preventing him from leaving.

"Cough, cough, cough, hey, I, I'm not dead yet, you, where do you think you're going!" Moria clung to the shadowy rope, panting heavily, struggling to stand up from the ground.

Richard looked sidelong at Moria, observing his battered form and the pool of red blood on the ground. "Kid, I was going to let you live a bit longer. It seems like you're eager to die! Ah!"

As Richard spoke, numerous massive stone columns erupted from the ground, wildly lashing towards Moria.

"Shadow Horn Spear!" Moria roared in a low voice, and countless dark shadows transformed into a sharply pointed spear, violently clashing with the incoming stone columns.

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

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

"Shadow Judgment!" A spiralling black shadow, transformed into a massive spear, suddenly materialized in front of Richard's chest, piercing through his torso. Richard stared at the shadow spear that had impaled his chest, disbelief filling his eyes.

"When... when did this happen?" Moria slowly emerged from the shadows on the ground, heavily panting and bleeding from his wounds. Though severely injured, his expression flashed with determination and madness.

"Ha, heh, heh, I'm strong too!" Moria tightly gripped the shadowy spear protruding from Richard's chest and yanked it out.

"Heh, heh, heh, you're not the only strong one here!" Moria's eyes glinted with a mad light as he pulled the shadowy spear out of Richard's chest.

"Heh, heh, heh, go to hell! Huh?!" Just as Moria was about to deliver the final blow and impale Richard's head, an astonishing scene unfolded. The body that Moria should have pierced suddenly crumbled into chunks of rock, scattering all over the ground.

"What's going on?!"

"King's Shatter!" Countless rocks surged and formed a tight encirclement around Moria, followed by an explosion. A blinding white light flashed, causing intense vibrations to engulf Secken Island.

The explosive roar reverberated across the entire island, reducing it to rubble. A massive black mushroom cloud billowed into the sky. After the explosion subsided, Richard's figure reappeared, rising slowly from the earth.

"Heh, heh, heh, my body is fused with Secken Island itself. If you want to kill me, you'll have to see if you can destroy the entire island."

"Kid, you're just a kid. You're weak as hell but still love to shout." Finishing his words, Richard turned to leave. However, just as he was about to take a step, countless black shadows erupted from the ground, forming a massive cage that encased Secken Island. 

The entire island transformed into a massive black cage.

"Huff, huff, huff..."

"Damn, damn it, where do you think you're going? Huff, I haven't died yet! " Moria's skin and flesh surged, numerous wounds continuously oozing blood.

Though heavily injured, Moria's expression shimmered with unwavering resolve and madness.

"Huff, huff, if you want to leave, you must kill me entirely! Today, only one person will leave alive!"

"Kid!!!" Richard roared in anger, disappearing again from his position and reappearing right before Moria. His clenched fist struck Moria's chest forcefully.

"Ugh!" Moria's mouth sprayed blood, staining Richard's entire figure crimson.

"Kid, you've thoroughly pissed me off!"

"Heh, heh, I'm a man who will help Captain Locke become king! There's no way I'll die here!"

"Boom!"