Chapter 19: My shadow, if you want to become the Pirate King, follow me!

Marine Headquarters...

Akainu's face looked as if he had eaten something disgusting, and it couldn't have looked worse.

He was unsure of the outcome of the battle before, as he didn't have the keen eye of Garp, Sengoku, or Whitebeard.

But now, he had his answer...

As an admiral, he was certain that Moria had reached his limit.

Both sides were exhausted, but the Straw Hat crew, even in their desperate situation, remained rational.

Facing the dual threats of Moria and the sunlight, they were able to fight with composure.

In contrast, Moria, having merely lost Oars, was so enraged that he wanted to fight to the death!

He even went as far as swallowing a thousand shadows at the cost of disregarding his own physical condition and ability to control them.

If he were even slightly more intelligent, he would have swallowed a few hundred shadows to increase his combat power, then dragged the fight out until the sunlight arrived.

The Straw Hat crew would have defeated themselves!

But now...

"Fool!"

Akainu glared at the screen and cursed angrily.

Moria, standing nearby, was dumbstruck.

Not only because of Akainu's outburst, but also because he had realized from watching the broadcast that he had acted irrationally!

As the "star" of the live broadcast, he knew better than anyone whether he could control a thousand shadows.

Unquestionably, it was very difficult.

But in the heat of anger, he had swallowed more shadows than he could handle without hesitation.

Not only Akainu but even Moria himself wanted to curse at his actions...

[As Luffy and the others continued to attack, shadows were constantly expelled from Moria's mouth.]

[Oars' defeat had driven him to lose his mind and recklessly swallow a thousand shadows.]

[Even though Moria was a master of shadows, this number was far beyond his capacity.]

[It would be difficult to control them under normal circumstances, let alone in his current exhausted state after a day of fighting.]

[Forcibly swallowing a thousand shadows only caused him to lose his last bit of fighting power...]

[His recklessness had set the unchangeable foundation for his impending defeat...]

[But at this point, Moria, blinded by anger, hadn't realized it yet.]

[After regaining a bit of his strength, instead of conserving it, he went on the offensive.]

[Countless shadow bats swooped at the Straw Hat crew, surrounding them, and then Moria's fist smashed down on Luffy.]

[Luffy was sent flying by the massive force, landing in a shadow box that had appeared behind him!]

[Moria saw this and let out a shrill laugh, thinking that Luffy was trapped in the shadow box and unable to escape for a short time, leaving him free to attack. He then began to pummel the shadow box with punch after punch!]

[After dozens of punches, the box was flattened, and just as Moria thought he had dealt with Luffy and was about to turn his attention to the others...]

[Luffy burst out from the wreckage!]

[This scene left Moria with his eyes wide open in shock, unable to comprehend how Luffy could still be standing after taking so many punches.]

[He didn't know that Luffy, being a rubber man, was naturally resistant to physical attacks and wouldn't be defeated as easily as a normal person.]

[Luffy crouched down, steam billowing from his body as it turned red, and his fighting spirit reached its peak.]

["It doesn't matter if you're one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea or anything else, I won't be defeated here, because... I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!"]

The thunderous roar of Luffy's declaration echoed throughout the world!

In this moment, countless people witnessed Luffy's determination and willpower!

Everyone was deeply moved by his unwavering resolve, without exception!

[Luffy stared at Moria, and without hesitation, he blew air into his fist, making it grow as large as Moria himself!]

[This sight not only shocked Moria but also startled his own crewmates like Usopp and Chopper!]

["Using Second Gear and Third Gear together?!"]

["Is Luffy out of his mind? Last time, just using Third Gear for an extended period caused severe after-effects, and now he's pushing himself even further in battle!"]

[However, Luffy didn't care about any of that. His only goal at the moment was to defeat Moria!]

[Activating Second Gear, followed immediately by Third Gear, Luffy's body grew enormous with red steam bursting out, as he charged towards Moria!]

[Rubber... Giant Jet Pistol!]

[Luffy's powerful strike landed directly on Moria's body, causing a torrent of shadows to erupt from his mouth.]

[But Moria quickly clamped his mouth shut, trying to force the escaping shadows back inside.]

[The pirates watching were shocked, dumbfounded, and gritting their teeth, but they had no way to intervene, as their opponent was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!]

[Luffy raised his head, looking straight ahead...]

["My shadow, if you want to become the Pirate King, then follow me closely!"]

This voice... echoed throughout the world!

And it astonished everyone!

In the sky, across the world, and in the minds of all... it kept resounding!

…

[As his words fell, Luffy mustered his last bit of strength and launched a lightning-fast attack. This punch, containing all his power, was thrown with absolute ferocity!]

[Moria was already at his limit, and with this punch... he lost complete control of the shadows inside him.]

[In an instant, a multitude of shadows tumbled inside his mouth, then gushed out like a tidal wave!]

[Countless shadows gathered together, shooting up into the sky, and forming a massive black pillar of light!]

[With their controller defeated, the shadows eagerly sought to return to their rightful owners.]

[And at that moment, sunlight bathed the land...]