Chapter 160 – Battle Against the Shichibukai
"Kids, where is your captain—[Fire Fist] Portgas D. Ace? Where is he? Why hasn't he shown up yet?!"
Gecko Moria loomed over the battlefield, his massive frame towering as he sneered at the Spade Pirates.
"Guess," Eboli Gambi grinned, his tone mocking. Then he turned to his companions and barked:
"Leave this one to me. You keep moving forward."
"Alright!" his comrades replied firmly, sparing him only a quick glance before rushing ahead.
"Shadow Cut!"
Moria swung his oversized scissors, severing the shadows of several Spade Pirates.
"Berserker Style – New Moon!"
Gambi's blade cleaved through the air, unleashing a crescent-shaped slash that forced Moria backward.
"I told you—your opponent is me, Gecko Moria!" Gambi declared, planting himself between the Warlord and his allies.
"You?" Moria scoffed. "Do you think you can stop me by yourself?"
"I don't intend to just stop you," Gambi retorted, lifting his massive sword across his chest. "I intend to defeat you!"
Moria's grin sharpened. "Defeat me? One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?"
"That's right!" Gambi's eyes burned with determination. "Ace told me before—your strength is the weakest among the Shichibukai. If I can't defeat you, it means I haven't grown at all this past year. That would be shameful… I'd be laughed at by my comrades!"
He pointed his blade at Moria, voice rising:
"Our captain aims to stand at the very top of the seas. As his partner, if I can't even defeat a single Warlord, what right do I have to sail by his side?! To grow stronger… I must defeat you here, Gecko Moria!"
"Heheheh… the top of the seas? Defeat me?" Moria's eyes narrowed, shadows twisting beneath him. "You underestimate me, boy."
With a sweep of his scissors, Moria lunged.
Clang!
Gambi blocked with his sword, following up with a brutal kick—only for Moria's shadow to rise up and intercept.
"A shadow?!"
Gambi tightened his grip. He already knew of this power—Ace had warned them of Moria's Kage Kage no Mi, a Paramecia fruit that allowed him to control shadows freely.
"Doppelman!"
Moria's personal shadow morphed into a towering clone and lunged at Gambi, while the real Moria waited for an opening.
"Berserker Style – Moon Wheel!"
Gambi's blade carved through the Doppelman's torso—only for the shadow body to reform instantly.
"Heheheh! Useless. My Doppelman cannot be harmed," Moria taunted.
But Gambi's expression hardened. Black lightning crackled faintly as he coated his blade in Busoshoku Haki, then smashed the shadow clone aside.
In the same motion, he lunged at Moria.
"Berserker Style – Bright Moon!"
A blazing slash carved through the air, aimed directly at Moria.
Clang!
Moria intercepted with his scissors, sparks flying. But Gambi was already upon him, his massive blade descending toward his head.
"Doppelman!"
Moria's shadow appeared from behind, throwing a heavy punch. It wasn't meant to hit—it was meant to force Gambi into retreat.
But retreating wasn't in Gambi's nature.
With a feral grin, he ignored the blow and swung harder, trading his own safety for a clean strike.
"You idiot!" Moria cursed, hastily shouting: "Shadow Revolution!"
With a sudden shift, Moria's body swapped places with his shadow. The scissors plunged forward, stabbing into Gambi's shoulder before he could adjust.
Thud!
The force of the strike hurled Gambi across the plaza. He smashed into the harbor wall, blood spraying, his left arm hanging limp from the wound.
But even wounded, his eyes still burned with battle-madness.
---
Meanwhile, at the harbor's edge, the rest of the Spade Pirates skidded to a halt. A new figure had appeared before them, bathed in golden light.
One of the Navy's strongest warriors.
Admiral Kizaru (Borsalino).
"Now, now…" Kizaru drawled lazily, hands in his pockets as photons shimmered around him. "Moving so fast into the lion's den… how troublesome."
The battlefield was about to ignite even further.
---