Moria sudden outburst didn't come as a surprise to Jake.
He hadn't erupted because of Jake's earlier provocative remarks.
To be precise, Moria had intended to assert dominance over Jake from the very beginning.
Moria wasn't a fool.
He knew exactly why Jake dared to come with only Monet by his side.
Most likely, it was to discuss something that couldn't be brought to light—or perhaps Jake was simply too foolish.
But clearly, someone the Marines was grooming to be their next pillar of strength couldn't possibly be an idiot.
That left only one possibility: Jake wanted to negotiate something with him.
For Moria, no matter what that something was, he needed to test Jake here and now—to see if the young man had the strength to be a worthy partner.
Besides, having just joined the Seven Warlords, Moria wasn't stupid enough to kill a high-ranking Marines officer in a place like this.
So rather than an unexpected clash, this was more of a mutual test between potential future allies.
Countless purple bats surged from Moria's shadow, instantly surrounding Jake and Monet.
Monet, however, didn't move.
She remained still, observing calmly.
This was Jake's fight with Moria and interfering rashly wouldn't be wise.
Jake raised a finger, and with a sharp, piercing sound, blinding orange-gold lightning erupted from his fingertip, filling the entire space.
The lightning was like countless tiny daggers, precisely striking and shattering every Shadow Bat mid-flight.
At the same time, the explosive flash of lightning momentarily blinded Moria, who had long been accustomed to darkness.
Covering his eyes, he immediately expanded his Observation Haki to its maximum range.
But to his shock, Moria realized that within his Observation Haki, Jake was completely undetectable—yet the lightning attacks were coming at him from all directions.
Though he coated his body in Armament Haki, the penetrating power of the lightning made his defense nearly ineffective.
'Damn it!'
If his Observation Haki couldn't detect the Marines brat, yet the attacks were landing, it meant Jake's Observation Haki was superior to his own!
'How old was this kid?! How could he possess such terrifying talent?!' Moria felt a surge of frustration.
Ever since his battle with Kaido, he had never suffered such a humiliating defeat.
Most enemies he encountered were mere playthings to him.
Now, accidentally encountering an opponent whose strength was almost on par with his own, Moria was momentarily at a loss on how to counter.
Jake watched Moria, who was simply standing there taking the hits, and sighed inwardly.
The man before him was almost a completely different person from the young Moria who had once dared to face Kaido head-on.
The once-proud heart of a Pirate within Moria had been utterly crushed.
Or perhaps, after experiencing the pain of losing his comrades, Moria's once-inflated ego had deflated like a punctured balloon, leaving nothing but emptiness.
If this had been the Moria of old, brimming with confidence, he would have charged through the lightning to land a solid blow with his spiked club on Jake's head.
But the current Moria...
Noticing Jake's gaze, Moria caught the faint trace of pity in his eyes.
A surge of inexplicable fury erupted within him.
His Armament Haki suddenly intensified, repelling the surrounding lightning in an instant. His expression turned icy as he glared at Jake, his voice hoarse:
"Hey, you little Marines brat, what was that look in your eyes just now?!"
Seeing Moria's current state, Jake could sense his rising momentum.
Without hesitation, he decided to be forthright.
"I've read your records, Moria. A few years ago, you were the most famous rookie in the entire New World. But when you led your crew to challenge Kaido in an all-out battle, you suffered an unprecedented defeat.
That defeat dealt a devastating blow to you and your entire Pirate crew. In your duel with Kaido, you lost—utterly and completely. Your Pirate comrades at the time chose to stay behind on that battlefield, covering your retreat so you could escape with your life.
You refused to leave, but when your comrades threatened to die unless you fled, you had no choice but to go. After that battle, both you and your crew vanished from the scene.
Is this what you've become because you don't want to remember the past? Or because you can't bear to recall the comrades who sacrificed themselves for you?
If those comrades of yours were still alive today, would they even recognize you now? Would they think you're no longer the captain they once followed? Would they blame you for abandoning the dreams you once shared?"
As Jake spoke, Moria's expression gradually calmed.
He let out a long sigh, his aura surging violently, yet his voice remained eerily composed.
"If they could truly come back to blame me, I'd gladly bear every ounce of their scorn.
But unfortunately, Marines brat, that will never happen. My comrades... they're never coming back!
Today, your words have dredged up far too many painful memories. Even if you're the Marines's future leader, I'm going to beat the hell out of you right here, you damn brat!
Shadow Asgard!"
With Moria's slightly shrill voice echoing, his massive shadow instantly rose up, transforming into a monstrous figure bearing some resemblance to him.
The next moment, both Moria and Shadow Asgard charged toward Jake, accompanied by Moria's somewhat excited shout.
"You wanted to see how I fought against that bastard Kaido back in the day, didn't you? Though I don't have my old weapon now, even with just my fists, I can still knock a cocky brat like you flat on your ass!"
Watching Moria charge toward him, Jake raised his hand as golden Holy Light swirling around it.
He chose to meet Moria head-on this time, using the clash to gauge just how far his combat prowess had progressed.