The golden lightning shattered the Shadow Bats the moment it touched them.
Even the towering Shadow Asgard stood no chance against Jake's attack, completely overwhelmed.
The dual suppression of lightning and Holy Light made Jake's abilities far too effective against Moria.
Jake himself quickly realized this.
He hadn't expected his passive [Holy Light Infusion] to counter Moria so thoroughly.
He'd assumed the elemental advantages from DNF wouldn't apply in this world.
Seeing Moria's stunned expression, Jake shifted tactics.
He withdrew the lightning aura around him and spoke softly.
"Seems my Devil Fruit powers counter you pretty hard. Let's try something else. I recall when you challenged Kaido, aside from your Shadow-Shadow Fruit abilities, you relied on formidable hand-to-hand combat skills and dual Conqueror's Haki, right?"
Moria, heaving his bloated belly, glared at Jake.
Though inwardly uneasy, he couldn't back down in front of his underlings.
He forced a cold snort.
"What's it to you?!"
"I came here for two reasons. First, to discuss potential cooperation. Second, to spar with you and gauge my current strength.
"My Devil Fruit counters yours. If we keep fighting, I'll win effortlessly—which defeats the purpose. So, Moria, I hope you haven't neglected your physical training these past years!"
The next instant, Jake's figure shot toward Moria like a cannonball, so fast it left afterimages in the air.
Moria roared.
"Arrogant brat! A counter doesn't guarantee victory! But since you've chosen fists over powers, I'll beat you into submission!"
With that, Moria raised his fists, jet-black Conqueror's Haki solidifying around them.
A shockwave erupted, sending the spectating Zombies tumbling like leaves.
"Hey, buddy, your head's stuck in my arm. Mind pulling it out?"
"You grab it—my torso's lodged in someone else's leg."
"Don't forget me! You're currently borrowing my brain..."
Amidst the chatter of the zombies behind him, Jake watched as Moria once again swung his fist and charged toward him, a grin of excitement spreading across his face.
Though Moria's figure had grown bulkier, his strength hadn't diminished in the slightest.
For Jake at this moment, it was the perfect level to go all out.
But Moria stared at Jake in stunned disbelief.
Had he seen correctly? Jake had actually blocked his attack head-on?!
Sure, Moria wasn't as strong as he once was, but that didn't mean his full-powered punches could be shrugged off so easily!
Even Kaido had once praised the sheer force behind his fists!
Could it be… could this brat's true strength actually rival that of an Emperor of the Sea?!
No, impossible.
If the Marines had gained another fighter of that caliber, they would have intensified their brutal crackdown on Pirates.
Important islands wouldn't be guarded by the three Admirals—they'd be entrusted to Jake instead.
It had to be the power of his Zoan-type Devil Fruit! Had he awakened it already?!
Moria gritted his teeth as he felt the relentless force behind Jake's punches, each one heavier than the last, showing no signs of exhaustion.
A bitter taste filled his heart.
In fact, this battle gave Moria an all-too-familiar feeling—one he hadn't experienced since his fight with Kaido.
Back then, he had been overwhelmed by the same crushing helplessness.
His attacks landed, only for Kaido to flash a grin before charging back at him, full of vigor.
But when Kaido's blows struck him, Moria could barely stand, let alone smile.
Now, his fight with Jake was almost a perfect reenactment of that battle.
The only difference was that Jake in every aspect fell short of Kaido's level back then.
At the very least, Kaido would have killed him three or four times over by now.
Jake reveled in the force behind Moria's punches, feeling an exhilaration he hadn't experienced in a long time.
This was a true, bone-shaking brawl.
Though his abilities leaned toward long-range combat, that didn't mean Jake was weak in close-quarters.
On the contrary, his hand-to-hand skills had been personally honed by Garp and Zephyr, who had put him through their infamous "Battleship Bag" training regimen!
"Hey, Moria! Your punches are getting weak. Is this really your limit?!" Jake taunted, flashing a bright grin at the panting Moria.
Moria glared back, his voice strained with exhaustion.
"Don't get cocky, brat! This is just the beginning!"
With that, he coated his arm in Armament Haki and launched another barrage of punches at Jake.
As the battle raged on, Moria realized with despair that Jake's fists never faltered—each strike carried the same overwhelming force from start to finish.
Was this really the recovery speed a Zoan-type Devil Fruit could provide?!
Regarding this, Moria felt extremely suspicious.
In the end, when Moria was so exhausted he could barely lift his arms, Jake remained as energetic as ever.
"Enough! You Marine brat, if we keep fighting like this, even three days and nights won't settle anything. If you have business to discuss, get to the point already. I don't have time to waste like this."
Seeing Moria's state, Jake almost laughed.
He could clearly tell his opponent was at his limit—twenty more moves at most would decide the match.
But Jake had come to negotiate, not to push things to extremes.
He nodded with a smile and said.
"Let's go to your castle. I quite like your architectural style here."
"You Marines have some taste after all."