One piece: Black Cat

"Fragment Bat!"

"Brickbat!"

"Biting Cat: Disarray Willow!"

The storm of razor-sharp kicks cut through the air like scythes, each strike whistling as it tore apart the swarm of black bats erupting from Moria's grotesque form. The acrid smell of disturbed dust and decay filled my nostrils as the creatures dissolved into shadowy wisps.

Why the hell would someone like this show up in the West Blue? What kind of cosmic joke is this?

Through the oppressive darkness, I caught a glimpse of movement, one of the bats I'd destroyed was reforming, its leathery wings spreading wide.

"Don't you dare switch places!" I snarled.

"Guh...!?"

Seizing the moment when Moria attempted to swap positions with his shadow construct, I launched myself forward at maximum speed. My kick connected with his massive face, a satisfying thud that reverberated through my bones. But despite the impact, his flesh barely yielded. It was like striking a mountain.

Damn it! He's built like a fortress!

"Daz!" I called out, my voice cutting through the chaos. "Lead the Marines and hold back those zombies! Shove salt down their throats to free them! Some of you, go liberate the imprisoned soldiers! We need as much space as we can get!"

"You insolent brat!" Moria's voice boomed as shadows coalesced around him. "Shadow Horn!"

"Too slow!"

The beast was undeniably tough, tougher than Bege with his castle walls fully activated. His destructive power was monstrous, and the way he'd crammed countless zombies into this enclosed space was like something out of my worst horror game nightmares. But still...

He's nowhere near the Kaido level I was expecting.

"Stab—!"

"Stop screwing around!" I roared back. "Shadow Box!"

His fundamental technique relied on the endless swarm of bats his Devil Fruit power could generate. But if you could see through that strategy...

"You're not there anymore, Moria!"

The satisfaction of outmaneuvering him coursed through me like electricity. When it came to pure speed, I had the upper hand.

"Cough... Don't mock me!" Moria spat, black ichor dripping from his split lip. "Why the hell is someone like you lurking around in the Four Blues?!"

"That's exactly what I want to know," I shot back, landing gracefully on the balls of my feet.

I really don't want to hear that coming from you, you oversized bat!

"But it's fine... it's all fine," he wheezed, a sinister grin spreading across his pale features. "I was planning to stuff the shadow of some decent pirate or marine into your corpse, but... this is even better."

A chill ran down my spine as I noticed something wrong with his bats, they were gleaming with an oily, unnatural sheen.

Those bats... they're coated in Haki.

"I'll rip out your shadow!" Moria declared, his voice rising to a maniacal pitch. "You'd make an excellent puppet with some random marine's corpse!"

There are only female marines here right now... Please tell me you're not thinking what I think you're thinking.

"Squeak squeak!"

Oh hell, here we go!

"Behold the power of a Grand Line pirate! I'll show you 'Shadow Asgard'!"

•~•

"Get out of my way!"

Daz Bones, his body gleaming like polished steel thanks to his Supa Supa no Mi, had never struggled in single combat before. His blade-enhanced limbs could cut through almost anything, and his defensive capabilities were legendary among the crew.

"Sparkling Daisy!" he called out, his arm transforming into a gleaming sword that sliced clean through a lumbering zombie.

"Ahhhhhh!" The undead creature's anguished wail echoed through the chamber as its stolen shadow peeled away like smoke, drifting back to the suspended marine who owned it.

The zombies had been startling at first, but they weren't particularly formidable opponents. However, Daz understood something crucial that gnawed at his pride, every enemy he couldn't handle alone had been defeated by Captain Kuro. The Navy branch vice admiral, the underground kingpins, and now these Grand Line pirates. Each time, his captain had stepped forward without hesitation, blazing like a beacon in the darkness.

So dazzling, yet so far beyond my reach.

"Daz-san!" Robin's calm voice cut through his brooding. "I've used my ability to distribute more salt supplies throughout our forces."

"Everyone, keep salt within easy reach, pockets, belt pouches, anywhere you can grab it quickly," he commanded, his voice carrying the authority of a first mate.

The captain said the zombie was animated by a marine's shadow. Some kind of Devil Fruit ability.

Even in the heat of battle, with insufficient briefing time, Daz was piecing together the tactical situation from fragments of information.

Even with a criminal's body accustomed to violence, the movements are still influenced by whatever shadow is placed inside. And their weakness is salt.

"Form groups of three. Minimum two per team," he ordered.

During their time on the island, Daz had helped train these Marines. They'd all been green recruits or worse when they started, but whether driven by fear of enslavement or simple determination, every single one had trained with desperate intensity as they'd fortified their position.

Despite being a wanted criminal with supernatural abilities, Daz had earned their respect through competence and fair treatment.

"The enemy may be powerful, but their movements are sluggish," he continued, his analytical mind dissecting their opponents' weaknesses. "Their numbers are threatening, but if you work together and maintain proper defensive formations, they can't overwhelm you easily."

They're still far from being a proper fighting force. But they're not beginners anymore.

"One person engages the enemy directly, another provides defensive support. The third watches for flanking attacks and delivers salt to incapacitate targets," he instructed with military precision.

"Don't let the pairs get isolated. Converge and support each other whenever possible."

"If we steadily whittle down their numbers, they're not opponents we can lose to, not after all the training we've endured."

•~•

"Fragment Bat!"

"Brickbat!"

"That's getting repetitive!" I taunted, even as sweat beaded on my forehead.

"There's still a massive difference in our power and speed!" Moria bellowed.

"Yeah? So what?!"

Shit! Shit, shit, shit! This little brat!

Behind his manic laughter, Gecko Moria was fighting rising panic. The bats, now enhanced with Armament Haki, were getting closer to the elusive cat-like figure, but still couldn't land a decisive blow. Every projectile was either deflected by lightning-fast kicks or simply dodged with impossible agility.

What kind of legs does this thing have?! And they're faintly crackling with...

The pressure wasn't comparable to the overwhelming presence of the monsters he'd faced in the Grand Line. In terms of raw attack power, this opponent was still at the level of Paradise's first half, nowhere near New World standards.

But those legs... in terms of pure speed...

It won't hit! No matter how many I send, they just get kicked down one by one! Even with Haki coating, at my current level it's not enough... Damn it!

—Thump

If I were at full strength, a brat like this would be nothing!

The memory of his confrontation with Kaido, the King of Beasts, flashed through his mind. That battle had left Gecko Moria with wounds that would never fully heal, not just to his body, but to his very soul. The desperate escape that followed, crossing the treacherous Calm Belt alone, had carved indelible scars into the great pirate's psyche.

But if I can just stop those legs, he's nothing but small fry. To stop this brat's movement...

His gaze shifted to Kuro's subordinates, who were systematically dismantling his zombie army with practiced teamwork.

"Kishishishi! Hey brat, I'll just—Ough?!"

Just as he prepared to steal the shadows of the psychic girl and the surprisingly competent soldiers who were methodically neutralizing his forces, a kick unlike any he'd ever experienced connected with his jaw.

—Crackle, crackle... BZZZZT!

"I understand what you're thinking," came the cold voice, "but I won't let you do that."

"You... what's with your leg?!"

Black limbs wreathed in crackling blue lightning. The attack that had been coming at him possessed speed that, even when seen, couldn't be avoided—

"Thunder Bagua!"

The technique was enough to remind the pirate Gecko Moria of that blow, the one that still haunted his nightmares.

"I won't let you steal any more shadows here."

•~•

I knew it! I knew you'd try something like that, you bastard!

Relief flooded through me as I managed to activate "Winter Cat" just in time. The technique wrapped my legs in crackling electricity, dramatically boosting my speed and impact force.

I guess this is about the time I need to get more serious. But...

Something was off. There was a slight delay between initiating the attack and when the Haki actually manifested around my limbs. Moreover, while my strikes were definitely enhanced, I couldn't maintain the coating consistently.

The moment of impact would determine everything.

The real problem was that even when my kicks connected solidly, I couldn't tell if they were actually causing significant damage.

His muscles are ridiculously dense. What the hell did this guy eat to get this tough?

Currently, my strongest technique was my imitation of the Diable Jambe, the burning kick that could penetrate Bege's fortress-like defenses and deal real damage. I'd thought that would be sufficient for anything I'd encounter in the West Blue, but apparently not!

"Ah, I was mistaken," Moria said, his tone shifting to something more dangerous. "Kuro, you're not some child playing at pirates, nor are you a novice who dabbles in half-hearted plundering."

Well, if possible, I wish you'd keep underestimating me forever.

Wait... that sword... that technique... Hold on, is that...?

"I'll fight you with everything I have!"

—Too fast!

The blade, no, if it was enhanced with Haki, it could slice clean through my reinforced shoes! I quickly redirected my aim toward his sword hand, kicking upward to deflect—

What?!

"You brat, and all those other kids up there who've been using their annoying abilities—hurry up and let me peel off your shadows! Become zombies! And help me become the Pirate King!"

"—Guaaah!"

The next instant, I was launched backward with tremendous force, my body slamming into the wooden crates and barrels stacked along the wall. Splinters and dust exploded around me as I crashed through the makeshift barricade.

I glimpsed Perona's negative ghosts attempting to interfere, but they were all swatted down by Haki-enhanced bats.

Damn... if my shadow gets cut off, I'm finished!

I tried to move, but my feet were tangled in the wreckage, and my "Soru" technique wouldn't activate properly.

—Ice Block: Partisan!

Just as I was preparing for the worst-case scenario, losing my shadow, Moria, who had been approaching for the finishing blow, was suddenly blown backward by a barrage of massive ice spears. The frozen projectiles whistled through the air with deadly precision.

What... why?!

"Oh my... Nico Robin wasn't joking when she used the Den Den Mushi to call for help," came a lazy, familiar voice.

"Kuro, you're fighting quite the opponent here."

"Vice Admiral Kuzan!"

KUZAN!!!!

From now on, I'll let you eat whatever you want!

---

[Power stones and reviews please]

Support link: www.patr eon.com/Well_being

[10 Advanced Chs][7 Chapters/week]