Chapter 29: The Encounter of Shadow and Flash!

The latter half of the Grand Line.

The third island on the second route of the "New World" sea is a winter snow island named the White Chalk Three Islands.

It is named so because it consists of three main islands arranged in a triangular formation, along with several miniature islets that can accommodate fewer than a hundred people.

This is also the third island on the first route; consequently, pirates from both routes frequently encounter and clash here.

The winner advances; the loser sinks into the sea.

Thus, the most common sights in this place are the wreckage of sea vessels and corpses dried by the wind, impaled on the beach by wooden sticks.

At this moment, on the easternmost of the three large islands.

The area was occupied by a strange race of twenty individuals, each over six meters tall, with two horns growing from their heads and mouths full of fangs.

They moved amidst a ground covered in corpses, stepping through pools of blood, radiating a murderous aura.

Occasionally, the sound of a dying gasp would be heard.

Without a word, they would simply walk over and crush the person's chest with a foot, granting them a swift end.

"Morley! You will die a horrible death! You will never have a good end!"

"It won't be long... *cough, cough*... it won't be long before you bastards report to the underworld too!"

Temple's hands were bound behind his back, and he knelt on the blood-stained snow.

Forcing himself through the agony of his battered body, his eyes, red and soaked with tears, glared furiously at the man before him.

Just moments ago, the comrades he had lived alongside for years had been killed one by one by these non-human bastards of the Gecko Pirates.

"Hehehehe~"

The lean and tall Moria sat atop the thickest corpse.

To his right, a long blade over three meters in length was thrust vertically into the ground.

Seeing the other man's hysterical state, he grinned broadly, revealing a mouth full of fangs.

"Pathetic, truly pathetic. Captain Temple of the War Elephant Pirates, you are a well-known pirate with a bounty of 67 million Berries. Can you not maintain some dignity?"

But Captain Temple was already consumed by despair. Knowing his death was certain, he cared nothing for Moria's words, thinking only of squeezing in as many curses as possible.

"Eh, how boring. I thought you were someone important."

Moria stood up with a look of disappointment. He casually gripped the hilt, pulled the blade from the ground, looked up at the bright sun, and smiled.

"However, I admire your affection for your comrades. Pirate crews like yours are rare, so I have decided to give you a magnificent death—one far more beautiful than how that Pirate King, Roger, died."

"Whoa, the Captain is going to perform a Light Burial again!"

"Hahahaha, this is getting interesting! No matter how many times I see it, it's always something to look forward to!"

The members of the Gecko Pirates crowded together about ten meters in front of Captain Temple, their eyes wide with excitement, waiting for what was to come.

"You! What are you planning to do?!"

Seeing these fellows staring at him like spectators at a clown show, Captain Temple felt an immense surge of fury and terror. Simultaneously, a massive dark shadow loomed over him from behind.

His heart went cold; he understood his time had come.

*Is he going to take my head from behind?*

Just then, the great blade in Moria's hand swung down.

The sharp whistling of the air caused Captain Temple to close his eyes in resignation, thinking to himself

*This is fine. My comrades haven't been dead long; I should be able to catch up to them on the road to the underworld...*

However, a second passed in the darkness, then two, then three, yet he felt no pain whatsoever.

After about ten seconds, he opened his eyes in confusion.

"I'm still alive?"

"Hehehehe~ Experience the scorching heat of the sun, Captain Temple of the 'War Elephant'!"

Standing behind him, Gecko Moria took a step to the right.

The kneeling Temple suddenly realized that the massive shadow in front of him had vanished.

[SWISH—]

Before he could react, a violent, searing sensation like fire erupted from his back, immediately spreading across his entire body.

The somewhat cool sunlight pouring from the sky had, at this very moment, transformed into the most cruel of punishments.

"AAAAAAAGH!"

A piercing scream erupted.

Gecko Moria held the freshly severed black shadow in his left hand.

He watched with excitement as Captain Temple slowly turned to ash under the sunlight.

"It's happening, it's happening!"

"Hahahaha, this show is too good!"

His fellow tribesmen danced with excitement, jumping up and down from time to time.

When Captain Temple's expression finally vanished completely, the shadow in Moria's hand also disappeared. He was not surprised by this.

Even when severed, a shadow and its physical body maintain a certain connection.

When the physical body undergoes a change, the shadow undergoes a corresponding change.

Thus, as the body turned to ash, the shadow naturally ceased to exist.

"Eh, we should have tried to capture them alive just now. If we let the whole crew experience a Light Burial together, the scene would have been much better!" one Oni crew member of the Gecko Pirates laughed loudly.

"Those dead ones were fine too, but the Captain doesn't like cutting the shadows of dead people."

"What's the fun in watching a dead man turn to ash? The screams before death are the most captivating part!"

As the group of giants chatted busily, Gecko Moria barked out a laugh.

"You bastards, hurry up and search their ship! Bring everything useful and edible back to our ship!"

"And throw these corpses into the sea! Consider it a feast for the fish!"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Let's go, let's go! Let's see what they have on board!"

"If there's alcohol, that'd be great. We don't need meat; there's plenty of Sea King meat on our ship, that's enough to eat..."

Seeing them run joyfully toward the War Elephant Pirates' ship, Gecko Moria turned toward his own vessel in high spirits.

Today's sunlight was a bit too bright for his liking; he preferred dark environments, though watching an occasional magnificent Light Burial was a decent diversion.

"Yo~ I finally found you, Gecko Moria, with a bounty of 120 million Berries~"

Suddenly, a drawn-out, extremely lazy and leisurely voice sounded from behind.

Moria spun around instantly, raising his blade in a defensive stance.

At the same time, he saw a golden flash of light coalesce not far away into a figure about half his height.

This person wore a black gentleman's hat and a bright yellow suit.

Most importantly, a pristine white "Justice" coat fluttered gently in the wind and snow.

"A Marine?"

Moria's expression darkened. "Judging by the ability you just used, you're a Logia type. You must be the newly appointed Admiral candidate, Kizaru?"

"Eh~ impressive, you guessed it right away~"

Borsalino put on an expression of feigned surprise, then asked casually

"In that case, why don't you come with me quietly? It'll let me finish my mission faster, and you'll suffer less pain."

"Hehehehe— I don't know why you Marines are targeting me, but since you've shown up before me, then witness the power of a top-tier Logia!"

Gecko Moria grinned, revealing his sharp fangs.

His eyes glared at Borsalino with pure malice, and the long blade in his hand seemed eager for battle.

"What a pain~ I knew it wouldn't be that simple..." Borsalino said troubledly, removing his gentleman's hat and tucking it into his coat pocket.

In the next instant, he appeared directly in front of Gecko Moria.

Simultaneously, a golden flash illuminated Moria's face and pupils.

The intense light forced him to instinctively close his eyes, but a light, airy greeting sounded in his ear

"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light~~?"