LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 47: Chapter 47
The divine soldiers had been waiting here for a long time. When they saw Ethan and the others arriving, Shadley jumped forward with his bloated body to report:
"Roar, roar, roar~ Lord God, we just interrogated the zombies here. They said that the small building not far ahead is where Gecko Moria is."
"Isn't it a bit unfair for so many of you to beat up Lord Moria?"
Though Perona thought Moria wouldn't fear an overwhelming force, seeing the divine soldiers armed with sea stone clubs made her worry Moria might be caught off guard.
"Hmm? Do you think I need to discuss fairness and justice with pirates?" Ethan sneered, waving his hand to signal the divine soldiers to attack.
"Do you want to wait outside, or go in and see Moria's miserable state?"
Perona curled her lips and ignored Ethan. She knew her words were bold, but couldn't help but hope they'd provoke him to fight alone.
Seeing her reaction, Ethan released his grip on her and strode after the divine soldiers.
…
Gecko Moria was still modifying his prized zombies. Ethan's God's Shock Team was shackled nearby, waiting helplessly for their fate.
"Jiheihei~ Another great masterpiece!" Moria awakened the zombie in front of him and had his Shadow Bat toss away the shadowless soldier.
As he grabbed the next one, a loud bang echoed from the door, prompting him to scowl.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The door burst open as the divine soldiers flooded in.
"So… so big!"
"Are we going up against this giant? My blood's boiling—this is thrilling and intense!"
"Iron Cloud!"
Upon seeing the seven-meter-tall Moria, the divine soldiers marveled but didn't hesitate, unleashing Iron Cloud to begin an aerial assault.
"You… you're all from the same force? Looks like I'll have plenty of shadows to work with."
Rather than retreat, Moria raised his hand. His shadow rose from the floor, moving as if it were alive.
"Scatter bats!"
The shadow fragmented, transforming into large-headed, small-winged bats that dove into the divine soldiers, biting them ruthlessly.
"Roar, roar, roar~ Gecko Moria! Look here!"
At some point, Shadley summoned a massive ball of iron cloud in front of him. He triggered a shock wave hidden in his gloves, launching the sphere at Moria, where it exploded.
"It's useless!"
The smoke dispersed, revealing only a dark shadow where the blast had hit. Moria had quickly switched places with his shadow to dodge the attack.
Several divine soldiers were thrown out of the room, some landing at Ethan's feet and scrambling up as they realized where they were.
Inside, Moria clashed fiercely with the priests, while the divine soldiers withdrew, with only a few marksmen providing occasional harassment.
"Perona, how long do you think Moria can last?" Ethan, seated calmly on an invisible platform, observed Perona's anxious expression with amusement.
The priests had solid foundations in Haki. After years of training, their armament Haki was well-honed. Facing Moria, who relied solely on the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, they were confident he would eventually be overwhelmed.
With so many assailants, Moria had no opportunity to escape and revive the colossal zombie, Oz.
"There's no way to win! Lord Moria… he'll definitely prevail!" Perona retorted defiantly, though her voice betrayed her doubt.
"I like your stubbornness, but I suspect that stance will soften under my thunder's might!"
Ethan grinned, letting sparks dance along his fingertips, crackling with electric charge.
"50 million volts Thunder Dragon!"
The electricity formed a three-meter-tall, ten-meter-long Eastern dragon that roared toward Moria. As the priests attacked Moria and his shadow, they quickly retreated.
"This is…"
The Thunder Dragon grew larger in Moria's view. His instinct kicked in, and he switched places with his shadow.
But Ethan had anticipated this. The Thunder Dragon passed through the shadow, twisting to target Moria again.
Moria switched positions just before impact, yet this time, he wasn't so lucky. With the Thunder Dragon piercing his shadow, switching placed him directly in the dragon's path.
The shock jolted through Moria's body, and as the dragon exploded, he collapsed, coughing up black blood.
"Strike while he's down!" This motto was drilled into Ethan's divine soldiers. As Moria lay prone, the divine soldiers surrounded him, unleashing a relentless barrage—fire shells, wind shells, water shells, impact shells!
The most relentless among them was an elderly soldier wielding a seastone staff, jabbing Moria's side with intense fury.
Weak from seastone, Moria was unable to use his Devil Fruit powers, relying solely on his physical strength to shake off the divine soldiers swarming him.
Despite the assault, Moria stood up defiantly. His monstrous physique masked his injuries, enduring past human limits.
As he staggered back, he called out sharply.
"Thunder!! Are you all subordinates of the Thunder Fruit user who's been making waves?"
"You're quite perceptive~" Ethan stepped into the castle confidently, Perona trailing behind with a worried gaze fixed on Moria.
"The Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gecko Moria… living in paradise must have made you soft."
"Hehehe, so it's you, Emperor Ethan. We have no grudge—why come after me?"
Moria, seizing a moment to recover, suddenly spotted Perona behind Ethan and cried out in alarm:
"Perona!? What did you do to her? Why is she with you!"
"Oh? Did you forget my divine soldiers? You captured quite a few of them."
Ethan smirked, pulling Perona closer.
"As for Perona… how could I bring myself to kill such a cute little loli?"
"Lord Moria, I was defeated and captured by him… I'm sorry!" Perona's face filled with tears and regret.
"Damn it! Ethan, if you have grievances, direct them at me—let Perona go!" Moria's eyes blazed with fury, his fists clenched tightly, yet he dared not make a move.