Just as everything seemed lost, a dark shadow appeared behind Perona's soul.
Moriah, who had been far away moments before, seemed to teleport, instantly swapping places with the dark shadow and appearing behind Perona. Without missing a beat, as if he had planned it, he threw a punch towards Ah Hua's fist.
"Huh?"
Ah Hua, seeing the colossal, bizarre monster that towered over him appear out of nowhere, was momentarily surprised. He then shifted the direction of his fist, meeting the monster's descending blow.
"No matter what you are, you'll die if you want to quell my rage!"
*Boom!*
Their fists collided, erupting with a powerful sound and shockwave.
"Heh, is that all the strength you have?"
Ah Hua scoffed, staring at the peculiar man before him. The man resembled a bat, looked like a giant Daruma doll, and wore black leather armor with black gloves. A flicker of realization crossed Ah Hua's eyes.
"You're Moriah, aren't you!"
"I thought you were supposed to be strong? Turns out you're just all show and no substance!"
"Brat, don't get too cocky. I was roaming the seas when you were still in diapers!"
Despite his words, Moriah didn't truly underestimate Ah Hua. His pupils contracted as he stared at the layer of black energy covering Ah Hua's hands.
"No wonder you could shatter Perona's ghosts. Armament Haki?"
...
"I wasn't born when you became famous."
"But..."
Ah Hua's blood surged, instantly flowing into his arms, causing them to swell. He stared into Moriah's eyes and arrogantly declared, "After all these years, this is all the strength you have? Hiding here, creating these fragile zombies, I think you should... just die already!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he put force into his arm, and with a *bang*, he pushed Moriah's massive body backward.
"Can't hold on."
Moriah, feeling the immense power from Ah Hua's fist, furrowed his brow.
This was just an unremarkable member of the silver-haired crew. How powerful would the captain himself be?
He dared not imagine.
*Bang!*
Ah Hua's fist punched through Moriah's body. However, he didn't rejoice in this success. Instead, he abruptly turned and struck behind him.
Unbeknownst to him, Moriah had once again swapped places with a shadow behind Ah Hua, and the figure he had just hit was merely an afterimage.
Shattering another shadow behind him, Ah Hua roared, his eyes red, "A Shichibukai, and you only dare to hide and run?"
"Brat, today I'll show you that even though I'm old, I'm not someone like you can trifle with. Hehehehehehe~"
His shadow was currently inside Ozu's body, so he couldn't use most of his techniques. He could only rely on "Shadows," constantly shifting his position to stall the opponent.
*Bang!*
Another punch shattered a shadow. Ah Hua's blood-red eyes gradually calmed. While this opponent was troublesome, it was clear he was just buying time.
"Let's see what else you have."
In the distance, Perona's soul, as soon as Moriah appeared, felt as if she had found her anchor. She immediately woke from the terrifying pressure emanating from Ah Hua and fled.
Seeing that even Moriah couldn't handle Ah Hua, she could only watch helplessly from the sidelines.
Just then, she suddenly noticed the surroundings had gone silent. The distant figures of Ah Hua and Moriah fighting seemed to vanish like a bubble, leaving no trace of sound.
"What's happening?"
Perona's heart, which had just begun to relax after narrowly escaping Ah Hua's fist, suddenly tensed up again.
"What are you thinking about?"
Silently, a white figure, accompanied by a languid voice, appeared beside her.
The moment the voice spoke, the sounds of the surroundings returned to Perona's soul, but she dared not move.
"He's here, he's here..."
Even though she was a soul, she felt as if she were no longer standing on solid ground but in the vast, dark expanse of space. The figure beside her, who had no presence moments ago, now seemed to be the master of this starry sky, capable of crushing her with a single thought.
"Oh... he is?"
Kōta's gaze shifted from Perona to the colossal figure charging rapidly towards Ah Hua, and then to the decaying zombie on the giant's shoulder, exuding a sharp aura.
"Ryoma!"
A low voice sent a shiver through Perona beside him.
As a swordsman himself, Kōta felt a flicker of anger upon seeing the legendary swordsman turned into a zombie in such a manner.
"Kōta, the sword at the giant's waist... doesn't it look similar to your Zankon?" Guina asked, approaching with the others, gazing at the decaying corpse on the giant's shoulder. "And this corpse... it doesn't seem like an ordinary person."
"Haha!"
Kōta's lips curved into a slight smile. "Of course, they're not ordinary people! Both the sword and the corpse were stolen by Moriah from Wano Country."
"Wano Country?"
Hearing that they originated from Wano Country, Kōta's interest piqued further. Then, as if struck by a thought, a flash of lightning crossed his eyes, and he said gravely, "Could it be the legendary 'Dragon-Slaying Swordsman Ryoma' and the famous sword 'Shusui'?"
"Yes!"
Upon seeing Kōta nod, Guina's anger intensified, and tiny arcs of electricity began to crackle around her body.
The moment the electricity appeared, Perona trembled even more violently.
She felt as if she were no longer on earth but in hell. Despair instantly filled her soul, rendering her incapable of thought.
*Bang bang bang!!*
With the addition of Ozu and the zombie made from Ryoma's corpse, Ah Hua was instantly at a disadvantage. Seeing the tide of battle turn, Arlo and Arko quickly joined the fray. Although they usually acted like rivals, when one of them was in danger, the other two would unhesitatingly rush to their aid, even shielding them from fatal blows.
This was comradeship, this was friendship!
With Arlo and Arko's involvement, Moriah, who had been gaining the upper hand, was instantly reversed. Even with Ozu's massive body providing assistance and the Ryoma zombie's slashes, they couldn't withstand the默契 (mòqì - tacit understanding) between Ah Hua and the trio, nor their deepening Armament Haki.
As for Moriah, his Devil Fruit development wasn't actually weak. It was just that decades of indolence had completely ruined his body. In terms of physical condition, he was no match for the trio. Ah Hua, Arlo, and Arko all possessed Armament Haki, with Arlo also having Observation Haki and the "Meikyu" (冥狗 -冥 dog).
Therefore, Moriah's defeat was only a matter of time.