Chapter Nine: Accidental Trigger

Awakening material collection mission?

As expected... Shadow-Shadow Fruit material!

When a strange, echoing laughter resonated, Chu Yi immediately identified the dark figure appearing before him based on that signature sound.

At this moment, combined with the emerging presence of Lucci and Fisher Tiger, and the system’s notification for an awakening material collection mission, Chu Yi knew the intruder was none other than Gecko Moria. His eyes narrowed instantly. Without even granting Moria the chance to speak, Chu Yi’s leg muscles coiled and snapped, propelling him forward in a single stride!

"Gale Step!"

Whoosh!

Utilizing "Gale Step" at a speed rivaling light, Chu Yi shuttled behind Moria like a gust of wind and slowly raised his arm!

"Gale Style..."

"Sea Divider!"

Sword intent soared to the heavens, and a fierce gale swept through the area!

Chu Yi... was truly enraged!

If one were to name the most important person to Chu Yi in this pirate world, Fisher Tiger was undoubtedly at the top of the list. The reason for Tiger's presence lingering on Moria was self-evident: Moria must have resorted to underhanded tricks to defeat Tiger or used the power of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit to steal his shadow.

Chu Yi knew all too well from the original story just how miserable one became after their shadow was stolen.

He did not want Tiger to live forever in a world without sunlight... and even less did he want Tiger to remain under the perpetual control of Gecko Moria!

Therefore, as Chu Yi’s "Sea Divider" sword intent enveloped Moria’s gradually solidifying figure, his only thought was to utilize his terrifying swordsmanship and sword intent to instantly kill him!

But who would have thought...

Just as Chu Yi’s "Sea Divider" was about to strike the center of Moria’s back...

Armament Haki: Hardening!

"Bang!"

In an instant, the figure fully solidified, revealing Moria’s true form, with the center of his back suddenly covered by a pitch-black aura.

If this wasn't Armament Hardening—a technique achievable only at a certain level of Armament Haki mastery—what was it?

It was precisely through this Armament Hardening that Moria successfully withstood Chu Yi's strike.

However...

Did Gecko Moria have such powerful Armament Haki in the original story?

The answer was no!

Then why had his Armament Haki reached the level of Hardening?

"Hmm... it must be because of Tiger."

"No, it's definitely because of Tiger!"

"Beyond stealing and transplanting shadows, the Shadow-Shadow Fruit has another terrifying ability: consumption!"

"By devouring the shadows of others to enhance his own strength, Moria must have consumed Tiger’s shadow, and therefore..."

"Moria is now capable of using the Armament Hardening that Tiger was once able to use!"

With this realization, Chu Yi arched his brows, and a new thought suddenly emerged in his mind.

If he could successfully complete the awakening material collection mission and use the Shadow-Shadow Fruit as an awakening material...

Could he then devour Tiger's shadow to let his body memorize the method of using Armament Haki? If so, his own Armament Haki might awaken smoothly, and furthermore... could he rapidly elevate it to the level of Armament Hardening after awakening?

In that case, the Shadow-Shadow Fruit material was an absolute necessity!

With his mind racing and a potential shortcut to mastering Armament Haki and Hardening emerging, Chu Yi quickly recalled the system prompt that had just resonated in his mind. He discovered that the awakening material collection mission was...

"Dispersion!"

As for the mission content, it required Chu Yi to successfully reclaim at least six shadows that Moria had stolen.

Truth be told, the difficulty of this mission was not high.

Because Chu Yi knew the weakness of Moria’s fruit—if he had enough salt on hand, given the ghostly speed of his "Gale Step," dispelling the six shadows stolen by Moria would be child's play!

Of course.

The primary prerequisite was salt!

Since Chu Yi had to return to his ship to find salt in the galley, Moria could not be killed for the time being; he had to be captured alive!

Moria, having consumed Tiger's shadow and being proficient in both Observation and Armament Haki, was undoubtedly a difficult opponent.

Do not be fooled by the fact that they had only exchanged one blow, or that Chu Yi had caught him by surprise just as he appeared. From that single exchange, Chu Yi could see that Moria was not weak.

At the very least... he was not as weak as most fans of the series imagined!

Before transmigrating, when watching the *One Piece* manga, many claimed there were two "power-level-five" losers among the Warlords of the Sea—a title clearly assigned to the two characters defeated by the protagonist, Luffy: Sir Crocodile and the man before him, Gecko Moria.

As for Crocodile... Chu Yi could not say for sure, as they had never crossed blades; who knew if a Logia-type user could be instantly defeated just by knowing their elemental weakness.

But regarding Moria, Chu Yi had gained an intuitive understanding.

Moria was very powerful. If it hadn't been for Luffy’s protagonist halo, the Straw Hat Pirates would have been wiped out by him back then!

Furthermore, the original story subtly indicated that Luffy’s victory was merely a coincidence.

At that time, in a desperate situation, Moria had used his ability to devour 1,000 shadows, reaching a state that was nearly invincible, far beyond the Straw Hat Pirates' ability to overcome.

It was only through the protagonist's plot armor that Luffy managed to narrowly defeat him.

Therefore, now that Chu Yi had a comprehensive understanding of Moria’s strength—especially his ability to use Observation and Armament Haki like Tiger—and knowing he could not use his own fruit abilities, he feared it would be difficult to capture Moria alive. He intended to call for Mihawk’s help, hoping they could work together to subdue him first.

Unexpectedly, just as Chu Yi secretly signaled Mihawk...

"Hum!"

A terrifying, violent aura suddenly erupted from behind Chu Yi, causing even the expression of the Moria standing before him to shift slightly!

And the very next second...

"Whoosh!"

Within that terrifying, violent aura, a massive suction force emerged, intending to swallow Chu Yi whole!

In an instant, Chu Yi was stunned, and even Moria, Mihawk, and Jinbe were left momentarily dazed by this strange and formidable power.

However, after a moment, when Chu Yi regained his senses and tried to break free from the terrifying suction...

He never imagined that the unexpected triggering of a mission would cause him to miss the best opportunity to escape!

"Damn it! Why trigger a special awakening mission at a time like this!"