One Piece: I will become stronger by checking in

"Ahem~"

Moria struggled to rise from the ground, spitting out another mouthful of blood. He stared at Kai with a look of disbelief.

"Conqueror's entanglement! How do you know how to use this technique? Only a handful of top experts can master it!"

"Is it so surprising to use this technique? Don't you think I have the demeanor of a top expert?" Kai responded calmly.

For a moment, Moria was left speechless. It did make sense!

He knew his own strength, and Kai had defeated him effortlessly. It wasn't an exaggeration to say Kai was a top powerhouse!

But... Moria couldn't accept it!

How could someone like Kai, who looked so unassuming, master Conqueror's Haki while he himself had struggled with it for years without success?

If Kai knew what Moria was thinking, he'd probably say:

You're just not very talented! You must be one of the least skilled among Teacher Kaido's students!

You might not have noticed, but Luffy, Teacher Kaido's most gifted student, had already become a powerhouse with just a couple of moves!

Sometimes, the gap between people is truly...

After a brief silence, Moria addressed Kai with a calm tone, "I admit that I'm no match for you right now. But..."

As Moria spoke, he raised a hand and shouted, "Shadow Assembly Area!"

In an instant, countless shadows surged towards Moria.

"100!"

"200!"

...

"500!"

"Jiheeheehee~"

With 500 shadows absorbed, Moria's form changed dramatically, growing to at least five or six times his original size, now resembling a giant.

Kai looked up at Moria and murmured, "Is it just 500 you've absorbed?"

In the original story, Moria absorbed 1,000 shadows for this technique, resulting in loss of control. But Moria, having only absorbed 500, seemed clear-eyed and not out of control, though his expression was grim.

Moria exhaled and said, "With the power of 500 gathered into one body, how will you respond?"

Kai's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly smiled.

"Yes, your strength is impressive now, but your agility has decreased significantly, and your stamina won't last long. I doubt you can keep this up for long before you tire out!"

"You'll find out soon enough!" Moria roared, swinging his massive fist at Kai.

Kai didn't dodge; he met the attack head-on with his staff.

"Bang!"

Black and red Conqueror's Haki crackled around them, sending powerful shockwaves through the area.

Both fighters were pushed back a short distance from the impact.

Moria stared at Kai in shock. Despite combining the power of 500, Moria wasn't sure of his own strength. Yet, the fact that Kai could withstand his blow was unsettling.

Moria realized he had to deal with Kai quickly before his power waned.

Kai, slightly surprised, assessed Moria's power. Even with his general-level strength, Moria's current power had made Kai's blood surge.

It was clear that the Shadow Fruit was a powerful ability, amplifying Moria's strength significantly in a short time.

Normally, Kai wouldn't be Moria's opponent, but to defeat him, he'd either have to use his Demon Form or...

A smile spread across Kai's face. He looked at Moria and said, "You like to compare with someone bigger, don't you?"

"In that case, don't say I'm bullying you!"

"Huh?" Moria was puzzled by Kai's words, but the next scene almost made his eyes pop out.

Kai's figure began to grow, eventually surpassing Moria's size and continuing to expand.

As the commotion subsided, the islanders gazed in awe at the colossal figure, their mouths agape.

Nearby, Luffy, whose injuries had eased, looked at the enormous figure and stammered, "That... that's Kai?"

"Gulp!" Usopp swallowed nervously and said, "It must be... right?"

"That size... heh, it's enormous!"

Everyone trembled at the sight of Kai's gigantic form from a distance. Moria, however, was close enough to be thoroughly intimidated.

His neck stiffened as he stared at the massive figure, feeling a pang of panic.

Suddenly, a thunderous voice boomed.

"Don't blame me, Moria! Since you're so big, I can only get a bit bigger!"

Kai's size was now at least three times that of Oz, and he seemed to blot out the sky.

This wasn't the full extent of his power, but Kai felt it was sufficient. Any larger, and the ship would be at risk.

"Prepare yourself, a new battle begins!"

With that, Kai lifted his foot and aimed a kick at Moria.

Moria, seeing the enormous foot coming towards him, panicked. His face twitched as he protested, "You must be faking it! How could someone grow so large? It must be a trick! I'll expose you!"

Moria's eyes flashed with determination. He wrapped his fist in Armament Haki and struck at Kai's colossal foot.

"Bang!"

The moment Moria's fist connected, he was overwhelmed. The force of the giant foot was too much to resist, and he was battered, blood flying from his mouth.

"Whoosh!"

Moria was sent flying like a cannonball. Kai didn't give him a chance to recover, punching him back down into the ground.

"Tear!"

Massive cracks spread from the impact point, threatening to split the entire island.

Gradually, Kai's size reduced, returning to his normal form as he approached Moria...

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Power Stones would be appreciated if you liked the story.