Inside the cavern was a giant bedroom, and sitting against the wall beside the bedroom was a massive figure. Even seated, Sage could gauge his size at a glance.
Standing about seven meters tall, he had hair styled like scallion fire, sharp teeth, and horns on either side of his forehead. With a long but now bulky neck, there was a vertical seam-like scar running from the forehead down to the neck.
Bam!!
Before he could stand, Sage moved swiftly, diving down from the edge of the high cavern and kicking that devilish face; his body flew out, crashing and collapsing the large bed in the bedroom, burying Moriah beneath.
Sage landed on the ground, smiling toward the rubble, "Just saying hello!"
In the dim space, a darker shadow inexplicably appeared under the debris, rising from the floor like a watery mass.
"Scattering Bats!"
A sharp, eerie sound emanated from beneath the debris.
The watery shadow split into multiple small balls in the air, turning into a swarm of small shadowy bats, flying densely toward Sage, surrounding and engulfing him.
A gigantic hand clawed its way out of the ruins, sweeping away the debris to reveal an extraordinarily tall figure.
Moriah's eyes widened, blood vessels visible on his eyeballs, staring intensely at Sage, who was enveloped by the shadow bats.
Bang!
Just after he stood, the bats suddenly exploded, turning into thick ink spots splattering around.
Sage crossed his arms, unscathed, surrounded by a flame-like, dark aura, grinning wickedly at Moriah, "Moriah, how was that greeting?"
"Haki!"
A vein throbbed on Moriah's forehead, shouting, "Norton Sage, I know you, the four hundred twenty million bounty guy, are the newbies now able to use Haki?! Are you here aiming for my head, a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?!"
"The position of the Seven Warlords isn't for me, nor am I interested."
Sage laughed heartily, "I'm more interested in you than your head, Moriah. Doesn't it get boring staying here? Come out with me and see the New World now!"
Moriah was taken aback, then burst into laughter, "Hehehehe, such an arrogant rookie, thinking that mastering Haki makes you invincible? You have no idea what the cruelty of the sea truly is!"
The surrounding ink spots quickly solidified in front of him, forming a shadow identical to him.
"Shadow Mage!"
The shadow, with the same corpulent body, approached Sage. Its beast-like, sharp hand reached for Sage's head.
Bang!
The Haki-like aura blocked the shadow's attack with a dull sound.
Sage still had his arms crossed, glancing at the shadow and nodding, "The strength is decent, enough to handle ordinary folk..."
He extended one hand, knocking the shadow with the back of his fist from a distance. The Haki aura around him transformed, creating a shockwave that blasted a hole in the shadow.
But that hole quickly sealed up, continuing its attack.
"Hehehe, my 'Shadow Mage' not only shares my strength but ignores any damage because it's just a shadow!"
Moriah's mouth curled up to his ears, "Kid, using Haki doesn't mean anything. Don't underestimate ability users! Incidentally, my zombies lack a crucial shadow... with a four hundred twenty million bounty, your shadow is worthy!"
Just as Sage wanted to take a step, the shadow melded into the ground, quickly reappearing in front of him, blocking his path and launching continuous attacks as if to drain his Haki.
Moriah laughed loudly, "Haki isn't unlimited. Even the mightiest Haki can be exhausted, can be crushed by stronger Haki. Only zombies..."
Veins bulged on his neck, shouting at Sage, "Only zombies can fight indefinitely! Once I've clipped your shadow, once you live eternally in darkness, you'll understand what I mean!"
"Depending on external objects so much, how much strength do you actually have left, Moriah? This version of you isn't qualified to be on my ship. Before you board, let me teach you something. Personal strength is the fundamental thing."
Sage finally released his crossed arms, his knees slightly bent, assuming a hunting stance.
Bam!!
The stone-textured ground split into a massive chasm, obstructing Sage's shadow like a bursting balloon, turning into ink spots scattering across the ground, unable to stop him. In the blink of an eye, a surge of black flame appeared before Moriah.
Sage was midair, his fist already aimed at his opponent.
"Shadow Warrior!"
A shadow replaced Moriah's body, about to face Sage's fist.
"Tenha Kassatsu·Black Moon!"
Yet at this moment, midair, Sage recoiled his leg, concentrating Haki on his foot to kick backward, unleashing a vertical crescent rushing at Moriah's original body and its shadow counterpart.
Just having dodged Sage's rush, Moriah didn't even have time to wipe his brow before the Haki-infused slash approached him, instinctively causing him to break into cold sweat, reflexively releasing Shadow Warrior again to swap places with the shadow.