Rocks Band: I have 48 Imperial Arms.

"This guy is so arrogant!" Locke and his crew shouted at the same time, and their bodies began to emanate an even stronger aura.

"We will not lose!" Locke gritted his teeth, and his body began to emit a dazzling golden light.

"You're still too weak!" Beckman mocked Locke and his crew. "You'll never become the Pirate King!"

“We…won’t lose!” Locke shouted, his body becoming indestructible.

Suddenly, a dark figure appeared behind Beckman. He sensed a powerful aura and quickly turned around to look.

"Do you still need my help?" the shadowy figure asked, his voice cold and steady.

"Moria!" Beckman looked at the shadowy figure in surprise; he hadn't expected Moria to be here.

"What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?" Moria sneered. "Looks like I have to make my move!"

Moria's body emanated a powerful aura, and his body grew larger and larger, as did his shadow.

"This is... the power of shadows!" Locke and his crew exclaimed, sensing the powerful energy emanating from Moria.

Moriah's shadow grew larger and larger, eventually forming a gigantic dark giant. His body began to emanate a dark aura, giving off a sense of oppressive power.

Chapter 269: Just a bunch of ants!

Locke gripped the massive iron hammer tightly, his body radiating a golden light, making him look like a golden-armored god. His crew was also ready, all dressed in black, each wielding their own weapon, looking extremely imposing.

"Moria, we don't need your help!" Locke said coldly. "We can defeat Beckman ourselves!"

"Hahaha, you're all so naive!" Moria laughed disdainfully. "You think you can defeat Beckman? You have no idea what true power is!"

"We only need our own strength!" Locke shouted. "We don't need to rely on anyone!"

"Alright, then let me show you my true power!" Moria shouted, and his body began to emanate a dark aura.

Locke and his crew also launched their attack, their bodies radiating a powerful aura that created a suffocating pressure. Their attacks grew increasingly fierce, an attempt to defeat Moria.

Moriah's shadow grew larger and larger, eventually forming a gigantic dark giant. His body began to emanate a dark aura, giving off a sense of oppressive power.

"You think you can defeat me?" Moria mocked Locke and his crew. "You're all too naive!"

“We…won’t lose!” Locke gritted his teeth, and his body began to emit a dazzling golden light.

"You are still too weak!" Moria shouted, his body radiating an even more powerful aura.

Locke stared intently at Moria, knowing this would be the toughest battle of his life. He took a deep breath and shouted to his crew behind him, "Guys, let's go! For freedom, for our dreams, we can't lose!"

The crew roared battle cries, their momentum unstoppable. They brandished their weapons and charged towards Moria.

Moria sneered, "A bunch of ants, daring to defy me! Today, I'll show you what true fear is!"

Moria's dark giant delivered a powerful punch to Locke and his companions, the enormous fist carrying boundless dark power, as if it were about to destroy all living beings.

·· ······Requesting 0 flowers ······

Seeing the giant fist approaching, Locke showed no fear. He raised his massive iron hammer, and golden light instantly illuminated the entire battlefield. In a split second, Locke unleashed a full-force attack, colliding fiercely with Moria's giant fist.

A deafening roar echoed throughout the sea, and a terrifying force swept across the surroundings. However, at this critical moment, Locke's hammer and Moria's giant fist were evenly matched, neither able to gain the upper hand.

... ......... .......

Moria looked surprised and roared, "How is this possible? You clowns actually managed to withstand my attack!"

Locke sneered, "Moria, you overestimate yourself and underestimate our strength. Every victory I've achieved is through the efforts of myself and my comrades. Do you think you can defeat us by relying on evil forces? You're too naive!"

Moria roared in fury, and his dark giant attacked once more. This time, he didn't just use his fists; instead, he summoned a massive dark sword and slashed it fiercely at Locke.

Chapter 270: Moria wavered!

Seeing the ferocity of the approaching force, Locke did not back down. The iron hammer in his hand transformed into a golden light, directly clashing with Moria's dark sword. The two powerful forces collided in mid-air, creating a gust of wind and rain.

In an instant, the entire battlefield erupted into a fierce and intense battle. Locke and Moria engaged in an epic and awe-inspiring fight.

Locke's crew were also fighting desperately against Moria's Dark Giant, "397". They fought side by side, the atmosphere tense and fierce. Every attack was like a declaration of war against the forces of evil, conveying their unwavering faith and courage.

During the fierce battle between Locke and Moria, Locke gradually discovered Moria's weakness. He realized that Moria's dark power stemmed from his own fear and greed, and that by breaking through his psychological defenses, his dark power could be greatly weakened.

Locke decided to take some special measures to break down Moria's psychological defenses. He began to talk to Moria, trying to get him into the depths of his heart.

"Moria, why did you do this? Don't you know that doing so will only plunge you deeper into darkness?"

Moria sneered, "Locke, are you dreaming? Darkness is the true power, and only by relying on the power of darkness can one become a true strongman."

Locke smiled calmly: "Moria, you are wrong. True power and strength come from those who can control their own hearts. Your current actions are simply because you cannot control your heart; you are dominated by your fear and greed."

Moria's expression twisted upon hearing this. He felt as if Locke had seen right through him, which greatly displeased him.

"You brat, how dare you say such things to my face!"

Moria's dark giant charged at Locke once again. But this time, Locke did not confront him head-on; instead, he adopted a more ingenious tactic.

He began using his hammer to deflect Moria's attacks one by one. At the same time, he continued to talk to Moria, trying to lower his guard.

"Moria, why are you doing this? Don't you have family and friends? Don't you think what you're doing is making them very worried?"

Moria's attacks grew increasingly fierce, but Locke remained calm throughout... He knew that by exploiting Moria's psychological weaknesses, he could greatly weaken his dark power.

"What are you talking about, kid? I won't be swayed by your words!"

Moria's dark power grew stronger, and his attacks became increasingly fierce. But Locke never gave up; he knew that as long as he persevered, he would be able to defeat Moria.

Finally, during a fierce attack, Locke discovered Moria's psychological weakness. He discovered Moria's deepest fear: that he was afraid of being isolated and forgotten.

"Moria, do you know? What you are doing now will only make you more isolated and forgotten. You and your dark power are only temporary. Only true friendship and love are eternal."

The battle between Locke and Moria lasted for hours, and as time passed, Moria's dark power gradually subsided. He sensed Locke's power and the influence of his words. Moria's defenses crumbled, and he began to reflect on his actions.

Chapter 271: The Empress's Negotiation!

“Locke, I was wrong. I have always been dominated by my fear and greed. I have always believed that only through the power of darkness can one obtain true power. But now I understand that true power and strength belong to those who can control their own hearts.”

Locke smiled and nodded: "That's right, Moria, only by controlling one's own mind can one truly become a strong person."

Moria lowered his head, feeling a sense of peace and tranquility within him. He began to contemplate his future and how to make amends for the harm he had caused.

Just then, a powerful aura suddenly appeared nearby. The two immediately became alert, knowing that this aura came from an extremely powerful being.

A woman approached slowly, dressed in a magnificent white robe, her posture haughty and her face stunningly beautiful. She was the World Government's number one female assassin—the Empress.

The Empress glanced coldly at Locke and Moria, then said, "I heard you two were fighting here?"

Locke and Moria exchanged glances, both sensing the killing intent emanating from the Empress. Locke smiled and said, "Yes, Your Majesty, we had a fierce battle here."

The Empress sneered, "So, you two are both prepared to become my prey?"

Locke smiled calmly: "Your Majesty, we have no intention of becoming your prey."

A cold glint flashed in the Empress's eyes: "So what are you two going to do now?"

Locke smiled and said, "Your Majesty, we have no intention of being your enemy. We simply want to find something we need here and then leave."

The Empress snorted coldly: "What do you want?"

Locke smiled calmly: "Your Majesty, all we need is an object imprisoned here. We have no intention of being your enemy."

A hint of disdain flashed in the Empress's eyes: "Do you think you can leave here so easily just by saying you're looking for an item? This is a secret base of the World Government. You two have endangered the security of this place and must be punished."

Locke remained calm and smiled, saying, "Your Majesty, we have not threatened the safety of this place. We are simply here to find what we need and then leave. If you can give us this opportunity, we will certainly leave as soon as possible."

The Empress was silent for a moment, then said, "Alright, I can give you this chance, but you must hand over the items you are looking for, otherwise I will have to consider you as enemies."

Locke nodded: "Yes, Your Majesty, we will hand over the items we are looking for."

Then, Locke took an old book out of his backpack and handed it to Empress 397.

The Empress took the book and frowned: "What is this?"

Locke smiled and said, "This is a history book, which is said to contain some secrets about the World Government and the Pirate King. We want to use this book to learn some truths about the World Government."

The Empress snorted coldly: "You are courting death. The secrets of the World Government are not something that insignificant people like you can investigate."

Locke smiled calmly: "Your Majesty, we have no intention of posing any threat to the World Government. We simply want to understand some truths. If this book poses a threat to the World Government, we will destroy it."

Chapter 272: The Empress's Demand!

The Empress glanced at Locke, seemingly considering his words. Finally, she said coldly, "Fine, I can give you this chance, but you must promise me one thing."

Locke smiled and said, "Please speak."

The Empress was silent for a moment, then said, "I need your help to solve a problem."

Locke and Moria exchanged bewildered glances, wondering what the Empress wanted them to do.

The Empress looked at Locke and Moria and said in a deep voice, "I need your help to solve a problem. This problem is very serious and concerns the safety of the entire world."

Locke and Moria's eyes became wary; they knew the Empress would never ask them for help with trivial matters.

The Empress continued, "Recently, we received intelligence that a pirate group is planning a large-scale attack targeting a key World Government facility."

Locke and Moria were both pirates, and they both harbored resentment towards the World Government, but they did not want to participate in such an attack.

The Empress looked at their expressions and sneered, "I know you have always harbored resentment towards the World Government, but this attack is not only a threat to us, but to the entire world. If this attack succeeds, it will trigger a series of chain reactions, leading to the collapse of the entire world order."