Pirate: I, Ace, am the King of Eclipse!

“Ace…”

He gripped Shusui tightly, the cold touch of the hilt bringing back memories of Wano Country.

That monster named Kaido used his spiked club to smash his most cherished companions into mincemeat one by one. That scene remained etched in his mind, gnawing at him day and night.

Moria had been afraid for over a decade, and had been running away for over a decade. He hid in the mist, creating zombies that felt no pain, simply because he didn't want to taste the despair of losing everything again.

However, just two weeks ago, Portgas D. Ace not only destroyed his ridiculous zombie army with absolute violence, but also forcibly reopened the deepest wound buried in his heart.

“These past few days, my ship has gained a few more monster companions… and our genius ship doctor has successfully developed a potion that breaks through the limits. I’ll give you the potion when I pass by your place… When I take this ship to Wano Country to take Kaido’s head, I will take you with me.”

That sentence from the channel call still echoes in Moria's ears.

"Hehehehe, hehehehehe!"

Moria suddenly burst into laughter, unleashing the madness and determination that had been building up for over a decade.

If anyone else had threatened to take Kaido's head, he would have just laughed it off. But the person who said that was a monster who dared to kill a Celestial Dragon and could stand up to a Marine Admiral; and the crew on that ship were a bunch of complete lunatics.

"Since you, young monster, dare to declare war on that invincible Yonko, I'll sell my worthless life, which should have died long ago in Wano Country, to you for good!"

Moria's massive body erupted with a ferocious aura. It was the madness of a drowning person who, having finally grasped at a straw, is willing to burn everything for it.

"Hogback!" he roared toward the distant castle.

"Here! Here! Lord Moria, Fosfosfos!" The strange doctor with vampire-like teeth scrambled out.

Moria hadn't forgotten Perona's warning, and he was well aware of the price he would pay for forcibly training with shadows. The tearing pain caused by the shadows pulling on his body, and the mental pressure from absorbing the combat experience of others, would not disappear simply because of his willpower.

But for him now, these costs are far less important than facing Kaido again. For the past decade or so, he had placed his hopes on an army of zombies that would never die, while he himself steadily declined through his avoidance. Ace's destruction of the army also meant that he could no longer rely on that method of escaping defeat.

The Black Blade Shusui, the Shadow-Shadow Fruit, his former Haki, and the Limit Breaker serum he's about to obtain are all his bargaining chips for returning to the New World. What he needs to do is turn these chips back into his own fighting power before Ace comes to pick him up.

Therefore, even though his body was forcibly dragged by his shadow with each swing of the sword, and even though absorbing the shadow made his mind increasingly heavy, he still had no intention of stopping. Those swordsmen and fighters who had just been captured would also become his source of continued experience.

Perona stood to the side, not interrupting him with her usual laughter. Moria before her was still panting, still dragging his bloated body, but his eyes, dormant for so many years, were different now. What sustained him in his training was no longer the idea of ​​hiding in the mist and relying on zombies to win, but the desire to return to the battlefield that had once cost him everything. This change hadn't restored his former strength, but it had already restarted his training, which had been stagnant for over a decade.

"Drag out those swordsmen and fighters with bounties over ten million that we captured yesterday! I'm going to erase their shadows!" Moria stared at the void ahead, as if he could already see the burning battlefield of the New World. "Before Boss Ace sets foot in Wano Country, I must squeeze every last drop out of this damn fat and get back all the Haki I've lost! I absolutely cannot let those people on that ship look down on me!"

Chapter 144 A Reunion in the Deep Sea, A Modified Symbiotic Sea Beast

On the coast of Asca Island, in the first half of the Grand Line, the Eclipse has completed all preparations for leaving the island and is about to depart.

After Brook subdued the Seven Star Sword, the strange green mist covering the island dissipated. Saka regained his sanity and, under Maya's care, was out of danger.

The island's native inhabitants regarded these Black Sails pirates as saviors sent by the gods, but for the Eclipse Pirates, it was just a minor episode in their voyage.

After replenishing their freshwater supply and hunting several near-shore predators for food, the Eclipse, under Leona's control, ascended into the sky and continued its journey deeper into the Grand Line. Leona's abilities made flight much easier, reducing energy consumption and increasing speed significantly.

"Next stop, the Devil's Triangle." Ace lay on the sun lounger at the bow of the ship, closing his eyes and enjoying the cool breeze from the high altitude. "Judging by the days, that fat otaku Moria should have lost a few pounds by now. Let's go see how much of his Haki he's regained, and while we're at it, give him the Limit Breaker potion."

"Gah! Let's go see Big Onion Head! Gah!"

Bailey stood atop Chopper's medicine box, flapping its wings. Having mastered the Barrier-Barrier Fruit's power, it now served as a gatekeeper on the ship.

"You stupid bird! Get off my medicine box right now!"

Chopper transformed into his agile, leaping form and angrily chased after Bailey around the deck.

In the shadows not far away, a black mechanical spider slithered nimbly. Bonnie, sitting in the fully enclosed cockpit, giggled as she looked at the screen, occasionally manipulating the mechanical arm to tease Bailey, who was dodging Chopper.

Just as the deck was bustling with activity, Shaq's voice came from the stern.

"Captain, there's a situation."

Shak, who had been meditating with Armament Haki with his eyes closed, opened his triangular eyes, walked to the ship's side, stared at the deep blue sea with its waves churning below, and frowned deeply.

"What's wrong?" Ace still had his eyes closed, but he sensed a slight fluctuation in Shaq's usually steady aura.

“There are two forces fighting in the sea below. One of them is an old friend I used to know.” Shaq clenched his dark gray fist, his knuckles cracking. “It’s about to die.”

"Old buddy?"

Sabo stopped swinging his Flame Dragon Staff. The dark red new weapon sliced ​​through the air, leaving a blazing afterimage, and he looked over in surprise.

In Shaq's perception, the familiar aura was rapidly weakening, clearly being attacked by a deep-sea predator far more ferocious than himself.

“Captain, I’m going down there.” Shaq turned to Ace. “An old deep-sea soft creature friend of mine is about to be eaten. I’m going to bring it back up.”

“Go ahead,” Ace waved his hand. “And see what bit it while you’re at it. If it’s big enough, we’ll have it for lunch; we’re tired of the fish we caught yesterday.”

"Yes, Captain."

Shaq nodded, a murderous glint in his eyes. He leaped from the ship's side, his massive body crashing into the churning sea like a heavy depth charge.

More than ten minutes later.

boom--!

The sea beneath the Eclipse exploded, and Shark burst from the water, landing steadily on the deck. In his right hand, he dragged a strange-looking deep-sea mollusk about three meters long.

The sea monster had sucker-like tentacles growing from its belly, while its defensive, spiky carapace on its back had been torn to shreds. Blue blood gushed from the lacerated wounds, and its internal organs were even faintly visible inside.

"He was seriously injured."

Ace stepped forward and raised his right hand. The vibrant Vermilion Bird Flame covered the sea monster's back, and the torn flesh and internal organs stopped bleeding and healed at a visible speed, and its faint breathing gradually stabilized.

"Your life is saved, but..."

Ace extinguished his flames, frowning as he looked at the completely shattered carapace on the sea monster's back. Divine fire could repair flesh and blood, but it couldn't conjure a hard shell from calcification. The sea monster's back was now bare, its only defense gone.

"Even if that shell isn't broken, it's as thin as paper on the Grand Line."

Jeno walked over, stroking his chin. He wasn't wearing any armor, just work clothes like an ordinary human, but his eyes shone with a fervent passion for technology.

After observing the sea monster for a while, Geno suddenly smiled.

“Shaq, remember when I mentioned exchanging cyborg technology with that pervert named Franky in Water Seven?” He pointed to the sea monster’s soft belly covered in suckers. “These suckers are ready-made attachment organs. Since the old shell is brittle and fragile, I’ll use the latest lightweight high-strength alloy, along with shape memory metal, to make it a truly sturdy, fully automated mechanical heavy armor.”

"Normally, it can adhere to your back like a living metal backpack. The mechanical shell can block attacks from blind spots behind you, and it can also extend a flexible mechanical tail to help you maintain your balance."

Jeno became more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing with his hands in the air.

"More importantly, it already has organs that compress water flow. If I install a few more high-pressure metal pumps, even on land, it can spray ultra-high-pressure water jets with power comparable to the main guns of a warship. This is the symbiotic mechanical weaponry prepared for your Fishman Karate!"

This plan was insane, yet it perfectly complemented Shaq's abilities. Shaq's eyes immediately lit up.

"Can you do it, Geno?"

The sea monster survived because Ace used the Vermilion Bird's divine fire to repair its flesh and internal organs; the part that couldn't be restored was its shattered calcified carapace. Geno's proposed modification didn't allow the carapace to regrow; instead, he planned to completely replace it with an alloy and shape-memory metal.

The suction cups on the sea monster's abdomen allow it to attach directly to Shaq's back without altering his original body structure. Heavy mechanical armor covers the area, compensating for any lost defense and protecting Shaq's back from attack blind spots. The extended mechanical tail helps him maintain balance during movement.

As for the sea monster's own water compression organs, Geno had no intention of abandoning them. The high-pressure metal pump would further amplify this ability, allowing it to spray water jets comparable to those from the main guns of a warship, even when it was out of the seawater.

For Shaq, who is skilled in Fishman Karate, water is his very weapon. The combination of sea monsters, heavy mechanical armor, and his abilities constitutes the symbiotic mechanical weaponry that Geno spoke of.

Shaq glanced at his old buddy, who had regained his breathing, then looked at Jeno, who was rushing towards the lower deck. The defensive gaps left by the shattered shell, the sea monster's original suction and water-spraying abilities—all were incorporated into Jeno's plan. As long as its nervous system functioned, this soft-bodied creature, recently rescued from the jaws of a deep-sea predator, could regain its protective shell in another way and continue to stay by Shaq's side.

"Don't look at me with that suspicious look, you damn fishman!" Geno laughed and turned to run towards the synthesis lab in the lower deck. "As long as its nervous system is still functioning, this genius can transform it into the most advanced mechanical symbiote on this ocean! Carry it into the lab!"

Chapter 145: Modification complete, partner named "Samehada"

In the Eclipse's lower deck, in Jeno's laboratory, the sound of metal cutting echoed for nearly ten hours, with sparks flying continuously.

Except for a meal on the deck, Geno spent the entire time working around the three-meter-long deep-sea soft-bodied sea monster until the last piece of armor was embedded in its back, at which point he stopped.

"The last piece of shape memory metal armor plate has been installed, neural connections are normal, high-pressure water pump valve is locked... Complete!"

Geno wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at the operating table.

The sea monster's previously tattered back was now covered in dark silver alloy heavy armor. The armor was thin yet sturdy, conforming to the octopus-like body, and its surface was covered with densely packed barbs. A long mechanical tail composed of segments of memory metal extended from its tail, ending in a sharp, inverted triangular blade.

This modification wasn't just about covering the wounds with armor. Each piece of alloy was reshaped to fit the sea monster's supple body, allowing it to adjust its angle as it twisted without hindering its movements. The barbs on its back transformed the carapace itself into a weapon; any enemy attempting to attack or grab it from behind would first have to confront this layer of metal protection.

Hidden on both sides of the carapace are two high-pressure metal water spray valves that can be opened and closed at any time.

Geno snapped his fingers: "Chopper, inject the nutrient solution and prepare to wake it up."

"Roger that!"

Chopper, who was standing by, picked up the light blue nutrient solution and used his little hooves to push the solution into the sea monster's body.

A few seconds later, the sea monster opened its dark yellow eyes and let out a low, questioning growl: "Gurgle... gurgle?"

It instinctively twisted its body, but the unfamiliar touch on its back startled it, and its cries immediately became more rapid.

"Don't be afraid, buddy, it's me."

Shaq strode to the operating table, stretched out his large, dark bluish-gray palm, and touched its cold mechanical shell.

"Goo!!!"

The sea monster recognized Shaq and immediately forgot about its mechanical shell. The suction cups on its abdomen twitched, and its entire body sprang off the operating table, wrapping around Shaq's arm like a giant octopus, its soft belly rubbing against him.

Shaq was momentarily at a loss for words.

Chopper, with tears welling up in his eyes, said, "This is so touching."

It understands animal language. When this sea creature first woke up, all it could think of was Shaq.

As Jeno packed up his tools, he asked, "Shaq, you still haven't told me how you met it?"

Sabo and Karina, who had just entered the lab to check on the progress, also overheard the conversation.

Shaq felt the familiar touch on his arm and remained silent for a moment before speaking: "That was half a year ago. At that time, I was still wandering in these waters and attacked a slave ship that was transporting slaves and rare animals to the Sabaody Archipelago. I killed all the slave hunters on board and smashed open all the iron cages."

He looked down at the sea creature wrapped around his arm.

"It was kept in a water tank. The slave hunters wanted to keep it as a pet because of its strange appearance and the fact that it could spray water. After I let it out, it kept following me and wouldn't leave no matter how I tried to shoo it away."

"During that time, it would swim wherever I went. When we encountered powerful sea monsters, it would even use its water jets to cover me."

Shaq sighed: "Later I decided to attack the Celestial Dragons' slave ship. That battle was too dangerous for it; it was just an uncivilized sea beast, and I didn't want it to die in vain, so I had to forcibly drive it away. I originally thought it would return to live in the deep sea."

"Coo coo! Coo coo coo!"

The sea monster immediately cried out in protest and tapped Shaq on the shoulder with its mechanical tail.

Sabo looked at Chopper: "What is it saying?"

Chopper immediately translated: "It said it didn't want to go back to the deep sea. It's your little brother, and it'll follow you wherever you go! After you chased it away, it kept looking for you in this area, and then it was ambushed by a big fish. If you hadn't arrived in time, it would never have seen you again!"

Shaq's heart skipped a beat after hearing this.