Chapter Fifty-Four: Moria’s Ultimate Move (Seeking Recommendations, Seeking Monthly Votes)

After Buffon revealed his skill, Reiju lost any desire to continue fighting Baggio. Her gaze was fixed intently on Buffon. Judge’s shock had not yet subsided; his thoughts were completely absorbed by the scalpel Buffon had wielded moments ago. He’d been so dazzled by Buffon’s miraculous medical technique that he’d missed this detail. Now, as he regained his composure, he realized: Reiju’s venom had a corrosive effect even on metal, but recalling the scene, Buffon’s scalpel appeared wholly unaffected.

If his guess was correct, then that scalpel was made of Wapol Alloy.

Judge knew this material inside out—it was essential for making Germa 66’s combat suits. This alloy was the most sought-after and remarkable metal in the pirate world: it had memory properties, could self-repair after damage, and its hardness and reliability surpassed any ordinary material. Both the Navy and pirates coveted Wapol Alloy.

He’d once been able to purchase it with money, but after the Blackbeard incident, Wapol, its creator, now answered solely to the Navy, and even Judge’s wealth couldn’t secure him any more of it. If Buffon’s scalpel truly was made of Wapol Alloy, it was absolutely impossible that it came from Navy stores—all their supply was reserved for Vegapunk’s experiments. The only explanation was a questionable source.

As the leader of the world’s foremost mercenary force, Judge’s intelligence network was extensive; he’d certainly heard that Moria had visited Drum Kingdom. Piecing these clues together, he was almost certain that Moria had raided Wapol’s castle before Blackbeard Teach.

With this realization, Judge forgot his original purpose and asked directly, “Moria, is Doctor Buffon’s scalpel made of Wapol Alloy?”

Moria had no idea, but his talent for negotiation surfaced at once. “What do you think?”

Buffon was a little surprised himself—he’d simply flashed the scalpel, yet Judge had seen through it immediately.

“Moria, let’s not beat around the bush. I came here to do business. Go ahead and name your price—I’ll bargain from there!” Judge spoke with supreme confidence.

There was no helping it; the Vinsmoke family was never short on cash.

Moria shot Buffon a look, then said unhurriedly, “You don’t have what I want. As for money, I’m not exactly short of that.”

Moria wasn’t exaggerating. First, the Demon Triangle swallowed over a hundred pirate ships each year, and more than half of those ended up as his spoils. Second, his zombie army required neither food nor drink; counting Saul, there were only six living people aboard, and Hogback’s research consumed the most resources.

All considered, he truly lacked for nothing.

Judge frowned and pressed on, “Then what about the friendship of the Vinsmoke family?”

“Kishishishishi! Isn’t the friendship of mercenaries something one buys with money?” Moria replied, still laughing in his flippant manner.

Seeing that Moria wasn’t susceptible to soft approaches, Judge realized he’d have to use force.

“Moria, it seems I’ll have to show you my strength in person, to get you to sit down and talk business properly, won’t I?”

As soon as he finished speaking, his spear crackled with electricity as he charged at Moria.

Moria didn’t back down. His shadow transformed into the Shadow Horn Spear, meeting Judge’s spear head-on.

Perona, now recovered from her daze, watched with concern and asked, “Brother Buffon, do you think Lord Moria can win?”

Buffon didn’t reply, simply watching their fight intently. Based on his knowledge, Moria would not be able to defeat Judge—not due to lack of power, but because of his mindset and experience. Ever since his defeat by Kaido, Moria had almost entirely lost his will to compete for supremacy, and in recent years had seldom faced opponents of equal strength. The last time he fought, he lost to Doc Q.

How could a Moria like this compare to Judge, who honed himself in battle every single day?

Still, there was one improvement: Moria was no longer relying solely on zombies—he was choosing to fight for himself.

Buffon had no intention of intervening, at least not yet; if he acted, it would be at the very end.

Since this was the first time they’d faced each other, both men were cautious, probing with their techniques rather than going all out. However, it was clear to any observer that Judge was far more at ease than Moria.

Once he’d gauged Moria’s strength, Judge stopped holding back. His electrified spear moved even faster now, and his punches and kicks crackled with energy.

Moria, switching constantly between his Shadow Master and Shadow Dancer skills, dodged attacks and managed to strike back at Judge from time to time.

By now, Reiju had walked to Buffon’s side. She smiled at him, her voice melodious as she asked, “Doctor Buffon, judging by your eye, who has the greater chance of victory—my father or Moria?”

Buffon shook his head and replied gravely, “No matter who wins or loses, it won’t change the outcome of the negotiation.”

This response carried a wealth of meaning for Reiju. Could it be that Moria wasn’t truly in charge, and that this towering man was the real master of the ship? Or was Buffon’s strength already beyond that of her father?

Whichever the case, Reiju was growing ever more interested in Buffon.

“Brother Buffon, don’t pay attention to that woman!” Perona interjected.

Though she knew she probably wasn’t a match for Reiju, as long as Buffon was here, she felt no fear at all.

Reiju didn’t reply, only smiled faintly and continued watching the fight.

Judge, using the power and speed of his boots, landed a fierce kick to Moria’s shoulder before Moria could swap places with his shadow using Shadow Dancer. Even though Judge was half Moria’s height, the force of the blow was tremendous, sending Moria flying several meters.

Driven to ferocity, Moria’s body split into a swarm of shadow bats, intending to surround and attack Judge from all sides.

Seeing this, Buffon frowned, thinking to himself, “It looks like Moria is about to lose.”

Hundreds of shadow bats closed in around Judge, but he erupted in crackling lightning. Instantly, all the bats began convulsing, and within moments they merged back into Moria’s main body.

Now, Moria was gasping for breath, sweat beading on his brow—clearly, that last attack had hit him hard.

Judge lowered his spear, no longer intent on attacking. His aim had been to intimidate Moria, to create advantageous terms for the coming negotiation. Mission accomplished, there was no need to continue fighting.

After all, they were here for business, not to battle to the death. If things got too heated, the deal would fall through.

But Moria, now slightly unhinged, was once again enraged by the realization of his own weakness. He unleashed his ultimate move: Shadow Asgard.

Absorbing hundreds of shadows, his strength increased tremendously, and his body grew colossal.

Perona’s face lit up with hope at the sight.

Buffon, however, shook his head. He knew well that, in the story, both times Moria used this technique, he lost control due to mental fatigue, went berserk, and was soundly defeated.

Judge was unsurprised. He gripped his spear once more, crackling with electricity, and charged headlong at Moria’s massive hand.

The shockwave from their collision sent nearby weaker zombies flying.

Buffon’s cloak billowed in the wind, as did the hem of Reiju’s short skirt.

Judge staggered back two steps—his first time being pushed back since the fight began.

As a true warrior, this only ignited his fighting spirit. He engaged the jet boosters on his combat boots, leaping back several meters before surging forward with all his might.

Encased in lightning, he shot toward Moria like a thunderbolt.

Seeing this, Buffon realized Judge was going all out—Moria’s defeat was inevitable.

With that, Buffon acted, flashing into place between the two fighters.

He spread his arms wide—one hand gripping Judge’s spear, the other bracing against Moria’s giant palm.

In that instant, time seemed to freeze. Moria and Judge’s movements halted completely, not advancing a fraction more.