Chapter Twelve: The Appearance of the Emperor

“Honestly, Chu Yi, are you sure we’re heading in the right direction?”

“My instincts haven’t failed me. Look... aren’t my companions trusting me unconditionally?”

“But to be honest, I’ve been trapped on Dark Island for a long time. I know more secrets than you do. Why won’t you believe me?”

“Because, to be frank, without awakening Observation Haki, you’re simply not trustworthy!”

“Fine... fine, you win...”

In the pitch-black island, Chu Yi and his group moved forward slowly, heading unmistakably toward the direction where the spatial rift had appeared earlier.

Along the way, Moonlight Moria had more than once doubted whether Chu Yi’s chosen path was correct. Yet, every time he voiced his concerns, Chu Yi would effortlessly silence him by pointing out Moria’s failure to awaken Observation Haki. Left speechless, Moria could only follow behind in silence.

However, during the long journey, Chu Yi gradually uncovered the differences between this version of Moonlight Moria and the original Moria from the pirate chronicles.

First, it was unfathomable that Moonlight Moria was actually a passionate youth! Having witnessed the execution of the Pirate King in Log Town, he did not set sail for glory, fame, or fortune. He simply wished to see the vast seas, deepen his understanding of the world, and conquer islands one by one, becoming a ruler of the four seas in his own unique way—an ambition strikingly similar to the original protagonist, Luffy.

Second, unlike the original Moria who never trusted his comrades, this Moria constantly showed concern for his crewmates. Whenever Chu Yi cared for Tiger, Smoker, and others in the “Heaven Slayers” pirate crew, Moria’s worry for his own crew was evident, showing just how much he valued his companions.

Third—and most importantly—was Moria’s strength!

It was incredible to imagine that the current Moria was even stronger than the Moria of the original timeline during the Warlord era, which was set over a decade later.

The reason, Chu Yi believed, was due to the changes Moria underwent after his future encounters.

According to the original pirate chronicles, after entering the New World, Moria suffered a severe setback when he met one of the future Four Emperors—Kaido.

In Kaido’s presence, not only was Moria’s dream and passion shattered by an iron fist, but his crew members were also slaughtered one by one, leaving Moria deeply traumatized and fundamentally altering his personality.

Dreams? Passion?

Gone.

Companions?

Far less reliable than his zombie soldiers.

Moreover, even the Moria who once believed in his own strength began to doubt himself after meeting Kaido.

This was likely the main reason for Moria’s decline in power.

He neglected the development of his Devil Fruit abilities and instead focused on... the laughable development of his zombie soldiers!

Why did Chu Yi feel that the current Moria was stronger than the Warlord-era Moria?

Because of Moria’s mastery of his Devil Fruit powers!

Even Chu Yi was surprised to discover an ability never shown in the original story: when Moria seized others’ shadows, he could implant them into himself or even devour them, thereby gaining part of the original shadow owner’s abilities.

Tiger’s and Rob Lucci’s shadows...

Were indeed in Moria’s possession!

This explained why Chu Yi could sense the presence of Tiger and Lucci within Moria.

Previously, Moria could barely use Observation and Armament Haki of the same level as Tiger by borrowing Tiger’s shadow, a feat made possible by his Devil Fruit power.

However, this ability was far from perfected. For example, consuming Tiger’s shadow and using Observation and Armament Haki at Tiger’s level drained Moria’s stamina quickly, making repeated use impossible—this was Moria’s dilemma and the reason Chu Yi constantly mocked him for failing to awaken Observation Haki.

As for why Tiger and Lucci’s shadows were in Moria’s hands, Moria’s explanation was vague—he claimed he had tried to rescue them from Dark Island’s devouring darkness but failed, managing only to salvage their shadows as a token of their existence.

That explanation... cough, cough, sounded like a flimsy excuse.

If Chu Yi didn’t need Moria’s help to rescue Tiger, Moria would likely have lost his life already, overwhelmed by the combined might of Chu Yi, Mihawk, and Jinbei—three formidable sea warriors.

At this moment, why was Chu Yi so confident that the path he chose was the right one?

Undoubtedly, it was because of the special awakening mission he had accepted!

“This special awakening mission is similar to the last one. I must reach a designated location to fully understand the mission’s true purpose.”

“Although my immediate priority is Tiger and the safety of my Heaven Slayers crew, without a clear goal on Dark Island, I have no choice but to trust that the system’s marked location is connected to their disappearance.”

“Then...”

“Let’s take a gamble!”

Silently reassuring himself, Chu Yi once again mocked Moria and quickened his pace.

Except for Moria, whose average physical condition made it hard to keep up, even Mihawk and Jinbei—bearing the burden of the dreadnought dragon—felt surprisingly at ease.

At last, after nearly a day’s journey, Chu Yi and his group reached the red dot marked as the special awakening mission location.

But strangely, upon arrival, Chu Yi received no system prompts. Even more puzzling, the marked spot was right at the center of Dark Island itself.

“Whoosh!”

No sooner had they reached the destination than Chu Yi and the others experienced a peculiar sensation!

It was as if, upon arriving at the island’s center, they had crossed through time and space, suddenly entering another dimension altogether.

Though everything looked much the same as the island’s outskirts, stepping inside felt profoundly different—the environment and even the aura surrounding them were unlike anything outside.

Each of them furrowed their brows, eyes filled with confusion, yet none spoke. Instead, they carefully observed the subtle differences around them, hoping to find clues to save their missing comrades.

Just as Chu Yi was using his Observation Haki to sense the area, a faint clue suddenly glimmered before his eyes...

“Boom!”

Suddenly!

The earth shook violently, the tremor nearly causing Chu Yi and Mihawk to stumble.

Annoyed that this sudden quake interrupted his hard-won insight, Chu Yi was about to speak when...

“Thud!”

“Thud!”

Heavy footsteps echoed. Chu Yi’s eyes twitched sharply, his pupils narrowing as his gaze locked onto a powerful figure steadily approaching from ahead.

“Damn it...”

“So there really... really is a Four Emperors hiding here!”