One Piece Episode 374

Storyline

The Straw Hat as well as the Rolling Pirates face the, after Shadow’s Asgard, sheer superior opponent Gecko Moria. All of the Shadows (1,000 of them, which is ten times more than Nightmare Luffy), of the Thriller Bark are now in Gecko Moria. The Rolling Pirates sees no chance to counter this foe and takes flight into the forest, not least because the sun is about to rise and only the shadow of the forest can still save them. Finally, Moria strikes and the island nearly shatters. The first rays of sunlight come through and catch a member of the Rolling Gang.

While fleeing, the Risky Brothers suddenly notice that their Captain Lola isn’t moving from the spot. They tell their captain that she must flee. Although part of Lola’s face is now inflamed by the sun’s rays, this only points to the attitude of the Straw Hat Pirates. These also do not budge. Lola thinks that she has put all her hopes in the straw hat and she can’t think of giving up as long as he doesn’t give up either. Whether she dies or not, she is not going back into the shadows.

According to Zoro and Robin, Moria has now completely lost his mind. Luffy approaches Moria and wants to finish him off, whereupon the Risky Brothers say that it is impossible, after all he has the strength of 1,000 men, including the Straw Hat Pirates themselves. To this, Zoro only replies that Moria has actually already lost, the only question is whether Luffy will manage to defeat him before they disband.

Luffy now uses Gear 2. Moria strikes several times in a row, so fast despite his considerable size that Luffy can only barely dodge. After the third attack, he finally manages to grab Moria’s waistband and misses Moria with a gum-gum jet missile right in the stomach. The force of the impact causes the first shadows to leave Moria’s body. Several gum-gum jet bazookas follow. More shadows leave Moria’s body, though he is her master, he too must be conscious to maintain control. A thousand shadows is too many, even for a caliber like Moria.

As Luffy is about to push off a wall and go for another attack, Moria counters with Black Box, trapping Luffy in a black box (from Moria’s shadow). Moria hits the box Luffy is in with all her might, causing it to visibly crumple to the ground. Moria stomps on the already battered box with all his might, yelling that Luffy overestimated himself and shouldn’t have messed with a samurai. Finally letting go of the now completely crumpled box, thinking that Luffy is now done for, as do all the bystanders, Luffy destroys the box from the inside and emerges quite out of breath, but still ready to fight. Luffy very confidently says he will never give up. When Moria asks where he gets this belief in his invincibility, Luffy replies that it’s the fact that he’s made of rubber.

The sun’s rays penetrate more and more and some members of the Rolling Pirates catch fire. Luffy now wants to go all out and bring back all the shadows, whereupon he uses Gear 3 in addition to Gear 2. Now even the Straw Hats think he’s in over his head, and Usopp remembers how much Gear 2 alone had drained him back on Enie’s lobby. Luffy now directs all the air into his stomach and uses the Gomu Gomu no Gigant Jet Shell. After that impact, Moria is paralyzed and has to use all his concentration to keep the shadows from leaving his body.

Lola calls for her shadow and implores him to come back to her. Shortly after, the entire Rolling Gang calls for their shadows. Luffy now also calls for his shadow to come back if he still wants to be Pirate King, and with those words sets off for a second even more powerful Gomu Gomu no Gigant Jet Shell. The impact hurls Moria against the main mast behind him, whereupon it buries Moria underneath. The samurai is still saying that there will be much worse to come in the New World for Luffy, who now lies shrunken and unable to fight in the rubble, and then finally the shadows leave Moria’s body in the form of a giant pillar of shadow that shoots up into the sky.

The sunlight now penetrates even more and Zoro, Nico Robin, Sanji and Luffy also begin to catch fire. Though Moria is defeated, the shadows have not yet returned to their owners. But instead of fleeing, they remain in the sunlight, ready to accept their fate.