One Piece Shadow Army - Chapter 23
“I remember,” Curls replied quickly.
However, Kahn did not hear him because his injuries were too severe. Holding on until now had already been his limit, and he had fallen unconscious.
Curls immediately retrieved the medical kit from the patrol ship, then rushed back to the ghost ship to begin emergency treatment and stop the bleeding.
This was a skill taught in the first month’s naval training, and Curls had taken it seriously. Now, it was proving invaluable.
Besides the large, grotesque sword wound, Kahn had over twenty other severe injuries.
It was unimaginable how Lieutenant Kahn had endured these injuries and kept fighting. Curls stitched and treated the wounds with a
furrowed brow the entire time.
After about ten minutes, the wounds on Lieutenant Kahn’s body were finally stitched up, with the one meant for Curls taking nearly ten minutes alone.
With Kahn’s injuries stabilized, Curls allowed himself a moment of relief.
He then began to keep a vigilant watch, ready to respond to any new threats.
However, with the defeat of the cursed “Lannlos,” the ghost ship fell into an eerie silence. The only sound was the blue flames crackling as they consumed Lannlos’ armor.
Wait…
Curls suddenly turned his head.
He stared at Lannlos’ armor with a hint of surprise because he could still sense some deathly energy from it.
This meant he could summon Lannlos.
Lannlos had been a swordsman of the highest caliber, a level rarely seen in the East Blue. If Curls could summon him…
After dismissing one of his shadow soldiers, Curls approached the armor, still burning with blue flames, and issued a command.
“Stand up!”
The shadows around the armor stirred but failed to form a shadow soldier, returning to stillness.
Curls was puzzled. Summoning the precise swordsman-level [Shadow Knights] had succeeded on the first try. Why was this different?
Could it be that summoning higher-level shadow soldiers was more challenging?
Or was it the passage of too much time?
Curls tried again.
“Stand up!”
Shadows gathered around Lannlos’ silver armor but again failed to form a shadow soldier.
The deathly energy was still there, so why was the summoning failing?
Curls pondered this, examining the remnants of the Grand Knight’s armor for answers.
Then he glanced at the dimly glowing cursed sword Red Moon beside him. A sudden thought crossed his mind.
Curls tried once more.
“What use is being trapped in eternal pain and darkness? How about serving me instead?”
“Stand up!”
With his words, the shadows around the armor swirled more intensely, eventually forming a knight clad in black armor and a cloak.
This knight was none other than Lannlos!
[Lannlos] took a step forward and then knelt on one knee, respectfully addressing Curls:
“Answering the call of the ‘King’!”
“Grand Knight [Lannlos] reporting for duty!”
…
“King?”
“Why do you call me ‘King’?”
Curls was slightly surprised at Lannlos’ words, but he had anticipated that high-level shadow soldiers might have unique characteristics. However, the term “King” puzzled him.
[Lannlos], kneeling on one knee, answered respectfully, “This is an instinctive response!”
Instinct?
Curls thought it over.
The shadow soldiers he summoned were absolutely loyal to him. If it was an instinctive reaction, then “King” was an appropriate title.
Still, in this world of pirates, the term “King” was a bit sensitive for him.
“I understand. You may rise,” Curls said after understanding the situation.
“Yes, my King,” [Lannlos] stood up.
“You retain your previous memories?” Curls asked.
[Lannlos] nodded and replied, “Yes, my King. I remember my past life clearly. Thank you for summoning me, allowing my men and me to regain clarity.”
Confirming that high-level shadow soldiers retained their memories, Curls asked another question: “[Lannlos], why did this ship become a ghost ship?”
[Lannlos] recalled his memories and began to explain in a voice filled with age and sorrow.
“I was once the Grand Knight of Silver Moon Kingdom and also its greatest sinner.”
“Due to my lack of willpower, I failed to resist the curse of the Red Moon sword and, under its influence, slaughtered the entire royal city.”
“After the massacre, my knights and I awoke from our madness. Realizing we had destroyed our country, we were devastated and even considered suicide…”
“But we had an unfinished mission. On the night of the pirate attack, the king ordered the prince and some citizens to flee. We needed to find them and seek forgiveness and redemption.”
“After a grueling half-year journey, we found the surviving citizens of Silver Moon Kingdom. They had built a large ship, which is this one.”
“The high priest led us onto the ship and showed us the carvings on the deck, depicting the history for the citizens to remember.”
Curls absorbed this information, and his previous doubts were slowly being resolved.
“The surviving citizens deemed us guilty and could not accept us. We requested atonement, even with our lives, as that was a knight’s duty.”
“In the end, they decided to burn us as a sacrifice to the innocent lives we took. We had no complaints, seeing it as our deserved punishment and a form of release.”
“Unexpectedly, the burning occurred on a full moon night, and the curse of the Red Moon sword bewitched me again. My knights and I lost control once more…”
Curls fell silent.
The controlled knights undoubtedly killed the surviving citizens on the ship.
[Lannlos] continued.
“This time, I was aware of my actions but powerless to stop them. Killing those I wished to protect tormented me to no end.”
“Finally, the high priest cursed us with his dying breath. He cursed us to never reincarnate, our souls forever wandering this ship in endless regret…”
Curls finally understood how the ghost ship came to be. This was the continuation of the cursed sword’s story.
[Lannlos] knelt once more, “Thank you, my King, for summoning us and ending our endless torment!”
The twelve [Shadow Knights] also knelt, expressing their gratitude.
They couldn’t speak but still had consciousness, allowing them to follow orders.
Curls patted [Lannlos] on the shoulder, feeling their sorrow.
“A hundred years have passed. Your torment is over. From now on, stand and protect me!”
[Lannlos] bowed his head, “We shall serve you with all our might, my King!”
The other [Shadow Knights] also performed ancient knightly gestures, pledging their loyalty.
Curls vision blurred again as his mental and physical limits were reached. The repeated destruction of the [Shadow Knights] had drained him.
He retracted his powers, and [Lannlos] and the other [Shadow Knights] merged back into the shadows.
Creak!
Suddenly, a faint sound echoed on the ghost ship, the sound of wood breaking.
What’s happening?
Curls looked around and saw a significant horizontal crack forming on the ship’s structure.
In moments, the ghost ship split with a ten-centimeter gap.
At this rate, the entire ship would soon collapse and sink into the sea.
Curls turned pale.
He realized the fierce battle between Kahn and Lannlos had severed crucial supports on the ship.
With the ship about to sink, they had to leave immediately.
Curls quickly carried Kahn, grabbed the famous sword and the cursed sword from the deck, and rushed back to the patrol ship.
Moments before the ghost ship collapsed, Curls managed to get back to the patrol ship with Kahn.
Looking back, he saw the ghost ship creak and groan, finally losing balance and sinking into the sea.
Watching the ghost ship disappear beneath the waves, Curls sighed. He regretted not being able to retrieve the treasures on board.
That was a vast fortune!
But he quickly dismissed the thought since he wasn’t interested in money.
…
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