One Piece Shadow Army - Chapter 25
On the patrol ship.
Curls continued to hold his ground.
Tear!
Kuro’s attacks repeatedly tore apart the sturdy wooden deck.
Curls’ Shadow Shield could only provide a one-sided defense and was unable to protect against Kuro’s omnidirectional chaotic attacks.
Hiss!
The Ten-Bladed Cat Claws left a mark in front of him.
Curls quickly tilted his head but was still a bit slow. A wound appeared on his fair cheek, and crimson blood trickled down from it.
Damn it!
Curls cursed inwardly, but he had no way to counter Kuro’s Spoon attack.
He was now completely on the defensive, just taking hits.
Not far from the patrol ship.
The Black Cat Pirates’ ship, the Bezan Black, was quietly docked on the sea. Its figurehead was a lifelike black cat.
Jango, the hypnotist, stood on the deck, watching the patrol ship through his binoculars.
Due to Captain Kuro’s recent fame, the Black Cat Pirates had been frequently pursued by the navy and bounty hunters. In desperation, Kuro had brought them to the edge of the Calm Belt.
This area was extremely dangerous, rarely visited by the navy or bounty hunters.
But they hadn’t expected to encounter a navy patrol ship even here.
What a stroke of bad luck!
“Let’s go. Captain Kuro has already dealt with those navy guys. We can go over and collect the spoils.”
Jango put down his binoculars after seeing Kuro use his ultimate move, Spoon, on the patrol ship.
“Captain is awesome!”
The pirates on the ship cheered and began steering the ship towards the patrol ship.
On the patrol ship.
Curls condition was deteriorating.
He could only hold on for a few more moments. If he couldn’t break Kuro’s Spoon by then, he would be defeated.
As he pondered, he recalled Lieutenant Kahn’s teachings in swordsmanship class.
“To advance from basic swordsmanship to precise swordsmanship, besides practice, your perception of the external world is crucial.”
“You need to feel the movement and stillness of the world, sense the breathing of things, and perceive the pulse of life.”
Recalling Lieutenant Kahn’s words, Curls quickly calmed his anxious mind.
He closed his eyes and, relying on the enhanced perception from his Shadow Fruit, began to sense his surroundings.
In the dark world, he felt the howling wind, the disturbances caused by Kuro’s attacks, and the faint breathing of the unconscious navy soldiers.
Tss!
Another wound appeared on his back.
The pain made Curls frown, but he continued to persist in his perception.
As Lieutenant Kahn had said.
“Maintaining perception amidst interference is very difficult, but once you can clearly sense everything around you, you can lock onto your enemy.”
Curls continued to focus.
His mind became extraordinarily calm, akin to his previous meditative state.
In this peculiar state.
He gradually perceived everything around him, his heartbeat, and his breathing.
Moreover, he could sense Kuro’s rapid movements.
Curls body leaned forward, his left hand gripping the scabbard, his right hand on the hilt, ready to strike at any moment.
The wooden deck kept splintering.
This was the effect of Kuro’s Spoon’s unconscious attacks.
Curls suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of light in his blue eyes.
At the same time, he lunged forward.
The famed blade Yujin was drawn!
Swish!
A brilliant blade light appeared on the patrol ship.
Kuro’s high-speed movements in Spoon were instantly disrupted.
His figure froze in place.
Curls had already dashed ten meters past Kuro.
A look of terror appeared on Kuro’s face as a long slash wound opened on his chest, and blood spurted out.
“Iaijutsu: Requiem of the Knight!”
Curls switched his grip on the blade, slowly sheathing Yujin.
Thud!
Kuro’s body collapsed on the deck, lifeless.
Seeing that Kuro was dead, Curls finally relaxed.
That strike, besides showcasing the powerful Iaijutsu: Requiem of the Knight, also proved that his swordsmanship had reached the level of precise swordsmanship.
In two months.
To advance from basic to precise swordsmanship, his talent in swordsmanship was extremely rare.
But this was also the potential unleashed when his mental strength was pushed to the limit.
The patrol ship returned to calm.
But the trouble wasn’t over yet.
Not far away, the Black Cat Pirates’ ship was slowly approaching the patrol ship.
If the pirates boarded the patrol ship, the unconscious Lieutenant Kahn and the navy soldiers would be in grave danger.
Curls gritted his teeth and stood up from the deck.
Even though he was exhausted and his mental strength was depleted, he had to hold on.
Curls chose not to wake the lieutenant, knowing he had already been injured enough for his sake.
Now.
It was his battlefield alone.
Although he couldn’t summon shadow soldiers due to his depleted mental strength, he was not afraid.
If he had to fight alone.
So be it!
Curls had never relied solely on his Devil Fruit ability to become stronger. Even without shadow soldiers, he still had considerable combat power.
The pirate ship and the patrol ship connected, and Jango could now see the situation on the patrol ship. But what he saw was completely unexpected.
Wasn’t Captain Kuro supposed to have killed all the navy soldiers?
Why was Captain Kuro lying on the deck, dead?
Who did this?
Jango scanned the patrol ship and finally focused on Curls, who was still standing.
“Did you kill our captain?”
Curls didn’t answer.
Jango understood and immediately gave the order.
“Attack, avenge the captain.”
The pirates of the Black Cat Pirates roared and charged at Curls with their weapons.
“Kill!”
Curls’ expression became serious. He held Yujin, his precise swordsmanship cutting down the charging pirates one by one.
Pirates fell one after another.
The air was filled with their screams!
Facing such a powerful young navy soldier, the pirates’ initial disdain turned to fear, and they hesitated to advance.
“Keep going, he won’t hold out for long!”
Jango continued to command from the rear.
“Follow me!”
The Nyaban Brothers, Sham and Buchi, leaped from the ship. Buchi used his Catapult attack to strike at Curls.
Bang!
Curls quickly dodged.
The deck was immediately smashed, leaving a deep dent.
On the other side, the smaller Sham blended in with the ordinary pirates, pretending to be timid to deceive Curls and looking for an opportunity to attack!
On the patrol ship.
The battle raged once more.
Despite Curls’ fierce offensive, his wounds were increasing, and his white uniform was gradually dyed red with blood.
If this continued.
His injuries would become severe.
But to protect Lieutenant Kahn and the unconscious navy soldiers, Curls had no choice.
Morning.
Mod woke up from sleep.
The intense smell of blood in the air made him feel uneasy. He quickly stood up and surveyed the patrol ship.
The once-empty deck.
It was now filled with pirate corpses, and the deck was stained red with blood.
Seeing the scene ahead, his pupils constricted sharply.
Because at the center of the battlefield, Curls stood covered in blood.
The reason he was described as standing was because Curls’ entire body was drenched in blood, his mental state on the verge of collapse, but he still hadn’t passed out.
“Curls, what happened last night? How did you get these injuries? And why is the lieutenant so badly hurt?”
Mod asked, his voice trembling.
“Don’t worry.”
Curls shook his head indifferently, not saying much about what had happened.
“Don’t lie! With these injuries, how can you be fine?” Mod said angrily.
“Just some pirates. For now, I’ll leave the patrol ship to you. I need to sleep!”
Curls’ bloodied face was filled with exhaustion. He patted Mod’s shoulder before his consciousness gave out, and he fell into unconsciousness.
…
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