One Piece Shadow Army - Chapter 60
Meanwhile, the Loguetown Navy Base remained unaware of William’s rescue plan.
Inside a white medical room, Curls was quietly recuperating. His injuries were severe, having fought against a swordsman of William’s caliber. To avoid worrying his father and sister, he decided to stay and recover at the base before returning home.
Due to his injuries, Curls couldn’t continue his training. Instead, he lay in bed, reflecting on his battle with William. As a swordsman of the highest caliber, William initially only tested Curls. It was only when Curls utilized the power of the cursed sword that William became serious. Curls had managed to hold his ground thanks to the strength of his shadow soldiers, particularly ?Lanlos?.
Currently, Curls’s swordsmanship was at the peak of precision swordsmanship. However, there were still two levels—Iron Cutting and Swordmaster—between him and William. The cursed sword’s enhancement allowed Curls’s swordsmanship to rival an Iron Cutting swordsman. But without ?Lanlos?, he wouldn’t have lasted long against William. Curls sighed inwardly, realizing he still needed to improve significantly.
Once he recovered, he would intensify his training.
—
Three days after defeating the Krieg Pirates, Curls was well enough to move normally and ended his rest in the infirmary. After changing into a new white naval uniform, he left the Loguetown Navy Base and walked to a repair shop across several streets.
During the battle with William, Curls’s silver pocket watch chain, a gift from his father, was cut in two. To avoid any suspicions, he needed to have it repaired.
As he pushed open the wooden door, a clear, pleasant bell chimed. The small repair shop was filled with various items on the walls—clocks, radios, water guns, and more.
The old man behind the counter, with a half-bald head and wearing reading glasses, was meticulously repairing an old flintlock gun. Curls approached silently, waiting for the shopkeeper to finish.
Watching the repair process, Curls noticed the old man’s craftsmanship was exceptional, restoring items to their original state. About fifteen minutes later, the shopkeeper completed the gun repair and looked up at Curls, slightly surprised.
“A naval officer in my humble shop—how rare. What can I repair for you?”
Curls took out his broken silver pocket watch and spoke, “The chain of this pocket watch is broken. Please repair it so it looks as good as new.”
The old man glanced at the watch and the broken chain, nodding. “Simple enough. Five thousand Berries.”
Curls placed the money on the counter, asking, “How long will it take?”
“Ten minutes.”
“Alright. Do you also repair weapons?”
The old man pocketed the Berries and began working on the watch chain. “I used to be a weapon smith for a while. The skills overlap.”
Curls was intrigued and decided to ask, “Can you craft a special scabbard?”
When he obtained the cursed sword Red Moon from the ghost ship, it had no scabbard. Previously, Curls hadn’t been too concerned, but after his battle with William, he realized the importance of a good sword for a swordsman. The cursed sword had unique enhancement effects, and with a strong will, it was a powerful weapon. A proper scabbard would help him use it more effectively, especially for iaido techniques.
The old man answered simply, “Give me a design or the sword itself as a model, and I can make it.”
Curls drew the cursed sword Red Moon from the shadows behind him, showing it to the old man. “This is the sword.”
The old man observed the blade closely, then adjusted his glasses, surprised. “It’s the cursed sword Red Moon, one of the Great Grade Swords!”
Curls didn’t expect the old man to recognize it but didn’t deny it.
The old man warned, “This sword is dangerous. Without a firm will, you can’t control it.”
“I understand,” Curls replied. His determination to use the sword remained unchanged.
The old man nodded, “Alright. But the blade’s curve is significant, and the scabbard will be complex to forge. It will take a month.”
“I have time to wait.”
Curls still had over a month before he had to report to the Navy Headquarters, plenty of time.
“The materials fee is one hundred thousand Berries!” the old man stated.
Though it was enough to buy a good-quality sword, Curls paid without hesitation. Money didn’t interest him much. After defeating the Arlong Pirates and the Krieg Pirates, his bounty earnings exceeded thirty million Berries. Money was just a number to him.
—
Curls left the repair shop ten minutes later, now wearing the restored silver pocket watch. The chain was perfect, with no signs of being cut. As he walked down the street, he stopped to chat with a fruit vendor.
“Lieutenant Curls, why haven’t I seen you patrolling lately?”
“I was on a mission at sea.”
“Caught many pirates, I bet?”
“A few, seven or eight.”
After buying some fresh fruit, Curls headed home. At the villa’s gate, the guards greeted him.
“Welcome home, sir.”
Curls entered the villa, removing his navy coat and handing it to a servant to hang. He then relaxed on the sofa, enjoying the fruit he had bought. With his injuries, Smoker had given him a few days off, so Curls was free to rest at home.
“Where is my sister?” Curls asked a servant.
“Miss Valcia is doing her homework in her room upstairs. Shall I call her?”
“No need. She’s already coming down.”
Curls looked up to see a twelve-year-old blonde girl running down the semi-circular staircase, smiling as she jumped into his arms.
“Brother, why didn’t you come home this week?”
Curls hugged his sister, laughing. “I was on a mission at sea, so I couldn’t come back.”
“I guessed that!” Valcia said proudly.
“You’ve gotten much smarter, haven’t you?”
Praising his adorable sister, Curls playfully tweaked her nose.
“Father said the same, hehe… Oh, fruit!” Valcia’s attention shifted to the fresh fruit on the table, and she began eating.
Her intelligence seemed unchanged! Curls thought, ruffling her hair with a sigh.
—
Time passed peacefully as Curls spent time with his family. Now more vigilant, the Navy base increased patrols to prevent another attack by the William Pirates. Loguetown remained quiet, with no unusual incidents. But Curls knew this calm was only the prelude to a storm.
The William Pirates had attacked to rescue their vice-captain, Jeff. With Akin now captured and held in the Loguetown Navy Base, the William Pirates wouldn’t ignore it. They were likely gathering strength and planning their next move.
On the tenth day after the defeat of the Krieg Pirates, newspapers spread across the East Blue, causing widespread tension. The headline read:
Curls”Ruler of the East Blue Changes!”Curls
Curls”The William Grand Pirate Fleet Forms with Over 8,000 Members!”Curls
Become a Patron to read chapters ahead of public release and support me 😉
Read up to 40 chapters ahead on p atreon.
