One Piece Shadow Army - Chapter 70

Boom!

Boom! Boom!

At the center of the battlefield, dull thuds echoed repeatedly. Two figures, one black and one white, clashed fiercely with their fists and feet in an intense fight.

This scene made the surrounding Marines soldiers feel excited.

What defines a true man’s battle? Purely fists!

“Spinning Punch!”

Veroch shouted as his dark fist struck Curls’ head with tremendous force. The impact momentarily shook Curls’ consciousness. Blood seeped from his forehead, flowing down his determined, handsome face.

But that was all!

Curls’ mental fortitude was extraordinary. After frequently resisting the bewitching power of the cursed sword, his stability was unmatched. Veroch’s powerful punch couldn’t knock him out or make him lose consciousness.

As his mind quickly stabilized, dark shadow energy had already gathered in Curls’ right hand.

Shadow Rising Dragon Fist!

Veroch had no time to defend against this punch. He couldn’t understand why Curls didn’t lose his focus after taking a direct hit to the head.

Such a thing shouldn’t happen to an East Blue Marines soldier. Isn’t that the weakest sea?

These were Veroch’s fleeting thoughts as he was sent flying.

Boom!

The previously cracked wall was hit again by Veroch’s massive body, creating a gaping hole.

The onlookers shifted their gaze to the pile of rubble, eager to see what would happen next.

Curls’ blue eyes were also fixed on the front, waiting for Veroch’s response.

Crack! Crack!

A black, hairy arm emerged from the pile of stones. The rubble scattered, revealing Veroch’s beast-human hybrid form.

As Veroch walked out of the broken wall, he appeared unscathed.

Veroch cracked his knuckles, his deep voice echoing.

“Kid, your attacks don’t hurt at all. In my hybrid form, the Black Ram grants me perfect defense. My body is as hard as steel. You can’t defeat me!”

With that, Veroch charged at Curls again.

Curls didn’t move forward but waited for Veroch to approach. As Veroch’s attack neared, Curls’ cold voice rang out.

“Shadow Bind!”

In an instant, Veroch’s attacking motion stiffened, and he was unable to move. Dark shadows had appeared on his black body, unnoticed by Veroch before.

Now, under Curls’ power, the shadows immobilized him. Though Shadow Bind’s effectiveness and duration depended on the opponent’s strength, even a momentary lapse could be fatal in battle.

Curls leapt up, his right leg drawn back like a taut bow infused with shadow energy.

“Shadow Meteor Kick!”

The wind howled as his kick struck Veroch’s head with a crisp sound. The shadow’s power held Veroch in place, so he couldn’t dodge this attack.

Bang!

Curls’ powerful kick sent Veroch flying, blood spurting from his mouth as he tumbled across the ground before coming to a stop.

Silence fell over the field. The Marines onlookers waited quietly.

A few moments later, Veroch’s fingers twitched, and his black body rose from the ground.

“I won’t lose!”

Huh?

Curls frowned slightly.

Some fruits in the Zoan Devil Fruit category had “Awakening” abilities, granting users extraordinary resilience and recovery.

Was Veroch’s Black Ram form one of those?

“Kid, show me all your Devil Fruit abilities. You can’t beat me otherwise.”

This time, Veroch didn’t attack immediately. Despite his formidable recovery and defense, Curls’ powerful kick had left him dizzy, and he needed time to recover.

A breeze ruffled Curls’ black hair, mingling with the blood on his left forehead, making him look particularly fierce.

“Then… stand up.”

Stand up?

The surrounding Marines soldiers were puzzled by Curls’ words. Curls wasn’t down, so why say that?

“What is that?”

Suddenly, a Marines soldier’s shout drew everyone’s attention.

Looking up, they saw a large area of dense shadows forming in the center of the battlefield. From these shadows, black human-like figures emerged.

“Aren’t those Fish-Men? Why are they black?”

As more shadow soldiers appeared, the Marines soldiers grew more puzzled, unsure what they were seeing.

In just a few seconds, eighty-seven shadow soldiers appeared in the previously empty battlefield center.

The missing ones were naturally [Lanloth] and the twelve [Shadow Knights].

Now, the eighty-six shadow soldiers at Curls’ feet, including [Orange Cat], all possessed considerable combat power.

At Curls’ command, eighty-five shadow soldiers attacked Veroch.

“What the hell is this?”

Veroch’s arrogant expression changed, not understanding what these things were.

But understanding or not, he knew these shadow soldiers were attacking him.

Crackling his knuckles, Veroch swung a punch, shattering the nearest shadow soldier.

Too weak!

Veroch thought, throwing punch after punch, determined to reduce these things to pieces, regardless of what they were.

“This is your Devil Fruit ability? How…”

Veroch shattered over twenty shadow soldiers, mocking them, but his voice cut off suddenly.

The shattered shadow soldiers were reforming, continuing their relentless attack on Veroch.

[Arlong] leaped into the air, wielding a shadow saw blade, slashing down hard.

Sizzle!

The shadow saw blade clashed with Veroch’s iron-hard black fur, sparks flying.

Veroch’s words were indeed true. His body’s hardness was comparable to steel, making ordinary attacks ineffective.

[Barbarossa], in distilled form, quickly moved behind Veroch, delivering a powerful punch.

Boom!

A dull thud sounded, but the ancient Black Ram form granted Veroch a formidable defense. [Barbarossa] and [Arlong], with their twenty-million-Berries bounties, couldn’t harm him.

Bang!

Veroch’s punch shattered [Barbarossa]’s shadow body.

But with their undying power, the shadow soldiers quickly reformed, continuing their assault.

Despite Veroch’s robust defense and recovery, the shadow soldiers kept him pinned down.

This was the strength of the shadow soldiers. Unless Curls died or lost consciousness, the shadow soldiers wouldn’t disappear. They could continually recover, fueled by Curls’ mental and willpower.

Of course, this wasn’t without limits. Curls’ mental strength depended on the shadow soldiers’ recovery.

Summoning shadows to create loyal soldiers didn’t drain his mental power; it was a function of the Devil Fruit.

Leaving [Lanloth] and the twelve [Shadow Knights] behind in Loguetown meant his remaining shadow soldiers weren’t as strong. Though they pressured Veroch, they couldn’t effectively harm him.

Curls calculated his mental power consumption. If Veroch kept destroying the shadow soldiers for an hour, he would fall unconscious.

Then, not only would the shadow soldiers disappear, but so would [Lanloth] and the [Shadow Knights] in Loguetown.

But this wasn’t a major issue. Curls had considered the idea of leaving shadow soldiers with his family since the end of his recruit training.

He had spent nearly a year developing this.

Bartholomew Kuma’s Paw-Paw Fruit allowed him to send people to marked locations. Curls had marked a specific point in his villa in Loguetown.

Even if his consciousness failed, causing the temporary disappearance of [Lanloth] and the twelve [Shadow Knights], they would reappear at the marked point when he recovered.

It wasn’t just a mark; it was a summoning point. Curls created a shadow summoning ground at his villa, where [Lanloth] and the [Shadow Knights] would revive.

He spent significant time planning this, which is one reason he didn’t develop other special skills over the past year.

What started as a hypothesis proved achievable, showing the incredible potential of Devil Fruit’s abilities.

…

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