One Piece Shadow Army - Chapter 71
At the center of the battlefield, black shadow soldiers continuously shattered and reformed, shattered and reformed…
The surrounding Marines soldiers watched intently, their eyes glued to this stalemate.
One had incredible defense and recovery, while the other seemed nearly immortal.
Which one was stronger?
The battle quickly shifted.
Veroch, clearly not a calm person, grew increasingly frustrated and angry as he faced these bizarre soldiers who couldn’t be defeated, no matter how many times he shattered them.
With a loud roar that echoed across the area, Veroch’s steel-like black body began to transform. The black horns on his head grew thicker and sharper. His three-meter-tall body shrank, and his muscular arms turned into shapes resembling goat hooves. His entire body became covered in dense black fur.
Finally, Veroch transformed into a two-meter-tall, powerful black ram.
This was his Devil Fruit’s animal form!
The ancient Black Ram wasn’t an ordinary black sheep. It was a powerful creature with immense strength and incredible speed, possessing devilish abilities among herbivores.
Whoosh!
In an instant, Veroch, now a black ram, disappeared from his original spot, leaving only an afterimage.
Curls’ expression changed.
A black shadow shield appeared in front of him just as Veroch’s black ram form charged.
Boom!
The shadow shield shattered. A powerful impact from the black ram’s head sent Curls flying.
Skid! Skid! Skid!
Curls slid nearly twenty meters before finally stopping.
Panting heavily, Curls took deep breaths. Though he had used Shadow Shield in time, the powerful impact from Veroch still caused him some internal injuries.
Whoosh!
The black ram charged again.
Curls used Soru to disappear from his spot, but the black ram’s speed matched Soru, quickly altering its attack direction.
Curls’ landing spot was intercepted.
Boom!
This time, Curls couldn’t defend in time and was sent flying by the immense force.
He felt his blood boil and his internal organs shift from the fierce impact.
Swinging his arm, Curls summoned an upturned, round black knight’s spear to clash with the black ram’s charge.
The impact was powerful, but it only knocked the black ram back without causing significant damage.
Veroch’s ancient Black Ram form had reached Soru-level speed! Coupled with its steel-like defense, the shadow soldiers couldn’t effectively hinder it.
The battle seemed unwinnable.
That was the consensus among the Marines onlookers. They believed Curls would lose.
But even if Curls didn’t win, they wouldn’t look down on him. After all, he was facing a powerful Devil Fruit user with an ancient animal form, and holding his own proved his strength.
Still, why didn’t Curls show any signs of defeat?
The crowd was puzzled. Did Curls have a way to defeat Veroch’s black ram form?
At the battle’s center, Curls took a deep breath and watched Veroch. Veroch’s strength was impressive, befitting someone from the New World.
The ancient Black Ram’s Devil Fruit gave Veroch incredible defense and recovery, making him nearly invincible.
If Curls hadn’t left [Lanloth] in Loguetown, he might have easily defeated Veroch. But now, his shadow abilities couldn’t break through Veroch’s defense.
But Curls wouldn’t lose this fight.
He never relied solely on his shadow powers.
Throughout the battle, he hadn’t drawn his sword.
It wasn’t that he couldn’t use it; he was waiting for the right moment.
Since the end of his recruit training, Curls had reached the level of precision swordsmanship. Sparring with [Lanloth] and the [Shadow Knights] helped him solidify and improve.
Now, only one barrier remained: the level of cutting steel.
After his battle with William on Krieg’s main ship, Curls realized his swordsmanship wasn’t enough. He wasn’t strong enough.
But how could he break through to cutting steel?
This answer wasn’t taught by Commander Kahn during recruit training because the level of cutting steel was too far off for most recruits.
Curls had no experience in this area and sought advice from [Lanloth]. But [Lanloth], a great knight from a century ago, had honed his skills over time and didn’t fully understand.
Curls had no choice but to meditate and train continuously.
On his way to the Marines Headquarters, Curls attempted to break through, knowing the elite training camp would be filled with geniuses, not just him. Yet, his swordsmanship remained stuck.
Facing the powerhouse-filled headquarters, he should have felt immense pressure.
But when he reunited with Commander Kahn at the port, he felt a sudden calm.
In that moment of relaxation, he grasped a hint of insight.
Last night, after a long meditation, Curls began to understand the essence of cutting steel.
In this world, there were swordsmen who couldn’t cut anything and those who could cut everything to protect.
Reaching the level of cutting steel required not just firm belief but also a clear understanding of oneself and sensitivity to the world.
With the heightened perception from his shadow fruit, Curls had long achieved this.
What he lacked was an opportunity.
An opportunity to draw his sword and cut steel.
Today’s challenge, besides standing up for Dasqi, was Curls’ chance to find that opportunity in battle.
And now, the time had come!
“Thank you.”
Curls’ eyes turned serious. His body was slightly bent, his left hand gripping the white scabbard, and his right hand was holding the black hilt of the cursed sword.
“Draw Slash: Knight’s Requiem!”
In the next moment, Curls vanished from his spot.
Simultaneously, the black ram charged.
Two black shadows crossed paths, switching positions.
Slice!
A red blade light flashed.
A hideous wound appeared on the black ram’s head, blood gushing out.
Drawing his sword meant cutting steel!
Curls stood tall, his eyes calm, his right hand gripping the hilt as he slowly sheathed the black and red blade.
Click!
The sound of the sword fully sheathing echoed.
Veroch’s black ram form collapsed, unable to maintain its shape, reverting to his original form, severely injured and unconscious.
Silence fell over the field!
The sudden end to the battle left everyone stunned.
Veroch had seemed nearly invincible. How did he get defeated so quickly?
That swordsmanship?
“It’s the power of the ‘Oni Giri’!”
A Marines officer trained in swordsmanship recognized the technique and explained it.
“Veroch’s ancient Black Ram form had a steel-like defense, but in this world, there are swordsmen who can cut through steel.
Cutting steel is the essence of powerful swordsmanship, known as ‘Oni Giri.'”
The Marines officer, eyes filled with admiration, continued.
“Curls’ swordsmanship has reached the level of cutting steel. He’s destined to become a master swordsman because cutting steel is the clearest dividing line for swordsmen.
Once you cross it, the path to becoming a master swordsman isn’t far.”
Hearing the term “master swordsman,” even non-swordsmen couldn’t help but feel envious. Such swordsmen had combat power at least equal to a rear admiral!
At under twenty years old, Curls’ future achievements were bound to be extraordinary…
Vice admiral?
Or even admiral?
In that instant, the Marines soldiers saw the rise of a new star in the Marines…
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