Smoke and fire consumed one side of the Baratie. The cannonball had smashed through the wall like it was paper, igniting parts of the dining hall and throwing splinters, plates, and furniture in every direction. The explosion sent shockwaves through the restaurant, knocking over chandeliers and toppling tables. Guests screamed and scrambled to escape, some diving over tables, others pushing toward the nearest exit. Panic erupted, and chaos flooded the once-elegant restaurant like a tidal wave.
Luffy emerged from the dust, a thin cut running down his cheek, his straw hat now slightly torn. His eyes, however, burned with fury. The explosion had rocked the ship, but the Straw Hat captain didn't flinch. Shadows writhed at his feet, reacting to his rising emotions like a living storm coiling around his body.
Sanji, coughing from the smoke, helped a stunned elderly customer to their feet. His usual calm demeanor was replaced with a focused sharpness. He turned to glance at the gaping hole in the side of the Baratie, where fire still crackled. "That was no ordinary cannon," he muttered grimly.
Zoro unsheathed his swords with a metallic hiss, stepping forward with his usual quiet confidence. His expression was hard, jaw clenched as his fingers tightened around the hilts of Wado Ichimonji and Sandai Kitetsu. "We're not just dealing with random pirates anymore," he said.
Outside the shattered windows, the black ship loomed even closer. The eerie fog clung to its hull like a second skin, its torn sails fluttering against the windless sky. The ship itself groaned, as if alive, the boards creaking with every movement. Cannons lined the sides of the ghost ship, each glowing faintly with crimson light, aimed directly at the Baratie.
"They're not done," Nami warned, crouched low behind the counter with her map case protected in her arms. Her voice was tight, her knuckles white from gripping the edge. "We need to defend the ship or we're going down."
Luffy stepped onto the broken window frame, shards of glass crunching beneath his sandals. He squinted at the vessel through the smoke and flames. He didn't recognize the emblem—there wasn't one. Just that cursed demonic skull carved into the ship's prow, its hollow eyes glowing faintly red.
From the deck of the ghostly ship, a figure stepped into view. Tall. Cloaked in a dark coat that fluttered like wings. His face was hidden beneath a hood, but a large, curved scythe rested ominously across his back.
"Who the hell is that?" Usopp muttered from behind an overturned bench, his slingshot already drawn.
The cloaked figure raised a gloved hand, and as if on cue, a volley of cannonballs thundered from the ship's right side.
"They're firing again!" Nami shouted.
"I got this," Luffy growled.
Shadows surged around him, crawling up his arms and chest like living armor. With a powerful leap, he soared from the Baratie and landed on a floating debris plank mid-air, using it as a springboard to propel himself higher into the sky.
"Shadow Net!" he roared.
From his back, tendrils of shadow burst forth, weaving together in mid-air to form a massive net. The cannonballs struck the dark web, some caught and crushed, others diverted with powerful tremors. Explosions rang out in the sky, but the majority of the blast was absorbed. The black ship slowed, as if surprised.
Then a voice echoed across the water—deep, mechanical, and void of emotion. "You have power. I'm here to take it."
Luffy's eyes snapped toward the source of the voice.
The cloaked figure had vanished from the deck.
Zoro's eyes widened in realization. "Luffy—ABOVE YOU!"
Luffy twisted mid-air. A black blur dropped from the clouds above, scythe spinning with deadly precision. Shadows radiated from the blade, distorting the air around it.
He crossed his arms in a defensive stance, tendrils wrapping tightly to block the attack.
But it wasn't enough.
The scythe struck, slicing clean through the shadow armor like it was paper. Luffy was hurled down, crashing through the deck of the Baratie and skidding across the wood, smashing into a support pillar. Dust and debris exploded around him. Blood splattered across the floor as he groaned in pain.
For the first time, his Shadow System had failed to block an attack.
The cloaked attacker descended onto the wreckage with barely a sound. He stood tall, his scythe crackling with unnatural energy. A strange, glowing sigil pulsed faintly on the side of his neck, shaped like a jagged spiral wrapped in chains.
Sanji moved to Luffy's side, stepping between him and the enemy. Zoro joined him, blades drawn, his gaze never leaving the shadowy figure.
"We've got company," Sanji said, lowering into a fighting stance.
Luffy pushed himself from the rubble, breathing heavily. The shadows around him twitched, uncertain.
The figure pointed his scythe toward Luffy, his voice calm and absolute.
"Your darkness belongs to me."
—To be continued.
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