Chapter 203: Shadow Strangle! The Debut of Shadow Activation and the Grudge of the Iron Mask
The sea breeze howled as the thousand sunny, guided by the mermaid Camie, braved the wind and waves.
Eventually, it sailed smoothly into a massive circular wooden base built upon the sea's surface.
This was the joint headquarters of the human traffickers, the "Maclo Gang," and the overbearing, notorious "Flying Fish Riders."
The surrounding area was tightly enclosed by high towers and abatis constructed from thick logs, making the waters impassable.
"Everyone, be careful. We've already entered their encirclement."
Nami stood at the bow, calmly warning the crew as she looked at the towering wooden structures around them.
Just as she spoke, an unusually piercing roar of engines and the sound of breaking air suddenly came from the sky.
"Vroom—!!!"
Accompanied by splashing water, dozens of flying fish bikers—riding massive creatures with broad wings—suddenly soared into the air from beneath the sea.
The flying fish glided through the air, their engines spewing black exhaust fumes.
These riders circled recklessly above the thousand sunny, casting the entire ship into their shadow.
"Hahaha! What a bunch of fools looking for death!"
The lead flying fish rider toyed with a black circular bomb in his hand, letting out an arrogant, wild laugh from his high vantage point:
"To think you'd dare charge single-handedly into the territory of our Flying Fish Riders!
"On the vast ocean, against elites like us with flying mounts, your broken ship is nothing but a sitting duck!"
"Boys! Give these pirates a taste of our power! Blow their ship to smithereens!"
With a single command, a sky full of specialized gunpowder bombs rained down like a dense downpour, whistling as they plummeted toward the thousand sunny's deck.
"Tch, a bunch of small fry flying in the sky. Do they really think they're invincible?"
Zoro snorted coldly, his gaze sharpening.
On the other side, Sanji took a deep drag of his cigarette and ground his leather shoe hard against the deck.
However, just as the two main powerhouses were about to start the slaughter.
A slender, large hand reached out from behind and firmly pressed down on Zoro's shoulder, interrupting his movement to draw his sword.
Zoro looked back slightly and saw Tatsuya's composed profile.
Tatsuya slightly tilted his well-defined chin.
The corners of his mouth slowly curled into an exceptionally dangerous, cold smile.
"No need for you to step in."
"It's the perfect time to test the 'new toy' I just got on these annoying flies buzzing around."
At this moment, it was high noon.
The scorching sunlight beat down unreservedly on the lawn deck, stretching Tatsuya's tall figure into a long black shadow.
With a thought from Tatsuya, the Chakra within his body began to circulate frantically along a brand-new pathway.
A shocking scene unfolded—
The pitch-black shadow beneath Tatsuya's feet, which had been clinging lifelessly to the deck, seemed to be instantly injected with a violent and peerless vitality.
The mass of black shadow churned, twisted, and expanded violently under the sunlight!
"Kekkei Genkai: Shadow Breakthrough!"
Without any redundant hand seals, Tatsuya's gaze instantly turned cold.
Swish, swish, swish—!
The boiling shadow instantly rose from the two-dimensional deck, directly breaking the shackles of physical laws.
It split into dozens of incredibly flexible black whips.
Crack! Crack! Crack!!!
The air was ruthlessly torn apart, producing a series of sonic booms.
Dozens of black shadow whips shot toward the sky at terrifying, supersonic speeds, like dozens of furious black dragons!
They lashed out brutally at every flying fish rider in the sky and the flying fish mounts beneath them.
Instant kills and sheer terror played out simultaneously.
Those Flying Fish Riders, who were laughing arrogantly just a second ago, didn't even have time to let out a full scream.
Their ribs were snapped and their armor shattered by this unmatched power.
Men and fish alike fell from the sky like dumplings, splashing heavily into the surrounding seawater and kicking up large white waves.
This happened so fast that people didn't even have time to blink.
Standing at the back of the deck, Usopp and Chopper's jaws dropped onto the lawn as if they had been dislocated.
"Wha... What?!"
Usopp pointed at the black shadow slowly receding beneath Tatsuya's feet and stammered in shock:
"Tatsuya... did you secretly eat that Onion-head Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit while we weren't looking?!"
Tatsuya waved his hand nonchalantly, and those brandished black whips instantly receded like a tide.
They gathered beneath his feet once more, returning to being a perfectly ordinary, static shadow.
He turned around and looked at the dumbfounded crew, still maintaining his smiling expression:
"Ah, it seems the combat effectiveness is quite good."
"But you guessed wrong; this isn't some Devil Fruit power."
"It's just a bit of secret Ninjutsu from my hometown. No need to be so surprised."
With the aerial obstacles instantly cleared, the thousand sunny approached the center of the base without hindrance.
"Found you! Takoyaki!"
Luffy stood at the bow and immediately saw Hatchan, who was bound tightly with incredibly thick iron chains and suspended like a zongzi in a massive iron cage in the center of the base.
"Gomu Gomu no—"
Luffy stretched his right arm back and threw a punch with great force.
His fist, packed with monstrous strength, directly shattered the seemingly indestructible iron cage.
He snatched the tightly bound Hatchan out and landed him steadily on the thousand sunny's deck.
Having regained his freedom, Hatchan rolled twice on the deck and broke free from the chains on his body.
"I'm saved! Thank you so much, young pirates..."
Hatchan rubbed his sore wrists while excitedly looking up to give his thanks.
However, when his gaze swept over everyone and finally fixed on the orange-haired young woman standing in the center of the deck.
Hatchan's massive body suddenly stiffened, as if a freezing spell had been cast on him.
The grateful smile on his face vanished without a trace.
In its place was an unmaskable panic and a deep, unerring sense of guilt.
Thud.
Hatchan's heavy body actually went weak at the knees, and he knelt heavily on the deck of the thousand sunny.
His six hands propped himself up helplessly on the ground, his massive frame trembling slightly; he didn't even dare to look up into Nami's bright eyes.
"Na... Nami..."
Hatchan's voice trembled violently, filled with a heavy sense of guilt:
"I'm sorry... I really didn't know... that it was you guys who came to save me..."
Facing a former core officer of the Arlong Pirates.
Nami stood where she was, looking down at Hatchan, who was shivering before her.
In the depths of her eyes, a complex wave of emotion flashed uncontrollably for a moment.
Eight years of dark, enslaved time wasn't something that could be completely forgotten just because one wanted to.
Just as everyone was unsure of how to speak.
Tatsuya took a long stride and naturally walked to Nami's side.
His tall, upright figure quietly blocked half the view of the deck.
Feeling the sense of security brought by the man beside her.
Nami closed her eyes slightly and took a deep breath of the fresh sea air.
In this moment, she suddenly realized with absolute clarity.
Those nightmares that were as heavy as mountains, those fears that woke her in the middle of the night.
They had already completely dissipated unknowingly after meeting Luffy, Tatsuya, and this group of companions willing to risk their lives for her.
She was now a free Navigator, a person who was deeply loved and protected.
Nami opened her eyes again, the complexity in her gaze having completely faded.
She looked at Hatchan, who was kneeling on the ground and didn't dare to look up, and smiled frankly.
"Get up, Hatchan."
"The past ended completely on the day Arlong Park was destroyed and collapsed by Luffy."
She tilted her head slightly and gave a playful smile:
"Besides... didn't we agree that if we saved you, you'd treat us to the best takoyaki in the world?
"We've come a long way on an empty stomach."
Hearing this light yet incredibly weighty forgiveness.
Hatchan, kneeling on the ground, felt as if he'd been struck by lightning; he jerked his head up and looked at Nami's cloudless smile.
The guilt and gratitude in his heart erupted like a volcano.
"Nami... Waaaaah..."
The massive octopus Fishman was so moved that all six of his hands covered his face.
Tears and snot flowed like waterfalls as he cried on the deck like a two-hundred-pound child:
"Thank you... thank you so much..."
Just as everyone saw this touching scene and breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to cheer for the upcoming takoyaki feast.
"Rumble, rumble—!!!"
From the deepest part of this sea base, a sudden and exceptionally heavy tremor shook the earth!
Accompanied by an ear-splitting, rough, and wild roar of "Moo—".
An exceptionally massive, black-furred, amphibious yak with a heavy iron helmet on its head charged out with unstoppable fury, smashing through the thick wooden walls of the base's interior!
And on the broad back of that giant yak sat a very burly and tall man.
He wore a heavy black leather jacket covered in rivets, looking wild and unrestrained.
But what was chilling was that his entire head was tightly covered by a very thick, strangely shaped, and slightly ridiculous iron mask, making it impossible to see his true face.
The leader of the Flying Fish Riders—Iron Mask Duval—made his official entrance at this moment, carrying a sky-high aura of resentment!
Duval rode on the back of the frantic yak, stopping on a wooden platform not far from the thousand sunny.
Through the two narrow slits in that thick iron mask.
His gaze swept wildly and fiercely across the faces of the Straw Hat crew.
Finally.
His eyes, filled with endless hatred, locked onto Sanji, who was leaning against the bulwark of the thousand sunny with a cigarette in his mouth.
Duval suddenly raised the large, sharp harpoon in his hand, pointing the tip directly at Sanji's nose.
He let out a grief-stricken roar that echoed through the clouds:
"Black Leg Sanji—!!!"
"I finally... finally found you on this sea!!!"
Duval's voice carried an unmaskable sob and murderous intent:
"It's because of you! It's all because of you, you damn bastard!
"You ruined my peaceful and happy village life!!!
"I'm going to kill you! I must kill you today to vent the hatred in my heart!!!"
On the deck of the thousand sunny.
Sanji heard this accusation filled with blood and tears.
His movement to press his lighter and light his cigarette froze stiffly in mid-air.
Sanji stared with his one visible eye, his face full of a speechless "looking at an idiot" expression.
He pointed a finger at his own nose in utter confusion and looked at the iron-masked man raving on the yak's back, his tone filled with bewilderment:
"Huh? Who are you?"
"This great me has quite a few enemies.
"But in my memory, I definitely don't know an idiot like you who wears an iron mask on such a hot day, right?"
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