At that moment, the battle was already over.
The chaotic bridge was empty, only a few leaders were cleaning up the mess.
Zeff was sitting at a table, smoking a cigarette, his face terribly dark.
Zoro was gravely injured in his fight against Hawk Eye and appeared to be bleeding profusely, to the point of potentially dying at any moment.
What was even more ironic was that Hawk Eye had only used a small knife from start to finish.
Even so, the current Zoro was not strong enough to fight back.
"Everyone! I'm back!" Nami waved her hand, her voice a bit tired but still full of energy.
Luffy turned his head, his characteristic smile spread across his rubbery face. "Nami! Where were you? We almost thought you had run away!"
"Huh? Just went to see the scenery..." Nami replied with a hint of guilt, her eyes wavering.
"I see! I understand." Luffy smiled, completely unaware of Nami's anomaly.
Zoro was leaning against the mast, bandages wrapped around his injured body.
He had woken up from his coma, but his eyes remained cold, his breathing visibly rapid, and he was clearly making efforts to endure the pain.
It was obvious that he hated himself for being so weak.
"What happened earlier?" Nami cautiously asked.
Sanji exhaled a puff of smoke, looking at Nami with complex eyes, and said in a grave voice, "He was corrected by the world's greatest swordsman."
"The world's greatest swordsman?" Nami widened her eyes, her face filled with disbelief.
"Even so, I believe Zoro will surpass him one day!" Luffy said.
At that moment, Sanji also made his decision and decided to join the Straw Hat Pirates.
After kneeling to bid farewell to his benefactor Zeff, he boarded the ship and sailed with everyone to Cocoyasi Village.
Nami looked at Zoro worriedly and noticed that his wound seemed to be bleeding again, the bandage stained with red.
"Zoro!" Nami rushed to check, "Why is your wound worsening?"
Zoro gave her a cold look. "Don't meddle in other people's business, I'm not going to die."
"Shut up! How can you speak to the lovely Miss Nami like that!" Sanji said angrily.
At that moment, Nami suddenly burst into tears.
She looked at her companions' concerned eyes and felt mixed emotions.
Her eyes grew hot, tears welled up. She choked up and said, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, everyone... I lied to you..."
Luffy seemed puzzled and scratched his head. "Nami? What's wrong? What happened?"
Nami cried even louder, recounting incoherently the misdeeds of Arlong and his gang as well as her deal with Arlong.
She even revealed the truth about her plan to steal the Merry, crying like a helpless child.
Zoro listened with a frown, the wounds on his body slightly pulsating.
Sanji was so shocked that he didn't even notice the cigarette in his hand had fallen onto the deck.
Usopp opened his mouth but remained silent for a long moment.
Luffy seemed incredulous. He couldn't understand why Nami had to endure such pain.
"That bastard Arlong! How dare he mistreat Nami!" roared Luffy, and his rubbery fist slammed heavily on the deck, producing a dull sound.
"Luffy..." Nami raised her head and looked at him with tearful eyes, "I... I'm really scared..."
"Don't be afraid, Nami! We will defeat Arlong and help you take back the village!" Luffy said firmly, a determined gleam in his eyes.
"That's right, Nami-san! We will definitely help you seek revenge!" Sanji said excitedly, his eyes full of anger.
"Yes, Nami! We are all your partners! We will always support you!" Usopp also gathered his courage to speak.
Although Zoro remained silent, his clenched fists and determined eyes showed his attitude.
...
Not far away, on a small boat, Ajin, poisoned and pale, rowed with difficulty while carrying the unconscious Krieg on his back.
The small boat was filled with Krieg's remaining men, all defeated and like dogs who had lost their home.
Almost at the same moment, the Shadow appeared from another direction like a ghost, silently approaching Krieg's boat.
On the sail, a hideous skull logo fluttered in the sea breeze—it was Tsukasa Yuu's Shadow.
Tsukasa Yuu stood at the bow, his silhouette shrouded in darkness, like a god of death.
"Ghost Man Ajin, you are truly loyal," Tsukasa Yuu said with a hint of appreciation.
"Who is it?!" Ajin cried out in horror, but he was no longer able to resist.
When he clearly saw Tsukasa Yuu's face, he instantly remembered meeting him at the restaurant that morning and nearly getting into a conflict.
"It's you..." Ajin's voice was filled with disbelief.
"Yes, we meet again," Tsukasa Yuu replied.
"Kuina, Kuro, are you ready?"
"Standing by at any moment," Kuina and Kuro replied in unison.
"Very well, let's do it. No need to show mercy to these evil pirates!"
"Yes!"
He snapped his fingers, and countless black shadows surged out of the Shadow, rushing towards Krieg's boat like an oil spill.
"Ah! What is this?!"
"Monster! It's a monster!"
Krieg's defeated army remnants were terrified and fled in all directions, but they could not escape the encirclement of shadows.
Cries and moans echoed one after another, and the small boat instantly turned into hell on earth.
In a few minutes, the entire boat was massacred by the shadow army.
The sea was tinged red with blood, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
The system's voice echoed in Tsukasa Yuu's mind:
**[Ajin, the Ghost Man, Captain of Krieg's Pirates, has a bounty of 12 million Berries!]**
**[Commander and chief of Krieg's Pirates, Krieg, bounty of 17 million Berries!]**
**[Total of 29 million Berries! Gain 29,000 experience points, and reach level 38!]**
"Ghost Man Ajin, I admire your loyalty and courage."
Tsukasa Yuu looked at Ajin's shadow and said, "Become my shadow. I will make you stronger."
"Rise!"
Ajin's shadow trembled slightly, as if struggling, but eventually succumbed to Tsukasa Yuu's powerful force.
**[Shadow successfully extracted: Ajin (Combat Power Ranking B/Growth Rank A)]**
**[Shadow successfully extracted: Krieg (Combat Power Ranking B/Growth Rank B)]**
As for Krieg, Tsukasa Yuu did not turn him into an independent shadow after extracting him.
"Your ambition and strength are insignificant. Why not use your shadow to enhance my Shadow?"
The next second, Krieg's shadow was absorbed into the core of the Shadow, and at the same time, several heavy artillery pieces and machine guns were loaded onto the Shadow.