The clash shook the Baratie to its core.
The moment the knight's shadow-forged greatsword met the curved, gleaming scythe of the cloaked invader, a deafening shockwave burst outward. It wasn't just the force of two weapons colliding—it was a surge of opposing energies. Light cracked, shadows rippled violently, and pressure slammed into the restaurant's structure like a hammer.
Tables were blown apart into shards, chairs launched into walls, and the once-gleaming floor fractured with spiderweb cracks beneath their feet. A cloud of dust and debris filled the air, and silence fell before the next impact.
Luffy was hurled backwards, his body bouncing across the deck like a ragdoll. Sanji sprinted through the smoke, catching him mid-slide, staggering from the weight. He clenched his teeth. "That... that wasn't just strength. That was something else. It felt like it tore through the world itself."
Zoro, his swords drawn, stood with narrowed eyes, his muscles coiled like a spring. He watched the two shadowed titans—one summoned by Luffy, the other an unknown force—as they locked weapons again. Their blades clanged in a brutal harmony, sparks and black wisps flying from each strike. "That scythe... it's breaking the rules."
"It's cutting through things like they're paper," Nami said from behind the counter, where she clutched her navigation bag and kept Usopp close. Her voice was steady but low, laced with dread. "Even the shadows are bending around it."
The knight's feet dug into the deck, anchoring itself as it twisted its massive blade and knocked the scythe away with a surge of power. The scythe-wielder leapt backward, cape swirling as he flipped through the air and landed on the opposite side of the deck. Where he landed, the planks froze over—not with ice, but with an unnatural frost of dark mist, sapping warmth and color from the wood itself.
"This guy isn't normal!" Usopp shouted, eyes darting from cover. He held a fresh ammo round in trembling fingers. "We're not fighting pirates anymore, we're in a horror story!"
The knight pressed forward, its footfalls deep and ominous. Each step made the ship creak as though protesting the weight of the power it carried. Its blade raised again, charged with Luffy's will, but just as it was about to strike, the cloaked enemy raised his gloved hand.
The sigil on his neck glowed.
And the sea responded.
From the fog behind the black ship, an enormous shadow slithered into view. Waves swelled, and the wind roared. The fog parted, revealing a monstrous, towering figure. Part-machine, part-sea creature, the being was an abomination. Steel plates covered its serpentine frame. Cables, gears, and hydraulic tubes pulsed with a red glow, and its mechanical mouth opened to unleash a broken, gurgling roar.
"W-what is that!?" Luffy gasped, his eyes wide with shock.
Nami's jaw dropped. She stumbled backward, clutching the counter for support. "That... that's not a creature. That's a weapon!"
The cloaked enemy's voice finally cut through the chaos—deep, emotionless, like metal scraping bone.
"Shadow Construct: Leviathan."
With a thunderous crash, the massive beast lunged toward the Baratie, slamming into the sea next to it. A towering tidal wave erupted, engulfing the restaurant's deck. Everyone was thrown from their footing. Dishes and tables were swept into the ocean. Wood snapped and sails tore.
The shadow knight held firm, driving its blade into the deck to anchor itself. Its body braced against the wave.
Luffy struggled to his feet, coughing, soaked to the bone, gripping the side of a broken mast. His fingers trembled—but not with fear. With resolve.
But as he turned to the Leviathan, he realized something.
The cloaked enemy had vanished.
Zoro's instinct screamed.
"LUFFY, BEHIND YOU!"
The air chilled. A presence loomed.
Luffy turned his head—
And saw the scythe, already descending.
—To be continued.
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