Chapter 336
The Loyal Dogs of the Abyss, the Star Hunting Force Strikes!
Chapter 336 The Loyal Dogs of the Abyss, the Star Hunting Force Strikes!
They can win—Shamrock is certain of that.
He was certain he could defeat Loki.
This confidence was not unfounded, nor was it purely out of 'arrogance' like that of other knights of the gods.
On the contrary, Shamrock truly knew how strong he was, and only came to this conclusion after actually engaging in combat.
Loki is certainly a formidable opponent.
But after receiving Lord Im's 'blessing,' Shamrock was confident that his power surpassed that of anyone known in the sea.
Whether it's the Navy, the Four Emperors, or even the former Pirate King Roger and World King Rocks, Shamrock believes he is stronger than them—and Loki is no exception.
Looking out over the vast ocean, Shamrock believed that, apart from Lord Im, perhaps only the mysterious 'Twelve Constellations' could be stronger than him.
However, being able to win does not mean being able to win quickly.
"His physique is so strong that even with that person's power, it would be difficult to kill him quickly."
Shamrock muttered to himself.
Loki possesses the blood of the ancient giants, the physique of a mythical beast, and the ability to control natural phenomena as a 'King'.
Even his weapon, the "Iron Thunder," was made by consuming the power of a Mythical Zoan, just like Shamrock's "Seven Sins."
Shamrock had to admit that Loki was one of the few strong individuals on this ocean who could fight against him in his current state.
Just like in their previous encounter—Shamrock could injure Loki, but the latter would just shake his head, spit out blood, and stand up again.
He could neither defeat nor kill Loki in a short time; Shamrock was certain of this.
And
“He is a user of the ‘Nidhogg Fruit’, so you can’t ignore him just by relying on the power of the ‘contract’.”
Shamlock naturally knew that the Nidhogg Fruit had the effect of devouring everything, including bloodline factor energy.
If it were any other opponent, knowing that he couldn't quickly defeat them, Shamrock could simply ignore them—after all, Shamrock himself was immortal and could disregard their attacks.
However, as the user of the Nidhogg Fruit, Loki can absorb the source energy of bloodline factors.
This means that even the contract bestowed by Im, who united the power of all the knights of the gods, could be devoured by the other party.
It's impossible to ignore, but you can't kill it in a short time—that's what frustrates Shamrock.
There are two other things that annoyed Shamrock even more.
First, there were the cries for help that kept surfacing in his mind, along with flashing images and emotions.
"The Blade of the Other Shore!"
Along with such sounds and the clashes, the Divine Blades also displayed solemn, even somewhat fearful, emotions.
Shamrock could see the swordsman fighting with his sword, as well as a young pirate wearing a straw hat.
This is also the 'authority' that Im bestowed upon Shamrock—as the only captain of the Knights of God, he has abilities similar to the Five Elders, allowing him to communicate with his Divine Blades through his thoughts, thereby issuing orders and gathering intelligence.
"'Pluto' Rayleigh."
For example, at this moment, the information that Shamrock received was crystal clear—the ship carrying the 'Op-Op Fruit' was attacked by 'Pluto' Rayleigh.
"It's troublesome."
Unlike the other Celestial Dragons, Shamrock's view of the creatures of the 'Lower World' was not merely one of contempt.
He knew all too well that the strong in the lower realms were also strong.
This was a lesson his twin brother had taught him.
A legend of the sea like Rayleigh is not someone that trash who has lost their immortality can handle.
Therefore, Shamrock understood that it was impossible to expect the Divine Blades to come and help on their own.
"In front of 'Pluto,' those few good-for-nothings probably wouldn't even be able to protect that Op-Op Fruit user!"
His expression darkened, and he subconsciously glanced down at Fishman Island.
This sight made his already gloomy expression even more unpleasant.
On Fishman Island, under Neptune's methodical command, the giant warriors and the remaining fishman soldiers who had not yet been converted displayed terrifying war efficiency.
The giants were in front to defend against the attacks of the demon fishmen, while the fishmen warriors, armed with special nets or huge chains, quickly bound and subdued the demon fishmen who had been defeated by the giants. There were even doctors following behind them to ensure that the defeated demon fishmen did not actually die.
As a result, the once chaotic Fishman Island, which was almost destroyed by the demon fishmen, is now gradually becoming more orderly.
"It seems that the accumulation of the 'Abyss' can only go this far!"
Seeing this, Shamrock realized that he couldn't delay any longer.
So he suddenly swung the Seven Deadly Sins in his hand.
"boom!"
The deafening, jet-black slash instantly blocked Loki's attack and knocked him back several steps.
At the same time, Shamrock suddenly raised his right hand and pressed it down on his left arm.
"laugh!"
He instantly ripped off the specially made shoulder armor on his left arm, revealing his muscular arm, and
On his arm was the mark that symbolized his identity.
It was not a symbolic mark of the Deep Sea Contract or the Abyss Contract, but a unique pattern.
The pattern resembles a three-headed dog howling at the sky, with the blade of a knight's sword protruding from its mouth.
Behind the three-headed dog is the 'Void Throne', which symbolizes Im.
"Buzz!"
It was precisely at the same moment that the pattern of the contract appeared.
Deep darkness appeared out of nowhere, as if swallowing all the light in this deep sea.
"!!!"
Loki, who was blasted away, could see that the source of those dark forces was not simply Shamrock, but...
"Fishman Island!?"
Loki's gaze turned toward Fishman Island.
At that moment, countless deep darknesses began to emerge from within the island.
The malice in it was clear and unmistakable.
That is…
Loki's eyes narrowed beneath his bandages as he recalled the truth about the 'Abyss' that Wu Ma had relayed to him before they arrived.
"The abyss is the convergence of all malice."
This was a fact that Löw had already been certain of back in Dressrosa.
Anger, hatred, fear—all negative emotions inevitably lead to distorted desires.
The aggregation of these desires became the 'Abyss'.
That is Im's essence, and the essence of his true power.
Aside from this power, whether it's imposing 'binding' on the world, creating 'Devil Fruits', or granting 'immortality'—all power is a continuation of malice, an extension of that essential power.
Based on the situation in Dressrosa, Roy had already made a guess—even with most of his power sealed, Im's essence should still remain unchanged.
Therefore, wherever there are strong negative emotions, Im's power will become stronger, and he can even use these emotions to bring his power to a certain location.
"Did this guy also acquire that ability and then take advantage of the 'negative emotions' generated by the people of Fishman Island during the chaos just now?"
Loki instantly understood what was happening.
And indeed, that's exactly what he thought.
"Although it's less than I expected, it's enough."
Shamlock held the Seven Deadly Sins, feeling the malice constantly gathering within him.
Just as Loki had guessed.
The contract that Shamrock obtained was not a mass-produced item like the 'Deep Sea Contract' or the 'Abyss Sea Contract'. The contract and power he obtained were similar to those of the original twenty kings, a contract unique to him alone—named the 'Abyss Servant Contract'.
As the name suggests.
Abyss attendants are those who serve the abyss.
He is the being closest to God, and the authority he bears includes not only 'Dark Transformation Domination', but also the true essence of Im's power.
That seemed to be the same way Im defined Shamrock—he was a god below the gods, a unique being.
Shamrock, who was so highly regarded by Im, was naturally not a warmonger obsessed with fighting.
Quite the opposite.
He not only has strength, but also sufficient strategy.
For example, the power he is displaying now—after arriving on Fishman Island and realizing that he could not destroy the Sun Tree Eve before he could annihilate the entire Fishman race's 'wish', he already had a plan.
He used the Dark Domination technique not only to destroy Fishman Island, but also to guard against certain unforeseen events that might occur at any time.
Just like right now.
Loki could stop him, but he couldn't stop people from harboring malice and hatred in their hearts.
That malice was transformed into the blade in his hand whenever he needed it!
"call"
At that moment, Shamrock, who was fully unleashing the power of the 'contract' within him, slowly raised the rapier in his hand.
But the sword's edge wasn't aimed at the roadbed.
But
"Buzz!"
The scattered radiance of Eve under the sun suddenly dimmed at this moment.
"not good!!"
Loki also exclaimed at the same time.
He already sensed what Shamrock had done.
Just as mentioned before, the Sun Tree Eve possesses the characteristic of 'immortality,' which stems from the common 'desire' of the fish-people.
That is a wish etched deep within the world, a wish that has existed since the birth of Fishman Island.
It was thanks to that wish, coupled with the large amount of 'bloodline factor source energy' within Yangshu Eve, that Shamlock was unable to completely sever Yangshu Eve.
But at this moment.
The desire of the fish-men, etched deep within the world, was briefly 'distorted'.
In the midst of the commotion that just began on Fishman Island.
The grief of loved ones being dominated by the Dark Ones, the pain of being injured, the fear of death, the despair of their homeland being destroyed, and the anger, hatred and fear towards the enemy.
All of this has been transformed into an 'abyss' and given to the world.
so.
The very foundation upon which the Sun Tree Eve existed—the 'desire' of the fish-men—was weakened to an unprecedented degree at this moment!
"Hell's Music: Abyss!"
Before anyone could react, Shamrock once again swung his sword at Sun Tree Eve!
This time, an unprecedented slash erupted.
It was no longer purely sharp, but seemed to carry malice, writhing and hissing as it was swung out, transforming into the terrifying appearance of a giant dog, pointing directly at the giant tree that existed in the deep sea.
To Loki's horror, the magnificent trunk of the Sun Tree Eve, as tall as a pillar supporting the sky, was struck by that slash!
"Crack!"
Even in the deep sea, the deep yet clear sound still rang out with perfect clarity.
And only a moment later
"boom--!"
A huge, hollow crack, large enough to hold several warships, appeared right where the tree trunk had been hit!
The golden sap was no longer a trickle, but gushed out like a flood bursting its banks.
The warm, sun-like radiance dimmed rapidly, becoming flickering and uncertain.
at the same time
"Boom!"
A tremendous sound also came from beneath the surface of the entire Fishman Island—a sound that seemed to be the island wailing.
"!!!"
Neptune, who had already arrived at the front line and was commanding the giants and fishmen in battle, turned around with a look of fear on his face.
From the very center of Fishman Island, a bottomless, enormous chasm begins to appear at the edge of Ryugu Castle.
"Boom!"
Wherever it passes, the earth crumbles and rock layers churn.
In the end, the entire island was completely split in two along that huge chasm!
The entire Fishman Island began to tilt and shake violently. Countless buildings collapsed at that moment, and the fishmen who had not been able to evacuate in time, including some demon fishmen who were dominated by the Dark Transformation, were swept into the fissures or collapsed ruins.
The bubble shield enveloping Fishman Island also twisted and dimmed violently at this moment, as if it would shatter at any moment.
Seeing this, even Neptune couldn't help but show despair—he knew what the collapse of the bubble shield meant: Fishman Island would face the enormous water pressure of the deep sea and would inevitably sink to the bottom of the sea and turn into deep-sea dust.
"Everyone, immediately save them!"
Even so, Neptune, as the decision-maker, did not give up, just as he was about to issue the order.
He suddenly realized that the collapse of Fishman Island had abruptly stopped.
The bubble shield, which was twisted to its limit and on the verge of bursting, and the tilted island that had been split in two, suddenly stopped collapsing and were 'fixed' in the deep sea at an incredible angle.
"XiaXiewa?"
Upon seeing this, Neptune reacted almost immediately.
He knew very well that the bubble shield of Fishman Island, the entire island itself, and everything on the island depended on the support of the roots of the Sun Tree Eve.
Eve was hit by that attack and clearly suffered a huge injury that almost killed her, so much so that the entire Fishman Island was split in two and the island itself was about to collapse!
But now, Fishman Island has strangely stabilized.
This must also be a 'miracle' that only the mother tree of the fish-men could accomplish.
"Not completely dead yet?"
Shamrock, who was located above Fishman Island, muttered in a low voice, panting heavily.
It is clearer from his perspective.
At this moment, not only did a huge hole appear in the trunk of the Sun Tree Eve, but the hole and cracks continued to extend upwards along the trunk, and countless fragments of the trunk collapsed.
The vitality of this giant tree is rapidly declining.
But it is still alive.
Shamlock could even sense that deep within this giant tree—the life born from the original desire of the fish-men still stubbornly existed.
Despite its fragility, like that of Mars, it still manages to hold the island together and prevent it from disintegrating instantly.
In this situation, Shamrock immediately understood—
He frowned and looked at Loki.
His original plan was interrupted by Loki and the giant warriors' intervention.
He failed to destroy Fishman Island in one fell swoop, preventing the 'abyss' created by the fishmen's despair from reaching its peak, so the Sun Tree Eve still retained a last glimmer of hope.
but
"Weakened to this extent, destruction is inevitable."
Shamrock scoffed.
He didn't swing his sword again, nor did he pay any attention to Loki, who was charging at him while yelling "You bastard!"
He slowly raised his hand and used his left hand to take out a Den Den Mushi from inside the lining of his specially made armor.
"CP0, in my capacity as the World Government's special 'commander' for this mission, I order the Star Hunting Force to deploy immediately."
He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice.
“Tell them—no matter what method they use, I want them to enter the hollow inside the Sun Tree Eve at all costs and destroy it.”
(End of this chapter)