Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 43.
The battle had raged for a long ti. With overwhelming forces under his command, Pedro Saint should have already captured Ripley and Linlin.
But reality was different.
Pedro Saint had no way to deal with Ripley.
"Hey, hey, hey, giant girl, are you just playing hide-and-seek with ? Running away won't save you. Unless you beat , those slaves' shadows won't return by themselves."
Ripley said nothing, just kept running.
Her body shifted in size—sotis as small as an ant, other tis returning to her full giant form, swatting away the zombie soldiers that blocked her path.
As for attacking Pedro Saint? Ripley had no such thought.
"Just stalling is enough."
The shadows weren't taken from her or Linlin, but even if they had been, she wouldn't risk everything to attack Pedro Saint.
It was aningless.
Magnus had told them clearly: the Holy Knights were immortal. With her strength, defeating Pedro Saint was impossible.
The entire island was crawling with zombies.
Linlin and the slaves who had lost their shadows had already been shrunk and hidden deep within the island by Ripley. She alone remained to deal with Pedro Saint.
She wanted to flee.
But she knew full well that if she ran, Pedro Saint would just turn his sights on the others.
She was a full mber of the White Wolf Pirates.
Facing such a powerful foe, how could she retreat without a fight and expect others to cover for her?
"Haha, willing to sacrifice yourself for your companions? Truly a fine woman. But do you know why I stayed here instead of going after the others first?"
The old man in black knight's garb laughed heartily at her.
"Of course it's because—I have a way to capture you!"
"Shadow Domain!"
His zombies had already filled every corner of Grove 43. The mont Pedro Saint's words fell, all of their shadows surged upward like a black curtain, covering the entire island.
The zombies, robbed of their shadows, collapsed.
But this was no blessing—Ripley found she couldn't move.
When she was small, her tiny ant-sized shadow made it impossible for Pedro Saint to capture.
But now that his domain enveloped the island, her shadow was under his control.
And not only under his control—it turned against her, influencing her body.
"Damn…"
"Oh? You can resist?"
The Shadow Domain was a power Pedro Saint had awakened from his fruit. Within its coverage, all shadows belonged to him.
And those shadows, in turn, influenced their owners.
The strong could resist.
Ripley resisted only because her shadow was sesa-seed small, limiting the pressure he could exert.
Even so, she felt her body slipping out of control.
She was on the verge of losing her miniature form.
"No way!"
Ripley bit down hard, refusing to give in. If she returned to her full giant form, her massive shadow would be utterly suppressed. She wouldn't even be able to lift a finger.
But the shadow's control wasn't her only problem.
Pedro Saint himself was still advancing.
Ripley's expression grew graver as she watched him approach, her face betraying panic.
Finally, as if she'd made a decision—
"What's wrong? Going to surrender?"
Pedro Saint sneered. From the start, he had wanted Ripley and Linlin as part of his collection.
But Ripley only glared coldly at him.
"Surrender? ?"
She drew a deep breath and shouted:
"Captain, help!!!"
Magnus had told them before: fighting the Holy Knights would be good training. Their strength was already high—worthy opponents were rare across the seas.
Great pirates weren't like cabbages lying in the street to be plucked at will.
Only the Marines.
Only the World Governnt.
They had endless strong warriors who could restrain Magnus and still pressure his crew.
"You mustn't rely on too much!"
Magnus had said it often. He acted more like their parent than their captain.
Rocks and Newgate understood this—they sought to overco challenges with their own strength.
But Ripley wasn't so concerned.
If she couldn't win, she couldn't win. There weren't many real stories where the weak triumphed against the strong. She had stalled as best she could, but Pedro Saint was simply beyond her ability to handle.
"Want the White Wolf Magnus to save you? Too bad—he's being held off by our vice leader, along with a Marine Admiral. Do you think he can shake off two fighters equal to him just to help you?"
Not to ntion his shadow domain—ford from the shadows of hundreds of zombie soldiers. Its strength equaled those countless stolen shadows. Even their Holy Knight commander would struggle to break it.
How could the White Wolf Magnus—
"Haha, how could I ignore my beloved crewmate's call for help?"
Magnus had already been watching. If Ripley had chosen to persist, he would have let her. But since she had given her all—
Boom!
A heavy impact resounded outside Pedro Saint's domain.
Hearing it, Pedro Saint's calm shattered.
"No… impossible! How could Magnus break free so quickly—"
"The other Celestial Dragon said the sa thing."
A crack appeared in the black curtain covering the island.
Pedro Saint's pupils shrank.
He rushed forward, trying to capture Ripley before Magnus could break through.
His reasoning wasn't wrong.
A barrier ford from hundreds of strong shadows could withstand even Admiral-level attacks for a while.
Magnus couldn't break it easily.
But what if another Admiral-level power joined him?
"Magnus, you must be tired."
"After all, fighting three top-class opponents in a row, and winning—you deserve a break."
"So leave this to ."
At the sound of the second voice, Pedro Saint froze.
His steps halted.
It was pointless now. From the mont that second voice rang out, the black eggshell sky shattered.
A violent storm tore through.
Not the combined move of Dorry and Brogy.
But from one man alone.
"Hakoku!" (Warrior Nation)
The black do peeled away. In that instant, Pedro Saint reinfused his shadows into his zombie army.
"Stop them!"
Then he turned and ran without hesitation.
What a joke!
Not only was Magnus here, but also Harald, King of Elbaf, and even a Marine Admiral had betrayed their side.
What were they planning?
To attack Mary Geoise itself?
No—
They already had!
The reawakened zombies never rose. They froze, twisted into eerie ice sculptures.
And before him stood eight giants.
Including Dorry and Brogy.
"Jeh-heh-heh-heh! Let's wreak havoc together!"
"Gabababababa! Not only are the Guard here, even King Harald himself has co. This is our first ti fighting side by side outside Elbaf!"
"This is to save our kin!"
"And for revenge!"
…
Each giant was a warrior equal to a great pirate. With Dorry and Brogy united, even Admirals could be fought on equal terms.
And behind them—
Magnus and Harald approached slowly.
"When this is over, both you and I will be hunted as thorns in the side of the World Governnt and the Celestial Dragons."
"What, are you afraid?"
"If it were two years ago, I would have been."
Harald, his severed leg replaced with a wooden stump, smiled bitterly at his past self who had once yearned for peace.
He had longed for peace.
But there were those who never allowed it.
Reality had taught him that on this sea, without strength, one could protect nothing.
"You've done well."
Magnus reached Ripley, ruffling her hair.
"Leave the rest to us."
(End of Chapter)
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