The moment Luffy gave the command, the battlefield transformed.
Dozens of blackened weapons—blades, spears, scythes, and tendrils—erupted from the ground and shadows around him. They didn't strike all at once. They moved like soldiers. Synchronized. Intelligent. An army without voices, waiting for a thought to guide them.
Smoker surged into smoke, avoiding the first volley. The plaza shimmered with the blur of shadow meeting fog. A spear missed his torso by inches, grazing his coat and tearing the edge of it apart. He reformed mid-air, landing with a heavy thud near the fountain.
The weapons stopped.
Hovering.
Waiting.
Smoker exhaled slowly, his eyes fixed on Luffy.
"You're not just using shadows. You're commanding them."
Luffy stood in the center of the chaos, arms relaxed, the glint in his eyes sharp.
"I told you," he said calmly. "They're mine."
The shadows responded to his will—reforming in perfect shape, edges gleaming unnaturally in the sunlight. They circled him again, hovering like a shield made of darkness.
Smoker dashed forward, jitte low and charged with intent. His smoke form spiraled behind him as he moved, wrapping the ground in white coils. He struck hard and fast.
Arlong emerged from the stone beneath them like a missile. The general blocked the strike with both arms crossed, the jitte grinding against black-armored forearms as sparks flew.
Smoker gritted his teeth. "It's adapting to my attacks…"
Arlong responded by punching forward, his fist hammering into the pavement where Smoker had stood. But the Marine had already vanished into smoke again—reappearing behind Luffy.
He swung.
The jitte screamed through the air, headed for Luffy's back.
But Luffy didn't turn.
Two tendrils whipped from his own shadow and caught the jitte mid-swing.
Smoker's eyes widened.
Before he could react, a third tendril slammed into his side and sent him flying through a merchant stall, splintering wood and crashing into crates.
The square had become a warzone.
Civilians had long fled, but Marines lingered at the perimeter, rifles trembling in their hands. Some watched in awe, others with fear, none able to comprehend what they were witnessing.
"What kind of pirate is this…?" one whispered.
"He's commanding shadows like they're alive…"
Another Marine raised his Den Den Mushi. "We need backup! He's not just a target, he's a threat to the whole town!"
"Negative," came the reply. "Captain Smoker has ordered full non-intervention."
They hesitated.
Then watched.
In the middle of the chaos, Arlong returned to Luffy's side, crouched in a defensive stance.
The general's movements were fluid—fast, ruthless, and precise. He didn't grunt. Didn't roar. He followed every mental command without delay.
Luffy's system pulsed.
[Shadow Zone Expanded – 30 Meters Radius Established]
[Combat Boost: Shadow Constructs Enhanced]
[General Status: Arlong – 87% Combat Efficiency]
[Arsenal Recharge: 63% Remaining]
Black lines cracked across the plaza, pulsing with energy. Tendrils slithered beneath stone, spears hovered silently above the ground, and twin daggers floated behind Luffy's shoulders like wings folded inward.
Smoker reformed again, this time panting slightly. His hair was dusted in debris. Blood stained his glove where he'd caught a fragment of debris mid-roll.
"You're toying with me," he muttered.
Luffy didn't answer.
Smoker roared and lunged one more time—faster than before.
He blitzed left, then vanished into smoke and reformed behind Luffy, jitte raised.
It looked like a clean strike.
But as he swung—
Luffy turned his palm.
Arlong's axe-arm slammed into Smoker's side, sending him crashing across the plaza.
He hit the execution platform and slid to a stop.
For the first time… Smoker hesitated before standing.
The square fell into a moment of quiet.
Only the sound of crackling shadows and flickering smoke remained.
Then—
Luffy raised his arm.
Twelve shadow weapons lifted from the ground in a perfect arc.
They hovered above Smoker's position like executioners poised to strike.
[Target Locked – Smoker]
[Confirm All-Blade Impact?]
Smoker looked up.
He knew.
There wasn't enough time to dodge.
But before Luffy could move—
Everything stopped.
The wind changed.
Not a breeze.
A pulse.
The shadows stilled for a breath.
Arlong stiffened.
Even Smoker paused.
Luffy's system blinked unexpectedly.
[External Pressure Detected]
[Energy Source: Unknown]
[Combat Alert: Temporarily Suspended]
Luffy's head turned slightly.
Up on the execution platform… stood a figure.
Not a Marine.
Not a pirate.
A cloak fluttered at his back. His presence was heavy. Electric. Even nature bent around him—the clouds swirled unnaturally, and birds stopped flying overhead.
No one spoke.
Not even the system.
The plaza—shattered and torn—fell into absolute stillness.
Then the figure stepped forward.
[End of Chapter 92]
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