As the former chief warden of Impel Down, Shiryu knew better than anyone the sheer power of Magellan's Venom-Venom Fruit.
It was an ability so fearsome that even the air itself could be laced with lethal poison—an overwhelming force that defied all logic.
However, when the Blackbeard Pirates invaded Impel Down, fate was not on Magellan's side.
With Shiryu's betrayal tipping the scales, Magellan ultimately fell before the brutal onslaught of the Blackbeard Pirates. Shiryu, seizing the opportunity, chose to consume the very same Venom-Venom Fruit extracted by Blackbeard.
And just now, even though he had only managed to inflict a minor cut on Maude's hand, Shiryu felt a sense of relief for having made that decision.
If not for that, how else could he have created a fatal opening in this monster's defenses?
All he needed to do now was wait patiently for the poison to consume Maude's life force.
At that moment, victory was within Shiryu's grasp.
But before he could even revel in his impending triumph, Maude's swift and decisive action slapped him back to reality—he had simply severed his own hand without hesitation.
"Magellan's Venom-Venom Fruit, huh? Back at Marineford, you lot managed to break through the encirclement using that ability, didn't you?"
Before the poison could spread, Maude had already sliced off his right hand. His casual demeanor made it seem as though he were merely trimming his nails.
Shiryu's eyes narrowed in shock, but he forced himself to remain composed.
"That was your dominant hand, wasn't it? That means your swordsmanship is—hmm?"
Halfway through his sentence, Shiryu's pupils contracted.
Before his very eyes, the severed stump on Maude's arm began to rapidly regenerate. The flesh wriggled and twisted, and in the span of a single breath, his hand was completely restored.
Maude raised his newly regenerated right hand, flexing his fingers as if testing their movement. Then, the shadows covering the rest of his body surged toward his right arm, swiftly enveloping the freshly grown hand in a cloak of darkness.
"H-Hey, wait a minute… Kage Kage no Mi is a Paramecia, isn't it?!!"
The Blackbeard Pirates were left utterly stunned. Their eyes bulged in disbelief.
Even among Logia users, losing a limb was typically an irreversible injury. For Maude to regrow an entire hand in an instant was simply unheard of.
Ignoring the Blackbeard Pirates' dumbfounded expressions, Maude shifted his grip on Shusui, transferring it back to his right hand. Then, his gaze calmly met Shiryu's.
"What were you trying to say just now?"
"..."
Shiryu's facial muscles twitched involuntarily as he glared murderously at Maude.
From his body, a thick, grotesque green poison began to ooze, dripping onto the ground and forming a menacing, mist-like vapor.
"Hey, Shiryu, calm down!"
Seeing the venomous fog start to spread, Blackbeard gritted his teeth against the pain from his wounds and quickly retreated several steps, putting as much distance as possible between himself and Shiryu's uncontrolled leakage of poison.
The Venom-Venom Fruit was indeed terrifying, but its indiscriminate nature made it a hazard to allies as well.
Even without direct contact, the mere presence of the airborne poison was enough to incapacitate those nearby.
Hearing Blackbeard's warning, Shiryu reined in his emotions, forcing himself to suppress the uncontrolled flow of deadly venom from his body.
"Stay away from me."
His voice was devoid of emotion, his eyes briefly flicking toward Blackbeard and the others.
At this point, they didn't need to be told twice—Blackbeard and his crew had already retreated a significant distance.
Their frantic retreat had been so abrupt that it left a noticeable trail of blood splatters on the ground.
"..."
Watching them scurry away like frightened rabbits, Shiryu remained silent for a moment before deciding to no longer suppress his venomous power.
Gurgle…
An ominous flood of toxic green sludge erupted from his body, forming an expanding pool of venom.
Sizzle—!!
As the poison spread across the ground, it released a dense, noxious mist into the air.
For an ordinary person, inhaling even the slightest whiff of this toxin would lead to immediate hemorrhaging from all seven orifices—resulting in an agonizing death within seconds.
Such was the terror of the Venom-Venom Fruit, a power considered one of the deadliest biological weapons in the world.
The previous wielder, Magellan, had spent most of his time isolated within Impel Down. As a result, many in the New World had never truly witnessed the full extent of its horrors.
Now, with Shiryu's betrayal, this monstrous ability had been unleashed upon the world.
Venomous Hellhound!
Shiryu's expression twisted into one of pure malice as he fixed his gaze on Maude. In a flash, he swung Raiu, his blade slicing through the air.
The surging venom from his body coalesced at the tip of his sword, launching forward like a tidal wave.
In an instant, the venom took the form of a massive, three-headed hellhound, its grotesque jaws lined with jagged, poison-formed fangs. With a silent roar, it charged toward Maude at incredible speed.
Each time its massive paws struck the ground, globs of toxic sludge splattered in every direction.
The moment the poison touched the earth, the sand and stone corroded instantly, releasing a sinister green mist into the air.
It was clear—Shiryu's Venomous Hellhound was not simply meant to target Maude alone. By wielding the Venom-Venom Fruit's power at full force, he intended to wipe out or suppress every enemy at the port.
"…That poison… doesn't look good."
Watching Shiryu unleash the full force of his venomous power, Law, who was positioned at a distance, felt cold sweat bead on his forehead and trickle down his temple.
As a doctor, he was acutely aware of just how terrifying a corrosive venom like this could be.
Simply put, if one were to come into contact with this poison, even if they managed to take an antidote at the fastest possible speed, the chances of escaping without severe, irreversible aftereffects were slim.
Not to mention, the lethal poison wielded by Shiryu might not even have a known antidote.
"This guy is too dangerous. We can't afford to let him run rampant!"
Realizing the immense threat Shiryu posed, Law's expression grew heavy as he silently calculated the distance between Shiryu and the inner bay.
No matter how powerful a Devil Fruit user was, as long as he seized the right opportunity with ruthless precision, he could make full use of his Room ability to eliminate his target in one swift move.
Philo, who was also a doctor and possessed significant expertise in poisons, naturally understood the terrifying potency of the venom Shiryu had unleashed.
However…
Her attention wasn't on Shiryu.
Instead, her gaze was fixed on Doc Q.
On the Navy's side.
Seeing Shiryu activate the Venom-Venom Fruit's abilities, Chaton and the other Marines looked grim.
This Devil Fruit, with its uniquely devastating power, had once been Magellan's signature weapon. Now that it had fallen into the hands of a pirate, it had become one of the most formidable threats they faced.
In the battlefield.
Maude calmly watched as the venomous Hellhound charged toward him.
This was a poison so lethal that even the strongest of beings would instinctively recoil from it.
However…
"The shadows under my control can withstand Akainu's magma and Aokiji's ice. Naturally, they can handle your poison as well."
Maude's lips curled slightly as he pointed his blade toward the surrounding lifeless shadows.
With a mere thought, the scattered shadows transformed into tangible forms, converging like a dozen streams merging into one.
Under Maude's command, the mass of shadows ascended into the air, enveloping the massive three-headed Hellhound, which was dripping with viscous, corrosive venom, like a pitch-black curtain.
Sealed!
The impenetrable shadow mass completely encased the venomous beast.
The venom, which could easily corrode even the hardest stone, had absolutely no effect on the shadows.
"No way…!!!"
Shiryu's eyes widened in shock as he watched his venomous attack get completely restrained by the shadows.
This was the dreaded power of the Venom-Venom Fruit, feared even by the strongest warriors on the battlefield—yet now, it was utterly suppressed by mere shadows.
How was this even possible?
Not far away.
Aokiji, as well as Ace, who stood atop the mushroom-shaped rock formation, watched as the Hellhound was sealed away by the shadow mass. The sight stirred up unpleasant memories.
After all, there had been a time when their overwhelming elemental attacks had been effortlessly nullified by these very same shadows…
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