On Skull Wharf of Shadow Island, the battle instantly escalated to a fever pitch.
The Executives of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew stood firm like unshakable boulders amidst the surging tide of zombies, relentlessly tearing through the horde.
Sun Long's blade flashed like a meat grinder—each strike of "Lion Song" or "Grand World" cleared entire swathes of the battlefield. Though the mangled remains of zombies writhed in the shadows, the rate at which new ones crawled out was far slower than his slaughtering speed.
Xiao Ke's rifle was like the Death's ledger, each precise shot targeting the flickering shadow cores within the zombies' skulls. The moment they were hit, the zombies collapsed into lifeless husks.
Xia Ling's frost froze entire groups of zombies into icy statues, while Zhao Yan'er's flames incinerated the rotting corpses surging forward, the stench of charred flesh mingling with the biting cold.
Casualties among the lower-ranked crew remained under control, thanks to Qiao Ling'er's healing green light, which flowed like a spring of life, swiftly mending the wounded. The Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's formation held strong, even steadily advancing forward.
Inside the skeletal castle, Moya watched this scene through the Dark Mirror, his smug grin gradually stiffening, replaced by irritation and disbelief.
"Useless! Absolutely useless!" He slammed the bone-carved armrest with a dull thud.
"After spending so much treasure to gather materials and meticulously stitch together this army, they're being suppressed?! And Ye Yu hasn't even made a move against them yet!"
Buck wiped sweat from his brow. "Sir, the Executives of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew truly are exceptional, their coordination is flawless, and they seem to have identified the zombies' weakness—"
"Silence!" Moya roared, his eyes glinting with malice. "It seems we'll have to deploy the 'trump card' ahead of schedule. Luo Na!"
A figure silently emerged from the thick shadows behind Moya's throne. It was a young woman clad in a black dress, her face as pale as paper, her eyes hollow. An eerie, soul-sucking chill radiated from her, as if she could drain all positivity from the air. She was Moya's most bizarre combat asset—the Spirit-Spirit Fruit Ability User, Luo Na.
"Go," Moya commanded, pointing at the Dark Mirror's reflection of the Dominant Feather Pirate Crew's core fighters—Xiao Ke, Xia Ling, Sun Long, and Zhao Yan'er.
"Use your ability to 'quiet' them. I want to see them sprawled on the ground like mud, utterly devoid of fighting spirit!"
"As you wish, Master." Luo Na's voice was flat, ghostly. Her body turned translucent, dissolving into smoke as she phased through the castle walls, merging with the shadows outside as she drifted soundlessly toward the battlefield.
Moya smirked with confidence. "With the Shadow-Shadow Fruit and Luo Na's Spirit-Spirit Fruit, capable of conjuring Negative Spirits—two BUG-tier Fruit Abilities—even your Dominant Feather Pirate Crew will fall."
On the battlefield—
Xiao Ke was fully focused on sniping the shadow core of an Exotic Beast zombie hidden among the horde, one that spewed venom. Suddenly, an indescribable chill pierced through his Haki defenses, stabbing deep into his soul. His strength seemed to vanish in an instant, and a chorus of vicious, cutting voices echoed in his mind:
"What kind of marksman are you? What's the use of being accurate? Your comrades are still getting hurt! You can't protect anyone!"
"Look at you, standing here like a fool. Do you really think you're something special?"
"Just give up. Lie down. Living is so exhausting, so troublesome..."
An unprecedented wave of despair and self-loathing crashed over Xiao Ke like a tsunami. His gun-wielding hand trembled violently, the light in his eyes instantly dimming. His knees buckled, and with a dull thud, he collapsed to the ground, clutching his head as agonized groans escaped his lips: "I'm sorry... I'm so useless... I can't do anything right..."
Almost simultaneously!
Sun Long, who had been cutting down zombies with his blades, suddenly froze mid-swing. His proud swordsmanship, his unwavering bushido spirit—all of it suddenly felt like a cruel joke.
"What's the point of practicing swords? You'll never be stronger than the Captain's pinky finger!"
"Your perseverance is just a joke. Look at yourself—you're nothing but a clown!"
"I'm tired... Just end it all..."
"Arghhh!" Sun Long let out a broken roar as his three swords clattered to the ground. His body went limp as if his bones had been removed, curling into a fetal position. "I'm... a hopeless failure..."
The flames surrounding Zhao Yan'er flickered out instantly. She stared blankly at her hands.
"Fire? What can these pathetic embers burn? How laughable... In this world, every strong fighter can wield flames. My Flare-Flare Fruit is just a joke."
"What can you do besides cause trouble? Without the Captain, you're nothing..."
"Living... is so heavy..."
"Ugh..." Zhao Yan'er covered her face as uncontrollable tears streamed down. She sank to her knees, completely devoid of fighting spirit.
Even Xia Ling, normally unshakably composed, found herself invaded by the all-pervasive negativity. Her frost powers dissipated, her gaze dulling. "Your ice can't stop anything..."
"You're just wasting your energy..."
"Stop thinking..."
She slid down against a frozen wall, burying her face in her knees as her shoulders trembled faintly.
"Vice-Captain Xiao Ke!"
"Brother Sun Long!"
"Sister Yan'er! Sister Ling!"
The surrounding crew members watched in stunned horror. Their core Executives—who mere moments ago had been suppressing the zombie horde like gods of war—had all collapsed in an instant, reduced to helpless wrecks drowning in self-loathing and despair! This bizarre sight chilled them more than the zombie army ever could!
With the Executives' overwhelming pressure gone, the zombie tide surged forward, the defensive line crumbling instantly! Savage Sea Beasts smashed through the ice while zombie pirates brandishing rusted weapons broke through the gunfire, charging toward the now-unprotected crew and the incapacitated Executives!
Other Executives quickly fell victim to the Negative Spirits' influence.
"We're done for..." Despair spread like wildfire among the surviving crew. The inexplicable breakdown of their leaders had turned the battle's tide catastrophically!
In the distance, Ye Yu's Observation Kill allowed him to sense it. "The Spirit-Spirit Fruit truly is a broken power... but my pirate crew has Wu Xingyun."
"So it's you."
Wu Xingyun noticed, fear flashing across his face—yet the ghosts' influence didn't touch him.
It was this extreme, undignified, almost comedic collapse that gave Luo Na—hovering at the battlefield's edge, preparing to target more crew members—a momentary pause.
Her Negative Spirit's psychic waves seemed ineffective against this pure, unadulterated primal fear devoid of any self-doubt?
In that split second of Luo Na's hesitation, Wu Xingyun frantically pulled the trigger of his bizarrely-shaped giant slingshot aimed directly at her!
"Just disappear already!!!"
Whoosh—BANG!!!
A massive projectile containing gunpowder, chili powder, rotten egg extract, and Wu Xingyun's special "super adhesive glue" shot forth—carrying his desperate scream and survival instinct—tracing a wobbly yet lightning-fast trajectory before splattering with perfect accuracy... right across Luo Na's face as her translucent form materialized!
(End of chapter)