Chapter 335: Chapter 335: Loyal Hound of the Abyss, Star Hunter Unit Dispatches!
Chapter 335: Loyal Hound of the Abyss, Star Hunter Unit Dispatches!
He can win—Shamrock was certain of this.
He was certain he could defeat Loki.
This confidence was not groundless, nor was it the blind arrogance typical of other God’s Knights.
On the contrary, Shamrock truly knew how strong his power was, and only reached this conclusion after genuinely trading blows.
Loki was of course a very strong opponent.
But after receiving Lord Imu’s ’blessing’, Shamrock was confident that the power he possessed was stronger than anyone known on this sea.
Whether it was the Marines, the Four Emperors, or even the so-called Pirate King Roger and Rocks, King of the World, from years past, Shamrock believed he was stronger than them—Loki would not be an exception either.
Looking across the entire sea, Shamrock believed that besides Lord Imu, only that mysterious and unpredictable group — ’The Zodiac’ — could claim to surpass him.
But being able to win didn’t mean he could win quickly.
"His physique, even relying on that Lord’s power, is very difficult to kill quickly."
Shamrock muttered to himself.
Loki possessed the bloodline of the Ancient Giant race, coupled with the physique of a Mythical Zoan ability user, and the ability to control natural astronomical phenomena as ’Uranus’.
Even his weapon was ’Lightning’, which, like Shamrock’s ’Seven Sins’, had devoured a Mythical Zoan fruit.
Shamrock had to admit, Loki was a rare powerhouse on this sea who could fight and contend against him.
Just like the exchange just now—Shamrock could injure Loki, but the other party just shook his head, spat out some blood, and stood up again.
In a short time, he couldn’t defeat or kill Loki. Shamrock was certain of this.
And...
"He is the user of the ’Nidhogg Fruit’. Nor could he simply ignore Loki and rely on the ’Contract’ to protect him."
Shamrock naturally knew that the Nidhogg Fruit had the effect of devouring everything, including Source Energy of Lineage Factor.
If it were another opponent, upon knowing he couldn’t resolve the other party quickly, Shamrock could completely choose to ignore him—anyway, Shamrock himself had an immortal body and could completely ignore the opponent’s attacks.
But as the user of the Nidhogg Fruit, Loki could devour Source Energy of Lineage Factor.
This meant that even the contract Imu bestowed by integrating the power of all the God’s Knights could potentially be devoured by Loki.
He couldn’t ignore him, but couldn’t kill him in a short time either—this was exactly what infuriated Shamrock.
And compounding Shamrock’s frustration were two further complications.
First, were the cries for help continuously surfacing in his mind, along with fragmented images and emotions.
"Higan-Bata!"
Accompanying the voice and the clash of steel were the solemn — and faintly terrified — emotions of the Divine Servants.
Shamrock could see that swordsman fighting while swinging his sword, and a young pirate wearing a straw hat.
This was similarly an ’authority’ Imu bestowed upon Shamrock—as the sole current captain of the God’s Knights, he possessed an ability similar to the Five Elders — telepathic communication with his Divine Servants, allowing him to issue commands and gather intelligence.
"’Dark King’ Rayleigh..."
For example, right now, the intelligence Shamrock received was incomparably clear—the ship where the Divine Servants were escorting the ’Op-Op Fruit’ was attacked by ’Dark King’ Rayleigh.
"Troublesome."
Unlike other Celestial Dragons, Shamrock didn’t purely have disdain for the creatures of the ’lower realm’.
He profoundly knew that the powerhouses of the lower realm were also powerhouses.
This was a truth his twin brother had taught him.
A legend of the sea like Rayleigh was absolutely not something those wretches who had lost their immortal bodies could deal with.
So Shamrock understood — let alone expecting the Divine Servants to come reinforce him.
"In front of the ’Dark King’, those wretches probably won’t even be able to protect the Op-Op Fruit user!"
While his expression was gloomy, he also subconsciously swept his gaze down towards Fish-Man Island.
This look made his already gloomy expression turn even uglier.
Right now, on Fish-Man Island, under Neptune’s methodical command, the Giant warriors and the surviving, untransformed Fish-Man soldiers displayed terrifying combat efficiency.
The Giants at the front were responsible for resisting the attacks of the demon Fish-Men, while the Fish-Man warriors, holding special nets or giant chains, quickly tied up and subdued the demon Fish-Men knocked down by the Giants. Field medics followed behind to ensure the subdued demon Fish-Men didn’t succumb to their injuries.
So much so that Fish-Man Island, which was originally in mass chaos and almost destroyed by the demon Fish-Men, was actually gradually becoming orderly at this moment.
"So this is the limit of what the ’Abyss’ can accumulate here!"
Seeing this scene, Shamrock understood he couldn’t continue dragging this out.
Therefore, he fiercely swung Seven Sins in his hand.
BOOM!
A thundering pitch-black slash instantly blocked the attacking Loki and forced him back several steps.
At the same time, Shamrock’s right hand abruptly raised, and he pressed it to his left arm.
Ssh!
The custom shoulder armor on his left arm snapped open, revealing that muscular arm, and...
The mark on his arm that symbolized his identity.
That was not the iconic mark of the Deep Sea Contract or the Abyssal Contract, but a unique pattern.
That pattern looked like a three-headed dog howling at the sky, but from within the dog’s mouth, the blade of a knight’s sword protruded.
Behind the three-headed dog was the ’Empty Throne’ symbolizing Imu.
VMMM!
Exactly at the same time that contract pattern appeared.
Streaks of deep, absolute darkness appeared out of thin air, swallowing all the light within this deep sea.
"!!!"
Loki, who was sent flying, could see it even more clearly—the source of those pitch-black powers didn’t purely come from Shamrock, but...
"Fish-Man Island!?"
Loki’s gaze looked towards Fish-Man Island.
Right now, from inside that island, countless streams of darkness continuously surged out.
The malice within it was unmistakable.
"That is..."
Loki’s eyes beneath the bandages shrank, and his mind already recalled the truth about the ’Abyss’ that Uma had relayed to him before coming here.
"The Abyss is the convergence of all malice."
This was a fact Roy had already confirmed back in Dressrosa.
Anger, hatred, fear—all negative emotions inevitably generate twisted wishes.
And the aggregate of these wishes became the ’Abyss’.
That is Imu’s essence, and also the essence of His true power.
Beyond this, whether binding the world, creating ’Devil Fruits’, or bestowing ’immortal bodies’ — all of it is an extension of that malice, an extension of that essential power.
Judging from the situation in Dressrosa, Roy had already formed a hypothesis — even with most of His power sealed away, Imu’s essence should still remain unchanged.
So as long as it is a place with strong negative emotions, Imu’s power will become stronger, and He can even project His power to a specific location through these emotions.
"So he obtained that kind of ability — and used the negative emotions generated by the chaos on Fish-Man Island to fuel it?"
Loki instantly understood what was happening now.
And the facts were indeed just as he thought.
"Although it’s less than expected, it’s enough."
Shamrock gripped Seven Sins, feeling the malice continuously converging into his body.
Just as Loki guessed.
The contract Shamrock obtained was not a mass-produced item like the ’Deep Sea Contract’ or the ’Abyssal Contract’.
The contract and power he obtained was unique to him alone, similar to those of the initial twenty kings in the past—its name was the ’Abyssal Servant Contract’.
As the name implies.
An Abyssal Servant is one who serves the Abyss.
He is the existence closest to God, and the authority he bears not only includes ’Black Transmutation Control’, but also includes Imu’s true essential power.
That also seemed to be Imu’s positioning for Shamrock—he is a subordinate God beneath God, a unique existence.
Shamrock, who could be valued so highly by Imu, naturally wasn’t a battle maniac obsessed with fighting.
On the contrary.
He not only possessed power, but also sufficient strategy.
Take the power he was now displaying — from the moment he descended on Fish-Man Island and realized he couldn’t destroy the Sunlight Tree Eve without first eroding the ’wish’ of the Fish-Man race, he had already been working toward this.
He used Black Transmutation Control not merely to destroy Fish-Man Island, but to guard against certain unforeseen events that could happen at any time.
Just like at this very moment.
Loki could stop him, but he couldn’t stop people from generating malice and hatred in their hearts.
That malice would turn into the blade in his hand when he needed it!
"Hoo..."
Just at this moment, Shamrock, fully urging the ’Contract’ power within his body, slowly raised the rapier in his hand.
But this time, the blade was not aimed at Loki.
But rather...
VMMM!
The scattered brilliance of the Sunlight Tree Eve abruptly dimmed at this moment.
"Not good!!"
Loki also let out an exclamation of alarm at the same time.
He had already sensed what Shamrock did.
Just as mentioned before—the Sunlight Tree Eve possesses the characteristic of ’immortality’, the reason for which originates from the collective ’wish’ of the Fish-Men.
That is a wish engraved in the depths of the world, existing since the beginning of Fish-Man Island’s birth.
Relying on that wish, plus the massive amount of ’Source Energy of Lineage Factor’ within the Sunlight Tree Eve’s body, it resulted in Shamrock being unable to completely sever the Sunlight Tree Eve.
But at this moment...
That wish belonging to the Fish-Man race, engraved in the depths of the world, was briefly ’twisted’.
During the turmoil across the entire Fish-Man Island that started just now.
The sorrow when relatives were subjected to Black Transmutation Control, the pain of injuries, the fear of death, the despair over their homeland about to be destroyed, as well as the anger, hatred, and dread towards the enemy.
All of this transformed into the ’Abyss’, and was announced to the world.
Therefore...
The foundation of the Sunlight Tree Eve’s existence, that ’wish’ of the Fish-Man race, was also weakened to an unprecedentedly thin degree at this moment!
"Hell’s Paradise: Abyssal Purgatory!"
Before everyone could react, Shamrock swung the sword in his hand towards the Sunlight Tree Eve again!
And this time, an unprecedented slash burst forth.
It was no longer purely sharpness, but seemed to carry malice. While being swung out, it writhed and roared, transforming into the shape of a terrifying giant dog, pointing straight at that giant tree existing in the deep sea.
Amidst Loki’s horrified expression, the magnificent trunk of the Sunlight Tree Eve, like a pillar supporting heaven, was hit by that slash!
Crack!
Even in the deep sea, that low yet crisp sound still transmitted out incomparably clearly.
And merely a moment later...
BOOM——!
A massive hollow crack large enough to accommodate several warships shockingly appeared at the spot where the trunk was hit!
The golden tree sap was no longer a trickle, but frantically spewed out like a flood breaking a dam.
That warm, sun-like brilliance dimmed drastically, guttering and uncertain.
At the same time...
Rumble!
A deep groan rose from beneath the ground of the entire Fish-Man Island — as though the island itself was crying out.
"!!!"
Neptune, who had already come to the frontlines to command the Giants and Fish-Men in battle, turned his head with a face full of horror.
From the very center of Fish-Man Island, a massive chasm tore open, splitting outward from the base of Ryugu Palace.
Rumble!
Wherever it passed, the earth shattered and the rock layers churned.
And in the end, the entire island was completely split in two along that massive chasm!
The entire Fish-Man Island began to tilt and tremble violently. Countless buildings collapsed at this moment, and Fish-Men who hadn’t had time to evacuate, including some demon Fish-Men subjected to Black Transmutation Control, were swept into the earth fissures or the collapsing ruins.
The bubble shield enveloping Fish-Man Island also underwent violent twisting and dimming at this moment, as though it might shatter at any moment.
Seeing this scene, even Neptune couldn’t keep the despair from his face — he knew what the shattering of the bubble shield meant. Fish-Man Island would face the immense water pressure of the deep sea directly, and would inevitably sink to the seabed, crumbling into the abyss.
"Everyone, immediately save... Hm?"
Even so, as a decision-maker, Neptune still didn’t give up. Just as he was about to issue an order.
He suddenly discovered that the shattering of Fish-Man Island had actually forcefully come to a halt.
The shield, twisted nearly beyond recognition and on the verge of shattering, held. The island, split in two and listing violently, stopped collapsing — and simply hung in the deep sea, suspended at an impossible angle.
"Eve... Eve?"
Seeing this scene, Neptune reacted almost immediately.
He knew very well—whether it was Fish-Man Island’s bubble shield, the island body of the entire island, or everything existing on the entire island, they all relied on the support of the Sunlight Tree Eve’s root system.
Just now, Eve was hit by that strike and clearly suffered massive injuries that almost killed it, so much so that the entire Fish-Man Island was split in two, and even the island itself was about to collapse!
But now, Fish-Man Island was bizarrely stabilized.
This must also be a ’miracle’ that only that mother tree of the Fish-Man race could accomplish.
"Not completely dead yet?"
Shamrock, located above Fish-Man Island, whispered while panting heavily.
In his field of vision, it could be seen even more clearly.
At this time, the trunk of the Sunlight Tree Eve not only had a massive hollow split open, but that hollow and crack were even extending upwards along the trunk continuously, and countless trunk fragments crumbled and fell as a result.
The vitality of this giant tree was rapidly declining.
But it was still alive.
Shamrock could even sense that deep within this giant tree—that life born originating from the initial wish of the Fish-Man race still existed tenaciously.
Even though its life was as fragile as a spark, it still desperately held the island back from instant disintegration.
Under these circumstances, Shamrock immediately understood.
He frowned and looked at Loki.
Due to the intervention of Loki and the Giant warriors, his original plan was interrupted.
He had failed to destroy Fish-Man Island in one blow — which meant the ’Abyss’ generated by the Fish-Men’s despair never reached its peak, and so the Sunlight Tree Eve still retained its final thread of vitality.
However...
"Weakened to this extent, destruction is already a foregone conclusion."
Shamrock said disdainfully.
He didn’t swing his sword again, nor did he pay any attention to Loki, who was currently charging towards him while roaring ’You bastard’ at him.
He slowly raised his hand, and used his left hand to take out a Transponder Snail from the inner lining of his specially made armor.
"CP0, in my name, as the special ’Commander’ appointed by the World Government for this operation, order the Star Hunter Unit to mobilize immediately."
He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice.
"Tell them — by whatever means necessary, they are to enter the hollow of the Sunlight Tree Eve and destroy it from within."
(End of Chapter)
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