By this time, the battle had long concluded.
The battered deck was empty, with only a few scattered chefs cleaning up the mess.
Zeff sat at a table, puffing on a cigarette, his face terribly grim.
Zoro was severely injured in his duel with Hawkeye, looking as if he had lost too much blood and could die at any moment.
Even more ironically, Hawkeye had only used a small knife from beginning to end.
Despite that, the current Zoro was completely outmatched.
"Everyone! I'm back!" Nami waved, her voice carrying a hint of fatigue but still full of vitality.
Luffy turned his head, a characteristic goofy grin on his rubber-like face: "Nami! Where did you go? We almost thought you ran away!"
"Ah? I just went to see the scenery…" Nami replied somewhat guiltily, her gaze flickering.
"Oh, I see! I understand." Luffy grinned, completely oblivious to Nami's unusual behavior.
Zoro leaned against the mast, bandages wrapped around his injured body.
He had woken from unconsciousness, but his eyes were still cold, though his breathing was noticeably rapid, clearly indicating he was enduring intense pain.
It was evident that he detested his current weakness.
"What happened just now?" Nami asked cautiously.
Sanji exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, looking at Nami with complex eyes, and said in a deep voice: "He was taught a lesson by the World's Greatest Swordsman."
"World's Greatest Swordsman?" Nami's eyes widened, a look of disbelief on her face.
"Even so, I believe Zoro will surpass him one day!" Luffy said.
At this moment, Sanji also made up his mind, deciding to join the Straw Hat Crew.
After kneeling to bid farewell to his benefactor Zeff, he boarded the ship and sailed with everyone towards Cocoyasi Village.
Nami looked worriedly at Zoro, discovering that his wound seemed to be bleeding again, and a large part of the bandage was already stained red.
"Zoro!" Nami rushed over to check, "Why did your injury worsen again?"
Zoro gave her a cold glance: "Don't meddle, I'm not going to die."
"Shut up! How can you speak to the beautiful Miss Nami like that!" Sanji fumed.
At this, Nami suddenly started to cry.
She looked at her companions' concerned eyes, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
Her eyes welled up, tears streamed down, and she choked out: "I'm sorry… I'm sorry everyone… I lied to you…"
Luffy looked bewildered, scratching his head: "Nami? What's wrong? What happened?"
Nami cried even harder, intermittently revealing Arlong's evil deeds and her deal with Arlong.
She even confessed her original intention to steal the going merry, crying like a helpless child.
Zoro listened, his brows tightly furrowed, his wounds seemingly throbbing with pain.
Sanji was utterly shocked, his cigarette falling to the deck unnoticed.
Usopp's mouth hung open, unable to speak for a long time.
Luffy, meanwhile, looked incredulous; he couldn't understand why Nami had to endure such immense pain.
"That bastard Arlong! How dare he bully Nami!" Luffy roared, his rubber-like fist slamming heavily onto the deck with a dull thud.
"Luffy…" Nami looked up, her eyes misty with tears, "I… I'm really scared…"
"Don't be afraid, Nami! We will definitely defeat Arlong and help you reclaim your village!" Luffy said firmly, his eyes gleaming with determination.
"That's right! Nami-san! We will definitely help you get revenge!" Sanji also said excitedly, his eyes filled with fury.
"Yes, Nami! We are all your companions! We will always support you!" Usopp also bravely stated.
Although Zoro did not speak, his clenched fists and resolute gaze already conveyed his stance.
…
On a small boat not far away, Gin, poisoned and pale-faced, was laboriously rowing, carrying the unconscious Krieg on his back.
The small boat was packed with Krieg's remaining subordinates, each one dejected, like stray dogs.
Almost simultaneously, the Shadow appeared like a ghost from another direction, silently approaching Krieg's small boat.
On the sail, a ferocious skull emblem flapped in the sea breeze—it was Cheng Xiaoyu's Shadow.
Cheng Xiaoyu stood at the bow, his figure shrouded in darkness, like the arrival of the Grim Reaper.
"Demon Gin, you are indeed quite loyal." Cheng Xiaoyu's tone carried a hint of appreciation.
"Who's there?!" Gin shouted in terror, but he was already powerless to resist.
When he saw Cheng Xiaoyu's face clearly, he instantly recalled their encounter at the restaurant that morning, where they had almost clashed.
"It's you…" Gin's voice was filled with disbelief.
"Yes, we meet again." Cheng Xiaoyu replied.
"Guina, Kuro, are you ready?"
"Ready at any moment." Guina and Kuro replied in unison.
"Good, then let's act. There's no need for mercy against pirates who commit all sorts of evil!"
"Yes!"
He snapped his fingers, and countless dark figures flew out from the Shadow, surging like a black tide towards Krieg's small boat.
"Ah! What is that?!"
"Monsters! They're monsters!"
Krieg's defeated remnants were terrified, scattering in all directions, but they could not escape the Shadow's encirclement.
Screams and wails rose and fell, and the small boat instantly became a living hell.
Within a few minutes, the entire small boat was slaughtered by the Shadow army.
Blood stained the seawater, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
The system's voice rang in Cheng Xiaoyu's mind:
[Krieg Pirate Crew Combat Captain Demon Gin, bounty 12 million Berries!]
[Krieg Pirate Crew Admiral, Leader Krieg, bounty 17 million Berries!]
[Total 29 million Berries! Gained 29000 experience points, leveled up to 38!]
"Demon Gin, I appreciate your loyalty and integrity."
Cheng Xiaoyu looked at Gin's Shadow, "Become my Shadow, and I will make you stronger."
"Arise!"
Gin's Shadow trembled slightly, seemingly struggling, but ultimately submitted to Cheng Xiaoyu's immense power.
[Successfully extracted Shadow: Gin (Combat Rating B-rank / A-rank growth)]
[Successfully extracted Shadow: Krieg (Combat Rating B-rank / B-rank growth)]
As for Krieg, Cheng Xiaoyu did not turn him into an independent Shadow after extraction.
"Your ambition and strength are not worth mentioning; instead, I'll use your Shadow to strengthen my Shadow!"
The next second, Krieg's Shadow was absorbed into the Shadow's hull, and at the same time, several heavy cannons and machine guns were mounted on the Shadow.
[Shadow, Shadow Turret × 3, firepower upgrade complete!]