It was dawn the day he left the Shimotsuki Village.
A fine morning mist enveloped the sea, and the air was filled with a damp, salty smell.
Tsukasa Yuu stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the infinite sea in the distance, his hands clasped behind his back, his black suit gently fluttering in the breeze.
He had borrowed money from Genzo to buy it before setting sail, and it certainly made him look impressive.
Of course, he had never intended to repay it.
His silhouette seemed calm and composed, but in this silent atmosphere, an undeniable sense of oppression emanated from him.
Kuina's Shadow stood by his side, her form still in a semi-solid and transparent state, but the "Wado Ichimonji Shadow" she held in her hand emitted a palpable cold gleam.
She silently watched the village gradually fading away, a barely detectable hint of sadness in her eyes.
That's right, Kuina's Shadow was separated independently and generally did not need to be stored in Tsukasa Yuu's Shadow.
It was just that she was different from other extracted shadows; she joined the crew as an official member, and Tsukasa Yuu had high expectations for her.
"What?" Tsukasa Yuu's voice was calm but seemed to pierce people's hearts, "Do you regret?"
"Regret?" Kuina raised her eyes, slightly raising an eyebrow, "The only thing I regret is dying too soon."
Tsukasa Yuu looked at her with a half-smile, saying nothing.
He liked this kind of reaction: reluctance, obsession, ambition!
These were all essential qualities for a "Shadow" serving as an official member of the crew.
Any Shadow without hope or obsession was ultimately just a dead thing.
Before leaving, Tsukasa Yuu casually picked up a local newspaper.
The headline on the front page boldly proclaimed:
"A Mysterious Shadow Island Appears! The Marines are on Alert!"
The photo accompanying the article showed an island shrouded in mist, vaguely exuding a sinister aura.
"The Shadow Island? Isn't that the deserted island where I just transmigrated to?" he murmured, "The Marines are quite good at naming places."
Kuina's gaze thoughtfully swept over the newspaper, "Did you do that?"
Given Tsukasa Yuu's Devil Fruit ability, it wasn't difficult to guess, but changing the entire topography of an island was something she had never anticipated.
"That's right, it happened days ago, and they only discover it now."
Another piece of news reported an unexplained attack in the East Blue sea area, resulting in the mysterious disappearance of several ships, with no survivors.
It wasn't just commercial ships; it even included many pirate ships!
Below was a blurry sketch depicting the back of a colossal creature, its tail fin seemingly causing endless waves.
The local Marines stationed there suspected a connection to the formation of the "Shadow Island" and warned the public not to set sail recently.
Tsukasa Yuu chuckled, crumpling the newspaper into a ball.
"The Shadow Island? Those Marine idiots, panicking over nothing."
However, the other piece of news interested him a lot.
The East Blue sea area isn't peaceful? It wasn't him.
It seems there are other interesting types hidden in this sea area.
A amused smile appeared on Tsukasa Yuu's lips, and instead of avoiding the so-called dangerous sea area, he actively had the Shadow wander into the areas where the incidents had occurred.
A high-level hunter often appears in the form of prey.
...
At night, the sea was black as ink, with only a few scattered stars to illuminate it.
Tsukasa Yuu lay on the deck, letting the sea breeze ruffle his hair.
At that moment, he was still pondering who, in this world, was qualified to be his second official crew member?
And they had to be deceased?
If it was to match the Straw Hat crew...
Wouldn't they need a cook? Shadows don't eat, but he himself must eat; a man is made of iron, food is made of steel, he'll get hungry if he skips a meal...
Wouldn't they need a helmsman? It's too undignified for the Captain to steer the ship himself, and even with a system map for long journeys, it's still very tiring without a professional navigator...
Wouldn't they need a ship's doctor? As long as he doesn't die, his Shadows won't perish, so he can't pass away...
A repairman...
A musician...
A navigator...
Thinking about all this almost gave him a headache...
"Boom—"
Suddenly, the ship shook violently, and a deafening crash came from the stern!
"What's happening?" Kuina's Shadow instantly appeared next to Tsukasa Yuu, the Wado Ichimonji Shadow in her hand gleaming coldly.
Tsukasa Yuu stood up and walked towards the stern, and in the faint starlight, he saw a colossal creature thrashing in the sea!
It was twice as large as the Sea King, covered in hard scales shimmering with a metallic sheen.
Its huge eyes were filled with anger and hatred, glaring intensely at Tsukasa Yuu.
Tsukasa Yuu's pupils suddenly contracted, and the system interface flashed frantically:
**"Quest: Kill the Sea King!"**
**"Target: Sea King (Father of the Sea King)"**
**"Combat Power Ranking: B!"**
**"Characteristics: Scale Hardening, Fury of the Depths"**
**"Quest Reward: 2000 Experience Points, 20,000 Points!"**
Apparently, Luffy had killed the Sea King when he set sail, triggering the indiscriminate revenge of its father.
Tsukasa Yuu stood with his hands in his coat pockets, showing no signs of tension, but rather as if he were watching a monster show.
"Hoh, bigger than I imagined, quite interesting."
"Captain."
A calm and indifferent voice suddenly sounded, Kuina stood on the deck, her expression wary.
Tsukasa Yuu, with a light step, gracefully stepped back half a step.
Faced with Kuina's tense and vigilant gaze, he lazily said, "Kuina, I leave this monster to you."
"Huh?" Kuina was slightly surprised, a rare hint of confusion appearing on her delicate face, "Me?"
Tsukasa Yuu spread his hands, "Of course it's you, I'm a hammer!"
Kuina fell silent for a moment, seeming to want to retort, but upon seeing Tsukasa Yuu's lazy eyes, she suddenly understood that this man was simply too lazy to act.
"Alright." Taking a deep breath, she twirled her sword, her tone becoming resolute, "I'll take care of it."
Tsukasa Yuu prepared to watch a good show, "Don't worry, with me here, no matter how many times you die, you can always come back, go for it!"
In the end, it was because Tsukasa Yuu, having eaten the Shadow Fruit, wasn't skilled in fighting in water.
But the Shadows were; the Shadows could detach from the physical body and reflect on the water's surface, unaffected by the Devil Fruit's curse.
That's why he chose to let Kuina handle it.
Kuina stomped her foot, and her shadow, like a ghost, charged directly at the colossal creature in the sea.
In the sea, the Sea King seemed to sense the threat and suddenly struck its tail fin with force, raising monstrous waves, seemingly wanting to crush the Shadow, the ship, and the crew into fragments.
"Tss, quite clever."
Tsukasa Yuu's Shadow extended, enveloping the entire deck, forming a thick layer of Shadow protection, as he calmly watched the seawater strike the Shadow curtain like a waterfall.
Soon, Kuina's Shadow was already engaged in a fierce battle with the giant beast.
The Wado Ichimonji Shadow emitted a clear and cold sword hum, cutting horizontally and vertically!