The Stolen Shadows
"Was it a matter of fate, or was his death imminent?" Sengoku murmured to himself as he stood on the warship, gazing into the depths of the Misty Sea.
At this moment, the sea area that was once a battlefield has been completely transformed into a frozen wasteland, with all the warships frozen solid in the ice, unable to be dismantled in the slightest.
About half an hour ago, a sudden snowstorm brutally interrupted all the fighting and killing here.
The John Pirates, who were in the middle of the sea, were blown into the sky by the nascent whirlwind.
Immediately afterwards, a large number of snowflakes were drawn by the strong winds, causing the air temperature to drop rapidly. The cold wind blew across the surging waves, freezing them into beautiful ice sculptures in an instant.
At that time, Sengoku and Tsuru faced a choice: either take the opportunity to pursue the John Pirates and cut off all their escape routes, or turn back to protect the entire fleet from the storm's devastation.
This choice varies from person to person, but if Sengoku and the others were to choose, there would only be one outcome: abandon the John Pirates and fight against the power of heaven and earth with all their might!
In this world, only those with combat power at the top level like his can contend with natural disasters.
Because top-tier power is itself equivalent to a natural disaster!
The enormous golden Buddha, filled with compassion, shielded the entire fleet behind it, unleashing its immense power to create a massive impact and directly confront the icy blizzard!
Such a magnificent scene was deeply imprinted in the minds of all the marines present, and at that moment, everyone who looked at the back of the golden Buddha felt a sense of security.
This is their Admiral! This is the navy's pinnacle of combat power!
"Even John wouldn't have escaped unscathed from being swept up in such a massive storm, let alone with the injuries we inflicted on him."
Crane calmly crossed her arms and spoke, exuding the aura of a mature and sophisticated woman despite being only forty-three years old.
Her skin was as delicate and fair as a young girl's, her figure was stunningly perfect, her hair was styled in a chic ponytail, and her eyes were full of heroic spirit.
Coupled with her formidable strength and superior status, she has become the undisputed supreme goddess of the Marine Headquarters over the past few decades!
"I just feel it's a pity." Sengoku shook his head and sighed.
If it weren't for this unexpected storm, capturing John and wiping out the entire John Pirates would have been a certainty.
But now John is missing, his fleet has suffered countless casualties, and even a Vice Admiral has been killed, which can be described as a heavy loss.
There's nothing you can do about it; that's just how the climate is on the Grand Line. No matter how clever you are or how well you plan, you can't predict the weather here.
"Sengoku Admiral! Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
At this moment, Rear Admiral Dewitt helped the weakened Vice Admiral Cornell over, followed by a dozen or so officers with grim faces, and about thirty junior marines with terrified expressions.
Among them were First-Class Seaman, sergeants, and lieutenants. Although their ranks were different, they all had one terrifying commonality: they had no shadows!
Sengoku and Tsuru noticed this the moment they saw them.
Sengoku frowned and looked at Vice Admiral Cornell, asking, "What happened? Where are your shadows?"
"He was cut off by a John Pirates," Cornell said bitterly, recounting his encounter with Moria in detail.
At that time, the devilish-looking fellow snatched the large Green Bean from his palm, then used the big scissors to cut off his own shadow, and swallowed it whole.
Then he took out the remaining dozen or so Green Beans and the last large Green Bean from his coat pocket, and then took out three more Green Beans to feed himself.
But this amount of treatment was only enough to keep them afloat; they had no strength to resist further.
Before leaving, Moria specifically told him the precaution of not being directly exposed to sunlight after his shadow was cut off.
And jokingly told Cornell to live a good life!
"Cut off the shadow and devour the shadow -Paramecia user?" Vice Admiral Tsuru said, stroking his chin with his right hand.
"Aren't all the John Pirates non-Devil Fruit users? How come someone like this suddenly appeared?"
Sengoku asked, "Did he mention his name?" Given what has happened, a bounty should be issued immediately.
"No," Cornell replied, shaking his head helplessly.
Is this the person?
Just then, Lieutenant Vice Admiral Amyz, commander of the G-2 Branch, walked over, and a clear projection of Moria appeared in front of him.
He had seen Moria on the battlefield before, so he could copy him using the Phantom-Phantom Fruit.
"It's him, no doubt!" Cornell nodded, while the Marines behind him, who had also lost their shadows, glared angrily at Moria's phantom.
Sengoku nodded. Clear images would be fine, but issuing a bounty would be pointless now. All they could do was have Cornell and the others return to the cabin and be careful not to be exposed to direct sunlight.
Just then, the crane suddenly looked up at the cloud-covered sky and the even darker depths of the Misty Sea in the distance.
"Do you think this whole thing might have been orchestrated by this person?"
"What?" Sengoku looked over in confusion, and Tsuru voiced his thoughts, "Remember the anonymous intelligence we received before?"
"Why did the John Pirates hide so well for six years, only to have their whereabouts suddenly leaked out a few months ago?"
"And the final battle took place in this sunless sea?"
Her series of rhetorical questions made Sengoku immediately understand the deeper meaning behind them.
"You mean, this ability user who suddenly appeared in John Pirates orchestrated this battle in order to obtain Cornell and the others' shadows!"
"More than that." Crane shook his head, his gaze lingering on the sea shrouded in thick gray fog.
"He might not have been interested in just the shadow of Vice Admiral Cornell and his group, or rather, I feel that his initial target wasn't Vice Admiral Cornell and his group."
Sengoku was silent for a moment, then sighed, "It must be John and the others!"
"If all of this is true, then this young man is extraordinary; he will surely be a formidable figure in the future."
He gently brushed aside her bangs, which had been tousled by the sea breeze, and suddenly smiled beautifully, saying, "But on the bright side, it might not be a bad thing for now."
Sengoku nodded, understanding her meaning. The consequences of having such a venomous snake, hidden so deep, following John Pirates were predictable.
Not to mention, John and his companions were in a precarious situation at the moment.
"Let's think about how to deal with Vice Admiral Cornell and his men. And should we tell Vidal about this?" Crane said.
After this incident, Cornell is certainly no longer able to serve as the commander of the G-8 Branch.
"Tell him. Hiding this kind of thing isn't a good thing. I just hope he can handle everything calmly."
"After all, he has a long future ahead of him," Sengoku said softly, thinking of Vidal's appearance.
Meanwhile, deep within the Misty Sea, above a gloomy island, a nearly disintegrated ship was thrown from the sky and finally shattered completely in a dense forest.
Then, figures clad in various armors fell one after another like dumplings, some lucky enough to land on lush, green trees, others crashing to the ground and never to live again.
However, some skilled individuals can regain their balance in mid-air, performing a few somersaults to dissipate the force of their weight and land steadily.
Moreover, there were quite a few such people; nearly twenty or thirty individuals demonstrated excellent reaction skills and successfully survived the fall from a great height.
Where is this?
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