Shusui / Gum-Gum Fruit

This guy... is serious!!

"What's wrong? I'm a Justice Marine. Is there anything wrong with Marines killing Pirates?"

Atlas provoked casually.

He's trying to provoke me.

If Lucci dares to attack him, he has every reason to cripple this strongest CP9 member in 800 years on the spot, and he believes that even their superiors would have nothing to say.

"..."

Lucci remained silent, but his clenched fists remained closed. Even though he had mastered the Six Powers and was unmatched within CP9, as a subordinate organization of the World Government, he was well aware of the weight of the youngest Candidate Admiral in the Navy before him. This was someone he could not possibly rival.

Really...

Weakness is the original sin!

Lucci slowly loosened his fist, and the color returned to his previously pale joints, but his face remained indifferent, making Atlas wonder if the guy had facial paralysis.

"I will report it truthfully."

After saying that, Lucci turned and left. There was no point in lingering any longer. He was CP Agent, and for him, any personal grudges were secondary; only the mission mattered.

"Tch~ I thought you were going to attack me, what a pity..."

Atlas uttered a seemingly regretful sigh, but it sent chills down Lucci as he turned away.

This guy...

Want to take advantage of this opportunity to attack him?!

Lucci had no doubt that White Hou was capable of such a thing. He had heard of White Hou's reputation to some extent; the youngest Candidate Admiral, his methods were no less ruthless than Akainu's, and he was a man of extreme decisiveness!

P. S. That's all for now. I'll update the next chapter later. Visiting relatives during the Chinese New Year is really exhausting. My head is still throbbing from drinking with everyone. I barely managed to finish this chapter, so I'm going to sleep now. I can't take it anymore. I'm so sorry everyone. (;'д`)ゞ

Chapter 184 Shusui

"Lord Moria should have dealt with the invaders by now, right?"

Inside the castle, Hogback, a brilliant surgeon and a key figure in Moria's Zombie Army plan, sat at the operating table, slowly putting down his surgical instruments. The room was surrounded by a dense mass of corpses.

"Hiss! Hiss! Hiss--hiss!"

Hogback naturally heard the huge commotion coming from Thriller Bark, including the screams of that good-for-nothing Absalom. Now, everything seemed to have returned to calm, and since he didn't Observation Haki, he naturally assumed that the intruders had been dealt with by Moria.

This was based on his absolute trust in Moria's strength. Moria was a great Pirates with a bounty of 320 million, not to mention his strange Devil Fruit Ability, which was enough to control the power of the dead!

It's so exciting just thinking about it!!!

Hogback couldn't help but reveal a twisted smile, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably.

"What are you getting so excited about?"

After dealing with Moria, Atlas naturally appeared inside the castle, expressionless as he watched Hogback, who was still agitated.

The flamboyant fishnet outfit, the sharp teeth and mouth revealed by his maniacal laughter, suddenly froze, the beady sunglasses covering his eyes, and the sharp, serrated nose quickly secreting sweat. Hogback turned his head stiffly, his voice trembling slightly.

"Navy--!!?"

An ominous premonition arose in my mind.

Before he could even ask for confirmation, a vacuum bomb shot out!

Flying Finger Pistol!

Hogback felt a sudden dizziness, but the syllable stuck in his throat couldn't be uttered.

A bloody hole appeared between his eyebrows; the vacuum bomb had pierced through his entire skull.

Bang!

Hogback remained silent, his lifeless body falling backward and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Then, Atlas looked around at the corpses piled up against the wall, but their bodies were clearly not very strong, and they seemed to be just ordinary materials. Moria would not have simply stored the samurai corpses he brought back from Wano Country here.

"Go, blast that door open, Baby-5!"

Atlas pointed to the iron gate next to the hall and gave instructions to Baby-5 behind him.

"Ah~ I feel needed again, it's so wonderful!"

Baby-5 responded with a dazed look, and at the same time, her hands transformed, and a small grenade launcher appeared in front of her. Although its power was only so-so, it was more than enough to break through the iron door of the freezer.

Boom!!!

The door burst open, and a cloud of icy mist shot out, causing Baby-5, who was running straight into it, to shiver involuntarily, but her gaze remained curious as she looked toward the gradually revealed cold storage.

The very center.

A male corpse, dressed in a tattered kimono, wearing worn-out wooden clogs, and with a long, black-sheathed sword tucked at his waist, sat cross-legged.

The corpse looked very old, with its flesh and bones almost completely disintegrated. Its head was wrapped in white bandages, its nasal cavity and teeth were exposed to the air, and its face was dry and rotten, as if it would fall apart on the spot if it moved.

"Swordsman Ryuma..."

Atlas narrowed his eyes, clearly familiar with the corpse. It was obvious that Moria hadn't had time to deal with it yet and could only take good care of it for the time being.

Atlas was unaware of Swordsman 'Ryuma exploits, only knowing that he was a legendary Dragon-Slaying, and that, according to Kozaburo, the Futsu-no-Mitama in his possession was also somewhat related to Ryuma.

Rinse!

Atlas flicked his finger, and the Ryuma's corpse rose from the ground, motionless, and moved sideways in front of Atlas, completely defying gravity.

"Wow--!!"

The sudden appearance of the corpse caught Baby-5 completely off guard; after all, she was still just a child, even though she had received some training from the Donquixote Family.

"I'll accept the Famous Sword, Shusui..."

Atlas's gaze lingered briefly on the black-sheathed longsword at Ryuma's waist before he continued, "In return, I will take good care of your remains."

Atlas wasn't the type to take things for free, so it was only reasonable for him to take Ryuma's sword and help him with his affairs after his death.

Of course, Atlas already has the Supreme Grade Sword - Futsu-no-Mitama, so the Black Blade Shusui is actually too useless for him. But if Zoro needs it in the future, he can give it to Zoro.

After all.

A good saddle deserves a good horse!

Clang!

With the Shusui in hand, Atlas curiously drew his longsword.

Held in hand, the weight of the Shusui is heavier than that of an ordinary Famous Sword. The spine of the blade is relatively thick, the blade is a chaotic reverse T-shape, and the body is blackish-purple with red serrated patterns. It looks extremely hard, and its sturdiness is even comparable to that of Atlas's Futsu-no-Mitama.

"Tsk tsk, truly worthy of being Black Blade forged from Armament Haki..."

Perhaps the original quality of Shusui was not exceptional, let alone Atlas's Futsu-no-Mitama, but after being forged into Black Blade, it immediately became one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Swords.

"Alright, let's head straight back to Marine Headquarters now."

Atlas glanced at a small, slightly raised mound in the corner of the Thriller Bark, brushed off imaginary dust, and turned to Baby-5.

"Besides..."

"Little friend, you've been following us all this way, are you tired?"

The words had barely left his mouth.

A little girl with pink pigtails and round eyes timidly emerged from behind a big tree.

She was dressed as an ordinary little girl, clutching a huge plush doll tightly in her hands, looking innocently at Atlas and Baby-5.

"Hey! What's your name?"

At first, I was startled, then I saw Baby-5, who was the same age as me, running excitedly towards the little girl.

Still silent, the little girl held her palm forward, and a cute little ghost emerged from her palm, rushing rapidly towards Baby-5!

"Since nobody needs me, I might as well die. I don't deserve to live in this world..."

The baby-5, who had been hopping and skipping, suddenly collapsed and knelt on the ground, uttering some dejected words.

Negative Hollow!

The little girl is Paramecia Ghost-Ghost Devil Fruit User. If someone is touched by Negative Hollow she creates, their mind will become extremely negative.

"Your name is Perona, right? Would you like to come back with us?"

Upon seeing this, Atlas put on an innocent smile.

"..."

Without speaking, Perona remained silent, watching Atlas, and there were already faint signs of ghosts gathering in her hands.

P. S. Sorry it's late. Updates may be delayed, but they will never be absent.

Chapter 185 Gum-Gum Fruit

~~

Another Negative Hollow shot out, very fast, but Atlas could easily dodge it with his reflexes. However, Atlas did not make any dodging movements, letting the white phantom pass right through him.

"Huh!!? I..."

Atlas's expression changed, as if something was about to slip out, but the power of the Sheep Talisman flashed by, forcefully suppressing the impulse, as if it were just his imagination.

Really...

Both the Hollow-Hollow Fruit and the Hobby-Hobby Fruit are considered overpowered Paramecia -type abilities, essentially rule-based powers. However, the Hobby-Hobby Fruit seems to be even more abnormal. In fact, even without the Sheep Talisman's power, Atlas could have resisted for a while with his Conqueror's Haki's Haki, at least without being in a sorry state in front of others.

Meanwhile, a strange light flashed in the eyes of the silent Perona not far away. Ever since she obtained this ability, no one has ever been immune to her ghost attacks, not even Moria, who had just found her not long ago.

"Come with me to the Navy, little one?"

Atlas invited her again, Perona had only been with Moria for a short time, and their relationship wasn't that deep yet. Naturally, she wouldn't harbor resentment towards Atlas because of Moria's death; she was just a somewhat withdrawn little girl at the moment.

"..."

Perhaps due to the shock she had received, Perona didn't possess the cheerful demeanor she would later display as Ghost Princess, but she still nodded slightly.

"Alright, let's set off immediately. Destination: Marine Headquarters!!!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the Thriller Bark, which had been slowly moving forward in the Calm Belt, suddenly rose into the air, raising a large white spray. This caused Baby-5, who had just returned to normal, to exclaim in surprise, and even Perona couldn't help but cast a surprised glance at Atlas.

This man is so special...

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The Thriller Bark, controlled by Atlas, did not dock at the port, but hovered directly above Marineford, casting an almost overwhelming shadow over the guarding navy, causing them to gasp in alarm.

"Hey! What the hell is that?!"

"Is this an island or a ship?! I've never seen a ship of such enormous size before!"

"Could it be that Golden Lion guy coming to Marine Headquarters again?"

"Idiot, the Golden Lion was already executed by Vice Admiral White Hou, and the flag on the mast belongs to our navy!!"

Fortunately, Atlas had the foresight to have the two little girls quickly make a naval flag. Otherwise, if a ship of unknown origin suddenly appeared in Marineford, it would probably cause great panic, and Sengoku would probably blame him again.

Not only the marines on duty, but also the CP9 agent in charge on a ship bearing the World Government's insignia below, narrowed his eyes, a hint of apprehension in his expression.

This kind of cataclysmic power...

Swish!!

After hovering the Thriller Bark, Atlas appeared at the harbor with Baby-5. Soon, a colonel Colonel duty jogged over; they recognized him.

The man before you is none other than the most sought-after rising Navy Supernova in the Marine Headquarters, Candidate Admiral White Hou, an absolute high-ranking figure in the Navy!

"Your Excellency Lieutenant Vice Admiral, what are your orders?"

The captain Colonel duty ran over and saluted Atlas with a serious expression. Their duties as naval officers on duty naturally included receiving high-ranking officers.

"... People from the Cipher Pol?"

Atlas, who was about to wave his hand in refusal, suddenly focused his gaze, which shifted to the World Government's ships docked in the port, and... the CP Agent seemed to harbor some hostility towards him?

This guy...