Chapter 69 : Feast

Just as Piecro's Death Scythe was about to strike Z, Z suddenly lifted his head. 

A cold light flashed in his eyes. In an instant, Z's body turned into a shadow and lunged toward Piecro! 

Piecro wanted to end the fight quickly, but Z had been waiting for the perfect moment to strike back. 

"I've figured out your power!" 

"Forbidden Secret Technique: Instant Prison Shadow Killing Formation!" 

Z shouted as he turned completely into a shadow, and his sword also became one with the darkness. Together with his Shadow Clone, he attacked, leaving countless cuts all over Piecro's body! 

The shadow energy mixed with Armament Haki kept slicing and crushing Piecro, but he just sneered. 

"I am death itself. I cannot be killed," 

Piecro said darkly, his scarlet eyes glowing with a deadly aura. His entire presence exuded decay and rot. 

When Piecro uses his Devil Fruit ability, he becomes just like an actual undead being. He cannot die unless every part of his body is destroyed. Otherwise, attacks that would kill most people are useless against him. 

Suddenly, Piecro extended his pale left hand and grabbed Z's arm. 

With his right hand, he swung the Death Scythe upside down, stabbing it through both their bodies at once. 

"Got you!" 

Piecro relied on the immortality his Undead Fruit granted him to eliminate opponents who were even slightly stronger than him. 

The sharp blade of the Death Scythe pierced through both Z and Piecro. 

But there was no trace of blood from Z; instead, he gave a slight smirk as his body turned into black mist and faded away. 

"Did you really think you could catch a shadow?" 

Z's deep voice echoed from behind Piecro. He then leaped backward, narrowly avoiding Piecro's next slash after pulling out the scythe! 

"Heh heh heh," 

"What an interesting power... Is it a higher-level form of the Shadow-Shadow Fruit?" 

Piecro grinned, but his confidence was gone. 

"What a troublesome opponent. Should I stop here?" 

"I'm still busy heading to a party." 

"The vast sea can accommodate two powerful assassin groups, can't it?" 

Piecro proposed a temporary truce as the battles between the Black Swordsman Freddy and Tyrone were also at a standstill. 

Of course, the idea of sharing power was a joke. 

As the ruler of the assassin world, Piecro had no intention of sharing his title with anyone. He only wanted to buy time. 

Then, with the help of Happy Street, he planned to completely crush Shadow Stream! 

The Funeral Parlor and Happy Street recently allied to destroy Shadow Stream after Big Mom's tea party. 

Learning about Shadow Stream's current strength, Piecro thought it might be worth bringing in more allies for their complete annihilation. 

Lu Feld, the Loan Shark King, had always wanted to harness the Funeral Parlor's strength. 

Loan sharking required strong enforcers for intimidation, persuasion, and forceful collections. 

But time was running out. 

Z, hearing Piecro's offer for a ceasefire, stayed silent. 

He turned away and began walking slowly toward the battlefield where Freddy and Tyrone were fighting. 

Moments later, with the wind's whisper, Piecro returned from his undead state to normal form. 

A surge of shadow energy erupted from Piecro's body.

Before he could react, his entire form exploded into a mist of blood!

"The ignorant always meet their end!"

His limbs scattered, and Piecro's severed head rolled across the ground, his eyes wide with shock.

The Undead Fruit gives its user the power to become a dead body, making them immune to most lethal injuries.

Once they turn back into a living form, any damage taken while in the undead state quickly heals or disappears completely.

However, there is a major flaw. If someone stays in their undead state for too long, the power of the undead begins to consume them.

Eventually, they will be unable to turn back into a living body and will remain as an undead forever—losing all sense of touch, decaying, and becoming a true walking corpse.

With Piecro's death, Black Swordsman Freddy saw his blood-soaked head and unleashed a fierce slash, driving Talon away and halting their battle temporarily.

"Just like Dracula, are you making the same mistake?"

"No Devil Fruit power is invincible. Why did you make this error too?"

Freddy spoke coldly, showing no emotion as he gripped his massive sword, Demon Slayer.

"In the end, on this sea, the only thing you can rely on is your blade,"

After these words, Freddy fell silent. He looked at Blade Shadow Tai Lung and Shadow Stream leader Z as they closed in. He slowly sheathed his sword with a scrape.

Then, meeting Z's gaze, he said seriously:

"We have no reason to keep fighting."

"The title of King of Killers belongs to you now."

"And as the new ruler of the dark world, maybe you'll find my sword useful."

Freddy had followed Piecro because Piecro satisfied his bloodlust. When Piecro was alive, Freddy was his deadliest weapon.

But now, Piecro was gone.

Black Swordsman Freddy decided it was time to find a new leader to follow.

Lord Z of Shadow Stream, who had defeated Piecro, seemed worthy.

In the world of assassins, loyalty is rare. Most are simply in it for money.

"Welcome to the team, True Shadow,"

Z said quietly after considering it for a moment.

Tai Lung, Bonbori, and the others sheathed their weapons.

Meanwhile, a transparent green bird dissolved into the wind, fading from sight.

With Freddy's powerful combat strength, Z had no reason to refuse him.

Shadow Stream was, after all, a killer organization. Strong killers were needed to handle missions of all kinds.

Z, Tai Lung, and Bonbori were already stretched thin.

Moreover, Z needed Freddy's help to fully take over the Funeral Parlor.

The Undertaker, being the most feared assassin group in the pirate world, had operatives scattered across the seas.

Those who died today on this unknown island alongside Piecro were just a small part of their forces.

Time passed quietly. Over on Cake Island, laughter and merriment continued. The place seemed like a dreamy paradise, full of endless food and rivers of milk.

To ordinary people, Cake Island was like a legendary promised land.

Little did they know it was ruled by Big Mom, one of the most unpredictable and cruel Four Emperors.

A grand feast was about to begin!