Chapter 342: Shadow Flow – Twin Blade Wheel Slash!

In the air, a solid, pitch-black shadow hovered midair.

Maude's voice came from within that shadowy form.

Brogy's eyes widened in shock, finding it hard to believe what he was seeing.

From what he could tell, the unleashed Hakoku Sovereignty should have engulfed both Maude's body and his shadow.

So, even if Maude switched places with his shadow, there should have been no escape from the frontal assault of Hakoku Sovereignty.

But then…

How was this possible?

"You look surprised."

Maude's voice rang out once again from within the shadow.

"I can't blame you. After all, everyone only has one shadow—that's a fundamental truth. But I'm sorry to say, the 'truth' you believe in doesn't apply to my ability."

As he spoke, the shadow hovering in midair began to swell like a balloon.

"If you ask why… maybe it's just that I'm stronger than most."

As the words fell, the engorged shadow suddenly burst apart into dozens of palm-sized shadow fragments.

These scattered shadow fragments, resembling arrows, swarmed toward Brogy from every direction like a hive of bees.

Brogy reacted swiftly, swinging his axe to swat them away.

However, compared to Brogy's massive frame, the palm-sized shadow arrows were as insignificant as a swarm of tiny insects buzzing around him—far too small to be easily deflected.

And indeed, he failed to stop them.

In mere moments, the shadow arrows pierced through his axe and scattered across his body, imprinting themselves as dark markings that resembled ink-like graffiti.

"What is this…?"

Brogy stared at the arrow-shaped markings on his body in shock. There was no pain, no sense of injury.

Just as his gaze fixed on one of the markings, Maude suddenly appeared—replacing the mark in an instant.

"Hmm?"

Seeing Maude emerge in the spot of one of the markings, Brogy's heart skipped a beat.

But Maude remained composed.

Shadow Flow – Twin Blade Wheel Slash!

With a single slash, Maude moved at blinding speed, swapping positions with each of the shadow arrow markings on Brogy's body.

In an instant, Maude's figure blurred like an illusion, his blade flashing as he zipped across Brogy's massive form—a streaking, weaving light of death.

Shhhk, shhhk, shhhk…!

Wherever that streak of light passed, sharp edges were left behind.

Before Brogy could even process what was happening, dozens of half-moon-shaped arcs of blood sprayed from his body.

It all happened in less than a second.

Brogy had no idea what had struck him.

The force behind the dozens of slashes surged through his body at once.

"Ugh…"

He let out a muffled groan, his eyes rolling back as he staggered backward two steps.

"What… what a bizarre attack…"

Those were his last words before his massive body collapsed with a thunderous crash.

This time, he might not get back up.

A stunned silence fell over the battlefield.

All eyes were on Brogy's unmoving form.

Dorry's expression shifted from shock to fury.

In the span of a single second, Maude's onslaught of slashes had turned Brogy into a bloodied mess.

The sheer loss of blood meant Brogy's life was nearing its end.

"BROGY!!"

Dorry roared.

His gaze, burning with battle spirit and bloodlust, locked onto Maude.

But Maude remained unfazed, his figure flickering as he landed atop Brogy's chest.

One execution move—Shadow Flow: Twin Blade Wheel Slash.

Thirty-two slashes in total.

Though none had struck vital points, every single one cut to the bone.

Even so, Brogy had not died immediately.

The sheer resilience and vitality of the Giants were evident.

But Maude needed to finish him off to claim his experience points.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

Dorry seemed to realize Maude's intent. He took a powerful step forward, charging toward Maude atop Brogy's chest.

Maude gripped his sword, Shusui, his gaze calm as he looked at the enraged Dorry.

"Victory decides life and death. Isn't that the battle tradition of Elbaf?"

With those words, Maude thrust his blade straight into Brogy's heart.

Under the enhancement of Armament Haki, the strike instantly severed Brogy's last thread of life.

As Brogy perished, Maude's physical attributes surged, his strength ranking leaping to seven stars.

A massive, unseen force flooded his entire body in an instant.

Crack… crack…

A strange sound echoed from within him, as though his bones and tendons were undergoing some transformation.

If Law were here, Maude might have asked him to dissect his body to see what was happening inside.

For now, he could only silently feel the power seething and surging within him—along with an understanding of Hakoku Sovereignty's mechanics and principles.

"I feel… limitless strength."

Maude withdrew his blood-soaked Shusui and looked down at his open palm.

The rewards from slaying Brogy far exceeded his expectations.

After all, past the six-star threshold, even defeating multiple foes barely nudged his progress forward.

Yet Brogy alone had filled an entire star.

Perhaps it was due to the century-long battle between Brogy and Dorry… or perhaps the sheer physical might of the Giants played a role.

"Coming here was the right choice."

With a flick of his wrist, Maude cleansed Shusui of blood.

If Brogy had granted him such gains… then what about Dorry?

Excitement flickered in his eyes.

At that moment, Dorry reached him.

His greatsword, now clad in Armament Haki, swept horizontally toward Maude in a mighty slash.

Given the situation, the most effective attack would have been a vertical strike.

Yet Dorry chose a horizontal slash—ensuring that Brogy's corpse remained unharmed.

Maude noticed Dorry's hesitation but made no move to evade.

Shhhk—

His own Armament Haki surged outward, coiling like an inky black dragon around Shusui's blade before solidifying into an impenetrable armor of darkness.

"It's faster… smoother… and even stronger."

Sensing the drastic improvement in his Haki's quality, Maude's excitement grew.

Then, he swung his blade to meet Dorry's strike head-on.

The massive disparity in size between their weapons meant nothing.

Two immense forces, amplified by Armament Haki, clashed in a cataclysmic collision.

"CLANG—!!"

The deafening impact echoed across the sky, shaking every corner of Little Garden.

A shockwave, like a raging tempest, exploded outward.

Grass and trees were uprooted, volcanoes in the distance rumbled and erupted—a truly awe-inspiring sight.

Dinosaurs, birds, beasts, even insects on the island were thrown into disarray.

Those who had witnessed Maude's strength firsthand—Cavendish, Philo, and Gaya—watched in stunned disbelief.

Elsewhere, most onlookers had already fled.

Only a handful remained, including a trembling man clutching a Transponder Snail (Den Den Mushi).

On the distant shoreline, those who had lost the battle turned toward the island, their faces filled with bewildered terror.

They had no idea what was happening.

But they were afraid.

-------

Want to read waaaay ahead of schedule? Head over to my Patreon ——— patreon(.)com/EmperorGarus [remove the parenthesis ( )]

There are more than 200 advance chapters available for you!