Boom!
The rain was pouring down harder, accompanied by thunder and lightning, as if heralding an even greater storm to come.
Curls, holding a “Black Umbrella” in his hand, slowly approached the villa on the west side of Loguetown.
The villa was blue and white, covering several hundred square meters, with a separate grassy garden and a pool inside, very spacious and luxurious.
Outside was a black iron fence, with sharp-eyed guards at the gate, ensuring high security.
As Curls arrived, the iron gate opened, and the guard greeted him respectfully.
“Welcome home, young master!”
Curls nodded slightly and continued along the smooth path.
Entering the villa’s hall, he retracted his Devil Fruit ability.
The “Black Umbrella” vanished from his hand!
Inside the villa, the most eye-catching feature was a white crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.
Directly below the chandelier was a ten-meter dining table covered with a red tablecloth. The walls on both sides were adorned with paintings and oil lamps, exuding an air of nobility and wealth.
This villa was Curls’ new home.
Not long ago.
Curls’ family had lived in an old district. The sudden move to the villa began a month ago.
Curls was born into an ordinary family.
His mother had passed away early, and his father worked at a brewery, earning just enough to sustain the three of them.
One day, while the brewery was on holiday, his father decided to dig a cellar at home for storage.
So, Curls and his father started digging, but after digging a few meters, they discovered an ancient chest buried for a hundred years.
It was the lifelong fortune of their ancestor, Count Charlotte!
In an instant, Curls’ family went from ordinary to wealthy, explaining why they now lived in a villa.
However, the greatest treasure in the chest was not the gold and gems, but a “Devil Fruit” in a smaller box.
Inside the box with the Devil Fruit was a letter from their ancestor.
The text, though somewhat blurred, was decipherable. The gist was:
After obtaining the Devil Fruit, Count Charlotte used his noble influence to learn that it was a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit:
The “Shadow Fruit”!
Count Charlotte was wary of the Devil Fruit’s power, but given its immense value, he chose to leave it with his fortune instead of trading it away.
Whether to eat the Devil Fruit was left for the descendants who discovered the treasure to decide.
As a transmigrator.
Since arriving in the world of pirates, Curls had been preparing to become stronger.
Thus, upon confirming it was a Devil Fruit, Curls didn’t hesitate and consumed the extremely bitter Shadow Fruit.
He naturally gained the powers and abilities of the Shadow Fruit.
The tangible Black Umbrella he wielded earlier was a manifestation of his control over shadow power.
As an extremely rare Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, the Shadow Fruit’s power wasn’t just about controlling shadows. Its greatest uniqueness lay in communicating with and using necromantic forces.
Curls now had a special ability:
“Shadow Summon!”
This ability allowed him to summon the shadows left by deceased beings, transforming them into loyal “Shadow Soldiers.”
These summoned Shadow Soldiers retained the abilities of the original beings and could engage in real combat, making them very powerful.
This ability was very similar to the Shadow Monarch’s skill in the Korean comic “Solo Leveling” that Curls had read in his previous life.
So, Curls also established that initially cringe-worthy but later epic command:
“Arise!”
Under the light of the crystal chandelier, Curls’ shadow began to change, and a unique black shadow emerged from it!
“Go check if dinner is ready. I’m a bit hungry,” Curls instructed the summoned Shadow Soldier.
The black shadow didn’t respond but turned and walked towards the kitchen.
In this.
Curls could only express helplessness.
This Shadow Soldier was summoned from a deceased vagrant and only followed the summoner’s commands, making it quite low-level.
To have high-level Shadow Soldiers, he hoped to encounter the corpses of powerful beings in the future.
For instance, Whitebeard, Little Oars Jr., and the swordmaster Ryuma from Thriller Bark who would die in the Summit War three years later.
…
Ten minutes later, dinner began.
On the rectangular dining table were lamb chops, prawns, roast meat, stews, and other delicious foods.
At the head of the table sat Curls’ father, Charlotte Ronald, dressed in a dark blue tailcoat with a bow tie at the collar, looking spirited.
Curls sat on the left side of the table, across from a twelve-year-old blonde girl, his sister, Charlotte Wilcia.
Wilcia wore a white dress, her fair skin and golden hair inherited from their mother, making her look like a little noble princess.
“Mm, let’s eat.”
Seeing everything ready, Ronald spoke.
However, he couldn’t help but adjust his somewhat tight bow tie, still not quite accustomed to their sudden leap from commoners to billionaires.
Curls noticed his sister eating only a half-meter-long steak and asked, “Why aren’t you eating much today? No appetite?”
Wilcia, while answering, picked up her knife and fork and started eating the huge steak on her plate.
“Brother is going to the Marine base as a new recruit tomorrow. Thinking about not seeing you for a long time makes me a bit sad… Mm.”
In the world of pirates.
Some special people had enormous appetites, unable to be satisfied even by several cows. Curls’ sister, Wilcia, was one of them.
This was why their father’s salary as a senior brewery employee previously only sufficed to sustain the three of them.
Curls comforted her, “The new recruit training lasts for three months. After becoming an official Marine, I’ll have time to come back.”
“Three months, that’s so long!”
Wilcia was still a bit disappointed, but with her mouth full of steak, her fair little face puffed up, making her look cute.
“Don’t worry, three months will pass quickly. Then I’ll take you to the famous Baratie, the sea restaurant in East Blue, to eat the best and most expensive food there. How about that?”
“Really?”
“Of course, when have I ever lied to you!”
“Great!”
…
After dinner.
Curls returned to his room.
Opening the door, the room was pitch black. He skillfully reached out to turn on the wall switch.
Click!
A clear sound rang out.
The room lit up with bright light.
This was the current mainstream gas lamp in Loguetown, said to be invented by a designer from the Grand Line. While not as bright as electric lights from his previous life, it wasn’t far off.
The pirate world had a twisted tech tree due to the varying environments and influences of different islands.
Some islands remained in the most primitive times, while others had developed civilizations with some advanced technologies…
This was not uncommon.
Curls’ room was simply furnished, with a black desk opposite the bed and a large wardrobe with a dressing mirror on the right.
Apart from that, there were just a few miscellaneous items.
Entering the room, Curls took off his shirt and began working out.
Through the large dressing mirror, he could see his well-defined muscles clearly.
This was the result of his consistent training since he was twelve.
Curls’ physical strength now far exceeded that of ordinary people, reaching the point where he could tear apart tigers and leopards. As for what he could achieve with the Shadow Fruit…
He wasn’t entirely sure, having not yet truly faced strong opponents.
The reason he chose to join the Marines.
It was not because of a strong sense of justice.
It was simply because becoming stronger through the Marines was a more reliable path than becoming a pirate.
In this chaotic era of great pirates, the only way to protect his loved ones was to keep getting stronger.
…
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