South Blue, an island – Revolutionary Army secret base (Year 1504 of the Sea Calendar).
Late at night, outside the base, the chirping of insects was incessant, but inside, a strange, deathly Silence enveloped everything.
In a simple room filled with documents and sea charts, only the flame of an oil lamp flickered silently.
Shimotsuki Lumaru closed his eyes in concentration, and with his left hand, gently snapped his fingers.
A transparent “dome,” imperceptible to the naked eye but clearly felt, quietly expanded with him at its center, encompassing the entire room.
“Silence Domain”—this was what he called the range of his Silence Fruit ability.
Within the Domain, the World seemed to have its mute button pressed.
He picked up the water cup on the table and set it down heavily—without a sound of impact.
He flipped through documents, and the “rustling” sound of paper friction also vanished without a trace.
He could even clearly “hear” the faint pulsation of his blood flowing in his veins, and the steady, powerful beating of his heart—this was the only sound amplified within the Domain, his own sound of life.
The range is approximately a five-kilometer radius… the duration depends on concentration and physical exertion.
While it blocks external sounds, it also prevents internal sounds from escaping.
A perfect environment for intelligence work… and a breeding ground for assassination.
He opened his eyes, those deep, inky black pupils appearing exceptionally calm in the dim light.
The ten-year-old boy’s figure was still slender, but a year of training with the Revolutionary Army, especially the more rigorous training after losing his left arm and miraculously recovering it, had stripped away his childishness, giving him a composure beyond his years.
The scar from his severed arm was hidden beneath his sleeve, like a sealed warning.
“Shikamaru! Get ready to move out!”
Ginny’s voice, deliberately lowered but still clearly audible within the Silence Domain, came from outside the door.
Shikamaru’s mind stirred, and he withdrew his ability.
Instantly, the chirping of insects, the sound of the wind, the distant crashing of waves, and Ginny’s footsteps rushed into his ears like a tide.
“Yes, Ginny-nee.”
Shikamaru replied, quickly rolling up several key intelligence maps from the table and tucking them into a specially made waterproof tube.
His movements were swift and silent, like a cat accustomed to moving in the shadows.
In the clearing outside the base, the East Army’s elite squad had assembled.
Ginny wore her signature shorts, her pink hair tied into a neat ponytail, and a heavy war hammer, somewhat out of place with her lively demeanor, hung at her waist.
Beside her stood Bing Sanlang, silent as an iron tower.
Bing Sanlang had changed greatly over the past year; his original kimono had long been replaced by the durable cloth uniform of the Revolutionary Army, but the “oathkeeper” still hung at his waist.
His demeanor was more reserved, yet his gaze was sharper, like a honed blade, making him Ginny’s most trusted vanguard and sword-fighting instructor.
“Target: West Blue’s ‘Ironthorn Fortress’.”
Ginny’s voice was clear and resolute, “Intelligence shows that the World Government is secretly holding a group of thought criminals there, and some of our important comrades may be among them.
Mission: Infiltrate, confirm targets, map the interior, and if possible, assist the targets in creating chaos, but the primary objective is to ensure the intelligence is brought back intact! Understand?”
“Understood!” the others responded in low voices.
“Shikamaru,” Ginny looked at him, her eyes full of trust, “You are responsible for ‘clearing the way’ and ‘sweeping up.’
Ensure that when we go in and come out, it’s all ‘quiet’.”
“Leave it to me.”
Shikamaru nodded, his voice calm and unruffled.
His Silence Fruit was the core guarantee for this infiltration mission.
Outside Ironthorn Fortress – Midnight!
The massive fortress was like a steel beast perched on the cliff, searchlights sweeping back and forth, the footsteps of patrolling soldiers exceptionally clear in the Silent night.
Shikamaru and his group were prostrate in the shadows beneath the cliff.
“Silence · Soundless!”
He took a deep breath, snapped his fingers again, and activated his ability.
The soundless dome expanded, enveloping all members of the squad.
Shikamaru’s Devil Fruit ability could eliminate all sounds produced by people’s actions, whether it was dropping things, farting, firing a gun, or even the explosion caused by a rocket launcher, no sound would be emitted.
Instantly, the World fell silent.
Searchlights swept over the rocks where they were hidden, the footsteps of patrolling soldiers felt like treading on cotton, and even their breathing disappeared.
Only visually could they see the soldiers’ mouths opening and closing and their vigilant, sweeping gazes, but they heard no warnings or conversations.
“Go!” Ginny gestured silently.
Under the cover of absolute Silence, the squad moved like ghosts, clinging to the cliff face.
Shikamaru walked at the front, his movements incredibly light, as if he had no weight.
He precisely avoided the beams of the searchlights, using the shadows of the rocks and the blind spots in the patrolling soldiers’ vision, leading the squad silently up the cliff and sneaking to the base of the fortress wall.
“Here.”
Shikamaru pointed to an inconspicuous ventilation shaft on the wall, half-hidden by vines.
He signaled for Bing Sanlang to step forward. Bing Sanlang nodded, drawing his sword.
There was no dazzling flash of steel, no crisp dragon’s roar, only the cold blade of the “oathkeeper” silently cutting through the Moonlight.
The sturdy iron bars were cut as cleanly as tofu, the edges smooth as a mirror.
Shikamaru was the first to squeeze into the narrow passage.
His Devil Fruit ability remained active, blocking all subtle sounds like metal friction and rolling pebbles.
The squad members filed in, like drops of water merging into the ocean, without causing a ripple.
Inside Ironthorn Fortress – Underground Dungeons!
Dark, damp, the air filled with the smell of rust and despair.
Guards stood watch at intervals along the corridor.
Shikamaru’s Devil Fruit ability was like a moving “bubble of Silence,” enveloping the squad.
They moved quickly along the shadows of the walls.
The guards only felt a barely perceptible current of air brush past, but when they turned, they saw nothing and heard nothing.
Ginny and Bing Sanlang worked in perfect coordination.
When they encountered a lone guard, Ginny, like a pink flash of lightning, closed in, her heavy war hammer, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, silently smashed into the back of the guard’s neck, and the guard collapsed to the ground without even a muffled groan.
Bing Sanlang was responsible for dealing with any alarm devices; his blade was so fast it was a blur, precisely cutting alarm wires, his movements clean and swift, and utterly silent within the Silence.
Shikamaru, like a human radar, concentrated on sensing every subtle vibration within the Domain—the guards’ heartbeats, breathing rates, the suppressed sobs from distant cells… He guided the squad to avoid heavily patrolled areas.
They crept deeper into the underground, towards where the important targets were reportedly held.
Finally, they reached the deepest heavy prison section.
Through the cold iron bars, they saw several emaciated figures, but their eyes still burned with an unyielding flame.
Shikamaru nodded to Ginny, signaling target confirmation.
A flicker of excitement and anger crossed Ginny’s eyes, but she quickly suppressed it.
She swiftly took out a miniature camera and paper and pen, Bing Sanlang stood guard, and Shikamaru fully maintained the Domain, fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.
Prolonged, precise control was a huge drain on both physical and mental energy.
Just as Ginny was about to complete the map drawing and personnel identification—
“Whoosh—!!!” A sharp, piercing alarm suddenly blared! It wasn’t from near them, but from the upper levels of the fortress!
Shikamaru’s pupils contracted sharply!
(Inner Monologue: Damn! Did we not get exposed? Was it another accident? Or a trap?)
“We’re exposed! Prepare for battle!”
Ginny instantly made the judgment, her voice unusually clear amidst the alarm.
The advantage of infiltration was completely gone!
Bing Sanlang’s long sword was drawn, its blade reflecting a cold glint in the alarm’s flashing red light, his eyes sharp as an eagle’s, instantly locking onto the guards surging from both ends of the corridor!
Battle was now unavoidable!
Shikamaru gritted his teeth, forcibly steadying his mind.
He desperately compressed the Domain to cover only the target cells and his own squad members, a very small area!
He desperately locked the deafening alarm and the impending battle sounds within this small “Coffin of Silence”!
“Annihilation!”
With a soft cry from Shikamaru, he flicked his finger, making a crisp sound.
In that instant, it was as if time itself paused.
Immediately after, a shocking scene unfolded—not far away, an enemy suddenly collapsed stiffly, as if their soul had been sucked out, without making a sound.
This was no coincidence, but a special ability Shikamaru possessed.
He could precisely control an enemy’s heartbeat, accelerating it to the extreme or suddenly stopping it, causing the enemy to die suddenly.
This small prison corridor now seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier, forming two completely different worlds.
Outside the corridor, the alarm blared deafeningly, the shouts of people, the sounds of gunfire intertwined, forming a chaotic battlefield.
But inside the corridor, there was an eerie Silence.
It was enveloped by an invisible membrane, completely isolating the outside clamor.
In this isolated space, only the flash of blades and swords flickered, and occasionally the sound of metal clashing, but there was no human sound, as if this was a completely independent killing ground.
Ginny’s war hammer swung, the sound of smashing bones swallowed; Bing Sanlang’s long sword ripped through the air, the sound of cutting flesh vanishing into nothingness; the guards’ terrified shouts, the muffled thuds of falling bodies, all disappeared into the absolute Silence created by Shikamaru.
Only visually did the bloody and intense struggle play out silently, the scene eerie and breathtaking.
Sweat soaked Shikamaru’s back; maintaining this localized Domain, resisting the immense external sound wave impact, consumed far more energy than usual.
But his eyes were firm, his right fist clenched, and although his left arm had recovered, it trembled slightly now from over-concentration.
(Inner Monologue: Hold on! I must hold on until Ginny-nee gets the last piece of intelligence! This is the meaning of our existence! For those still waiting for hope in the darkness!)
In the Silence, the sparks of revolution burned and fought silently.
Shimotsuki Lumaru, this ten-year-old “Silence Guardian,” was, in his own way, forging a silent path to victory amidst the blood and fire of the revolution.
His ability might not be the strongest, but at this moment, it was crucial for the success of the mission and the protection of his comrades’ lives!
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