Two Piece: A One Piece Story

Chapter 63 (Lightning Scroll Arc: Part 4)

Vivi looked up at the sky, feeling that this pit stop, though necessary, was filled with worry.

Meanwhile, back with Shiki's clone, Luffy, Sakon, and Ukon, Ukon was laughing triumphantly.

"Right now, I'm slowly destroying all of your cells. And there's nothing you can do to stop me," Ukon taunted with a sinister laugh.

"Oh really?" a voice interjected.

Ukon looked around, puzzled. "Did you hear that voice?" he asked Sakon.

"What voice?" Sakon replied, equally confused.

Luffy and Shiki smirked knowingly, sensing what might happen next.

Suddenly, Ukon found himself in a dark, crimson-hued place where even the moon glowed blood-red.

"What the..." Ukon muttered, disoriented. "Where am I?"

Growls echoed around him, drawing him toward a cage. Hypnotically, he approached, only to be confronted by clawed hands trying to grab him through the bars, which startled him back.

"Come closer," a chilling voice beckoned from within the cage.

Compelled, Ukon edged closer, but the claws were thwarted by the bars, causing him to jump back in fear.

"Let me taste your flesh!" the voice growled hungrily.

Outside, Sakon watched in shock as Ukon suddenly collapsed, while Shiki and Luffy exchanged knowing smiles.

"Why did he just pass out like that?" Sakon demanded.

Then, Ukon began screaming loudly, startling Sakon even more. Suddenly, Ukon's spirit exited his body on its own.

"I'm out! I'm out! I'm so happy!" Ukon cried out in relief.

"What just happened?" Sakon asked in confusion.

"There was a monster! It tried to devour me!" Ukon exclaimed, visibly shaken.

Sakon turned accusingly to Shiki. "What did you do to him?" he demanded.

"I didn't do anything," Shiki replied calmly. "But I can't say the same for the entity inside my body."

Both Sakon and Ukon froze. "You... you're a Candidate," Sakon stammered.

"If you try that again, it'll kill us," Ukon added, trembling.

"Do you have something inside you too?" Sakon asked Luffy.

"No, why?" Luffy replied, perplexed.

Both twins burst out laughing at Luffy's innocence.

"Oh man, Luffy, they were going to attempt that on you!" Shiki explained.

Shiki suddenly had an idea. "That's it!" he exclaimed.

He leaped over to Luffy. "They're going to try to kill you by merging with you," he warned.

"I know," Luffy responded confidently.

"But I have a plan to stop them in their tracks," Shiki continued.

Luffy nodded in understanding, already grasping Shiki's strategy. Shiki then summoned a multitude of clones, overwhelming in number.

"Now what are you planning?" Sakon demanded, wary.

"Did you forget what happened earlier?" Shiki asked with a sly grin.

Suddenly recalling their previous encounter where clones summoned more clones and transformed, both Sakon and Ukon's faces paled.

"So you're going to transform into your brother and flood them with clones," Sakon realized.

"What do you think?" Shiki replied, transforming into multiple Luffys along with his clones.

"Let's go!" one of the Luffys exclaimed.

The Luffy clones swarmed Sakon and Ukon, who retaliated with knives, slicing through clones in an attempt to find the real one. The battle raged on for what felt like an eternity, both sides growing exhausted and losing track of time amidst the chaos.

"I don't think I can handle this much longer," Ukon admitted, his voice strained.

Sakon, amidst the chaotic battle, managed to identify the real Luffy. "I found the real one!" he declared triumphantly.

Luffy, engaged in combat with Sakon, braced himself as Sakon vanished, only to have his head reappear on Luffy's shoulder.

"Sorry, but there's no way out this time," Sakon taunted.

"Luffy!" Shiki, disguised as Luffy, shouted in concern.

"What were you saying?" a voice interrupted.

Suddenly, Sakon found himself standing before Sol's cage.

"What the..." Sakon muttered in confusion.

The demonic being inside the cage chuckled malevolently. "You truly are an idiot," it mocked. "You fell right into our trap. This is the kid's body disguised as his brother."

"What?" Sakon exclaimed, realization dawning on him. "Then..."

"It's time to feast," the demon king declared ominously.

Back in the physical realm, Sakon screamed in terror as water rose around him, similar to what had happened with Ukon, and the demon prepared to consume him.

Externally, Sakon managed to escape from Luffy's body—specifically, the Luffy disguised as Shiki's body.

"That... that was..." Sakon stammered, visibly shaken.

"Sorry, but you fell for the bait," Shiki, now reverted to his original form, admitted as he undid his transformation.

"That's it!" Ukon cried out, collapsing weakly. "It's no use... I've been out of the body for too long."

All the other Luffy clones vanished in puffs of smoke, including the one that mimicked Shiki's actions. The real Luffy then leaped down from the trees.

"You were hiding the whole time!" Sakon accused.

"Exactly!" Luffy grinned broadly. "It was Shiki's plan."

"Since you would have figured out I was the real Luffy, we expected you'd try the same trick again—but this time, you weren't ready!" Shiki added.

"Damn it..." Sakon muttered, frustrated.

Sakon approached his brother, allowing Ukon to reenter his body and rest.

"Okay!" Luffy exclaimed enthusiastically. "Time to finish this!"

"Right!" Shiki agreed, his crimson eyes glowing with determination. He began forming the Compressed Flame Ball. Luffy grabbed Shiki's legs and spun around rapidly, stretching his arms to the limit. With a mighty throw, Luffy launched Shiki at Sakon and Ukon, both shouting "Gum Gum Flame Bullet Throw!"

Shiki collided with Sakon (and Ukon), the impact of the compressed flame ball sending them hurtling through several trees.

"We did it!" Shiki and Luffy celebrated, exchanging a high five.

"Yeah, we beat them!" Luffy cheered.

"We sure did," Shiki agreed, then realization struck. "Wait, there are four of them... we've only faced one. What about my real self?" Shiki asked, concerned.

"Oh man!" Luffy exclaimed. "They must have sent someone after you, bro!"

Meanwhile, at the cave containing the Lightning Scroll, Kidomaru arrived and noticed the nearly invisible thread, quietly following Shiki into the cave. After all, he had been shadowing Shiki the entire time.