"Cough… blegh!"
From the lower deck, Rowen spat out a mouthful of bloody phlegm as he rose from the wreckage. Beckman's last-ditch "knife throw" had caught him off guard. Half of his abdomen had been torn open, yet Beckman still managed to launch such a forceful attack.
If not for that move, the 'Prison Dragon Lock Sky Formation' would have landed on Shanks and ended the battle.
Now, hearing Shanks' furious roar above, Rowen let out a cold smile as he stomped the ground heavily.
Boom!
The reinforced deck shattered under the force, sending Rowen crashing through to the upper level. Holding his Thunder Dragon Crescent-Sided Halberd, Rowen locked eyes with his opponent, his expression calm yet menacing.
"Interesting."
'Those who kill will always risk being killed in return. Wanting to adventure with companions yet hoping they'll never get hurt— what kind of naive thinking is that?!'
"If you've stepped onto the battlefield, then be prepared to die— be prepared for anyone to die."
"Otherwise… why don't you just go home and nurse your kids, Shanks?"
Hearing this, Shanks' gaze remained steady, but a faint grin slowly spread across his face.
"Sorry, but I'm a pirate."
"And pirates… are greedy by nature!!"
"Heh! Then let me see how much your anger is worth, pirate!"
With those words, Rowen charged forward, his halberd raised.
Boom…!
Clang!!!
The force of their clash ripped apart The Red Force, shattering its armor, which could normally withstand cannonballs. A large portion of the ship's bow exploded as if detonated by dynamite, its remnants scattering across the sea.
Shanks frowned silently, parrying with a reverse swing that forced Rowen to sidestep and dodge.
And then—
'Overlord Sword: Emperor Comes!!'
Buzz!!!
An earth-shattering surge of Haoshoku Haki erupted, plunging the world into darkness. The ocean roared with fury, venting its wrath.
Amid the chaos, The Red Force was lifted skyward by the sea, surrounded by towering waves, as though crowned atop the ocean. Its imposing presence was awe-inspiring.
But now, Rowen saw clearly— this wasn't some "crown," the supposed symbol of overlordship, that Shanks had created in this spiritual realm.
On the illusory Red Force, every member of the Red Hair Pirates was vividly present. They gathered around Shanks, drinking, laughing, and reveling together.
This was Shanks' true "dominance"!
It wasn't about authority or faith— it was about the bonds he shared with his comrades.
Because he couldn't bear to let go.
He had made a bold and almost laughable declaration, greedily protecting everyone. With his not-so-broad shoulders, he held up the sky for his crew.
"I will never forgive anyone who hurts my companions!"
Shanks' solemn and resolute vow echoed in Rowen's ears.
Rowen instinctively clenched the Seacrystal in his pocket.
The next moment, the world shattered like glass with a resounding Bang, and the blinding edge of a sword was right in front of him.
"Utterly ridiculous!!!"
Faced with the incoming blade, Rowen should have been sent flying like before, relying on his immortal regenerative ability to endure the damage.
But Shanks' words had enraged him.
"Everyone has to pay the price for their choices! Why do you get to have it all?!"
Even Rowen himself, in his mission to overthrow the government, to topple the Celestial Dragons, had sacrificed so much effort.
Why should pirates, in the name of freedom, ignore those costs and then arrogantly proclaim themselves justified?
"This is not where the truth lies!"
"Your ridiculous dreams will be shattered by me personally!"
This was a clash of ideologies, and Rowen had no intention of retreating!
As Griffin closed in to strike him, Rowen suddenly discarded his Thunder Dragon Crescent-Sided Halberd and drew back his right fist, preparing to counter with sheer force.
'Soaring Dragon!!!'
Boom!!!
Blinding white thunderlight erupted in an instant, engulfing all colors and silencing the noise around them.
Terrifying atmospheric pressure hovered over the sea. Beneath the liquid-like surges of electricity, everything fell silent, as though time itself had come to a halt.
Seconds later…
Boom— BOOM!!!
Half of The Red Force exploded into debris, scattering into the air. Blinding electric arcs danced across the sea, their intensity palpable even from several miles away, as an unbearable numbing sensation crept over all who were near.
The boiling tides were saturated with electricity, and countless sea creatures suffered instant cardiac arrest, their breath ceasing as their lifeless bodies tumbled amidst the churning waves.
The massive shockwave pushed all nearby battleships back over a thousand meters, nearly capsizing them. The expanding force continued to radiate outward, stirring waves that reached towering heights, the scene resembling the advent of Doomsday.
Gulp…
Watching this awe-inspiring devastation, Rob Lucci swallowed hard, his throat dry.
"Is this… the move he used to kill Whitebeard?"
Being present at the scene, compared to seeing it through a screen, was an entirely different, heart-stopping experience.
"No, not exactly."
"Huh???"
Lucci turned, his expression filled with confusion as he stared at Zero, unable to believe what he'd just heard.
"The two of them were too close just now. Using a polearm like his halberd for defense or offense wasn't feasible, so Rowen chose to discard his weapon and counterattack with a punch instead."
Zero paused, clearly longing for a cigar to steady his nerves, and spoke calmly:
"Do you think there's much comparison between an impromptu move and a fully prepared attack?"
"Then… are you saying?!"
Lucci's mouth hung open in sheer disbelief.
"He can make this move… even stronger?!"
"Yes…"
'I really need a smoke right now…'
The idea that this wasn't even Rowen's full strength was almost too much to process.
Even Zero, who had mastered "Perfect Martial Arts," had to admit it: in terms of sheer destructive power, Rowen was unmatched across the entire world— whether among pirates, the Marines, or even the government's Holy Land.
No one came close to him!
Not the previous Chief Zero, famed for wielding the "most unreasonable" Obliterate-Obliterate Fruit ability; not Garp, who could punch through mountains in his training; nor Red, who was now locked away in Impel Down— none of them approached the sheer terror of this young monster.
His attacks could truly destroy the world!
Perhaps only Whitebeard at his peak could stand against him. As for anyone else…
Zero shook his head with a wry smile, his keen senses suddenly picking up on something.
"Stay here. I need to check something."
Lucci didn't understand but followed orders out of habit.
"Understood!"
…
Meanwhile, on the shattered deck of the ruined Red Force, a pirate stirred from unconsciousness. Blinking in confusion, his eyes widened in shock as he looked up.
"Captain!!!"
In the final image, before he lost consciousness, Shanks and the Soryu (Azure Dragon) exchanged devastating blows, their figures swallowed by the overwhelming Thunderlight.
For the crew, their confidence in their captain had always been unshakable.
Just like how Marco and the others aboard Whitebeard's ship had unwavering faith in their own captain.
But this time, the opponent was "Marine Soryu (Azure Dragon)," a monster who had authored one impossible victory after another. What had become of the fight?
Suddenly, one of the pirates spotted a figure kneeling on one knee near the jagged edge of the shattered deck. The faint rise and fall of his back indicated he was still alive. Overwhelmed with joy, the pirate shouted:
"Captain! Are you alright?! I…"
He started running toward the figure to offer support, but after only a few steps, he froze in place. His gaze fell on the pool of crimson beneath Shanks, and his face twisted with disbelief.
"Th-this can't be real… Captain! You…"
The distance had obscured a crucial detail earlier: the irregular red pool at Shanks' feet was not his iconic red cloak, which had been shredded to pieces in the initial exchange.
What remained now, spreading under him, was a pool of blood.
From his position behind Shanks, the pirate hadn't seen the gruesome reality. A fist-sized hole gaped open in the center of Shanks' chest, exposing charred and scorched flesh, blood seeping from the edges.
Blood and charred tissue dripped continuously from the wound, soaking his torn white shirt and spreading across the deck.
Though Shanks was still alive, he was grievously wounded, teetering on the brink of death.
Shanks had intended to knock Rowen into the sea with Emperor Comes, keeping the battle confined to the floating debris to protect his crew from the collateral damage of their clash.
However, Rowen's sudden and explosive anger had completely disrupted Shanks' plans. In the end, to shield The Red Force and his crewmates from Rowen's devastating electricity, Shanks had made the ultimate sacrifice – stepping in to absorb the brunt of the attack with his own body.
And now…
What the pirate saw before him was the result.
The only reason Shanks hadn't been obliterated was that Rowen had improvised the attack, preventing it from unleashing its full fury.
"I… cough, cough… I'm fine…"
Using Griffin as a crutch, Shanks struggled to keep himself upright. His voice was weak, his breath labored.
He raised his head, his gaze falling on the battered, broken figure not far away – Rowen's form barely recognizable. Yet Shanks' eyes were filled with shock and caution.
"Stay back! Don't come any closer!"
"He… isn't dead yet!"
(End of Chapter)
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