"Zehahahaha! What a lively scene! Even the Marines' youngest Admiral candidate comes to the Pleasure District for fun?"
Blackbeard chuckled, his hand casually moving to the claw weapon strapped to his back.
"But then again, young men are full of vigour. It's understandable."
Shing—!!
Shanks didn't waste a single word. He drew Gryphon from his waist in a single, fluid motion.
"If you want to fight, I won't just stand here and let you!"
Marine Admiral Candidate—Byakko!
Before entering the New World, his first mate, Rayleigh, had solemnly warned him: This was an extremely dangerous man!
After all, he represented one of the Marines' top combatants!
He had no impression of the blind man next to him, but anyone standing with the White Tiger was definitely no small fry!
"Gravity Blade: Raging Tiger!!"
Issho also drew his cane-sword. He swung it forward steadily, and a wave of purple energy surged toward Shanks and Blackbeard.
—[Vroom]!
Shanks and Blackbeard tensed. Their bodies suddenly buckled as an immense force pressed down on them. Caught off guard, they nearly dropped to their knees!
Swish—!
In a flash, before the two could readjust their centre of gravity to the new gravity, Atlas's figure appeared behind Blackbeard like a ghost.
He lifted his leg slightly and swept it out.
Thump!!
A dull thud of flesh on flesh. Blackbeard had no time to react. He took a heavy kick to his solid back, and the terrifying force sent him flying backward, straight toward Shanks.
Shanks had no intention of cooperating with Blackbeard. He stepped back and to the side, his hand still gripping Gryphon's hilt, leaving Blackbeard to face Issho.
—[Crush]!!
The moment Blackbeard landed, the surrounding gravity intensified.
The thick air became almost unbreathable as the powerful internal and external atmospheric pressure crushed his organs.
Crack—!
At some point, Issho had slowly sheathed his cane-sword.
The blade slid home, and with a crisp click, a small crater instantly formed in the flat ground, perfectly sized to fit Blackbeard's body.
[Hell's Journey]!
—Pfft!
It all happened in an instant. Their powerful Observation Haki made their teamwork as seamless as that of seasoned comrades.
The internal and external damage made Blackbeard spit out a large mouthful of blood, his thick neck struggling to lift his head.
"Zehahahaha! You... What do you Marines want? If you capture me, Pops won't let you get away with it!" He was scared.
He had heard of Byakko's reputation. Plucks the goose as it flies by, skins the beast as it runs past.
Any pirate defeated by him, in the best-case scenario, would be missing an arm or a leg!
He still had ambitions to fulfil. He didn't want to die in this godforsaken place without a trace. Making his name known across the seas was his, Teach's, ultimate destiny!
"How pathetic. To think a member of the Whitebeard Pirates could be so wretched. Tsk tsk tsk!"
Atlas looked at Blackbeard, who seemed fine after coughing up some blood, and was somewhat surprised.
His physical strength is average, and his reflexes aren't outstanding. He's just tough and thick-skinned. His life force is quite tenacious.
If it were anyone else, those last two hits would have taken half their life.
"I'm just an ordinary crewman on Whitebeard's ship! There's no point in a Marine Admiral candidate like you killing me."
"You'll anger Pops Whitebeard. His Tremor-Tremor Fruit has the power to destroy the world, you know."
Hearing the insult, Blackbeard wasn't angry; he was delighted. He forced his usual "hearty" smile onto his face.
"Marine gentleman, don't listen to his nonsense. I can 'see' a malice in him that is far deeper than that of any ordinary pirate!"
"You damn bastard! Shanks! If we don't team up, we're really going to be captured by the Marines this time!"
Hearing this, Blackbeard's face instantly contorted. Veins bulged on his neck as he roared at Shanks, who was still on guard.
At the same time, his body trembled as he climbed out of the crater. Blood even seeped from his gap-toothed mouth.
It seemed every pore was resisting the invisible gravity from Issho.
In the end, while Blackbeard's physical strength was mediocre, his ability to adapt was greater than that of most people in the world.
Issho's Gravity-Gravity Fruit might have a miraculous effect in catching an enemy off guard, but it wasn't easy to take Blackbeard down in one go.
But if one move didn't work, the second was another story. After all, the power gap was right there.
"Gravity Blade: Raging Tiger!!"
The cane-sword was unsheathed again! A purple slash-wave, carrying immense force, flew at Blackbeard, who had just climbed out of the crater!
Slish—!!
His skin was split open, and blood sprayed everywhere. The all-pervasive gravity drilled into Blackbeard's body, wantonly destroying his organs.
"Ahhh—!!"
A piercing scream tore through the air. Blackbeard's face contorted in a violent spasm, his whole body convulsing. Intense pain shot through his nervous system.
Even with his superhuman endurance, he couldn't help but roar in pain, his eyes blood-red.
"Shanks, you bastard!!!"
At this moment, Shanks was covered in a cold sweat, his eyes fixed on the relaxed figure of Atlas opposite him. He didn't know where to begin his attack.
His opponent seemed to be full of openings, yet at the same time, he looked perfectly seamless, impenetrable.
The two were already clashing in the sky with their spirit.
Atlas's terrifying Conqueror's Haki, which was even stronger than his, was so condensed it was almost tangible, like a killing intent that made him feel as if he were standing on a mountain of corpses.
Swish—!
A silver light flashed. The longsword cut through the darkness, its blade sharp enough to cut gold and jade, slashing at Atlas!
"You finally couldn't hold back."
Atlas sneered. One hand in his pocket, his right hand formed a knife-edge, coated in Armament Haki, its black-red lustre shining.
Clang—!!
The crisp sound of metal on metal. The blade's edge met the palm's edge, sending countless sparks flying.
Atlas chuckled. Before Shanks could react, his palm slid along the blade. He closed the distance, spun, and retreated.
He jabbed his elbow back, and an immense force was transmitted, unleashing its full power on Shanks's chest!
Pfft—!!
Shanks spat out a mouthful of blood and was sent flying, a clear elbow print on his chest!
"Heh~"
The Armament Haki on Atlas's elbow slowly faded, his skin returning to its normal colour.
He, of course, hadn't expected to defeat this man in one blow, but there was no way Shanks would get off easy.
Although for his age, Shanks's strength was among the best of the younger generation, he was still a bit too green in all aspects compared to the top-tier fighters.
"Gravity Blade: Raging Tiger!!"
Issho used the same trick. His cane-sword slashed, and a purple tiger leapt out, baring its fangs at the flying Shanks.
However, Shanks was Shanks. Although he had just taken a heavy blow from Atlas, his basic physical reactions were far superior to Blackbeard's.
He suddenly flipped in mid-air, forcing his body to the left, and narrowly avoided the pouncing tiger.
This guy's speed!
Shanks gritted his teeth, his nerves stretched to the limit, his back drenched in cold sweat.
"Hey! If you're hiding anything, you'd better use it now! Teach!"
"..."
Blackbeard endured the intense pain from all over his body, turned his head to look at Shanks, and was speechless.
Swish—!
But Atlas wouldn't give them much time to breathe. He leapt, and in an instant, he was in front of the two men.
—[Vwoom]!!!
"Hell's Journey!!"
Issho's soft shout was heard, and heavy pressure once again enveloped the two.
The two, who had been instinctively preparing to block, suddenly froze in place, unable to adapt to the sudden change in gravity!
"Tekkai: Rankyaku!!"
Armament Haki climbed up his leg. His blood flow accelerated, his thigh and calf muscles bulged, and he struck with coordinated force.
Bang—!
A vicious roundhouse kick slammed into both men!
The assault didn't stop. He suddenly bent his knee and lunged forward. Armament Haki flowed rapidly over his thick kneecap, black-and-red lightning dancing wildly!
Before it even made contact, a strong wave of energy smashed into Blackbeard's jaw!!
Thump—!
Blackbeard's eyes rolled back, and his brain felt like it had been struck by lightning. After a brief struggle, he lost consciousness.
His fat body toppled backwards, causing the ground to shake. It all happened in a flash.
Issho provided control, and Atlas attacked. When two world-class fighters team up, if Blackbeard didn't go down, it would be an embarrassment to them both.
At this point, Atlas could infuse Conqueror's Haki into any part of his body to enhance his attacks, including his weapons.
The Futsunomitama itself had a certain spirit-suppression ability. When he had first learned the Conqueror's infusion technique, its power was already formidable.
Not to mention now, when his use of it was long since perfected.
"Well? Are you going to continue this pointless resistance?"
Atlas stood confidently, looking at Shanks, who no longer had a single intact piece of cloth on him.
"..."
A wolf in front, a tiger behind, and a beast of prey watching. Shanks looked helpless.
This was a hopeless situation.
Even if Beckman and the others came, it would be the same. Even if one or two managed to escape, the entire crew would suffer heavy losses.
Shanks didn't want the partners he had worked so hard to find to be sacrificed here, so he had no intention of calling them for help.
However... surrendering?
That just wasn't his style! His gaze hardened, his decision made. He shifted his blade, his muscles tensing.
He would not sit and wait for death. Shanks took the initiative, his Armament Haki instantly coating his blade.
It was clear his Haki training had not fallen behind at all during his adventures in the Four Seas.
However...
To achieve rapid, battle-hardened progress with Haki... that was something Shanks, who had rarely fought true life-or-death battles, could not do.
This was why, despite Shanks's talent, his strength hadn't grown quickly before he officially entered the New World.
But after entering the New World, he reached the top tier in just 6 years. Shallow waters cannot breed a dragon! That's the simple truth!
Swish—!!
The blade flowed, his wrist flicked. A cold light flashed in front of Atlas.
The named sword, Gryphon.
Its hilt was that of a sabre, its grade unknown, but it was at least one of the Great Grade blades, possibly even on the same level as the Futsunomitama!!
"Nice sword."
An intense red light flickered in Atlas's eyes. He tilted his body slightly, easily dodging the fierce slash, and didn't forget to add a comment.
Future-sight Observation Haki. For the current Shanks, it was an incredibly difficult ability to deal with.
Their reaction speeds and all aspects of their physical abilities were not on the same level.
In the end, Shanks just lacked a good beating from the New World.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Shanks gritted his teeth, but his eyes remained perfectly calm. His hands didn't stop, slashing, flicking, thrusting, and chopping.
He executed basic movements rapidly, trying to find a weak point. However, he was destined to be disappointed.
No matter how fast he was, under this absolute suppression, he could barely even touch the corner of Atlas's clothes.
"The Marine gentleman was right. To have such strength at this age... his potential is immeasurable."
Issho, who had already pulled back, sensed the two young life forces in the field and was filled with emotion.
—[Pause]!!
Shanks clearly didn't want to waste any more energy. His assault stopped, he took a small step back, gripped his sword with both hands, and swung Gryphon again.
A dense Armament Haki covered the blade, the very space around it vibrating.
"Divine Departure!"
This was a move Shanks had learned from Roger. But both its power and force were far inferior.
Moreover, the technique of infusing Conqueror's Haki was not something the current Shanks could yet grasp.
"Oh? An attack similar to a Conqueror's Haki infusion?" Atlas looked surprised. He could feel it.
Beyond the Armament Haki, there was another power, similar to a Conqueror's infusion, lingering on the blade.
But compared to a true Conqueror's infusion, it seemed fragile.
Shing—!!
The Futsunomitama was unsheathed. Atlas returned the attack with his own slash, infusing it with both Conqueror's and Armament Haki. Black-and-red lightning leapt wildly as it surged toward Shanks, wrapped in a terrifying wind pressure!
Boom!!
The moment they made contact, Shanks's attack, which had seemed so powerful, was instantly crushed.
He felt as if he were in a violent storm, a tiny boat on a vast ocean, tossed about by the gales.
Immense power washed over him. An unparalleled, domineering will, like a sharp bayonet, stabbed into his mind.
His defences were instantly overwhelmed, and his mind went blank.
"Sir Issho, I know what your concerns are. As it happens, an opportunity has arrived. I believe you can find and enact your own justice within the Marines."
This was the last thing Shanks heard before he lost consciousness.