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"Kamehameha!"
With a furious roar, a thick, dazzling torrent of energy erupted from Takero's hands. Like a world-destroying dragon, it tore through the earth, surging towards Shanks with enough power to pulverize anything in its path.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You're serious?!"
Cold sweat poured down Shanks's face. Without a second of hesitation, he gathered the immense Haki within his body and crossed his arms, bracing himself for the nostalgic greeting.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion rocked the desolate wilderness. A violent storm of energy swept out in all directions, making the very earth groan. Amidst the swirling dust, Shanks's body was shot backward like a cannonball, carving a hundred-meter-long trench in the ground before he finally skidded to a halt.
"Cough... cough..." He shook his numb arms and slowly stood up. Though he looked a bit of a mess, he was not seriously injured.
"Oh?" Takero's eyes gleamed with excitement. "Not bad, Shanks! It seems you haven't been slacking off these past few years!" He could sense that the density of Haki within Shanks was on a completely different level than it used to be.
"Are you kidding me?!" Shanks retorted, looking at the proud expression on the young man's face. "With a monster like you on my mind, how could I dare to slack off?!"
The advanced Haki cultivation method Takero had taught him had changed everything. Shanks's power had soared to unbelievable heights. He now realized how primitive his old way of using Haki had been. He felt more powerful now than anyone he had ever known on Captain Roger's ship—including the Pirate King himself.
"In that case..." Takero's grin widened into a fanatical smile. "...let's not just stand around! Let me properly test how much you've learned!"
Before his words even faded, his figure vanished.
"Bring it on! Who's afraid of you!" Shanks roared back, unleashing his own immense Haki and charging forward to meet him.
The two figures, moving too fast for the eye to see, engaged in an earth-shattering battle. Sometimes they fought hand-to-hand with pure martial arts; other times they blasted each other from a distance with destructive waves of Haki. The shockwaves from their battle repeatedly tore up the surrounding landscape.
Meanwhile, in a safe viewing area far away, Uta watched the god-like battle with her mouth wide open in shock. Benn Beckman and the others had brought her here to keep her out of harm's way.
"Is this... is this even a human fight?" she murmured to herself.
She quickly snapped out of her trance. "This is no time to be amazed!" She anxiously tugged on the first mate's coat. "Beckman! Shanks is in danger! You have to go help him!"
"Don't worry, little one," Benn said calmly, exhaling a perfect ring of smoke. "That Takero kid might not be holding back, but he knows his limits. Besides..." He glanced at his captain, who was trading blows with Takero, and a hint of relief flashed in his eyes. "...Shanks isn't so weak anymore."
"But..." Uta was still confused. "What is the relationship between Takero and Shanks? Why are they fighting like this?"
A playful smile appeared on Benn's face. He figured it was time to let the girl in on some family secrets. "A long time ago," he explained, "that kid, Takero, was a member of our crew. But because of an accident, our idiot captain, Shanks... 'abandoned' him. Ever since then, Takero has held a grudge."
"Oh, I see..." Uta said, starting to understand.
Then, as if remembering something, Benn asked, "By the way, Uta, Shanks told you about your past, right?"
Uta nodded. "Mhm! I know! Shanks rescued me from some really bad pirates!"
"That's right," Benn said. "But the person who actually found you first... was Takero. When you were just a baby, he was the one you loved to cling to the most." He looked at Uta, ready to reveal a truth that would leave her speechless. "So, technically speaking... that Takero kid is your first 'adoptive father'."
Uta just stared, speechless. She looked at the figure in the distance who was fighting her "second adoptive father" with enough force to crack the sky, and her brain felt like it was about to shut down. Her… and the legendary "Emperor of the North Blue"… had a connection like that?!
Back in the center of the battlefield, Takero stood his ground after another fierce clash. He looked at Shanks, who was breathing heavily but was still full of fighting spirit, and nodded with genuine joy. "Good! This is great! You're becoming a lot more fun!" It had been so long since he'd had such a satisfying fight.
Shanks, drenched in sweat, couldn't help but complain. "Whoa, hold on! Are you crazy?! If I hadn't blocked that last one, I'd be dead!"
"No, you wouldn't," Takero said confidently. "I knew you could block it." He could feel that the Haki inside Shanks was now as deep as a bottomless ocean. An attack like that was nothing to him.
As he spoke, Takero's fighting spirit flared up again. With a roar, he charged at Shanks once more.
"No way! Again?!" Shanks cried, on the verge of tears. He knew that if he didn't let this battle maniac get his fill, he'd never be able to leave. With a sigh, he gritted his teeth and charged forward to meet him.
The fierce battle raged on for several more hours. Finally, Shanks started dodging, yelling, "I give up! I give up! Haven't you had enough?!" He was genuinely getting tired. He secretly sighed, How did that monster Takero get even more monstrous after all these years?!
He then simply collapsed onto the ground and lay there, as if to say, "Do what you want."
Takero finally stopped. He knew that if the fight got any bigger, it would probably damage Ambry Island. In the end, he reluctantly gave up, still feeling like he hadn't had nearly enough fun.
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