Shanks descended like a blazing red meteor, crashing onto Teach's ship with overwhelming force.
Boom!
The deck shattered beneath him, leaving behind a massive crater as splintered wood scattered in every direction.
Smoke and dust billowed upward.
Within the haze, two scarlet eyes gleamed faintly.
Teach gritted his teeth and roared,
"Red Hair! Do you really have to go this far?! I was only passing through, and this isn't your territory either!"
Wrapped in crimson flame clouds, Shanks slowly stepped out of the smoke in his Dragon-Man form.
His towering figure radiated pressure.
The dragon scales covering his body reflected the dim light, making him appear more like a mythical beast than a man.
Teach's pupils trembled.
He had heard from Marco that Shanks had obtained the Azure Dragon Devil Fruit, but hearing about it and witnessing it personally were two entirely different things.
The pressure alone felt suffocating.
Shanks lifted his gaze and chuckled softly.
"Teach... no, I suppose I should call you Blackbeard now."
He casually rolled his shoulder.
"What a coincidence. I'm just passing through too."
Teach swallowed hard.
He still clung desperately to the hope that this could end peacefully.
Forcing a grin, he laughed awkwardly.
"Zehahaha! Since that's the case, why don't we just go our separate ways? We're old acquaintances, aren't we? We can always catch up another time."
Shanks looked at him with a faint smile.
"No, that won't work."
His voice remained relaxed, but his eyes held no warmth.
"We're pirates, Teach."
He slowly tightened his grip.
"And you have something I want."
Shanks' lips curled slightly.
"Until I get it, how can I leave? Otherwise, my crew would laugh at me."
Teach froze.
Something he wanted?
Compared to a Yonko like Shanks, he was practically broke.
His crew had barely formed, and he possessed no territory worth mentioning.
What could possibly interest Shanks?
After hesitating for a moment, Teach cautiously asked,
"What exactly are you talking about?"
Shanks narrowed his eyes.
"The Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
"What?!"
Boom!
Before Teach could react further, his body was launched backward.
He smashed violently into the rear cabin, splintering wood apart as debris exploded around him.
Shanks stood where Teach had been moments ago, his fist still extended.
Laffitte and the others finally snapped out of their shock.
"Captain!"
Instinctively, they rushed toward Shanks.
Shanks merely glanced at them.
No Haoshoku Haki was released.
No threatening stance was taken.
Yet the sheer pressure in his gaze alone froze them in place.
He rolled his neck lazily.
"It's better if the small fry stay where they belong."
Then he turned toward the wrecked cabin.
After a brief silence, movement emerged from the debris.
But the person who ran out was not Teach.
It was Chiffon.
As soon as she stepped outside, panic spread across her face.
"Husband! Where are you?!"
Pregnant and exhausted, she had originally remained inside to rest.
She had heard the chaos outside earlier, but knowing she would only become a burden in her condition, she chose to stay hidden for the sake of her unborn child.
Only after the cabin collapsed had she been forced out.
A cough echoed from beneath the rubble.
"Cough... cough... Chiffon, I'm here."
The shattered debris suddenly burst apart.
Teach climbed out, looking battered.
The moment Chiffon saw him, relief filled her expression.
"Husband..."
But Teach immediately raised a hand.
"Go to the back! It's dangerous here!"
Chiffon stiffened.
She instinctively glanced toward Shanks.
Fear flashed across her face.
As Big Mom's daughter, she naturally knew who Red-Haired Shanks was.
But in his Dragon-Man form, his appearance had changed drastically.
At first glance, he looked less human and more like a terrifying monster.
Swallowing nervously, she covered her stomach protectively with both hands and quickly retreated.
Throughout the entire exchange, Shanks made no move.
Chiffon had no combat ability.
More importantly, she was pregnant.
Whatever else Shanks might do, attacking someone like her was beneath him.
Teach quietly let out a breath of relief.
Chiffon was undeniably one of his weaknesses.
Only after she had retreated to safety did Shanks speak again.
"Speaking of which…"
He casually flexed his fingers.
"We still have an unfinished fight from back then, don't we?"
"Let's settle it now."
Teach instantly remembered that small island from years ago.
Back then, Shanks had fought him alongside that red-nosed idiot, Buggy.
Meanwhile, Shanks remembered something else entirely.
Teach had embarrassed him back then.
In front of Buggy.
That alone annoyed him more than it should.
The crimson flame clouds surrounding him suddenly surged violently.
Teach's expression changed.
Without hesitation, he coated both fists in Armament Haki.
This time, he decided to strike first.
Boom!
The deck cracked beneath his foot as he shot forward.
His fist carried both shockwave force and Armament Haki, crashing downward toward Shanks with destructive momentum.
Shanks did not retreat.
His mastery of all three forms of Haki had already reached the highest level.
Facing Teach's attack, he calmly raised a dragon claw.
Scarlet Haoshoku Haki lightning burst forth.
Without even touching, their attacks collided violently in midair.
Boom!
A massive shockwave erupted.
The surrounding deck exploded apart.
The ship tilted violently under the impact.
At that moment, Burgess finally rushed back from below deck.
In truth, there had been no point steering the ship anymore.
Still, he charged ahead recklessly, fists raised as he rushed toward Shanks.
Shanks barely spared him a glance.
Scarlet light flickered within his eyes.
His tone turned cold.
"I already told you."
"The small fry should know their place."
Buzz!
Even while clashing with Teach, Shanks released a terrifying burst of Haoshoku Haki.
The nearly tangible pressure slammed directly into Burgess.
In an instant, the man was blown backward like a broken kite.
His body crashed across the deck, sliding several meters before smashing violently into the ship's railing.
Blood splattered.
Burgess collapsed motionless.
His eyes rolled back.
Whether he was alive or dead was impossible to tell.
Seeing Burgess reduced to such a miserable state, Teach's anger surged.
But only briefly.
Reality quickly crushed his rage.
Despite appearing evenly matched, he already felt himself losing ground.
Shanks' combat skills and Haki had always been top-tier.
Now, with the addition of a Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit, his strength had become terrifyingly overwhelming.
No matter how much power Teach exerted, Shanks remained unmoved.
As Teach realized he was about to lose the clash entirely, his mouth suddenly widened unnaturally.
Darkness swirled inside like a black abyss.
Then, a metallic gun barrel slowly extended outward.
It was the freezing weapon Teach had swallowed from Lindbergh.
Shanks raised an eyebrow, curiosity briefly crossing his face.
The next second,
An icy blue beam erupted from the barrel.
The freezing blast swallowed Shanks whole.
===
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