Taking advantage of the fierce battle raging across the island, Monster slipped into the sea early and swam toward the Dawn Ship. Guided by the vivre cards of Silvers Rayleigh and Scopper Gaban, he quickly located the room where the two were imprisoned.
Due to the effects of the Devil Fruit ability designed by Ash, combined with Sea Prism Stone shackles, both men were completely drained. They could not use any of the three types of Haki and had no awareness of the Red Hair Pirates' arrival.
Still, they recognized Monster immediately.
"Sea Prism Stone…" Rayleigh muttered, struggling to lift his arm and gesture toward the shackles.
As a core member of the Red Hair Pirates, Monster possessed considerable strength. Putting everything into it, he managed to break the Sea Prism Stone restraints binding both Rayleigh and Gaban.
The moment the shackles shattered, their condition changed instantly. Their strength surged back, their presence sharpening in an instant.
The two exchanged a glance and acted without hesitation. They stabbed into their own chests, quickly retrieving the miniature bombs Kirk had embedded near their hearts.
After hastily wrapping their wounds, they grabbed their weapons and rushed out of the castle alongside Monster.
Passing through the courtyard, they spotted untouched afternoon tea laid out on a table. Without hesitation, they grabbed whatever food they could and ate quickly to restore their stamina.
They both understood the situation clearly. Shanks might not fully grasp the Dawn crew's strength, but they did.
A brutal fight was unavoidable.
They were already prepared to stake their lives on it.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Shanks felt something was deeply wrong.
Everything unfolding before him defied his expectations.
Pini, whom he had once considered merely a rising talent, was blocking his attacks with ease and still had strength to spare even after prolonged combat.
The pressure Pini exerted was not quite at the level of Edward Newgate, Kaido, or Charlotte Linlin.
But it was close enough.
That alone made no sense.
Looking elsewhere, Youki, who had gained fame even earlier than Pini, was evenly holding off Benn Beckman.
The rest of the battlefield was even worse.
Every single Red Hair Pirate was being suppressed.
A single man wearing a beret had already knocked down all the non-cadre members almost instantly.
Beside Ash stood a blonde girl with twin tails and wing-like accessories, along with a burly young man whose abilities were still unknown.
It was obvious that the Dawn crew had gained new members again, possibly the remaining members of their rumored group.
What troubled Shanks even more was the beret man's power. It felt similar to the Goro Goro no Mi.
But that fruit should belong to Enel.
No matter how he looked at it, nothing made sense.
And Ash himself had not even made a move.
He simply stood there, even letting out a bored yawn.
What exactly had happened to the world?
"Are you seriously spacing out while fighting me? How much do you look down on me?!"
Pini's voice snapped Shanks out of his thoughts.
A powerful strike followed immediately, knocking Gryphon dozens of meters away. At the same time, countless wind blades surged toward Shanks in rapid succession.
Shanks landed roughly, planting Gryphon into the ground to steady himself. He tore off his tattered cloak and raised his sword again, his expression turning serious.
"Try taking this seriously, One-Armed Shanks," Pini said with a grin.
"I am Red-Haired Shanks!"
Shanks roared back, charging forward with renewed force.
Pini formed a golden longsword using his strange lightning-based ability and met the attack head-on. As their blades clashed, he continued provoking him.
"You might not like this, but calling you Red Hair feels awkward. It reminds me of something else entirely."
Shanks's anger surged further. In all his years at sea, he had never encountered someone this crude.
His attacks grew heavier.
Pini, however, was enjoying himself.
Ash had been right. Dropping restraint made fights far more entertaining, especially when it got under the opponent's skin.
Nearby, Youki heard everything and clicked his tongue in annoyance.
He knew Pini too well to take those words seriously.
Using that kind of provocation felt cheap.
"Don't move."
Suddenly, Benn Beckman drew a jet-black flintlock and aimed it directly at Youki.
Youki stared at him in disbelief.
They had been exchanging blows normally, and now this?
Pini provoked with words, and Beckman provoked with a gun?
Youki's expression darkened.
Without hesitation, he abandoned all restraint.
His body expanded instantly as a dragon's head emerged. Entering his hybrid form, he charged forward like lightning and threw a heavy punch at Beckman.
Beckman barely dodged, frowning.
This was not how it was supposed to go.
You point a gun, the opponent hesitates. Both sides stall.
Simple.
Instead, Youki went straight for the kill.
Youki had no interest in tricks. He preferred direct combat. The stronger the opponent, the better.
While the two main battlefields raged, the rest of the Red Hair Pirates were under overwhelming pressure.
Lucky Roux, one of the crew's top fighters, was being relentlessly beaten back by Tsuki. Only his durability and Armament Haki kept him standing.
Yasopp was in an even worse position.
His first shot had been aimed at Kirk.
Kirk barely reacted. With a casual motion, he opened an invisible spatial gate.
The moment Yasopp fired, the bullet reappeared from another direction and shot back at him.
A sniper who cannot shoot is useless.
Yasopp tried switching targets, but it made no difference. Every bullet he fired eventually turned back toward him.
Kirk had locked onto him completely.
"Are you the sniper from the East Blue… Yasopp, the man who abandoned his wife and child?"
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