The sea wind howled, stretching the nerves of every member of the Red Hair Pirates to their limit.
The spatial vortex slowly dissipated.
Two figures hovered in midair, looking down upon the freest pirates of the seas from above.
The man on the right wore custom-made Imperial battle armor and an Imperial forehead protector. Terrifying fluctuations of power radiated from him, yet his hands were casually clasped behind his head, his posture relaxed—almost lazy.
Double Kamui, Uchiha Obito.
The man on the left had silver hair, a mask covering the lower half of his face, and a short blade on his back that emitted a faint white glow. His eyes were clear yet cold, his entire presence like a blade kept in its sheath—sharpness restrained, but lethally dangerous.
Hatake Kakashi.
"Yo—so these are the Four Emperors?"
Obito tilted his head, his tone carefree and mocking.
Shanks' expression was grave. His single hand tightened around the hilt of Gryphon as he silently released a trace of Conqueror's Haki, countering the pressure coming from the two above.
"You two…"
Shanks spoke slowly, his gaze burning like a torch.
"Are you the Empire's vanguard?"
"Is that so-called Emperor really planning to drive everyone on this sea into a dead end?"
"Correct—but sadly, there's no reward for guessing right."
Obito shrugged, his voice abruptly turning cold, dominance seeping into every word.
"His Majesty has issued his decree."
"The Red Hair Pirates will either kneel and submit, becoming subjects of the Empire…"
"Or sink into the sea and feed the fish."
"Choose, Red Hair."
"I suggest the first option. At least you can still drink wine while you're alive. Once you're dead, everything's gone."
At this naked humiliation, Benn Beckman raised his flintlock. Yasopp aimed directly at Obito's brow. Lucky Roux finally set the meat in his hand aside.
Killing intent surged, ready to explode.
"No need to waste words on them, Obito."
The previously silent Kakashi spoke.
His voice was icy, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
This was not the lazy jonin who once read adult novels in Konoha, but an Anbu elite who carried the legacy of the White Fang—killing etched into his very bones.
"His Majesty's time is precious."
"He's still waiting for the battle report from this side."
Kakashi slowly drew the short blade from his back.
Clang!
A dazzling white light flashed—White Fang.
"Since they refuse to kneel, we'll just cut off their heads and bring them back."
"His Majesty only cares about results."
Facing these two implacable gods of slaughter, Shanks let out a quiet sigh.
He loosened his grip on the sword and stepped forward, making one final attempt.
"Wait."
Shanks raised a hand, wearing that familiar expression—earnest, calm, and strangely infectious.
"You two… although we stand on opposite sides…"
"Could you give me some face?"
"Face?"
Obito and Kakashi exchanged glances, as if they had just heard the greatest joke in the world.
Shanks continued, his tone sincere.
"Uchiha Tobirama's methods are too extreme. He wants to enslave this world—he's an evil tyrant."
"You're both powerful men. Are you really willing to help a villain commit such acts?"
"Stop this. What the sea needs is freedom, not dictatorship. If we join forces—"
"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!!"
Obito finally burst out laughing, clutching his stomach as his mask shook violently.
"Kakashi, did you hear that?"
"He's lecturing us about evil?"
"Teaching us about 'justice'?"
Even in Kakashi's dead-fish eyes, a trace of the look one reserves for an idiot appeared.
"It really is ironic."
"Red Hair."
Obito's laughter stopped abruptly. His single eye was filled with mockery.
"Have you misunderstood something?"
"You are a pirate. A criminal who burns, kills, plunders, and tramples order."
"And we are soldiers of the Empire—the enforcers of a new order."
"A lawless bandit of the sea actually has the nerve to accuse the Emperor who creates order of being evil?"
"Have your pirate brains been rotted away by seawater?"
Kakashi added coldly.
"Your so-called 'freedom' is nothing more than a fig leaf for the law of the jungle."
"In His Majesty's Empire, everyone has their place, and no one fears for their safety."
"Order is the only truth."
"Your face?"
Kakashi spun the White Fang once in his hand.
"Before the Empire, it's not worth a single coin."
Shanks' expression froze.
The justice he had always believed in was utterly worthless in their eyes.
Since words failed…
"Then there's no other choice."
Shanks' gaze sharpened instantly. Crimson Conqueror's Haki erupted skyward, tearing the clouds apart!
"If you insist on destroying the balance of this sea…"
"Then I'll be the one to stop you!"
"Draw your sword!"
Boom!
Shanks exploded forward, Gryphon wrapped in black-and-red lightning as he charged straight at Kakashi!
"Come."
Kakashi's eyes narrowed, no trace of retreat.
Hatake Style Secret Technique: White Fang Flash!
Swish!
Kakashi's body turned into a streak of white light, speed pushed to the extreme as he met Shanks head-on.
No flourish. No wasted motion.
Only speed. Only sharpness.
Clang!!!
Blade and sword collided.
A terrifying shockwave tore across the sea, waves soaring hundreds of meters high as the Red Force rocked violently.
"What a heavy blade!"
Kakashi felt numbness surge through the web of his hand. That slash, infused with Conqueror's Haki, felt like a mountain crashing down.
So this is Emperor-level Haki?
"Nice speed."
A red gleam flashed in Shanks' eyes.
Future Sight—activated.
In the next instant, he saw Kakashi reversing his blade, stabbing toward his ribs.
"But I've already seen it."
Shanks shifted his body in advance, perfectly avoiding the killing blow. At the same time, Gryphon swung back—
A crimson shockwave of a slash swept toward Kakashi's waist!
"What?!"
Kakashi's pupils contracted.
That angle was guaranteed—yet it was dodged as if predicted in advance!
Substitution Jutsu!
Poof!
White smoke erupted.
Kakashi turned into a wooden log, instantly cleaved in two.
His real body appeared atop a mast dozens of meters away, cold sweat seeping down his temple.
His gaze darkened.
"He can see my movements…?"
"It's not over yet!"
Shanks stepped off the deck and appeared above the mast in an instant, sword descending.
"Divine Departure!"
Kakashi raised White Fang to block.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
In mere seconds, dozens of exchanges erupted.
Kakashi's swordsmanship was exquisite, every strike aimed at vital points, vicious and precise.
Yet what unsettled him was—
No matter how he varied his techniques, no matter how fast he moved…
Shanks always blocked one step ahead—or appeared directly at Kakashi's landing point to intercept him!
Slash!
Blood sprayed as a gash tore across Kakashi's arm.
If his reaction had been even a moment slower, that arm would have been severed.
"Tch…"
Kakashi landed back on the deck, breathing heavily.
"So this is Future Sight…"
"All tactics laid bare… This feels even worse than fighting a Sharingan."
"If I don't deal with this ability…"
Kakashi tightened his grip on the White Fang, resolve hardening in his eyes.
"Pure swordsmanship will only be suppressed until I'm cut down."
--------------Author---------------
Read 50 advanced chapters on
👉 patreon.com/Master_fic