Shanks suddenly disappeared from where his stand.
Arthur's eyes sharpened.
A violent slash came from his blind side.
Arthur turned and blocked.
CLANG!
Shanks pressed forward with another strike.
Arthur parried.
A third followed.
Arthur stepped back.
The exchange accelerated again.
Shanks was no longer allowing Arthur to dictate the rhythm.
His swordsmanship became increasingly aggressive, every movement designed to force Arthur away from the spreading mist.
For several seconds, it worked.
Arthur was pushed backward.
Shanks followed.
Gryphon struck downward.
Arthur blocked with both swords.
The ground beneath him shattered.
Shanks continued pressing.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Arthur absorbed the pressure, then deliberately opened his guard with one blade.
Shanks' eyes widened.
Arthur's free hand moved.
The crimson mist behind Shanks surged forward.
Shanks sensed it.
He turned.
Too late.
A thin tendril of blood brushed against his exposed shoulder.
For an instant, nothing happened.
Then Shanks' expression changed.
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
He felt it.
A connection.
Something had entered Shanks' body.
Only a tiny amount.
Barely more than a trace.
But it was enough.
Arthur closed his fingers.
Shanks froze.
His body stopped responding.
Gryphon remained raised in his hand, but his arm refused to move.
His legs became rigid.
Even his breathing seemed to hesitate.
The Red Hair Pirates reacted immediately.
"Captain!"
Beckman stepped forward instinctively.
Arthur's voice stopped him.
"Don't."
The single word carried enough pressure that Beckman halted.
Arthur stood several meters away, his two swords lowered slightly while crimson mist continued circling his body.
Shanks looked at him.
Arthur looked back.
Neither spoke for several seconds.
Then Shanks tried to move.
Nothing happened.
His muscles still obeyed his will, but the blood flowing through his veins no longer belonged entirely to him.
Arthur could feel every heartbeat.
Every pulse.
Every movement of blood through Shanks' veins.
The connection was complete. Arthur could feel every movement of blood beneath Shanks' skin.
Arthur raised his hand slightly.
Shanks' body responded against his will.
His arm lowered.
His knee bent.
His head tilted forward.
A murmur spread through the watching pirates.
Law's eyes widened.
"He can control him."
Robin remained calm, but even her expression had tightened.
"Not completely."
Law looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because Shanks is resisting."
Across the battlefield, black lightning began crawling across Shanks' body.
His Haoshoku Haki erupted.
The ground beneath his feet cracked.
The blood inside his body fought against Arthur's control.
Shanks slowly raised his head.
His eyes met Arthur's.
Arthur felt the resistance immediately.
It was enormous.
The amount of Haki Shanks was forcing through his body was gradually disrupting Arthur's control over the blood.
The resistance was immense, but Arthur's control still held.
Arthur closed his fingers again.
Shanks' body moved forward.
One step.
Then another.
Not because he wanted to advance.
Because Arthur commanded it.
The Red Hair Pirates watched in stunned silence.
Their captain, the man who had stood against some of the most terrifying powers in the world, was being forced to move by another Emperor's will.
Arthur walked toward him.
His Blood Mist parted around his body.
His Vampire wings remained spread behind him.
His two swords rested at his sides.
Arthur stopped in front of him.
He raised one sword.
The edge hovered near Shanks' neck.
Shanks looked at the blade.
Then at Arthur.
A faint smile appeared.
"So this is the trick."
Arthur's expression remained serious.
"You knew the moment the mist touched you."
"I did."
"And you still let it happen." Shanks' smile widened.
"I wanted to know if it would work." Arthur's eyes narrowed.
The tension around the battlefield became almost unbearable.
Arthur knew he could end the fight. Everyone watching had realized it as well.
One movement of his hand could stop Shanks' heart.
Another clash was unnecessary.
His sword remained beside Shanks' neck, but Arthur did not strike.
The morning sun had risen higher now, illuminating the ruined harbor and turning the remaining Blood Mist into a deep crimson haze.
Arthur studied the man standing before him.
This was the same pirate who had welcomed his children, shared his food, laughed with his crew, and challenged him without hatred.
A man who had fought him with everything he possessed.
A man who had refused to surrender even after losing control of his own body.
Arthur slowly lowered the sword.
Shanks raised an eyebrow.
"What are you doing?"
Arthur released his grip.
The blood inside Shanks' body immediately returned to its natural flow.
The pressure vanished.
Shanks staggered forward one step before catching himself.
He breathed deeply.
Then he laughed.
"Hahaha..."
Arthur looked at him.
Shanks wiped a thin line of blood from the corner of his mouth.
"You had me."
"I know."
"You could've finished it."
"I could have."
"Why didn't you?"
Arthur sheathed one sword.
Then the other.
"Because that isn't how I want to win this duel."
Shanks' expression became quiet.
Arthur looked directly into his eyes.
"If I kill you by controlling your blood, I'll never know whether my sword and Haki were truly enough to defeat yours."
For several seconds, Shanks said nothing.
Then his grin returned.
"Now that's an answer I can respect."
He tightened his grip around Gryphon.
Arthur's hands returned to his swords.
The two men faced one another once more amid the ruined battlefield. Their bodies were covered in wounds, their Haki had shaken the island, and neither had enough strength left for another prolonged exchange. If the duel was going to end, it had to end now.
Shanks lifted Gryphon.
Arthur raised both blades.
The crimson mist gathered around him again.
Black lightning crawled across the steel.
The sun continued rising over the horizon.
Arthur looked at Shanks.
"So... final clash?"
"Pour everything in the last one." Shanks' eyes sharpened.
The casual expression disappeared from his face.
Arthur's Vampire wings spread wider.
Blood began flowing across his arms once again, forming a dense layer around his body.
His two swords rose slowly.
The pressure surrounding him changed.
Shanks felt it immediately.
So did everyone watching.
Neither man rushed forward. They simply watched each other across the ruined harbor, both knowing that whatever came next would decide the duel.
The next stage would not be about proving whether he could defeat Shanks.
It would be about ending the battle.
And as the first full rays of morning sunlight broke across the ruined battlefield, Arthur's crimson eyes fixed themselves on the Emperor standing before him.
Arthur stood at the center of the devastation.
Across from him, Shanks slowly straightened, Gryphon still firmly held in his hand.
Arthur could feel it.
Despite everything that had happened, Shanks' will had not diminished.
If anything, it had become sharper.
Shanks wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at Arthur with a faint smile.
"I'm starting to regret picking a fight with you."
"So, are you ready to finish it?" Arthur's grip tightened around his swords.
Shanks lowered Gryphon.
Arthur slowly raised both swords.
The crimson mist surrounding Arthur's body began to contract, drawing inward as though the Blood-Blood Fruit itself understood what was coming. His Blood Armor compressed around his body, becoming denser rather than larger, while the remaining Blood Arms folded behind him and merged into the swirling mass.
His three Devil Fruits had already pushed his body to its limits.
Yet Arthur continued gathering power.
Shanks watched carefully.
He knew what Arthur was doing.
The same realization appeared in his eyes.
"You're putting everything into the next attack."
"So are you." Arthur gave a faint smile.
Shanks laughed quietly. "Then let's finish it."
"I can't wait any longer." Arthur's eyes narrowed.
The wind stopped.
For one final moment, the ruined harbor became completely silent.
Then Shanks moved.
His body disappeared from where he stood, propelled forward by a burst of overwhelming physical power and Haki. Gryphon was already raised, its black coating radiating an oppressive force that seemed to distort the air around the blade.
Arthur moved at the same instant.
The crimson mist exploded outward behind him.
His two swords crossed briefly before separating into opposing angles, each covered in dense layers of Busoshoku and Haoshoku. Black lightning erupted from the blades, intertwining with the blood surrounding his body.
Neither Emperor slowed.
They accelerated.
The distance between them vanished.
And then—
BOOOOOOM!
The final collision erupted across the harbor.
Arthur's two blades crashed against Gryphon with such force that the ground beneath them collapsed. A colossal shockwave expanded in every direction, tearing apart the remaining structures and sending enormous walls of water away from the island.
The sky thundered.
The sea recoiled.
Black lightning exploded across the horizon.
For several seconds, the three blades remained locked together.
Arthur pushed forward with both swords.
Shanks answered with everything remaining in his body.
Their Haki collided so violently that the blades themselves seemed to scream.
Arthur's arms trembled.
Shanks' feet sank deeper into the shattered ground.
Neither yielded.
Then Arthur shifted his stance.
One sword moved.
Shanks immediately reacted.
Gryphon redirected the first blade.
But Arthur's second sword followed from the opposite angle.
Shanks twisted his body.
The blade passed within inches of his chest.
At the same instant, Gryphon came sweeping toward Arthur's neck.
Arthur ducked.
The sword passed above his head.
He stepped forward.
Shanks did the same.
Their shoulders collided.
The two men separated for barely a heartbeat before returning to the attack.
Arthur's first blade descended.
Shanks blocked.
The second came from below.
Shanks twisted.
Gryphon answered.
Arthur intercepted.
The exchange became a storm of steel and black lightning.
Every movement carried the weight of everything they had shown throughout the night.
Neither could see the other's future anymore. Every movement had to be read in the instant it happened.
Two swords against one.
Experience against adaptation.
Instinct against instinct.
Haki against Haki.
Neither could predict the other completely.
That was why the final exchange became so brutal.
Arthur suddenly changed his rhythm.
His left sword slowed.
Shanks recognized the opening and moved to exploit it.
That was exactly what Arthur wanted.
His right sword came around from below.
Shanks shifted Gryphon to intercept.
But Arthur's left sword accelerated at the last possible instant.
Shanks' eyes widened.
The blade struck Gryphon.
CLANG!
The impact forced his sword downward.
Arthur stepped inside.
For a fraction of a second, Shanks' guard opened.
Arthur's second blade stopped directly before his chest.
Shanks immediately moved to counter.
But his body hesitated.
Only for an instant.
Yet that instant was enough.
Arthur's Armament Lock took hold.
The combination of Busoshoku and Haoshoku pressed against Shanks' body with an invisible authority that did not simply restrain him.
It made resistance feel unnatural.
As though every muscle were being ordered to submit.
Shanks' body stiffened.
His expression changed.
Arthur's blade remained inches from his chest.
Shanks gritted his teeth.
"Your Armament Lock is more refined..."
Arthur said nothing.
The pressure intensified.
For the first time in their battle, Shanks' freedom of movement was completely taken from him.
His experience had recognized the trap.
His Haki had responded.
But his body could no longer move freely.
Arthur had created an opening that even Shanks' instincts could not erase.
Shanks' eyes sharpened.
Then he smiled.
"Impressive."
Arthur's expression remained serious.
"You're not getting away from this one."
Shanks tightened his grip on Gryphon.
His entire body erupted with Haki.
The pressure surrounding him surged violently, cracking the ground beneath his feet.
Arthur's Armament Lock began to strain.
He was forcing his way through the Armament Lock through sheer willpower and overwhelming Haki.
The restraint weakened.
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
He's still moving.
Shanks raised Gryphon.
Arthur immediately understood.
The red-haired Emperor was not attempting to escape.
He was forcing his way through the Armament Lock with sheer willpower.
Their Haki collided again.
The pressure exploded outward.
Arthur was pushed backward several meters.
Shanks staggered as well.
Both men were breathing heavily.
Neither had enough strength left for another prolonged exchange.
Arthur looked at Shanks.
Shanks looked back.
Then both smiled.
There was no hatred in either expression.
Only recognition.
They had reached the same conclusion.
One more attack.
That was all.
Neither man looked away. They had spent the entire night testing the limits of swordsmanship, instinct, and Haki. There was nothing left to measure. Only the result remained.
Arthur lowered his body.
The blood surrounding him began to surge.
The crimson mist condensed around his arms, his shoulders, and the two blades until his entire silhouette seemed to be wrapped in a dark-red storm.
His Mythical Zoan Bat-Bat Fruit Model: Vampire amplified every remaining ounce of physical strength.
His Blood-Blood Fruit accelerated the flow of blood through his body, driving his remaining strength to its limit.
His Art-Art Fruit shaped that power into one final weapon, giving form to the attack he had imagined.
Busoshoku covered the blades.
Haoshoku surged over them.
Black lightning crawled across the steel.
Shanks raised Gryphon.
His breathing steadied.
The exhaustion remained, but his eyes became completely calm.
All of his remaining Haki gathered into the blade.
he ruined harbor seemed to disappear. For one final moment, there was nothing between them but steel, Haki, and the first light of dawn.
Arthur took one final breath.
Shanks did the same.
Then—
They vanished.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
The collision detonated across the island.
A massive shockwave tore through the harbor and raced across the coastline. Trees were ripped from the ground. The remaining structures collapsed beneath the pressure. The sea was forced backward, exposing the seabed for several terrifying seconds before an enormous wall of water surged toward the island.
The sky split apart.
Black lightning stretched between the clouds and the ocean.
The sound of their clash rolled across the horizon like thunder from a distant war.
At the center of the destruction, their blades remained locked together.
Shanks' eyes met Arthur's.
Arthur could see the exhaustion in them.
But he could also see something else.
Satisfaction.
Shanks smiled faintly.
"Now I understand why Captain Roger believed in you."
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
Shanks pushed against the two blades.
"You don't want his empty throne."
Arthur shook his head.
"No."
"Then what do you want?"
Arthur's expression softened for a moment.
"The better world."
Shanks' smile widened.
"I thought so."
Arthur suddenly twisted his left blade.
Gryphon was forced aside.
His second sword followed immediately.
Shanks reacted with everything he had left.
But the angle was impossible.
The blade slipped past his defense.
A sharp line of blood appeared across his chest.
Shanks staggered.
Arthur stopped.
For a heartbeat, the entire battlefield was silent.
Shanks looked down at the wound.
Then he laughed.
A genuine laugh.
"Good."
He wiped the blood from his chest and looked at Arthur again.
"Now I know."
Arthur remained still.
His body was beginning to tremble from exhaustion.
The Blood Armor around him started to dissipate.
The crimson mist thinned.
Shanks noticed.
Arthur noticed him noticing.
Neither spoke.
Finally, Shanks lowered Gryphon.
Arthur did the same.
Shanks took one step forward.
His knee almost buckled.
He caught himself with Gryphon.
The watching crews froze.
No one said a word.
Shanks looked toward Arthur.
Arthur was still standing, though barely, his body trembling beneath the weight of exhaustion.
Shanks smiled.
"Looks like you've got me."
Arthur slowly lowered one sword.
The other remained in his hand.
He could have continued.
He could have ended the fight.
Instead, he turned the blade away.
"I know."
"Arrogant." Shanks laughed softly. "But honest."
That earned another laugh from the red-haired Emperor.
Then Shanks released his grip slightly.
Gryphon lowered toward the ground.
For several seconds, the Red Hair Pirates remained completely silent.
Then Yasopp slowly exhaled.
"Captain..."
Beckman had seen Shanks face monsters and overwhelming odds without ever losing that calm.
Yet there was no shame in Shanks' expression.
Only acceptance.
Beckman finally looked toward Arthur.
The man standing across from them was barely breathing normally, his clothes torn and his body covered with wounds.
Yet Arthur remained standing.
Arthur slowly sheathed one sword.
Then the second.
The first rays of sunlight finally appeared over the horizon.
Golden light spilled across the ruined harbor, revealing the full extent of the devastation left by their duel.
And the two Emperors standing at the center of it all.
Arthur looked toward the rising sun.
For the first time that night, he allowed himself to breathe freely.
Far beyond the ruined harbor, however, another presence had been watching.
A Marine warship remained hidden beyond the distant horizon.
Its deck was silent.
At the front stood a tall man wearing a Marine coat over his shoulders.
His hands remained buried in his pockets, his relaxed posture almost at odds with the devastation before him. A faint golden light shimmered around his body.
Borsalino.
His eyes remained fixed on the ruined island, taking in the devastation without a trace of surprise.
Borsalino slowly raised his Den Den Mushi.
The creature's eyes opened.
A voice came through the receiver.
"Report."
Borsalino glanced toward the island once more.
Arthur was still standing amid the ruins, while Shanks had lowered Gryphon.
Borsalino sighed.
"Well..."
His usual lazy smile returned.
"...that was quite a troublesome fight."
A pause followed.
Then the voice on the other end spoke again.
"Proceed with the operation."
Borsalino's smile disappeared.
For the first time, there was a trace of seriousness in his eyes.
"Understood."
He lowered the Den Den Mushi.
The Marine warship began turning toward the island.
Borsalino looked toward the rising sun.
"Looks like it's my turn."
The warship accelerated.
Behind it, the horizon slowly brightened.
The clash between Emperors was over.
But another battle was already coming.