Boom!
Shanks was blasted several hundred meters away by a single Shockwave from Garling. He crashed into the ground with a deafening thud, sending dust and debris flying into the sky.
Makino gasped in horror, crying out Shanks' name. The next moment, the dust cleared, and Shanks leapt out of the cloud, landing steadily on his feet.
He didn't look injured, even after taking a direct hit from that Shockwave. He even turned to Makino and waved, signaling that he was fine.
But the truth was, even with the formidable body granted by a top-tier Mythical Zoan Fruit, Shanks had nearly had his guard broken by Garling's attack. The pain still throbbed beneath the surface.
Of course, part of the blame was on himself for underestimating Garling. He hadn't used his Haki to defend. He simply didn't expect Garling—who had only just become the user of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—to wield such destructive power so soon.
He rubbed his firm abdomen and paused for a beat.
Then, the muscles in both his arms suddenly bulged. Powerful Haki surged forth, visibly coating his arms in flowing, liquid-like layers.
Garling's eyes gleamed. The blade at his waist suddenly emitted a translucent aura, red and black lightning crackling around it.
Once both sides had finished gathering power, they moved at the same moment.
With a stomp, Shanks shot forward like a bolt of red lightning, leaving behind a massive claw mark scorched into the ground.
Garling remained unmoving. His blade swept through the air, slicing open a dark green rift in space.
Shanks crashed straight into it. The explosive combination of his hardened body and Haki burst forth violently. In an instant, two opposing force fields—one red, one white—split the air.
Lightning whipped wildly between them.
A resonant dragon's roar rang out. At the very center of the clash, Shanks' dragon claws tore through the resistance and pierced the force field, charging straight toward Garling.
The shockwave in Garling's palm had already been prepared. Just as Shanks closed in, Garling thrust his palm toward Shanks' face.
Reflected in Shanks' pupils was Garling's rapidly enlarging palm. Without hesitation, Shanks opened his mouth, unleashing a blast of blazing dragon breath.
The two forces collided again.
Even at such a close distance, neither of them gave an inch. Shanks' claw slashed forward, but Garling turned his head to dodge. Garling's knee shot upward, only for Shanks to block it with another claw strike.
Explosive sounds from their physical clashes echoed across the space.
As they fought, Garling's control over the Tremor-Tremor Fruit became more refined. With each wave of his hand, powerful tremors shook the space around them.
Being a Sword Master, Garling emphasized precise control over brute strength. In the midst of battle, he suddenly unleashed a move that caught Shanks completely off guard.
He merely blinked.
And the space in front of him shattered like a mirror.
Caught in the middle of close combat, Shanks was completely unprepared and was instantly pulled into the fractured space.
In that moment, Shanks felt his body being shredded by countless invisible hands. Fortunately, his partially dragon-transformed body was strong enough, and with the added protection of Haki, he endured it. Anyone else would've been torn apart on the spot.
Struggling out of the chaotic energy currents, Shanks glanced down at the shallow wounds on his body. Then, looking up at Garling, he grinned.
"That last move… pretty damn impressive. I've never seen Whitebeard use something like that."
Shanks had, after all, clashed with Whitebeard multiple times and was quite familiar with the powers of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit.
In his memory, the fruit's destructive power was definitely top-tier—but the wind-up for those powerful techniques was usually long and noticeable.
Garling, though, had managed to unleash that attack with just a blink. That was something entirely new.
And it wasn't just Shanks who was surprised. Even Carl had been stunned by that move. He couldn't help but think of Ivankov's Hell Wink—though clearly, Garling's move outclassed it by miles.
(T/N: Hell Wink : A variation of Death Wink, after increasing the size of his head with Face Growth Hormones by using his Horu Horu no Mi abilities, he fires a much stronger wink; one with greater range, greater capacity for damage and a much-greater area of effect. It was powerful enough to take out a large group of Blugoris. Also, by using them both, he is able to propel himself even through strong materials, like the stone floors and walls of Impel Down.)
Carl clapped his hands and praised:
"Already created your own move in such a short time? That's Garling-san for you."
Garling turned to Carl and laughed.
"Compared to all the techniques you've come up with, mine's still child's play."
But just as he finished speaking, Garling's brow furrowed sharply. His body moved on instinct to dodge.
A massive fist crashed into his abdomen the next second, launching him high into the sky with tremendous force.
Below, Shanks held a rising uppercut pose and burst into laughter.
"You can't let your guard down in the middle of a fight. You just said so yourself, didn't you—Dad!"
The word slipped out.
And as soon as it did, Shanks froze on the spot.
So did everyone else.
Even Garling, who had just been sent flying, was stunned.
He didn't even try to counterattack. He just crashed headlong into the golden, light-covered ceiling with a loud boom.
The pain brought Garling back to his senses. Using the force from the impact, he descended like a meteor, landing on the ground. Slowly getting back to his feet, he looked deeply at Shanks and asked:
"What… did you just call me?"
There was a glimmer of hope in Garling's eyes.
But Shanks said nothing.
Carl let out a sigh, thinking And here I thought the ice had broken… but nope—back to square one.
Still, the word Dad had left a mark—especially on Garling. He hadn't even noticed that his hand holding the sword was trembling slightly. To anyone watching, it might've looked like he could barely lift his weapon.
Shanks couldn't stand the awkwardness.
He let out a furious roar.
A scorching wave of heat erupted around him. His body ignited, transforming into a blazing crimson form in the blink of an eye.
His Conqueror's Haki surged out in waves, turning into countless arcs of lightning around him. He drew his sword with a dragon claw, his crimson eyes locked onto Garling.
Garling sighed softly.
He slowly raised his sword and held it across his chest. With one hand, he brushed along the blade. A layer of visible shockwave coated the edge, like a white sheath of energy.
Red and black Haki spiraled up the weapon. Under the pressure of the two destructive forces, the blade began to quiver violently.
Watching the standoff between Shanks and Garling, Carl's expression turned serious. He lowered his crossed arms and vanished in a flash, reappearing in front of the golden cube that shielded Makino and her daughter.
He placed a hand cloaked in black mist on the surface of the golden cube. Instantly, black lines spread across its entire surface like veins.
Once done, Carl turned back toward the battlefield, the black mist in his palm growing even more intense.
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+110 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg