The next evening, at the appointed time, Arima appeared on the Red Force, holding Yuna's hand.
Shanks, seeing his long-lost friend, was overjoyed.
"Haha, Arima, you finally showed up! Hey, this must be Yuna! She's the spitting image of Tsunade!"
Shanks greeted them warmly.
Yuna, ever sociable, chirped sweetly, "Hello, Uncle Shanks! I'm Yuna, nine years old. Nice to meet you, please take care of me!"
Her charm melted Shanks' heart, sweeter than any dessert could ever be.
He quickly handed her a box. "Good girl, Yuna! This is your Uncle Shanks' gift for you. Open it later, it's a big surprise!"
Yuna glanced at her father, and with his nod, she happily accepted it.
"Thank you, Uncle Shanks! Oh, here, this is a 'Konoha' pendant I made with Father this morning. Let me put it on you!"
Yuna pulled a rough handmade trinket from her pocket, eager to fasten it on Shanks.
Shanks could tell it was crafted with care, and his fondness for Yuna grew even more.
He sat cross-legged in front of her, lowering his head. "Put it on me, Yuna!"
Yuna stepped behind him, carefully placing her heartfelt gift around his neck.
As soon as the pendant was on, Shanks sensed it was no ordinary item. He glanced at Arima, who mouthed two words: "Pure Gold."
Shanks' eyes widened. No wonder Yuna, at nine, looked only five or six. This return gift was truly extravagant.
He said earnestly, "Yuna, I love this gift!"
Yuna beamed, genuinely fond of this uncle she'd just met.
Arima had recently noticed his daughter could vaguely sense the good or evil in people's hearts.
He figured this ability would sharpen once she awakened her Observation Haki. Whether that was a blessing or a curse, he wasn't sure.
Arima and Shanks chatted warmly for a while before the banquet officially began.
During the feast, Arima asked, "Shanks, ever thought about ending the World Government's rule?"
Shanks squinted, took a swig of liquor, and said slowly, "I've dealt with the Five Elders. I'm wary of what's behind the World Government.
Overthrowing the Celestial Dragons? I don't think I can pull that off yet."
Arima said calmly, "We'll be leaving this world soon. Before we go, I'll clear the way for you."
"Leaving? Where to?"
"Back where we came from. We might return someday, but who knows what time it'll be here?"
"So, you're not from this world?"
Shanks, piecing together past clues, made a bold guess.
Arima grinned. "Sharp as ever."
"Heh, of course! The captain always said I was the sharpest of the apprentices!
As for ruling the world, I'm not interested, too used to freedom. But you should talk to the Revolutionary Army's leader, Dragon."
"Dragon? Garp's son, Monkey D. Dragon? Never met him."
"He's a good guy, trustworthy. Oh, heads-up, Kaido and Big Mom have sent fleets to the East Blue."
Shanks warned Arima, not wanting to see him ambushed again.
"Oh? If they show up, I'll deal with them for good this time. As for Wano, Tsunade made arrangements years ago. A clash with Kaido is inevitable."
"The World Government and Marines might get involved again."
"The Marines? Their sense of justice is so contradictory. Fine, I'll go easy on them."
Arima shrugged helplessly.
Shanks smirked. "You talk like you're some kind of god. Oh, wait, we've never sparred, have we?"
Arima chuckled. "What, you've got enough clout now to test me?"
Shanks laughed heartily. "Come on now."
Arima thought for a moment and nodded.
Word of their duel spread like wildfire across the Red Force. The crew was buzzing, eager to see which of the two Emperors was stronger.
The Red Force sailed to a nearby deserted island, dropped the two off, and quickly retreated, wary of getting caught in the crossfire.
Yuna stayed behind with Beckman and the others.
Arima and Shanks stood dozens of meters apart.
Arima entered Six Paths Mode, donning a white haori, gripping a black staff, with nine black Truth-Seeking Orbs floating behind him.
Shanks, meanwhile, wielded his famed sword, Griffin, in his right hand.
In Six Paths Mode, Arima blended seamlessly with nature.
Shanks tried to sense him with Observation Haki but was shocked to find Arima nearly undetectable. This fight would rely purely on experience.
Murmuring, Shanks said, "Guess he wasn't exaggerating. What a monster!"
He infused Griffin with Conqueror's Haki and unleashed massive sword slashes, capable of cleaving giant warships or slicing mountains in half.
But the slashes never reached Arima. A black, curved barrier appeared before him, stopping the attacks without a single scratch.
Shanks grinned excitedly. "That's some good stuff! If I could make a sword out of that, it'd outshine Hawkeye's Black Blade, Yoru!"
"Anything that touches this turns to ash instantly," Arima said, dousing Shanks' enthusiasm. To demonstrate, he used a nearby rock, which crumbled to dust on contact.
Shanks, now cautious, asked, "You're not planning to shatter my Griffin, are you?"
Arima pondered, then pulled a fine-grade sword from his Kamui dimension, coating it with Conqueror's Haki and striking his staff.
To his surprise, the sword didn't disintegrate, Haki could resist the Truth-Seeking Orbs' erosion.
But after several clashes, the sword's blade chipped and broke.
Seeing this, Shanks sheathed Griffin, grumbling, "Arima, that's not fair! Breaking a man's sword is like killing his parents! Forget it, let's call it off!"
Arima felt a pang of regret. He'd hoped to test himself against the other Emperors. Whitebeard was a given, when he went for the final Road Poneglyph, a fight would be inevitable.
And so, the duel ended as quickly as it began.
The Red Force crew, expecting an epic showdown, was disappointed by the anticlimactic outcome.
Back on board, Shanks explained to Beckman and the others, throwing in a few complaints about Arima's unfair advantage. Only then did the crew grasp just how terrifying Arima was.
Even the toughest body couldn't withstand Arima's onslaught.
Arima lingered on the ship a bit longer until Yuna grew sleepy. Cradling his daughter, he bid farewell to the crew.
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