As Hanaten finished explaining the arrangements and was imagining Rosen's return, Suzumebachi's previously empty right arm, enveloped in a golden light, once again coalesced into a golden missile, pointing toward Ben Beckman and Monster.
"Sode no Shirayuki!"
"Zabimaru!"
Wielding her Bankai capable of a one-hit kill, Suzumebachi strutted forward.
"I understand!"
Zabimaru glanced at Suzumebachi subtly, immediately understanding. Although she didn't want to join forces with Suzumebachi—much less use her to defeat Ben Beckman and Monster—with such formidable enemies before her, she wouldn't let Hanaten Kyokotsu risk his life and waste their hard-won advantage.
Boom!
Zabimaru swung her snake-blade, which instantly extended into a ferocious bone python over a hundred meters long. Dragging a sharp gust of wind, it lunged at Ben Beckman and Monster.
Whoosh!
The man and the monkey exchanged a glance, then leaped forward, charging in opposite directions, causing the bone python to miss its bite.
"Snake Fang Cannon!"
Zabimaru, seeing this, wasn't disappointed; instead, a smug smile appeared on her face.
Whoosh!
The bone python emitted a burst of bright orange light, forming a huge, ferocious golden snake head. It opened its blood-red maw, bringing Monster—who had avoided the python's bite—back into its attack range.
Bang!
Faced with the terrifying oncoming maw, Monster could only stop, spreading his arms. One foot pressed against the snake's jaws, the other braced against its fangs.
However—
Boom!
Just as Monster performed his feat of lifting the snake like a monkey, the snake head formed of golden light erupted with streaks of golden lightning and exploded on the spot. It transformed into a hemispherical golden shockwave that engulfed Monster. The surging shockwave also affected Ben Beckman, who was not far away.
Clang!
At this moment, Sode no Shirayuki, wielding an ice blade, slashed down from above.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
A biting wind swept through, and freezing air spread. A torrent of freezing air, like a raging storm, descended from the sky, engulfing Ben Beckman—who was suspended in mid-air and blasted away by the shockwave.
Crack!
In an instant, the man and the monkey were frozen in place. The man was struck head-on by the Serpent Fang Cannon, while the monkey was frozen by Sode no Shirayuki's seized opportunity.
Under normal circumstances, given their strength, they would not have been defeated so easily. Despite taking a direct hit from the Serpent Fang Cannon, Monster could still get up and fight. Ben Beckman, frozen in ice, was also capable of breaking free.
However, neither Zabimaru's Serpent Fang Cannon nor Sode no Shirayuki's freezing air were meant to be fatal; they were merely tools to divide the battlefield, freeze the man and monkey, and knock them away. Of course, they also bought time.
After doing all this, Zabimaru and Sode no Shirayuki didn't even look at the outcome. They turned around and left, quickly creating distance between themselves and Ben Beckman and Monster.
"Suzumebachi Raikōben."
Seeing that Sode no Shirayuki and Zabimaru had retreated far enough, Suzumebachi no longer hesitated and decisively launched the golden missile in her hand.
Whoosh!
With a rapid whooshing sound, the golden missile left her hand, like lightning streaking across the sky, instantly reaching Ben Beckman.
Crack!
Just then, the ice that had frozen Ben Beckman shattered. But the moment he emerged, the Suzumebachi Raikōben was upon him, right at his face.
"Damn it!"
The thought had barely formed in his mind when the golden missile that struck his face transformed into a dazzling golden light, obscuring everything in his vision.
Boom!
The Suzumebachi Raikōben exploded like a nuclear blast, transforming into a vast, blazing ball of light that swept through the air. A mushroom cloud as towering as a mountain hovered above the Judge's Forbidden Zone for a long time.
"Bingge!"
Sensing that another crew member's aura had vanished—no, it should be said that the aura emanating from the dead—Red-Haired Shanks' face, already consumed by killing intent and rage, turned deathly pale. His bloodshot eyes reflected deep pain and resentment, yet he was utterly powerless.
He and Garp were evenly matched to begin with. At least for the short term, that's certainly true. Especially now, Garp's only thought is to stall for time, not to win. Escaping is impossible. After all, both are masters of Haki, one skilled in hand-to-hand combat, the other in swordsmanship. In terms of speed, they are almost evenly matched.
Although Garp is older than Shanks, his combat experience is far greater, making it easy for him to hold Shanks back.
"Garp!"
Shanks has repeatedly tried to break through, even attempting to trade blows, but Garp hasn't yielded an inch, even at the cost of injury. This only fuels Shanks's rage, leaving him powerless to do anything but rage.
"Give up!"
"Red-haired brat."
"Even if I die here today, I won't let you set foot in the Judge's Forbidden Zone."
His opponent isn't his grandson, and he's even planning to attack the Judge's Forbidden Zone, ruining the Marines' excellent situation. Garp certainly wouldn't hold back. Especially for the sake of victory, Katen Kyokotsu completely risked her life, trading her life for Ben Beckman. As a Marine hero who had promised to protect the Judge's Forbidden Zone in front of Rosen, he naturally had no reason to let Shanks pass.
"You'll regret this!"
At this moment, Shanks's redness wasn't just in his hair, but also in his eyes. Like a ferocious, rampaging Sea King, he displayed a crazed, predatory arrogance. His Griffin sword, enveloped in an overwhelming, suffocating Conqueror's Haki, slashed at Garp relentlessly—a display of savage fury intended to grind the man before him to dust.
"You started this war first, don't act like you pirates are innocent."
Garp was unfazed. His iron fist, crackling with Conqueror's Haki, directly met Shanks's Griffin attack. He knew perfectly well what was going on. Without the materialized Zanpakutō squad left by Rosen, he absolutely wouldn't have been able to defend the Judge's Forbidden Zone today. At that time, it wouldn't just be the members of the Red-Haired Pirates who perished, but the Marines within the Judge's Forbidden Zone, and even his own life might not be spared.
Thinking of this, Garp felt absolutely no pity or sympathy for Shanks. With even a sliver of empathy, he felt he had failed the heroes who sacrificed their lives to save Ben Beckman—Katen and Kyokotsu.
Bang!
Shanks remained silent, his face grim. Holding his swords in both hands, he unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, transforming it into a colossal, mountain-like griffin. Its immense pressure distorted the atmosphere as it hurtled towards Garp. He knew the only way to break the deadlock was to defeat Garp before the rest of his crew. The sooner he defeated Garp, the fewer casualties the Red-Haired Pirates would suffer.
However, Shanks quickly dismissed this thought himself. Just a few minutes later, after firing the second Suzumebachi Thunder Whip, Suzumebachi's empty right arm materialized a third golden missile.
"Damn it!"
Sensing this sudden change, Shanks, enduring excruciating pain, finally couldn't resist the urge to retreat. After all, after the second Suzumebachi Raikōben was fired, Sode no Shirayuki had freed herself, while the Red-Haired Pirates lost another member, widening their fighting gap. If Suzumebachi were to launch a third golden missile, another member would be freed up on the materialized Zanpakutō side, and the Red-Haired Pirates would suffer further losses. Unable to endure the pain of losing his comrades any longer, he had no choice but to retreat.
As for Rem Jones, Benckiser, and the others who died in the battle, Shanks could only forcefully suppress the overwhelming pain and hatred in his heart.
Sizzle
Just as Shanks was about to utter the word "retreat," a deafening thunderclap exploded in his ears, blasting the word back from his lips. This sudden thunderclap not only exploded in Shanks' ears but also reached the ears of every Zanpakutō in the Judge's Forbidden Zone.
"Not good!"
Although Hua Tian was the most severely injured and could only sit on the ground with her back against the entrance to the restricted area, her reaction was the fastest. But unfortunately, her injuries were too severe; she couldn't even stand, let alone fight back. Moreover, the approaching figure was simply too fast, faster than lightning, even at full strength, she might not be able to stop him.
Whoosh!
As Hua Tian heard the thunderous sound, a burly figure flashed behind Garp like a demon god. His fist, wreathed in purple roaring lightning and domineering black lightning, like a dragon emerging from the sea, slammed towards Garp's neck.
"Thunder Bagua!"
The thunderous sound, carrying boundless rage, vibrated Garp's eardrums painfully.
"Kaido!"
Garp's expression changed drastically.
Clang!
In a flash, he unleashed his maximum level of Armament Haki, hardening his neck, and then took the full force of Kaido's Thunder Bagua attack after his escape.
Bang!
The blow landed, and a terrifying Conqueror's Haki shockwave instantly ripped outwards, leveling hundreds of meters of ground and tearing the area apart like a dried-up riverbed—a horrifying sight.
Pfft!
Even with Armament Haki defense, Garp was fighting Shanks, and Kaido's sneak attack was simply too fast, too fierce, and without warning. He was blasted so hard he saw stars, coughed up blood, and lost his balance.
"Observation Kill!"
A look of shock appeared on Garp's blood-stained face. He hadn't expected that Kaido, whose Devil Fruit awakening had failed and whose rationality was now controlled by the Azure Dragon's will, had not only successfully escaped but also mastered the Observation Kill technique. This not only signifies a further advancement in Kaido's Haki, but also represents a significant improvement in the Devil Fruit ability of the strongest creature on land, sea, and air, after his intensive training in the Judge's Forbidden Zone prison.
"Divine Evasion!"
While Shanks was also surprised that Kaido had managed to escape and master the ability of Observation Kill, he didn't miss this golden opportunity.
Bang!
He gripped the Griffin sword tightly, his Conqueror's Haki coiling around the blade like raging black dragons. With a single swing, the powerful Conqueror's Haki, strong enough to distort the air and tear through the atmosphere, transformed into a slashing wave that struck Garp directly in the abdomen, who was caught off guard and severely injured by Kaido's sneak attack.
Pfft!
Garp's eyes widened. Already severely wounded by Kaido and nearly knocked off his feet, he coughed up another mouthful of blood after being struck by Divine Evasion. Then... he could do nothing but be ripped open, blood gushing from all seven orifices, by Shanks's terrifyingly murderous blade, his body flying backward like a cannonball.
"The Grand Line."
"Your King."
"He's back."
Kaido raised his arms high, his body wreathed in black lightning, like a demon god straight out of mythology, radiating a Conqueror's Haki that could change the very heavens and earth, and darken the sky. He used the defeat of a Marine hero to announce to the Grand Line. The return of the strongest creature on land, sea, and air.
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