Chapter 30: The Young Red-Hair
Foosha Village, the beach. The aftershocks of the Haki clash still hung in the air.
Roy slowly retracted his aura, his coat settling, his expression calm.
Shanks stared at him, frowning. This Rear Admiral's actions made no sense.
"I just don't want to fight you in Foosha Village," Roy said flatly, his gaze sweeping over the terrified villagers and Uta, who was clutching Shanks's cape.
"A nearby island. Follow me."
Before the words faded, his figure vanished, as if he had never been there at all.
FWOOSH!
The moment the Marine was gone, Lucky Roux dove into the sea and quickly fished out Yasopp.
Beckman stepped up to Shanks, his voice low. "Are you really going? Something's not right with this guy."
Shanks's lips curled into a grin, but his eyes were dangerous. "He challenged me to my face. It's not my style to back down!"
Uta pulled on his cape, her face pale with worry.
Shanks turned and ruffled her hair, his smile warm. "Don't worry. I'll be right back."
The next second, his own Haki exploded, and he launched himself like a cannonball toward the spot where Roy's presence had vanished.
Several nautical miles away, on a deserted, rocky island.
Roy stood at the edge of a cliff, his cape snapping in the wind.
"FWOOSH—!"
A red blur tore through the sky, landing with a "BOOM!" that shattered the clifftop. Shanks stood, his left hand on the hilt of his sword, "Gryphon," his aura as sharp as a blade, with red-and-black Haki lightning crackling around him.
"Marine... what do you want?" His voice was low, his hawk-like eyes locked on Roy.
Roy, his back to him, slowly turned. A flicker of fighting spirit lit his dark eyes, but his mouth twisted into a taunt.
"The so-called 'Beacon'..."
"Shhh—!"
Before he could finish, Shanks had drawn his sword. The blade, wreathed in red Conqueror's Haki, came at him like a bolt of lightning!
"What do you know?!"
The ground exploded as the shockwave pulverized the nearby rock wall!
But Roy's figure had already vanished. The next second, a fist coated in black Armament Haki slammed in from the side!
"BAM!"
Shanks barely managed to block with his sword. The force of the punch was so immense it drove him back, his boots shattering the rock beneath him. The entire island trembled.
"This strength... It's just like his!" Shanks thought, his eyes narrowing as his sword hummed from the impact.
Roy stood firm, his own Conqueror's Haki now visibly boiling around him in black-and-red arcs. "I don't care about your little games."
"I'm just here to warn you: the two young swordsmen at the Shimotsuki Dojo are mine. Find another candidate."
Shanks's pupils shrank. His mind was reeling.
This Marine not only knew about the "Beacon" project, he knew the exact targets in Shimotsuki Village!
"The Navy's intelligence... it's more terrifying than I thought."
He gripped Gryphon and suddenly grinned. "Looks like I can't let you leave here alive."
"BOOM!!"
The sky split in two as both men unleashed their full Conqueror's Haki, sending a shockwave that blasted the sea into a hundred-meter-high wall of water.
Shanks struck first, a horizontal slash that roared through the air. "Divine Departure!"
The red-black energy tore toward Roy.
Roy, however, simply warped into the air. "Only an idiot would try to tank a Divine Departure head-on~"
He coated his own fist in Conqueror's Haki and fell like a meteor!
"Fist Bone: Meteorite!"
"CLANG—!!!"
The sound of the blade and fist colliding was deafening. The resulting explosion ripped the night sky apart.
Shanks felt an unstoppable force travel up his sword, and his hand burst open, blood spraying from his knuckles!
"This power?!... It's Garp's technique!"
Roy didn't answer, his figure flashing again. This time, he appeared in three places at once, all three attacking!
"Warp: Phantom Barrage!"
Shanks's Observation Haki was screaming. He spun, his blade a blur, but one of the punches still grazed his cheek, drawing blood!
"You bastard...!"
Shanks planted his feet, his Observation Haki flaring, and saw it—he saw Roy's killing intent form in the future!
FWOOSH!
Shanks spun, slashing at an empty spot to his left!
SPLASH!
Blood flew. Roy reappeared, stumbling back, a deep gash on his shoulder. It was the first time anyone had managed to land a clean hit on him.
"Future Sight?" Roy muttered, surprised.
Shanks flicked the blood from his blade. "You're fast, but you can't hide your intent to kill..."
Roy ignored the wound on his arm. He simply lunged forward, his black fist crackling with a storm of Conqueror's Haki. "Then how about this—!"
"Haki Warp: Instant Collapse!"
"RUUUMBLE—!!!"
The punch was like a falling star. The air imploded. The entire island began to disintegrate, the mountains crumbling as the sea was sucked into the sky!
Shanks roared, bringing his blade up in a desperate, two-handed block as his own Haki flared to meet it!
"BOOM!!!"
The two powers collided, completely annihilating the island.
Back on the beach at Foosha Village.
Beckman's brow was furrowed, his fingers pressed to his temple. "My Observation Haki... their clashing auras are jamming it..."
Uta was holding her music box, her knuckles white, her face pale with terror. "Shanks..."
SPLASH!
Lucky Roux burst from the water, dragging the unconscious Yasopp onto the sand. "What kind of monster is that guy?! We didn't even see him move..."
Yasopp coughed up seawater, his face white, his voice shaking. "His movements... there's no tracking them..."
They all stared at the distant horizon, which was now a mass of black-and-red lightning, the sea roaring.
In the center of the ruined island, Shanks's red hair was matted with sweat and blood, his clothes torn.
Roy's uniform was in tatters, his shoulder and arm stained red, his breathing ragged.
They stood on opposite sides of a hundred-meter crater, the dust swirling between them.
"Marine..." Shanks panted, his blade still crackling with red lightning, his eyes full of disbelief. "With your strength... why are you only a Rear Admiral?!"
Roy wiped the blood from his mouth, his gaze calm. "Rank doesn't matter."
He turned and began to walk away.
"I've delivered my warning."
Shanks watched him go. "Do you really think... you can stop the 'Beacon'?" His voice was low, cold.
But Roy's figure was already blurring, fading with the wind.
"I don't care."
His voice echoed back as his final warp took him away.
"Stay away from Shimotsuki Village."
Shanks's eyes widened. He looked up, but the island was empty.
He stood there for a long moment, then slowly sheathed his sword, a wide, pained grin spreading across his face.
"The 'New Era' the Captain spoke of... Bwahahaha... This is getting interesting!"
As he laughed, a single News Coo flew high overhead, the camera-crystal on its chest silently recording the aftermath of the battle.
Years from now, those who saw this footage would only be able to sigh—
This... was the true beginning of the new era.
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