With a whoosh, Shanks drew the long sword at his waist, then waved his hand, holding his subordinates back.
"Prepare to leave, at least escape ten nautical miles away. Otherwise, I can't guarantee I won't drag you into this!"
As his voice fell, he slashed out with his sword.
Instantly, a massive sword energy swept out, soaring into the sky.
This sword strike seemed to cleave the heavens – a peak-level attack, the strike of a king.
"Captain!"
The pirates were secretly anxious but didn't dare to interfere. This was an Emperor-level battle; their involvement would only be a burden.
Therefore, the moment Shanks attacked, Ben Beckman decisively ordered the ship to turn around, preparing to retreat.
High in the sky, Vladimir looked down at them. Facing Shanks' peak sword strike, he also drew his Zangetsu.
There were no flashy sword techniques, just holding the blade horizontally in front.
In the next moment, Boom!!
The massive sword energy collided with the blade, erupting with a dull roar, like a sudden clap of thunder.
Under the impact, the aftershocks spread. In an instant, the entire sea surface was impacted. Centered on the point of engagement, the sea surface collapsed, raising huge waves in all directions.
"You blocked it so easily?" Shanks frowned deeply. "Much more troublesome than I expected…"
Just then, Vladimir chuckled, and then with a flash of sword light, he flicked his sword upwards.
Instantly, Shanks' sword strike was redirected towards the sky. Thousands of meters high, the dense clouds suddenly tore open, as if an abyss had appeared in the sky, stretching for hundreds of miles, encompassing the entire field of vision.
"Shanks, since you've made a move against us, I can only return the favor," Vladimir said without a smile, his gaze terrifyingly calm.
"Rest assured, I won't kill you. We owe you a favor, so I'll spare your life in this battle."
As his voice fell, Vladimir's figure suddenly vanished.
Shunpo!
With a swoosh, Shanks' vision lost sight of Vladimir's figure.
Let alone with the naked eye, even Haki couldn't react in time.
"So fast!" Shanks murmured gravely. "Is it a special footwork? Not Soru, nor a simple burst of physical strength… No, his state can't even be called physical."
As he was thinking, Vladimir's figure appeared before him.
Shanks had no time to ponder and instinctively slashed out with his sword.
"I will stop you! After defeating you, I will communicate with your Captain!"
"Where does your confidence come from?"
Vladimir closed his eyes. Facing Shanks' sword strike, he didn't raise his sword to block. Instead, he extended his left hand.
Ding…
The sword strike fell, but there was no feeling of hitting a solid object.
Shanks' expression changed drastically. He was shocked to discover that his sword strike had been firmly grasped by the opponent's two fingers.
"What!?" He widened his eyes and cried out, "It's not Haki, nor is it pure physical strength like Kaido's… Who are you?"
"You can't understand? That's natural, because you've never encountered it. So I'll ask you again, where does your confidence come from?"
Vladimir held the sword blade, while with his right hand holding the sword hilt, he gently extended his right fist towards Shanks.
"Beast bones scattered like stars, towers, red crystals, iron wheels, movement is wind, stillness is emptiness, the sound of spears clashing fills the illusory city… Hado #63: Raikōhō!"
...
"Hado #63: Raikōhō!"
With a sizzle, golden lightning and thunder appeared between his fists.
Accompanied by the chanting, the power of electricity surged, condensing into an electric cannon between his fists, which was then suddenly unleashed forward.
"Huh?!"
Shanks was greatly surprised. He was certain this was not a Devil Fruit ability, nor was it a lightning strike produced by manipulating natural elements, but an unknown power.
Instantly, the lightning flared, blindingly golden. Raikōhō engulfed Shanks in one go.
At such close range, with his sword blade already caught by the opponent, Shanks had no time to dodge.
In a critical moment, he could only release Armament Haki, forming an invisible armor in front of him to defend against all attacks.
However, the power of Raikōhō still pierced through this defense. The ferocious lightning struck his body, followed by an explosion.
Boom!
Amidst the smoke and dust of the explosion, a figure emitting black smoke and crackling with lightning was sent flying backward.
Shanks grunted, blood streaming from his head, staining half his face. In his backward flight, he landed on a piece of floating driftwood, then knelt on one knee, clutching his left eye.
Sizzle!
He felt his body go numb, his whole body stiffening. Especially his left eye, the entire eye was soaked in blood, blurring his vision.
Vladimir raised an eyebrow and said, "You reacted quickly. Unfortunately, no matter how strong your Armament Haki is, it cannot provide absolute defense."
Haki could only weaken the attack of Raikōhō. Without the weakening effect of Haki, that previous strike could have severely injured Shanks.
This was a fully chanted Kidō #63, its power comparable to the previously unchanted Black Coffin.
"Hoo… What is this power?"
Shanks clutched his left eye, gazing with only his right. His tone was grave, and his condition was not good.
"Kidō," Vladimir didn't attack immediately but walked forward, his feet treading on the sea as if walking on land.
"It's a technique specifically for attacking the soul. You should be completely numb right now. Your Haki can resist the blast of Raikōhō, but it can't resist this paralysis."
It wasn't his physical body that was paralyzed, but his soul.
Minor physical injuries were insignificant, but Shanks' soul was currently very weak.
Shanks could also sense this. His external injuries weren't serious, but for some reason, he felt very weak.
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