Marineford War: I Will Stand in the Sky

Hearing the voices of his companions behind him, Shanks' lips curled into a smile, but he didn't even have the courage to turn around and look at them.

because……

'I bet I look like a demon right now, just like Captain Roger back in the day.'

"Red-Haired" Shanks clearly remembered the appearance of Captain Roger when he used this power. His blood was boiling, his skin was blood red, and his veins were throbbing.

'It will...scare my friends and make them even more worried...'

"Red-haired" Shanks thought silently, then turned his back to his many companions and spoke loudly.

"No need to worry, I am 'Red-Haired' Shanks, the most domineering man on this sea, and the newly crowned 'Emperor of the Sea'. How could my journey end here?"

After a pause, 'Red-Haired' Shanks tried to keep his tone as normal as possible before continuing.

"I'm not familiar with this power called 'Standing at the Pinnacle of Pirates' yet, and I might accidentally hurt you. So, my friends, please leave first. After I cause a ruckus, we'll hold a banquet together to celebrate obtaining the title of 'Emperor of the Sea'."

The other members of the "Red-Haired Pirates" would naturally not readily believe what "Red-Haired" Shanks said under such circumstances.

The current situation undoubtedly poses a crisis that could lead to the annihilation of the entire "Red-Haired Pirates".

After their battle with the Beasts Pirates, the already exhausted Red-Haired Pirates were no match for Vice Admiral Sakura Dragon Yann and the six Shichibukai.

And Shanks' current form looks exceptionally terrifying, but...

Just then, Ben Beckman, the vice-captain of the "Red-Haired Pirates," spoke up. "Let's go."

"But……"

Before his companions could raise any objections or rebuttals, Beckman interrupted them directly.

"One of the ironclad rules of pirates is that they must obey the captain's orders. In our current state, staying would only be a burden to the captain. Leaving as soon as possible is the best option."

Upon hearing this, all the crew members of the "Red-Haired Pirates" fell silent.

Beckman was the first to move, and then led the rest of the "Red-Haired Pirates" straight towards the direction where the pirate ship was docked.

Seeing this, while many Marines and Shichibukai remained silent, Enel's massive Thor form blocked the path of the Red-Haired Pirates.

"Hey, you ants, who gave you permission to leave?"

Accompanied by thunder, Enel's voice echoed, and the terrifying arcs of electricity that he constantly emitted made people within a hundred meters feel their hair turning to char.

"'Thor' Enel..."

Beckman's face darkened as he looked at the monster blocking his way.

Enel, the user of the "Rumble-Rumble Fruit," is a monster whose speed is similar to that of Marine Admiral Borsalino, and whose destructive power even surpasses that of Borsalino's "Glint-Glint Fruit."

In contrast, Beckman would rather fight Borsalino than be bombarded by Enel's endless thunderous attacks.

However, at that moment, "Red-Haired" Shanks moved, casually swinging his "Famous Sword Griffin" behind him.

In that instant, the wind and clouds shifted dramatically, and an extremely terrifying flying slash, crackling with black and red lightning, swept towards Enel.

Enel, seeing this, was not intimidated at all, or rather, he had already prepared for it. A massive amount of lightning intertwined and transformed into a lightning dragon that rose up.

"Three Billion Volts Thunder Dragon!"

[Chapter 505 The Island with a Piece Erased]

The thunder dragon soared, its rolling thunder echoing across the island, charging straight towards the sky with a force no less powerful than the sky-piercing slash unleashed by "Red-Haired" Shanks.

The momentum created by "Red-Haired" Shanks was indeed terrifying. His rampaging Conqueror's Haki seemed to be about to destroy the world, but how could Enel easily back down?

I am a god! A god who controls thunder!

In fact, after leaving Skypiea and learning about the vast ocean, Enel realized that he had mistakenly eaten a Devil Fruit called the "Rumble-Rumble Fruit," which gave him the power of thunder.

Enel was merely arrogant and conceited, not stupid!

However, Enel firmly believed that gods existed in the world, and that the other humans' disbelief was merely a limitation of their perspective, but that did not mean they did not exist.

The power that countless people have witnessed evaporating an entire ocean is one of the characteristics of a deity's existence.

The creation and destruction of the world are symbols of divine authority!

Therefore, Enel firmly believed that the "Lord of Hueco Mundo" was a god, and that he himself was a god who was about to become the "Lord of Hueco Mundo".

'What is this mere posture compared to that of the gods? Only by following their guidance and walking upon the vast ocean can I gradually draw closer to them!'

With this thought in mind, the lightning intertwined in Enel's Thunder God form became even more terrifying, and the lightning dragon that was slashing at the flying dragon seemed to have grown even larger. Under its imposing power, it even resembled the demeanor of Kaido when he manifested his Azure Dragon form.

However, at the moment the flying slash met the lightning dragon...

"boom!"

The terrifying thunder dragon, which seemed capable of easily destroying a small island, was directly cleaved into several pieces, turning into countless arcs of electricity that dissipated into the air, instantly staining the entire night sky with the blue hue created by the dissipation of countless arcs of electricity.

The flying slash, intertwined with countless black and red lightning bolts, landed on Enel's transformed Thor form, to Enel's disbelief.

"Rumble~~~"

A deafening roar shook the earth, and when everyone regained their sight, the island... had been cleaved in two!

This large island, spanning 5,000 square kilometers, was cleaved in two, starting from Enel's form as the god of thunder.

The entire island was like a cake, and with a casual wave of Shanks' hand, a small piece of it was wiped away.

Countless drops of seawater kept pouring in, and the sound of the rolling waves reached the ears of everyone present, causing many of the marines and pirates to subconsciously swallow.

This is no small island, but a real, large island, and it's actually... been split in two?

Enel, who narrowly avoided the frontal slash by abandoning his "Thor form," was now sweating profusely and looked slightly pale.

The feeling Enel just experienced was terrifying enough to rival the power of "Ryujin Jakka" that High Priest Arn had previously displayed.

An absolute power that makes one so desperate that it's impossible to even think of resisting!

Amidst the deathly silence of the battlefield, where only seawater had flooded in, the voice of "Red-Haired" Shanks rang out.

"Friends, don't stop, I'll clear the way for you..."

Many members of the Red-Haired Pirates turned around and looked at Shanks' imposing back, inexplicably believing that what Shanks had just said might not be false.

"Standing at the pinnacle of piracy"—the power of this stance seems truly capable of achieving it.

Upon realizing this, the crew members of the "Red-Haired Pirates" who had stopped moving began to move again, supporting each other or carrying their unconscious companions along the edge of the path that "Red-Haired" Shanks had cleared.

However, Beckman's eyes gradually became moist and red. Shanks's "Red-Haired" posture of "standing at the pinnacle of piracy" was enough to protect all his comrades and ensure their safe departure in front of the Navy, the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and the Beast Pirates.

However, his "standing at the pinnacle of piracy" status meant that there was no pirate ship in this ocean capable of carrying "Red-Haired" Shanks.

The "Conqueror's Haki" that raged uncontrollably at all times could disintegrate not only the wooden structure of pirate ships, but also the steel structure of naval warships.

However, once he relinquishes his "standing at the pinnacle of piracy" status, "Red-Haired" Shanks will lose the power that allows him to protect his crew as they leave.

"You've come back alive, Shanks..."

Beckman glanced back at Shanks's increasingly blurry figure, his eyes brimming with tears. He deeply resented his own powerlessness and could only choose to believe in Shanks.

This time, no one blocked the way for the Red-Haired Pirates. In fact, right in front of Shanks, Yann directly dialed Vice Admiral Tsuru's Den Den Mushi to communicate.

"Vice Admiral Tsuru, the 'Red-Haired Pirates' are leaving the island. Let them go, don't stop them, give 'Red-Haired' Shanks some face."

“Thank you very much, Lieutenant General Yann,” Shanks said with a hint of gratitude in his voice.

"Well, actually I was just giving face to that attitude of 'standing at the pinnacle of pirates'."

With a blank expression, Yann hung up the Den Den Mushi in his hand and casually replied, "Red-haired Shanks."

Because Yann knew very well that if the naval warships around the island tried to stop the "Red-Haired Pirates" from leaving, then given Shanks' current state, nearly fifty naval warships and the entire island would probably sink into the sea.

Yann was not an extremist who believed that the entire "Red-Haired Pirates" must be completely wiped out. The only truly dangerous person from beginning to end was "Red-Haired" Shanks.

“I always thought that Kaido, the ‘Beasts’, was the most dangerous guy on this sea, because he was chaotic and violent and only thought about how to start the biggest war. I never thought that the real dangerous person was you, ‘Red-Haired’ Shanks.”

As Yann raised his hand, countless cherry blossoms slowly drifted back behind him, and he spoke.

“‘Standing at the Pinnacle of Pirates’? A rather impressive name. However, when you decided to unleash this state, you probably already understood that this ocean does not have a ship capable of supporting you in your ‘Standing at the Pinnacle of Pirates’ state, right?”

"and……"

Numerous cherry blossoms intertwined and formed swords arranged behind Yaen, each sword wreathed in black and red lightning, exuding a chilling aura.

"The Scenery of Thousand Cherry Blossoms!"

Then, Yann turned his gaze from "Red-Haired" Shanks to ask a question.

"How long can you maintain this form, Shanks?"

[Chapter 506 The Red Demon and the Falling Cherry Blossoms (Third Update)]

The state of "Red-Haired" Shanks at this moment might be shocking and unfamiliar to others, but to Yann, it had a strange sense of familiarity, vaguely resembling Monkey D. Luffy's "Gear First", "Gear Second" and "Gear Third" in the future trajectory.

However, Monkey D. Luffy's gears are not even in the same league as Shanks's current position "standing at the pinnacle of piracy".

This made Yann suspicious, and he also realized that Shanks's position of "standing at the top of the pirate world" was definitely not without cost, and that the duration of his position must be severely limited.

"How long will it last?"

In response to Yann's question, "Red-Haired" Shanks smiled inexplicably.

The next instant, Shanks' figure vanished, his speed almost exceeding even the detection speed of Yann's Observation Haki.

As soon as Yann subconsciously turned his head to the side, "Red-Haired" Shanks had already crossed a distance of over a hundred meters and appeared beside him.

Only then did the sound of the ground cracking due to the force of Shanks's stomping reach Arn's ears.

"Naturally, it will continue until there is absolutely no one in sight who dares to raise their sword against me!"

As Shanks's hoarse voice rang out, the legendary sword Griffin was about to strike Yann.

"boom!"

As the "Famous Sword Griffin" fell, the entire pit split in two, carving out a bottomless abyss.

only……

"Red-Haired" Shanks looked at the tattered Navy cloak in front of him, which only had the word "Buddhist" left. However, Yann disappeared from the spot the moment "Famous Sword Griffin" fell.

"Is this your true speed, Lieutenant General Yann?"

Shanks, his body completely crimson, turned his head to look at a spot fifty meters away on the other side, where Yann was standing, his expression slightly solemn.

"I should be the one saying that. Such incredible speed and strikes, 'Red-Haired' Shanks."

What a monster!