"Can it hurt him!?"
Law gazed at the flas surging into the sky, his own eyes burning just as fiercely. His expression was grave as he cautiously summoned a layer of antibacterial armant, guarding against his surroundings.
He had never believed that such thods alone would have much effect on Shanks.
But as long as they could break through his defense, even if it only drew a single drop of blood, that would hold great aning for Law.
Boom!!!
Just as Law was thinking this, an overwhelming burst of Conqueror's Haki suddenly surged out from the center of the explosion. Like a violent gale, it swept away the dust and flas filling the sky in an instant.
Imdiately after, a red figure shot out of the firelight like a blazing fla, turning into a streak of boiling crimson light. Wherever he passed, the surrounding void split open with sharp, radiant red lightning.
That figure was none other than Shanks, who had charged out from the explosion.
At this mont, he looked sowhat disheveled. His hair was a ss, and the black cloak on his body had been torn to tatters.
The high temperature from the poison gas explosion had not caused Shanks much damage, but the instantaneous impact had made him realize sothing...
If he did not start taking this seriously, he might end up like the eight seniors before him, easily defeated by the subordinates of the Straw Hat Pirates!
These people's thods were simply far too strange and unpredictable!
Although Shanks usually wore a carefree, laughing expression, and would not even care if so small fry spat at him, that did not an he had no pride in his heart!
As Red-Haired Shanks, one of the mighty Emperors of the Sea, if he were defeated by one of the captains under the Straw Hat Pirates, he would lose far too much face!
Especially when he thought about how the person who defeated him would be Luffy's underling, while he himself had once made that promise with Luffy about returning the straw hat...
Just imagining the scene of Luffy returning the straw hat to him later made his face flush with embarrassnt.
With that thought, Shanks's eyes instantly turned serious. The longsword in his hand, filled with a vast amount of Conqueror's Haki, was swung down fiercely.
"Divine Departure!!!"
Boom!!!
Following Shanks's low, majestic shout, an unparalleled aura erupted from his body in an instant. Like an ancient demonic beast breaking free from its shackles, it roared out from the edge of his blade.
At that mont, the entire world seed to tremble before Shanks's attack. The surrounding air was torn apart, and the earth was destroyed.
A deafening roar filled the entire battlefield.
…
…
"Is this... the strength of Emperor Shanks!?"
Looking at Shanks's serious strike in the center of the battlefield, many people in the Straw Hat camp suddenly widened their eyes.
It was not that they had never seen power even greater than this.
But when they thought about how Shanks had no Pokémon template, nor any special ans of amplification, and had reached this level through nothing but his own pure strength and Haki...
Their hearts were filled with incomparable shock.
Considering the inseparable bond between Red-Haired Shanks and the Straw Hat Pirates, he would certainly obtain the power of Pokémon in the future as well. When that ti ca, just how powerful would he beco?
The Straw Hats watched Red-Haired Shanks's attack in astonishnt.
Strangely, however, not a single person worried about Law's condition.
It was as if they had known from the very beginning that Shanks's attack would not affect him at all.
Rumble, rumble, rumble...
The powerful Divine Departure continued to surge and roar, destroying everything in its path.
The giants of Elbaf all showed expressions of delight, captivated by the power Shanks displayed.
But just as they were looking forward to seeing Law struck by Shanks's move, Law, standing on the battlefield, suddenly let out a soft breath.
"Phew... Looks like I was overthinking it."
"What!?"
Though Law's relaxed words were not loud, Shanks still heard them.
Shanks's eyes widened abruptly.
But in the next second, Law's figure suddenly vanished from the path of Divine Departure's attack.
Realizing sothing, Shanks turned his head sharply, only to see Law raising his cursed blade, placing its sharp edge against his other arm as if aiming at him.
Law's voice continued to drift over.
"You're injured, aren't you? On your back."
"Although you haven't really shown it, to a doctor, your physical condition is clear as day."
"I used to think too much. I always assud that anyone who could beco an Emperor of the Sea couldn't possibly be that simple."
"It seems the empty reputation of the previous era was still unconsciously influencing my thoughts."
"If your attack is only at this level, then there's no need for to keep testing you."
"Only testing , huh?"
Shanks abruptly turned around, a trace of anger flashing in his eyes.
Being told such a thing in such a serious tone by a junior—there was no way even he could accept it willingly!
But just as he was about to swing his blade and continue attacking, a strange light suddenly burst from his eyes.
This was Shanks's top-tier Observation Haki taking effect.
At the sa ti, an image abruptly appeared in Shanks's mind.
It was a gigantic longsword that seed capable of piercing through the entire world.
And his own body was right in the path of that sword's thrust.
The long, slender blade did not leave even the slightest bloody wound on his body. Instead, it injected a continuous stream of strange poison into him.
"Not good!!!"
The vision of the future flashed through his mind.
Shanks suddenly shouted.
The next mont, he instinctively raised Gryphon in front of him and poured surging Haki into it.
Imdiately afterward, he heard Law's soft shout from not far away.
"K-ROOM · Venom!!!"
Whoosh!!!
A dark green electric gleam flashed through Law's eyes. The cursed blade Kikoku in his hand was instantly infused with a mysterious energy, and in the instant before anyone's mind could react...
The cursed blade Kikoku suddenly extended and pierced toward Shanks's body. Strange purple patterns shimred across its blade, emitting an ominous aura.
Upon closer inspection, one would discover that it was not so strange pattern at all, but sothing flowing through the blade itself...
A thick, highly toxic venom!
Clang!!!
A crisp, resounding clash of tal echoed through this space like the ringing of a great bell.
"Hm?"
Law raised his head slightly and looked at the long blade blocked by Haki in the distance, his eyes flickering.
"Observation Haki that can see the future, huh? It seems you're not as simple as I thought after all."
After sighing softly, Law imdiately withdrew the cursed blade transford by the power of the Op-Op Fruit.
He had no intention of competing with Shanks in raw strength.
Since that one strike had missed, he would imdiately pull back.
After all, it was not as if he only had one chance to attack.
Whoosh!
Law's figure suddenly vanished, appearing directly behind Shanks.
Behind Law, the Divine Departure slash Shanks had swung out was still continuing to wreak havoc.
But Law's eyes had already narrowed slightly again as his Devil Fruit ability activated rapidly.
Clang!!!
Another crisp sound rang out in every direction.
Unsurprisingly, Law's sneak attack was once again predicted in advance by Shanks, who made a defensive move.
Yet Law seed unwilling to give up. His figure began flashing rapidly around Shanks.
Every ti he flickered, he left behind a long, narrow arc-shaped slash of electricity in the air, accompanied by the crisp sound of his blade colliding with the sharp sword in Shanks's hand.
Gryphon, covered in Haki, could neutralize Law's Devil Fruit ability, so even within the space of ROOM, Law could not make the longsword in Shanks's hand disappear.
By the sa principle, the cursed blade Kikoku, strengthened by the awakened power of the Op-Op Fruit, also could not pierce through Gryphon while it was covered in Haki and directly attack Shanks's body.
And so, the two of them began playing percussion in midair.
It could be said that they were standing on the sa starting line.
Seeing the future consud ntal power, while awakening his Devil Fruit ability consud stamina.
Law was waiting for the mont Shanks's Observation Haki failed, while Shanks was waiting for the mont Law's stamina ran dry.
For a ti, the battlefield seed to have fallen into a stalemate.
Of course, that was only what the spectators watching the live broadcast through the screen believed.
In truth, as Law's number of attacks increased, the expression on Shanks's face grew more and more serious.
"Looks like you've already realized it."
At this mont, Law suddenly spoke, smiling as he questioned Shanks.
Although his figure was changing positions two or three tis almost every second to prevent Shanks from catching him, his words still clearly reached Shanks's ears.
"Is this also the power of Pokémon!?"
Shanks did not deny it. Instead, while resisting Law's attacks, he asked in return.
From just now, he had already noticed that sothing was wrong.
Although he could still clearly predict the direction of Law's attacks, Shanks could distinctly sense that the interval of ti he could see into the future was becoming shorter and shorter with each prediction.
This was clearly abnormal.
Law answered openly, "That's right!"
"I heard you're a high-level player in Pokémon World and have already obtained the qualification to participate in the Indigo League..."
"In that case, I'm sure you shouldn't be unfamiliar with the na and effect of this move."
"Psybeam. A very common move among Psychic-type moves."
"Psybeam!?"
Shanks's gaze flickered.
Psybeam, a Psychic-type special move. It did not have any damage, but it had a certain chance of disrupting the target's mind.
Shanks was indeed not unfamiliar with this move.
Just as Law had said, almost every Psychic-type Pokémon had a chance to learn it.
As a top-tier Trainer, he had quite a few Pokémon that could use this move.
Suddenly, Shanks's eyes widened as he looked at the blade once again thrusting toward him.
He imdiately realized sothing.
"You fused Psybeam together with the flash from your Devil Fruit ability!?"
"As expected of a forr Emperor. Your eye truly is extraordinary."
The corner of Law's mouth rose as he praised Shanks.
Shanks was right. Starting from his third attack, Law had already realized that competing with Shanks in endurance was not a long-term plan.
Moreover, he had so many thods at his disposal. Why did he have to insist on competing in endurance with a powerhouse famous for his stamina?
So Law played a small trick, mixing the completely non-offensive move Psybeam into the gamma ray that burst forth when he activated the Op-Op Fruit's power, sending both toward Shanks together.
Because gamma rays were already different from light in the natural environnt, Shanks had failed to notice it at all in the short term.
Although Haki could resist all attacks and effects that ca from Devil Fruit abilities, it could not resist the power of Pokémon moves.
And Psybeam in reality was not like the Pokémon gas, where it was purely a probability-based move. Instead, it was a cumulative move.
The stronger the opponent's ntal power and willpower, the stronger their resistance to Psybeam, and the longer they needed to be exposed to it.
The longer they were exposed, the more severe its influence beca, until they eventually lost their reason.
After countless clashes just now, even Shanks's mind had finally been affected.
"No! I can't let this continue!"
Shanks had never imagined that he would actually fall into a disadvantage in a one-on-one battle.
Even back when he faced off against the other Emperor crews, he had not felt pressure like today's.
Bang!!!
Taking advantage of the instant Law flashed away again, a violent burst of Conqueror's Haki erupted once more from Shanks's body. Like a raging storm, it swept outward with him as the center.
Although the powerful Conqueror's Haki failed to injure Law, it did slightly disrupt the rhythm of his attacks.
In that instant, Shanks gathered all his strength and swung his blade once more toward the ground beneath his feet.
"Red Blade!!!"
Swish—
A swift slash, carrying unmatched Haki, slamd violently into the land of the Underworld. In an instant, it split a massive gash into the ground, and the crack continued spreading outward.
Dust surged into the sky, concealing Shanks's figure.
Law frowned.
"Are you trying to obstruct my attacks by blocking my vision?"
"You should know that won't work on , right?"
Putting aside the fact that a user of the Op-Op Fruit possessed absolute control within the space of ROOM...
Law's terrifying Psychic Power, strengthened by the power of Pokémon, alone ant that he could never lose track of Shanks's figure.
Although Law did not think Shanks would fail to realize this, he truly could not figure out what Shanks was trying to do.
However, just as Law raised his cursed blade and prepared to attack again, a soft chuckle ca from Shanks within the curtain of dust.
"What a terrifying ability."
"A powerful Devil Fruit, mysterious Pokémon moves, and impressive combat ability..."
"To be honest, I can't find any way to defeat you at all."
"So, I hope you won't bla for using a tiny little trick."
"What!?"
Law's heart jolted.
Although he did not know what little trick Shanks was referring to, the Psychic Power inside his body suddenly surged, putting him on alert.
And just then, the land of the Underworld trembled again.
The sudden sound made Law instinctively turn his attention toward it. Imdiately afterward, he noticed...
The slash Shanks had released just now had not disappeared after creating the curtain of dust. Instead, it was still racing toward the outer edge of the Underworld island.
Wherever it passed, the earth split open, leaving behind a rift like a natural chasm.
"Wait!? Don't tell you're trying to..."
Realizing sothing, Law abruptly turned his gaze toward Shanks in the dust curtain.
But before he could finish speaking, the entire Underworld trembled again.
Then, under Law's expression of "this is troubleso," the Underworld, with the battlefield as its starting point, actually...
Split open!!!
(End of Chapter)
User Comments
0 comments from readers