Chapter 271: Shanks: Spare Me!

"So you think I'm asking for your opinion?"

"Huh?"

Shanks blinked, subtly stepping back with his right leg, pretending it was nothing.

"Are you inviting me?" Adrian gave a gentle, harmless smile.

He raised his right hand, and with a ripple, the cursed blade, Nidai Kitetsu, emerged from the void and was in his hand.

Shanks was going to nod, before he saw the sword in Adrian's hand, which looked dangerous the more he looked. "Shouldn't I?"

As Shanks nervously asked this, he stepped back again with his left leg.

"Before you become a pirate captain, you should serve as a seaman for a while." Adrian chuckled softly and swung his sword.

"I've been an apprentice crew member for over ten years!"

"Do you know what I've been through these past ten years?!"

"I want to be a pirate captain now!"

Shanks protested, finally stopping his retreat.

At the same time, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes as he drew the saber at his waist to meet Adrian's cursed blade.

Clang!

The eerie cursed blade Kitetsu clashed with the ordinary sailor's saber, producing a crisp ringing sound.

Shanks' arm trembled slightly, and he drew a sharp breath. "This guy is incredibly strong!"

Clang! Clang!

The cursed blade Kitetsu and the sailor's saber clashed several times, with the ringing sound of metal striking metal echoing in the air.

In just a few breaths, Shanks was already at a disadvantage.

"No wonder he's a pirate with a bounty of over a billion Berries!"

Sweat appeared on Shanks' forehead, and his breathing became unsteady, but he wasn't panicking.

Shanks had faced many stronger enemies on Roger's ship and had seen swordsmen far more formidable than this ghostly figure.

Moreover...

"Perhaps he is just toying with me..."

Watching Adrian's calm demeanor, Shanks gritted his teeth. It was clear that his opponent didn't take him seriously.

But…

What adult would lose their temper over a child's tantrum?

Adrian remained relaxed, lightly tapping the deck with his toes, his body lunging forward as he slightly flicked his wrist. The cursed blade Kitetsu slashed down towards Shanks' left shoulder blade.

Shanks held his saber's hilt tightly, blocking the cursed blade from below.

Unexpectedly, the cursed blade Kitetsu twisted suddenly, changing its angle, sliding along the saber's edge and striking the unguarded hilt.

"Move!"

Shanks' pupils contracted slightly. He abandoned his saber to save his wrist.

The sailor's saber was sent flying, spinning through the air before landing on the deck with a dull thud, leaving only a shallow mark on the wood before lying flat.

At this moment, Adrian waved his left hand, a surge of spiritual pressure gathering in his palm, forming a pale, glowing whip.

With a flick of his wrist, the whip cut through the air, aiming directly at Shanks' previous position.

A red gleam flashed in Shanks' eyes as he activated his Kenbunshoku Haki, clearly predicting the whip's trajectory.

He pushed off forcefully with his feet, lunging to the right to avoid the whip.

Think you can dodge 'punishment' so easily?

My future little seaman?

Adrian smiled, exerting slight force with his left hand, extending the spiritual whip by several meters, reaching Shanks in the blink of an eye.

Snap!

Like a thunderclap, the spiritual whip struck Shanks, tearing a long rip in his white and green striped shirt, and leaving a swelling bruise beneath.

"Hiss—"

Shanks gritted his teeth, sucking in a breath.

The spiritual whip's lash not only struck his body but also seemed to inflict a powerful mental blow. The searing pain from the whip wound quickly spread to his mind, making him shudder.

"This is your punishment for dropping your saber and failing, Shanks."

Adrian coiled the whip, using it to retrieve the fallen sailor's saber and tossing it back to Shanks' feet.

"Now, pick up your sword and come at me again."

Adrian dismissed the spiritual pressure whip in his hand and raised the cursed blade Kitetsu with his right hand, pointing the tip towards Shanks.

What to do if a potential underling is disobedient?

Simple.

Beat them into submission!

Even if it's just on the surface.

Shanks remained silent, reaching out to touch the new clothes Miss Maggie made specifically for him.

Even during the recent battle with the Sea King, he had taken care to avoid getting any of the Sea King's filth on these precious new clothes. Now, however, they had a long tear from White Ghost's whip!

Shanks suddenly lifted his head, his eyes cold but filled with a seething fury.

"Not bad, that's the look I want to see."

Adrian nodded slightly, making a casual remark.

"I'm getting serious now, White ghost!"

Shanks said coldly, bending down to pick up the sailor's cutlass on the deck.

He hadn't yet come across the famous Western sword, Griffin. This sailor's cutlass was something he got from the blacksmith in the Burefu village!

After the recent clash with the Nidai Kitetsu, the blade of this sailor's cutlass already had significant chips.

Shanks looked at his weapon with some distress, then tightened his right hand, a deep black Armament Haki surging from his palm, covering the entire blade of the cutlass.

The next moment, Shanks launched himself towards Adrian, moving so fast it was almost impossible to follow.

The sailor's cutlass in his right hand, covered in a menacing aura, slashed towards Adrian's left arm.

Adrian raised his hand lightly, the blade of the Kitetsu intercepting Shanks, forcing him to twist in midair and land on the deck.

But before Shanks could catch his breath and get up, Kitetsu was already slashing down at him. Unable to dodge in time, a long, shallow cut appeared on Shanks' right cheek, blood oozing out.

But it was at this moment that Shanks, instead of retreating, took advantage of Kitetsu's waning momentum and swung his blade forward with all his might.

The sailor's cutlass, covered in Armament Haki, struck fiercely towards Adrian's legs.

"Divine Departure!"

If Adrian had taken a small step back, he could have easily avoided this famous attack that once shook the seas.

But he simply lifted his right leg, Armament Haki instantly covering his foot.

In that crucial moment.

Adrian kicked Shanks' sailor's cutlass, pinning it to the deck, causing the surrounding wooden planks to crack slightly.

"What?!"

Shanks' pupils contracted violently, lifting his head in shock.

What met him next was the rapidly enlarging sole of a shoe!

Smack!

With a warm rush of blood from his nose, Shanks, with a black shoe print on his face, was kicked by Adrian, his body rolling several times on the deck before he could discern east from west.

Shaking his head and standing up, Shanks still saw a blurry, overlapping scene.

He first extended a finger to wipe the blood from under his nose.

After regaining some clarity, Shanks looked at Adrian again, gritting his teeth and said, "Again!"

"Is that so?"

In Adrian's hand, a spiritual pressure whip formed again, snapping onto Shanks with a crack.

"That's the second time you've failed, Shanks."

Shanks felt that familiar pain again, pressing on his soul and body simultaneously.

He roared and charged again.

He grunted and was sent flying again.

"..."

"..."

"The 44th time you've failed, Shanks."

Huff—huff—

Shanks lay on his back on the deck of the Abyss, his original round-neck short-sleeve shirt now in tatters, breathing heavily like a bellows, almost completely exhausted.

"Adrian! What do you see in me? Can't I just change it?"

"Doing menial work, is that your application speech?" Adrian rolled his eyes. 'You can't change for the next 20 years or so.'