Chapter 207: Beating Shanks

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The five fingers were as thick as a normal person's arm, and the horrifying strength behind them felt like they could crush Shanks's skull. 

The force struck in an instant, locking his entire body in a state of paralysis.

"Damn it!" His heart trembled—Shanks immediately realised things had gone wrong. In the very next moment, his entire body was effortlessly lifted. 

"Let's get rid of one first!" Arashi grinned. His legs launched upward, and with his right hand gripping Shanks's head, he smashed it toward the ground.

Boom! 

The earth exploded upward, stone fragments scattering in every direction. Shanks's expression changed dramatically. 

His body, overwhelmed by the impact, went limp and completely lost all strength. 

Blood burst from his mouth, and his head was forcefully driven into the ground, blood soaking his entire face.

"Shanks!" Benn Beckman, Lucky Roux, and the others shouted in shock. Whitebeard's expression froze, turning incredibly grim. 

The battlefield fell into a stunned silence. No one had expected that in this climactic war, the first to fall would be Red-Haired Shanks—and in such a completely overpowered fashion.

"Arashi!" Whitebeard's face instantly twisted with rage, and in a flash, he charged toward Arashi with incredible speed. 

His bisento swept downward, wrapped in a quake-infused shockwave. 

Having just driven Shanks into the ground, Arashi had no time to defend and took the full force of the strike.

Slash! Blood gushed violently as a long gash split open across his abdomen. 

Drip drip! 

The sound of blood dripping could be heard clearly, causing many to pale in shock. 

"Admiral Arashi!" The Marines cried out in disbelief. 

The cruelty of war was entirely on display—Shanks's head crushed into the ground, and even the powerful Arashi was severely wounded, his body bleeding profusely.

On the execution platform, Sengoku clenched his fists tightly, his face dark and tense. 

To fight two Emperors of the sea at once—it was almost beyond what a human could do. But that man on the battlefield had truly managed to accomplish it. 

Yet the current situation left everyone on edge, unsure where the battle would go.

Drip drip. 

"It's been a long time since I felt this pain," Arashi said as he slowly raised his head, still smiling. 

That smile stunned everyone. With such a terrifying wound, how could he still be smiling?

"I can even feel it... the sensation of truly being alive." His tone carried a trace of sentiment, even a hint of melancholy. 

Amid such a brutal war, he still had time to reflect on life? No one could understand it.

"Ready?" Arashi suddenly muttered. 

"???" Everyone stared blankly. 

Crack! 

They then saw him twist his neck with a sharp pop, stretch out his arms, and lightly hop in place, fully relaxed, like warming up before a second round.

"Round two begins!" He grinned, but his expression turned cold and murderous in the next second, sending a chill deep into the hearts of all. 

"I'm coming, Whitebeard!" Arashi declared. The moment he finished speaking, his body vanished.

"So fast!" Whitebeard's pupils shrank, and Observation Haki instantly surged to the max. 

But a massive shadow loomed before him in the blink of an eye. A fierce wind blasted him, and a terrifying aura slammed down. 

An enormous fist, large as his head, shattered the air as it slammed toward him.

Black-and-red lightning crackled violently. The sheer pressure of the punch swept across all of Marineford. 

Rumble! 

Even the skies above thundered. Boom! The punch landed square on Whitebeard's head, sending his giant body flying.

Whitebeard's figure tumbled through the air, rolling for three thousand meters and crashing through eighteen Marine fortresses—including five pitch-black artillery platforms. 

"Hah!" Arashi exhaled sharply, leaning forward. He stepped one foot forward and stomped.

Buzz! The sheer speed caused the air itself to wail. 

He crossed a kilometre in a second, stomped again to shatter the ground, then soared back into the sky, hurling toward where Whitebeard had landed. 

In a flash, Arashi was above him. His right foot stomped down with tremendous force. 

Whitebeard's eyes snapped open. Realising the danger, he rolled clumsily to one side. Boom! Arashi's foot crashed into the ground, leaving a massive crater.

Huff huff huff! Whitebeard panted heavily, blood running from his scalp, his expression grave. 

"His speed... and strength... they've increased!" he muttered. 

"This is his true power now? Stronger than before. The pressure is unbelievable."

He had fought Arashi once before, and now he could feel the difference. Arashi turned, looking toward him. 

His shoulder and abdomen were both bleeding, but the wounds were visibly healing rapidly. It was terrifying.

"What a monster!" someone gasped. "To still launch such brutal attacks with those injuries!" 

"Admiral Arashi always seemed calm, but he's like a wild beast! That overwhelming masculine energy—he's truly a man among men!"

Whether Marine or pirate, everyone felt shaken. Suddenly, Arashi moved. His toes dug into the earth, shattering the stone beneath him. 

His thick legs trembled, kicking up massive winds as he appeared before Whitebeard.

"Blue Hole!" His punch barreled toward Whitebeard's head. 

Whitebeard reacted swiftly, jamming his bento into the ground, wrapping his right fist in black-and-red lightning and quake force, and then swinging back.

Boom! Crack! The explosive collision shattered the surrounding air, and the ground trembled violently. Light burst from the impact point. Arashi suddenly smiled.

Two seconds later, Whitebeard's expression changed—he couldn't withstand the terrifying force. He was blown back again. "Impossible!"

"Father lost... to Arashi?!" Marco's eyes widened in disbelief. What came next froze the hearts of every Whitebeard Pirate.

Arashi's figure blurred, and in a flash, he was in front of Whitebeard again. A clean, brutal punch struck Whitebeard's abdomen.

"Urgh!" His golden hair flew as he bent forward, nearly vomiting everything in his stomach.

But he fought back fast, his fist smashing into Arashi's abdomen. Bang bang bang bang! 

Arashi staggered back, coughing up blood, but stood tall again and charged. His hand reached for Whitebeard's neck. 

Whitebeard endured the pain, throwing punches that landed squarely on Arashi's nearly eleven-meter-tall body—but they only made him tremble slightly, blood trickling from his lips.

Then, Arashi's massive hand gripped Whitebeard's neck. Whitebeard's feet flared with quake energy as he kicked toward Arashi's waist. 

Bang! But the blow was blocked by Arashi's other hand. Then, Arashi slammed his right hand down. 

Boom! The ground cracked, shockwaves spreading as fractures tore outward. Whitebeard coughed up blood again.

But the brutal assault didn't end. Arashi bent his knees and leaped into the air—then stomped down hard. Boom!

His foot crashed into Whitebeard's abdomen, bending the Emperor's huge body into a shrimp-like curl, nearly folded in half. 

The ground shattered again. Shockwaves burst out.

"Father!" Marco shouted. 

The Whitebeard Pirates all paled. Such savage blows were fatal to anyone. Arashi showed no mercy—it was life-or-death combat, cold and ruthless.

"Red-Hair's fallen! And now even Father..." The pirates' eyes dulled, despair rising. 

Marco took a deep breath, fists clenched. He looked at where Whitebeard lay, then at where Shanks had fallen.

That glance made his pupils contract. "Where's Red-Hair?!" The deep crater was empty—Shanks's body was gone.

At that exact moment, a beam of light shot through the air. A terrifying burst of Conqueror's Haki surged, blanketing the sky over Marineford.

A sharp sword gleam followed—blinding, brilliant, forcing everyone to squint. Arashi tensed. His face changed slightly, and he quickly turned around.

Swish! 

A gentle breeze brushed past. Something cold seemed to slice near his neck.

Shanks stood tall, his rapier pointed diagonally at the ground. Its silver-white blade gleamed without a drop of blood.

The breeze swept across Marineford's sky. Gulp~ Someone swallowed hard, face filled with disbelief.

"Is... is this real?" a trembling voice asked. 

Arashi looked down, then chuckled. "Interesting." The next moment, his head slid off his neck.

Whooooosh! Marineford exploded into chaos. Then, silence.

Gulp~ Countless people swallowed in shock, staring at the centre of the battlefield where the massive figure stood.

From behind, one could see the broad shoulders, the demonic face carved on his back, and a bear-like torso. 

That terrifying image looked like a demon's face had grown on his back and was weeping.

But what chilled everyone to the bone was that his head was no longer there as their gaze rose from his powerful back.

"Admiral Arashi!" someone cried out, their voice trembling with terror.

No one could believe it. Just a moment ago, Arashi was entirely in control, with overwhelming firepower. 

Yet now... he'd been decapitated in a single slash.

"No... this can't be..."

"You… you're kidding, right?" Ace stammered.

Garp sat cross-legged beside the body, his voice grim. "Did you think that would kill him?" 

Ace jerked his head up. "What do you mean?" 

Garp's eyes flickered, but he did not answer. "Ever since he became unrivalled in the world, when no one could challenge him in a one-on-one fight, people started forgetting what made him truly terrifying."

A few seconds passed before Garp finally let out a deep sigh, and right then, Sengoku suddenly shouted at the loudspeaker Den Den Mushi.

"Do not panic!! Arashi… is immortal!!!" His voice thundered across the execution platform, and countless stunned eyes looked upward.

"What… what does the Fleet Admiral mean?"

"Admiral Arashi's head was cut clean off! There's no way anyone can survive that!" Even the Marines began to question it aloud, shocked by what they saw.

Only a handful of people in the crowd understood what Sengoku meant.

"That man…" Rayleigh's eyes narrowed.

Even with two Emperors joining forces, Arashi had the upper hand. But their combined power finally created a brief opening—an attack that should have been fatal.

It was a near-impossible feat. "Still, that strategy… it's the worst possible approach."

"That man… can never die," Rayleigh said with a quiet sigh. 

Bullet chuckled darkly. "You know him well, huh?"

"I've killed him many times," Rayleigh replied solemnly. 

He understood clearly: the key to defeating Arashi wasn't brute force or trying to kill him, but restricting his movements as much as possible.

"True. You crossed blades with him when he was at his weakest. But did you ever imagine he'd become the invincible monster he is today?"

Bullet grinned menacingly. "Even back then, Roger had a feeling about him."

"Roger, huh?" Rayleigh's voice grew soft. "That name brings back memories." 

At the heart of the battlefield, Shanks's expression suddenly turned serious,

His eyes filled with shock and dread.

A breeze blew through, lifting his cloak. On the ground, Arashi's severed head suddenly stopped rolling, then scattered like mist.

At that moment, the tall, influential figure standing straight ahead twitched.

The fingers on his right hand clenched into a fist.

Then, a head reappeared atop his shoulders, emerging in an eerie flash. 

Shanks was certain—this wasn't some elemental regeneration. This was true resurrection.

That deadly, precise slash… should've been fatal even for a Logia. "Striking from behind like that… not very polite, is it?"

"Shanks, you brat!" Arashi grinned, his smile cold and cruel. The chill in his voice made Shanks's blood run cold.

By instinct, Shanks stepped back, but Arashi moved faster. In the blink of an eye, he slammed a heavy fist into Shanks's gut.

"Gwah!!" Blood burst from Shanks's mouth, his face contorted from the sheer force.

"Do you know what death feels like? It hurts… a lot." Arashi's voice was cold, void of emotion.

With a swing of his other fist. BOOM! The shockwave blasted straight through Shanks's body.

He stumbled backwards, coughing up blood. Arashi closed the gap in an instant, throwing punch after punch.

Yet as a Sea Emperor, Shanks's endurance and reflexes were still top-tier.

He swung his sabre fiercely, but Arashi blocked it with his fist.

The two clashed a dozen times in seconds, until Arashi's foot slammed into Shanks's stomach.

BANG!

The blow sent him flying, organs twisting inside his body. 

Shanks hurtled through the air nearly a kilometre before crashing into a reinforced stone wall in Marineford.

Though the wall was made of special material, it still cracked under the impact.

"Cough… cough!" Shanks raised his head, blood streaming from his lips.

The moment he opened his eyes, another kick smashed into his gut, and a loud crack echoed as bones snapped.

"Feel the pain!" Arashi snarled, eyes icy. He pummeled Shanks's face with both fists.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

Each thunderous strike rocked Shanks's body. He couldn't even fight back—completely overwhelmed.

BOOM BOOM BOOM! Stones shattered, and the wall behind them exploded.

This brutal scene left all the pirates gasping. "Shanks… he's going to die!!"

"Are we about to witness the fall of a Yonko?" Voices trembled in disbelief.

Suddenly, a blast of overwhelming Haki surged across the battlefield. But Arashi responded with his burst of Conqueror's Haki.

"Your Haki is useless against me, brat!" he growled, still hammering away.

Even he had to admit—the Yonko's durability was unreal.

Despite enduring such close-range brutality, Shanks hadn't lost consciousness. He was being completely dominated.

"It's a total beatdown…" a Marine muttered. It was a savage display—Admiral Arashi, bent over, viciously beating the red-haired emperor.

Under normal circumstances, such a scene was unthinkable. But clearly, Shanks's sneak attack had enraged Arashi, leading to this moment.

Meanwhile, in another part of the battlefield—

Doom…

Doom-doom-doom!

The low, rhythmic beating of drums echoed.

Everyone nearby felt their hearts skip a beat, and strange, involuntary smiles crept onto their faces.

"Luffy?" Zoro stared in shock at the body lying before him.

White flames flowed from Luffy's body, wrapping around him in moments. His clothes, his hair—all turned white.

Steam-like ribbons curled around his neck and arms, and his eyebrows twisted into strange spiral shapes.

Zoro was stunned, unable to comprehend what was happening. Suddenly, Luffy's eyes snapped open.

BZZZT! 

A wave of Conqueror's Haki spread outward. "HAHAHAHA!" Luffy burst out laughing as he sat up, grinning brightly.

"Luffy, are you okay?!" Zoro exclaimed.

"Zoro! Thanks for saving me earlier!"

"HAHAHAHA!" Luffy laughed joyfully, grabbing his friend's hand.

He couldn't believe he'd found a familiar face on this battlefield. "What's with this new look of yours?" Zoro asked, baffled.

"I feel… stronger than ever before!" Luffy grinned widely. "HAHAHAHA! I feel like I can make anything happen!"

In the next instant, his eyes shifted, locking onto Arashi and Shanks at the battlefield's centre.

"But right now, I've got something more important to do!" Zoro sensed the power radiating from Luffy and nodded firmly. "Go!"

With a smile, Luffy began stomping rapidly on the ground, his legs spinning like wheels.

After just a few steps, he launched forward at incredible speed, racing across the battlefield like a blur.

In a flash, he arrived behind Arashi. His right hand shot forward, growing massively in size.

"Gomu Gomu no…"

"Gigant Pistol!"

The giant fist swelled to the size of a house, slamming down toward Arashi. The force behind it made even Vice Admirals' pupils shrink.

But Arashi, mid-swing in his assault on Shanks, spun around. He blinked when he saw Luffy, then broke into a grin.

"You didn't disappoint me, after all…Monkey D. Luffy."

This was the awakened form of the Nika Fruit. But unlike Joy Boy, this power was Luffy's alone.

The next second, Arashi raised one hand and extended a single finger. Boop! The massive punch was halted and blocked completely.

Luffy's face changed instantly. He had underestimated what it meant to face a true top-tier monster.

Then, in the blink of an eye, Arashi leapt forward and appeared before him.

"A mere awakening… doesn't qualify you to join this war!" And with that, Arashi swung his fist.

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