Chapter 30: The Young Red Hair

Windmill Village Beach, the aftershocks of the Conqueror's Haki still trembled in the air.

Roy slowly reined in his presence, his cape falling, his gaze still calm. Shanks stared at him, his brow furrowed—the actions of this Marine Rear Admiral were completely irrational.

"I just don't want to fight you in Windmill Village," Roy said lightly, his gaze sweeping over the terrified villagers in the distance and Uta, who was clinging tightly to Shanks's cape. "A nearby deserted island. Follow me."

Before he finished speaking, his figure vanished suddenly, as if he had never existed.

"Swish!"

Seeing the Marine leave, Lucky Roux didn't hesitate. He jumped directly into the sea and quickly fished out Yasopp, who had been sent flying by a single punch. Beckman strode forward and said in a low voice, "Are you really going? This guy... he's not right."

A slight smile appeared on Shanks's lips, but his eyes shone with a dangerous light. "He's already brought the fight to my doorstep. Not going isn't my style."

Uta tugged tightly on his cape, her small face full of worry. Shanks turned back, ruffled her hair, his smile gentle. "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

The next moment, his figure erupted. The after-effects of his Conqueror's Haki exploded at his feet, and he shot off like a cannonball in the direction where Roy's presence had disappeared.

Several nautical miles away, on a deserted island.

Roy stood at the edge of a cliff, the sea breeze whipping his cape, making it flap loudly.

"Swish—!"

A crimson figure seemed to tear through space. Accompanied by the pressure of Conqueror's Haki that was like the roar of a giant beast, Shanks's figure landed heavily.

"BOOM!" The rock beneath his feet instantly cracked. The air churned, and debris flew.

Shanks's left hand was already on the hilt of his sword, "Gryphon," his sharp presence as pressing as a blade. Red and black Haki lightning coiled around him. "Marine... what exactly do you want?" His voice was so low it seemed to crush the air, his gaze like a hawk's, locked on Roy's figure.

Roy had his back to him, his cape billowing in the sea breeze. When he slowly turned around, a hint of fighting spirit flashed in his dark eyes, but a mocking smile played on his lips.

"The so-called torch..."

"Swish—!" Before he could finish speaking, Shanks had already drawn his sword. The blade, wrapped in crimson Conqueror's Haki, came down on Roy like a clap of thunder that would tear the heavens apart.

"What exactly do you know?!"

The ground instantly shattered, and a massive shockwave turned the surrounding rock walls to dust.

But Roy's figure became an afterimage and vanished the moment the slash was about to hit. The next second, a fist wrapped in black Armament Haki came crashing in from the void.

"BANG!"

Shanks hurriedly turned and blocked with his sword held horizontally. However, the force of that punch went through the blade, directly forcing his feet into the rock. The ground beneath him exploded into a spiderweb of cracks, and the entire island trembled.

"This power... it's the same as that guy's!" Shanks's gaze sharpened, a vein popping on his forehead. His sword, "Gryphon," hummed from the impact.

Roy slowly retracted his fist, the black Haki boiling around him like a tide, red and black lightning splitting the night sky. "I have no interest in your little schemes." Roy stood with his fist retracted, the red and black lightning of Conqueror's Haki dancing around him. "I just came to warn you. I'm taking the two little swordsmen from Shimotsuki Dojo. You can find someone else."

Shanks's pupils constricted, a storm raging in his heart. This Marine not only knew about the "torch" plan but had also precisely identified the target in Shimotsuki Village. "The Marines' intelligence capabilities... are more terrifying than I imagined."

He gripped "Gryphon" tighter and suddenly grinned. "It seems I can't let you leave here alive."

"Swish!" Before he could finish speaking, Shanks stomped his foot. The rock beneath him crumbled, and a volcanic eruption of Conqueror's Haki burst forth. The crimson sword energy instantly split a huge crack in the night sky.

Roy's eyes turned cold. He ripped off his white cape and casually tossed it aside, his fists wrapped in an even deeper Armament Haki. "Looks like just talking won't work." He bent his knees slightly, and the rock beneath his feet suddenly shattered—

"BOOM!!!"

The two waves of Conqueror's Haki collided violently. The night sky seemed to be torn apart, the sea rose in a hundred-meter-high wave, the island trembled violently, and the entire sea area fell into a dead silence.

Shanks attacked first, a horizontal slash with "Gryphon." "Divine Departure!" The slash came roaring like a crimson dragon, the air current instantly sending a large amount of rock flying.

But Roy's figure flashed, teleporting into mid-air. "Only an idiot would take a Divine Departure head-on~". His fist,凝聚 with Conqueror's Haki, fell like a meteor.

"Fist Bone: Meteor!"

"CLANG—!!!"

The sword and fist collided violently. A massive shockwave exploded from the two of them as the center. The night sky shook, and the sea rose in a monstrous wave. Shanks felt an irresistible force press down on him through his sword. The web of his hand instantly split open, and blood flew. "This power?!... It's Garp's move!"

Roy didn't answer, his figure flashing again. This time, he appeared in three different locations at the same time and punched.

"Teleport: Prison Barrage!"

Shanks's Observation Haki warned him like crazy. "Gryphon" danced into a curtain of swords, but he was still grazed on the cheek by a heavy punch, and blood flew. "Bastard...!"

Shanks sank into his stance, his Observation Haki suddenly expanding, instantly predicting Roy's killing intent.

"Swoosh!" Shanks's figure flashed, his blade like lightning as it swept towards an empty space to his left.

"Splat!"

A flash of blood. A gruesome gash was cut open on Roy's shoulder by the sword energy. He retreated in surprise. This was the first time someone had managed to injure him. "Observation Killer?"

Shanks flicked the blood from his sword. "Your speed is fast, but you can't hide the killing intent in your attacks..."

Roy's figure paused for a moment, blood flowing down his arm. But in just an instant, he closed the distance again, his black fist wrapped in Conqueror's and Armament Haki. "Then what about this—!"

"Conqueror's Infusion: Instant Collapse!!!"

"RUMBLE—!"

This punch was like a falling star. The air distorted and collapsed, the entire island's ground shattering inch by inch, the mountains collapsing, the waves rolling back into the night sky. Shanks violently blocked with his sword, the red and black lightning around him exploding frantically.

"BANG!!!"

The presence of the two of them completely tore the entire island apart. Black and crimson Conqueror's Haki intertwined in the night sky, like a battle between gods and demons. Rocks shattered, the heavens and the earth changed color, a fierce wind rose, and monstrous waves churned.

A trickle of blood escaped from the corner of Shanks's mouth, but he still grinned. "Interesting!"

The two figures collided violently again amidst the ruins.

On the beach, Beckman frowned tightly, his fingertips pressed to his temples, his face grave. "My Observation Haki... is being interfered with by the presence..." He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the sky in the distance, which was being torn apart by red and black lightning.

Uta clutched the music box in her arms, her knuckles white, her face so pale it was almost bloodless. "Shanks... he..."

Before she could finish, a monstrous wave suddenly rose from the sea, and a figure broke through the waves.

"SPLASH—!"

Lucky Roux, carrying a soaking wet and unconscious Yasopp, leaped onto the shore, panting heavily. "What kind of monster is that guy?! In just a few seconds... we didn't even see..."

Yasopp coughed up seawater and came to, his face pale, his voice trembling. "His movements... I couldn't track them at all..." He gestured tremblingly, his clothes soaked in cold sweat.

Lucky Roux looked towards the distant island. The red and black lightning was still raging in the sky, and the waves were crashing against the reefs like a madman, making a deafening roar.

In the center of the island, Shanks's red hair was messy, his clothes tattered, and the blade of his sword, "Gryphon," still had Roy's blood on it. Roy's Marine uniform was equally tattered, his shoulder and arm stained with blood, his breathing as ragged as a broken bellows. The two of them faced each other across a hundred-meter-deep crater, the dust kicked up by the night wind drifting between them like ghosts.

"Marine boy..." Shanks said with difficulty, lifting his head. The blade of his sword still flickered with red and black lightning, but his eyes held a hint of disbelief. "With your strength... why are you only a Rear Admiral?!"

Roy wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes as calm as an abyss. "Rank doesn't matter."

Shanks was taken aback, the hand gripping his sword trembling slightly.

Roy slowly turned and walked step by step towards the sea. "Today's warning... has been delivered."

A complex emotion flashed in Shanks's eyes. His Observation Haki keenly caught his almost imperceptible pity. "Do you think... you can stop the 'torch'?" Shanks's voice was low and cold, the wind carrying his killing intent.

However, Roy's figure began to blur, as if dissipating with the wind. "I don't care." With the last ripple of his teleportation, his voice vanished into the wind like a wisp of a ghost. "Don't touch Shimotsuki Village."

Shanks's pupils constricted, and he suddenly looked up. But the island was already empty. Only the collapsed cliff remained, a testament to the thrilling duel. He was stunned for a moment, then slowly sheathed his sword, a relieved smile on his face.

"The new era the captain talked about... hahaha... it's getting more and more interesting!"

Amidst his laughter, the sun set, and the sea reflected a bloody light. On the distant horizon, a snow-white seagull took flight, the recording crystal on its chest shining with a faint light, recording the aftershocks of this great battle for history.

Years later, when people saw this scene in the dust of history, they could only sigh endlessly—this was the true prelude to a new era.

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