Chapter 27 — A Battle Between Men! Who Told You to Interfere?!
"Hmm?!"
Kaido, still descending in his blazing dragon form, abruptly halted mid-strike—the attack that was supposed to reduce everything to ashes froze in place.
His molten eyes turned sharply toward the source of the voice.
That voice…
That overwhelming pressure…
"Shanks?!"
For the first time in this battle, Kaido's tone carried both shock and disbelief.
"How the hell is he here?!"
Down below, Akira also stopped mid-swing.
The massive thirty-meter giant tilted his head slightly, his fiery eyes narrowing.
Through the waves of heat rolling across the battlefield, he spotted a lone figure standing quietly near his feet—calm, composed, and utterly unshaken by the chaos.
A man of well-built proportions, wrapped in a black cloak that swayed softly in the scorching wind.
Short crimson hair gleamed like firelight.
Across his face ran three deep scars, and his left sleeve hung empty.
Red-Haired Shanks.
One of the Four Emperors of the Sea.
He had come—
appearing in the middle of Dressrosa's inferno of destruction.
...
Shanks ignored Kaido's furious roar.
He didn't even glance at Akira.
His eyes were fixed on the sky, where Kaido's massive fire dragon form hovered—its molten heat warping the air, threatening to burn the world itself.
His Observation Haki trembled violently, screaming in alarm—so sharp it almost hurt.
Kaido's Great Fire Dragon Torch...
and that thirty-meter titan beside him, whose blade carried power enough to cleave the heavens—
Either one alone could sink an island.
Both together would erase it from existence.
"This has to stop," Shanks muttered firmly, his tone deep and absolute.
His gaze sharpened like drawn steel.
He had come here for one reason—to stop Kaido.
But what he hadn't expected was the presence of another unknown powerhouse, a demonic giant whose power made even him tense instinctively.
"Thirty meters tall…"
"Black wings—Lunarian lineage…"
"Oni horns…"
"What kind of being is this?"
Even among the giants of Elbaf, none possessed traits like that.
Shanks' thoughts raced.
But his conclusion came quickly.
"No matter who he is…"
"As long as he's fighting Kaido—he's not my enemy."
The enemy of my enemy… is my ally—if only for now.
Without hesitation, Shanks drew his sword, Griffon.
BZZZZT——!!
A surge of Conqueror's Haki burst from him—dense, commanding, and so pure it rivaled Kaido's own.
"Divine Departure!! (Kamusari)"
His quiet voice carried through the storm, and red-black lightning danced along his blade, crackling with divine might.
He stood ready to fight alongside the towering "mysterious giant" beside him—
to stop Kaido's fiery onslaught before the island was annihilated.
...
High above, Kaido's molten body twisted in fury as he spotted the red-haired man below.
"SHANKS!!!"
His roar split the heavens, blazing like a volcano erupting in the sky.
"This isn't your damn business, you bastard!!"
"Stay out of it—or I'll burn you to ashes too!!"
But Shanks didn't flinch.
He simply raised his sword slightly, his voice calm but carrying the weight of authority that could silence an army.
"Kaido."
"Do me a favor."
"Stop this—now."
"..."
"A favor?"
Kaido let out a crazed laugh, molten magma dripping from his jaw.
"Worororororo!!"
"Shanks!!"
"Your so-called 'favor'—"
"Isn't worth a single damn thing to me!!!"
His magma-wreathed face contorted with rage, burning and cracking as his fury boiled over.
"If you won't back off…"
"I'LL DESTROY YOU TOO!!!"
"…Haah."
Shanks exhaled deeply, closing his eyes for a brief moment.
"It seems," he murmured, "I have no choice but to use force."
His gaze shifted briefly toward Akira—the towering black giant beside him.
"Two against one…" he said quietly, voice calm but resolute.
"Kaido, there's no way you can win."
He trusted in his sword.
Divine Departure—the legendary slash that once forced even Whitebeard to take a step back.
And this time, he wasn't fighting alone.
Beside him stood a demonic giant radiating a terrifying energy so immense that even the air trembled, as if the world itself was straining to contain it.
"Come, Kaido."
"I'll show you the true meaning of despair—when you face two Emperors at once."
Shanks raised Griffon high, his muscles tensing, ready to swing at the descending inferno above.
But just then—
BOOOOOOM——!!!
A killing pressure erupted from his side!
It came too fast, too close—
Shanks' Observation Haki screamed in alarm, a warning so sharp it sent shivers up his spine.
From the side?!
Impossible!!
He turned reflexively—
and froze.
His usually calm, ocean-deep eyes widened in disbelief.
The one who'd just turned his blade against him—
the horned giant with black wings he'd just considered an ally—
had redirected his massive sword.
The slash that was meant for the sky—meant for Kaido—
was now descending toward him!
Straight at Shanks!
"Y–You bastard…"
For a split second, Shanks' thoughts blanked out.
He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing.
Wasn't he fighting Kaido?!
Why—why was this giant attacking him?!
But Akira didn't give him the luxury of thinking.
"Dragon Breaker Slash!!"
BOOOOOOM——!!!
The enormous blade fell from the heavens, carrying a power capable of cracking the very planet!
A thirty-meter body's might—
amplified sixfold by mysterious techniques—
and all of it aimed directly at Shanks!
"Damn it!!!"
Shanks' pupils shrank to pinpoints.
He could smell death on his skin.
There was no time to think.
No room for hesitation.
All composure vanished.
He twisted his body midair, raising Griffon in desperation—
and swung upward to meet the monstrous strike coming for him!
His Divine Departure, which moments ago was meant for Kaido—
now collided against Akira's descending blade from less than ten meters away!
A backstab.
BOOOOOOM——!!!
Divine Departure clashed with Dragon Breaker Slash!
Two unfathomable forces collided—
and the world itself screamed.
The explosion was beyond words, a storm of annihilation that devoured everything in its reach!
KRKKKKK——!!!
The shattered land of Dressrosa finally gave way, splitting apart at every corner.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!!!
Akira's colossal body—thirty meters tall—was driven back several steps under the impact of Shanks' Haki-infused slash!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Each retreating step carved a massive crater into the already broken ground.
"Hmph… What incredible Conqueror's Haki," Akira muttered, steadying his stance.
His eyes gleamed faintly—part admiration, part excitement.
"No wonder they call you Red-Haired Shanks."
"This strike… it's even stronger than Kaido's Conqueror of Three Worlds."
Across the field, Shanks remained standing, though his breathing had turned ragged.
His face had gone pale; blood churned violently inside his body.
That single clash—
even though he'd unleashed it on instinct—
had shaken him to the core.
No way…
This young man—
There's no way someone his age should possess this level of power!
"Cough!… Kugh!"
Shanks' right arm—his only arm—trembled uncontrollably as he clutched Griffon.
His palm split open, blood dripping down the hilt.
"What… monstrous strength…"
He stared ahead, eyes filled with disbelief.
The horned giant before him had only stepped back a few paces.
"This creature…"
"What in the world is he?!"
Shanks' jaw tightened.
Rage began to surge within him.
With a furious leap, he landed back onto the battlefield and roared, his voice sharp with disbelief and anger.
"You damn brat! What the hell are you doing?!"
"Weren't you fighting Kaido?!"
"Why the hell are you attacking me?!"
For the first time in years, Shanks felt completely toyed with.
He had come here with good intentions—to stop Kaido's rampage, to protect the island.
And now?
He'd been ambushed by the very man he'd tried to help.
Akira lowered his colossal head slightly, his burning eyes locked onto Shanks.
There was scorn in that gaze—cold and contemptuous.
"Did I ever ask for your help?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself."
Thunder rumbled faintly within his voice.
"I was having a one-on-one duel with my father-in-law—"
"a real fight between men."
"So who told you…"
"you one-armed cripple…"
"to interfere?!"
"..."
"..."
"...Huh?"
Shanks froze in place.
The fury on his face faded—replaced by pure confusion.
What… what did he just say?
"'Father-in-law'?"
His head snapped upward—toward the flaming dragon raging in the sky.
Then back down—toward the horned, black-winged giant glaring at him.
And finally—his gaze fell to the crater below, where Yamato lay unconscious.
"'Father-in-law'…?"
"Don't tell me…"
"…this thing is Kaido's son-in-law?!"
Shanks' mind spun.
Since when did the Beasts Pirates have a monster this strong?!
And why the hell had he never heard of him?!
His thoughts tangled in chaos.
"What… is even happening here…"
For a moment, the world around him felt like it was collapsing.
He finally realized—
he hadn't intervened in an ordinary pirate battle.
He had interrupted a family dispute.
…
While Shanks stood there in utter disbelief, a booming laugh erupted from the sky.
"Wororororo!!"
Kaido—the thousand-meter-long dragon of fire—paused midair.
He had heard every single word Akira spoke.
And then—he laughed.
"Wororororo!!"
For the first time since their fight began, Kaido's burning face showed something akin to pride.
"Well said, boy!"
"Well said!!!"
He bellowed with genuine joy.
"It wasn't in vain making you my son-in-law!"
"It wasn't in vain choosing you as my successor!!"
"Excellent!!"
"This is the true spirit of the Beasts Pirates!"
"A one-on-one fight—that's the romance of real men!"
Kaido's excitement grew, his flaming body twisting through the sky, scattering waves of scorching heat in all directions.
Then his molten eyes shifted downward—no longer fixed on Akira—
but on the red-haired man standing below, his expression frozen in disbelief.
Red-Haired Shanks.
"Wororororo!! Akira!!"
Kaido's booming voice echoed across the entire island.
"I like what you just said!!"
"This one-armed bastard dared to interrupt our duel, father and son-in-law…"
"So let's finish him off first!!"
"Then we'll settle who wins between us afterward!!"
…
"What?!"
Shanks, just starting to regain his composure, snapped his head upward in alarm.
His face drained of color.
"'Father and son-in-law'?! 'Finish me off first'?!"
His entire body stiffened.
"Don't tell me—"
But before he could finish his thought—
BOOOOOOM——!!!
Kaido had already moved.
Without giving Shanks even a second to react, the flaming dragon plummeted from the sky—
His magma body became a sea of fire, an inferno that swallowed the heavens!
The heat was apocalyptic.
The sky turned crimson.
The island of Dressrosa shook violently.
Shanks could only look up—
watching as the burning heavens fell toward him.
"…What the hell…"
His final words were swallowed by the roar of the inferno,
as Kaido's flames descended—
a sea of destruction that even gods themselves might fear.
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