Chapter 28 — In a Team Battle, Strike the Attacker Without Mercy!
The sky above Dressrosa had been torn in two—
split between blazing red and shimmering silver.
One half burned with Kaido's Great Fire Dragon Torch, a flame so intense it could melt all things in existence.
The other half gleamed with Akira's Dragon Breaker Slash, a cutting light sharp enough to tear both heaven and earth apart.
And caught between these two forces of annihilation—
stood one man.
Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors ruling the New World.
His face—normally calm, composed, and unshakable—now twisted in disbelief and strain.
BOOOOOOM!!!
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!!!
The heavens trembled violently!
Kaido's fiery dragon form dove like a falling sun, bringing with it a heat wave capable of melting the island in seconds!
BZZZZZZT——!!!
At the same time, the ground itself roared in defiance!
Akira's thirty-meter-tall body straightened to its full height, his muscles coiling like black steel.
All of his accumulated sixfold destructive power converged into his naginata, Murakumogiri!
He swung upward—
a slash that could divide the sky!
One attack came from above.
The other surged from below.
And Shanks—
stood right in the middle!
"..."
His mind raced faster than lightning.
He knew he had to make a choice.
Block one…
or be obliterated by both.
If he stopped Kaido, Akira's blade would carve him apart.
If he stopped Akira, Kaido's fire would incinerate him.
A perfect death trap.
"Damn it!!"
A bead of cold sweat rolled down his temple.
Throughout his life, Shanks had fought tens of thousands of battles—
but never once had he been cornered like this!
He'd only come to stop the fight—
and somehow ended up trapped in a deadly brawl between a father-in-law and his monster son-in-law!
"Damn it all!"
His Observation Haki screamed like a siren.
He had no time left—no more than a heartbeat to decide!
"I'll block Kaido!"
The decision came in an instant.
Akira's slash was monstrous, yes—
but Kaido was far more dangerous right now.
Especially in his Great Fire Dragon Torch form—
a technique that burned his very life force to fuel its power.
If that thing hit the ground,
Dressrosa would cease to exist!
"Griffon!!!"
Shanks roared as his Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, coating his blade with crackling red-and-black lightning!
He prepared to take on Kaido head-on—
while using his overwhelming Haki waves to knock the "rebellious son-in-law" unconscious in one strike!
But before he could move—
Click.
A soft, sharp sound echoed behind him.
The unmistakable sound of a pistol being cocked.
Then, a low, composed voice followed—calm yet filled with quiet confidence.
"Shanks."
"Kaido's yours."
"..."
"The bastard son-in-law…"
"He's mine."
Shanks froze.
Then, slowly, a grin spread across his face.
He turned his head slightly—
and saw a man he'd recognize anywhere.
Benn Beckman.
His first mate.
The man who always stood silently behind him—
the most reliable of all the Red Hair Pirates.
"When did you… get here?!"
Benn stood atop the shattered ruins, his stance straight and unshakable, eyes cold as steel.
"Beckman!!"
Even amid the chaos, Shanks burst out laughing.
Relief washed over him like a wave.
"Hah! Finally showed up, huh, you bastard!"
"One more second and I'd have been beaten to death by a father and son-in-law combo!!"
Benn didn't reply.
He simply raised his custom silver-handled flintlock pistol—
a weapon he personally crafted and polished to perfection.
Its barrel wasn't pointed skyward.
It aimed straight down.
At the horned giant below—
Akira.
Beckman's eyes narrowed, the reflection of Akira's massive sword gleaming within his pupils.
"This pressure…" he muttered under his breath.
"Incredible."
"How… have I never heard of this monster before?"
There was no time to think.
Akira's Dragon Breaker Slash had reached its critical point—
the air itself was fracturing from the sheer force of his swing!
Benn Beckman drew in a deep breath.
His expression stayed calm, but the veins in his right arm bulged as his muscles tensed.
He knew—
there was no escaping this strike.
"Then…"
His voice was low, steady as the eye of a storm.
"…I'll pierce through it."
He poured every ounce of battle experience, every drop of intelligence, and every spark of Haki into one single bullet—
the kind of calculated precision that made him known as the greatest tactical mind in the world of pirates.
"Get away from me!!"
BOOOOM——!!!
He pulled the trigger.
There was no deafening explosion.
But the entire world seemed to shudder.
It wasn't an ordinary bullet that flew—it was a projectile wrapped in Conqueror's Haki, condensed to a singular, destructive point.
A shot that carried the full force of a Yonko's right-hand man.
And it wasn't aimed at Akira's head—
but precisely at the weakest structural point of his weapon, Murakumogiri.
BOOOOOOM——!!!
The world fell silent.
Even Dressrosa itself seemed to hold its breath.
Then—
BOOM——!!!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!
A chain of detonations followed, more violent than even the earlier clash between Shanks and Akira!
A shockwave ripped through every corner of the island.
The ground beneath them evaporated—leaving behind a crater a hundred meters wide!
The sea rushed inward, spiraling into a whirlpool that looked as though it would swallow the world whole.
...
"Cough—khugh!!"
As the dust slowly settled, Benn Beckman stood at the edge of the crater, coughing heavily while clutching his chest.
His right hand—still gripping his pistol—was trembling uncontrollably.
The skin of his palm had split open, blood dripping down the silver handle.
"Such… absurd raw power…"
"What the hell is this creature?"
"One swing nearly destroyed my arm…"
Fear and shock mixed across his face.
In all his years, only two people had ever made him feel pressure like this—Kaido and Whitebeard.
But now—
This horned man before him… exuded a power that eclipsed even them!
...
Then, a roar shattered the silence.
ROAAAAAAARRRR!!!
"...What?!"
Benn's eyes widened.
From the dissipating smoke, a massive figure began to emerge.
Thirty meters tall.
Skin dark and glimmering like obsidian.
Sacred Lunarian flames blazing fiercely behind him.
Untouched.
Unscathed.
Akira stepped out from the smoke—completely unharmed.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each of his steps made the ground quake.
Dressrosa trembled again under the crushing weight of his presence,
his eyes glowing like burning coals from the pits of hell.
The sacred flames on his back roared higher,
and the air around him distorted from the heat.
In an instant—
his speed, already monstrous, spiked to something beyond human comprehension!
That thirty-meter body…
moved like a bolt of lightning!
"Not good!!"
Benn's instincts screamed louder than his thoughts!
He reacted on reflex, lifting his pistol and pulling the trigger again and again!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each bullet coated in Conqueror's Haki ripped through the air like thunder—
every single shot strong enough to pierce through a mountain!
But—
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Akira didn't dodge.
He didn't block.
He didn't even slow down.
He charged straight through the barrage!
His body was wrapped in the divine defense of Vajra Body Protection, enhanced twofold—
fused with thousands of layers of Will Core, forging his flesh into something beyond mortal steel.
Every bullet struck him, sparking against his body—
but not a single one pierced his skin.
Only the sound of metal striking metal echoed across the battlefield,
a storm of sparks lighting up the air around him.
"...?!"
Benn froze.
For the first time, the mind of the Red Hair Pirates' greatest tactician went blank.
"This is insane…"
"What kind of defense is this?!"
"Don't tell me—he's taken Kaido's dragon scales and turned them into armor?!"
For the first time in his life,
Benn Beckman felt genuine fear—
not of death,
but of something that shouldn't exist within the realm of men.
Or perhaps… something that was no longer human at all.
BZZZZZT——!!
Before Benn could process his fear, Akira was already upon him—less than ten meters away!
Withering Divine Art—Activated!
"!!!"
Benn suddenly felt his whole body grow heavy!
A strange weakening sensation spread through every muscle.
Defense -10%!
Attack speed -10%!
Movement speed -10%!
"Damn it… what is this ability?!"
But as a seasoned commander, Benn processed the data instantly.
"This monster… it's not just raw strength…"
"He's weakening me… at the same time?!"
"I can't fight him up close—I need distance!"
Decision made, Benn stomped hard against the ground, propelling himself upward—
using Moonwalk (Geppo) to leap high into the air!
But Akira had no intention of letting him escape.
"Too slow."
A cruel smile curved across his face.
He had been waiting for this exact moment—
the perfect chance to strike down a fleeing enemy.
"How dare you try to run away from me…"
"Stay where you are!"
Akira raised his massive naginata, Murakumogiri, with one hand.
This time, he didn't even bother using sixfold amplification.
It was just a casual swing—
BOOOOOOM——!!!
A strike infused with pure, natural force.
Benn's eyes widened.
He twisted in midair, forcing himself to dive downward—
and the blade passed just inches from his face!
The gust alone nearly tore his skin apart.
"Haah…"
Benn exhaled in relief—
Then—
CRAAACK——!!!
His ears caught a sound that made his blood run cold.
He turned around—
and his pupils shrank in horror.
That "casual" swing—
had sliced the earth behind him clean in half!
The ground split open into a massive abyss,
a bottomless chasm cutting Dressrosa straight down the middle!
SHHHHH——
The sea poured in through the gap,
churning into a violent reverse current that devoured everything nearby.
In a single, effortless swing—
the already-ruined island lost a quarter of its landmass.
...
While Akira relentlessly hunted Benn Beckman, the battle in the sky raged on.
The clash of Emperors had reached its peak!
"Worororororo!! SHANKS!!!"
Kaido's voice thundered through the heavens as his thousand-meter-long fire dragon form spiraled across the sky!
Thousands of molten fireballs—fragments of the Great Fire Dragon Torch—
rained down like a meteor shower!
"Divine Departure!!"
Shanks stepped forward with a cold, razor-sharp gaze.
He didn't retreat.
His one-armed body danced through the inferno with impossible speed,
his sword Griffon shining like a streak of red-black lightning!
"Slash!"
"Slash!!"
"SLASH!!!"
He cleaved through each descending fireball before they could reach the ground!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Each explosion sent shockwaves rippling across the ocean,
turning the waters around Dressrosa into a boiling sea of steam!
SSSSHHHH——!!!
The sea glowed crimson.
Boiling waves rose into the air,
forming pillars of steam that painted the sky white!
Countless Sea Kings and colossal creatures surfaced, their bodies scorched black—
instantly killed by the unbearable heat!
"Damn you… Shanks!!!"
Kaido roared in rage, molten eyes blazing.
He hadn't expected—
that Shanks could actually withstand his Great Fire Dragon Torch!
"Then let me show you…"
He grinned, voice trembling with madness.
"…my strongest strike!"
"Ascending Dragon!"
"Flame Thunder Bagua!!!"
BOOOOOOM——!!!
Kaido's fire-dragon body spun in the air, merging lightning and flame!
The searing heat of the Great Fire Dragon Torch fused with his Conqueror's Haki,
creating the most destructive attack of his life—
A tornado of crimson and black fire twisting through the sky,
a dragon-shaped storm powerful enough to erase continents!
"Perfect."
Shanks didn't flinch.
His one visible eye gleamed with fierce determination.
"Kaido!!!"
"Let this decide—who truly deserves the title of King!!!"
He unleashed all restraints—
his Conqueror's Haki bursting like a tidal wave!
His entire body was enveloped in crimson lightning.
He raised Griffon high and charged forward, a streak of red lightning splitting the heavens!
Straight toward the flaming dragon descending from above!
BOOOOOOOOOOM——!!!
The black-red fire tornado met the scarlet lightning head-on above Dressrosa!
The collision unleashed a blinding light brighter than the sun,
drowning the entire island in a flash of searing white.
For a single, breathless moment—
the world itself… stopped moving.
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