Red-Haired's Resolve! Red-Haired's Request!

Why?!

The girl's sorrowful cries echoed across the azure sea.

Red-Haired felt a lump in his throat.

That's his daughter.

His daughter, whom he raised from a very young age.

Red-Haired clearly remembers that it happened seven years ago.

When he opened the treasure chest he had seized from the enemy pirates, what was revealed inside was a small baby lying on the treasure, reaching out its hands to him and babbling happily.

In that instant, Red-Haired remembered something his most respected Captain Roger had once said.

Captain Roger said that all encounters in this world are guided by fate.

The moment Red-Haired saw Uta, he truly felt the presence of fate.

Meeting herself was like meeting Captain Roger.

Countless unforgettable images flooded the sea.

He recalled that because there was nothing suitable for children to eat on the ship, he tried to feed Uta roast meat, but Beckman beat him up. It was only thanks to Yasopp, who had experience with children, that the baby's stomach was filled with some warm milk.

He remembered the first time he carried Uta on his shoulders, only to have her pee all over his back, which made all his friends burst into laughter.

He also remembered sleeping with the child that night, but accidentally knocking her to the ground. Uta bumped her forehead and cried loudly, resulting in her being beaten up by all her friends.

He also couldn't forget the first time Uta called him "Dad." After a moment of surprise, he patiently corrected Uta he wasn't her father, which made the little girl burst into tears again. After that, she always called him Shanks.

Equally unforgettable was the first time Uta sang in front of everyone. The girl's voice was young but clear and melodious like a lark's. Everyone cheered for her, and the little girl beamed with joy.

There are just too many memories.

Not just Shanks, but all the members of the Red-Haired Pirates felt their eyes welling up with tears.

The little princess, who was pampered by all of them, is now desperately questioning them with hoarse voices.

Many pirates were almost moved to tears.

But.

"Hold on."

Ben Beckman's face darkened, his tone hard and cold. "Otherwise, all our efforts will be in vain!"

Although he said that, the veins on his arms, which were crossed over his chest, were already bulging, clearly indicating that he was not calm.

"Shanks."

He urged, "Now that you've made up your mind, what are you still hesitating about?"

Red-Haired took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Ian! What are you doing here?"

On the Golden Flying Dragon, Uta, who had been panting, suddenly raised his head, his eyes glazed over.

Ignore it.

Shanks acted as if he hadn't seen her at all and went straight to talking to Ian!

Ian's lips curled slightly; everything was under control.

Ian, although you're handsome, you're really despicable right now.

"I'm the one who's really curious, Shanks,"

Ian raised his right foot and placed it on the ship's railing, gazing at the Red-Haired. "What exactly attracted you to destroy Elegia?"

He placed his right hand on Uta's head beside him. The little girl was completely frozen, staring blankly at the Red Fox.

"So much so that you don't even want your daughter anymore?"

"Didn't you hear the child's voice? You should at least respond to her."

This is such a hassle.

On the Red Fosse, Ben Beckman frowned.

It was already troublesome enough, and now the Golden Flying Dragon has gotten involved too!

Uta actually got involved with Ian!

After hearing Ian's words, Red-Haired couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.

His eyes involuntarily drifted towards Uta.

"Why?! Shanks!!"

Completely oblivious to Ian's large hand pressing on her head, Uta screamed again at the top of her lungs, "Why did you do that?!"

"Eregeia welcomed us so warmly! Everyone was so friendly to us! Why did you still kill them!"

It's precisely because Elegia welcomes you so warmly, and because the people there are so friendly, that we can't tell you the truth.

Ian thought to himself.

He began, "I'm telling you, Shanks, you're not the kind of person who would do something like that."

"What secrets are hidden? Let me satisfy my curiosity after traveling all this way. Could it be that Elegia is really hiding some incredible treasure?"

The Red-Haired's cheek muscles twitched.

There really is one, the treasure of Elegia.

Ian, you probably wouldn't like that thing either.

A monster born from the resentment of the previous generation's Sing-Sing Devil Fruit User imprisoned countless people in the dream space.

A demon king born only to destroy all that is beautiful in the world.

Indiscriminate attacks on everything in sight, an existence diametrically opposed to the beauty of life, are the origin of all tragedies.

But this is something that absolutely cannot be told to Uta.

Red-Haired knew better than anyone that his daughter was a very kind child.

She absolutely could not accept that so many people had died because of her.

Hundreds of thousands of lives were beyond the capacity of her young shoulders to bear.

Red-Haired glanced at Uta.

The little girl was still looking at him, a glimmer of hope still lingering in her eyes.

She was still hoping.

Still hoping that things will turn around.

The Red-Haired closed his eyes.

I felt a sharp pain in my heart.

Forgive me, Uta, this is the last time.

His hand was already on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

"..."

Beckman remained silent.

His captain is going to do something stupid again.

But as partners, what they should do is offer their support.

"Seriously, it's so noisy!"

The Gryphon was instantly drawn, and a black and red slash tore through the air in the blink of an eye.

This ferocious slash tore through the air in an instant, heading straight for Uta.

The nine-year-old girl's eyes widened instantly.

Before she could even react to what was happening, the massive slash was already upon her, threatening to tear her apart in the next second.

Fortunately, at that moment, the large hand that had been pressing down on her head reached out.

Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki surged simultaneously on this palm.

Black Haki Inazuma leaped, and the giant hand grabbed the oncoming slash.

The air trembled violently, emitting a deafening crackling sound as if it could no longer withstand the pressure.

Ian clenched his fist tightly.

The incoming slash was instantly crushed to pieces.

It wasn't until a strong gust of wind blew Uta backward and she fell onto the deck that she belatedly realized what had just happened.

Tears welled up in her eyes almost instantly, uncontrollably.

Even though she was already utterly disappointed in the Red-Haired Pirates that night, the pain in her heart still brought tears to the girl's eyes at this moment.

Shanks wants to kill himself!

Luo's lips twitched slightly.

Even a fool could see there was something wrong.

"Shanks! That's too much!"

Yamato angrily shouted at the Red Voss, "Do you want to kill Uta?"

Ah?

Luo looked at Yamato in disbelief.

"What a despicable man! To lay a hand on a child is utterly despicable!"

Hancock followed up with her own comment, her tone full of dislike for Red-Haired.

Luo's lips twitched slightly.

So I overestimated you guys?

No wonder they argued for so long without reaching a conclusion; the Sleeping Dragon and the Young Phoenix truly belong to this category.

Ian shook his hand.

That Red-Haired was actually pretty serious about that attack.

"I'm sorry, Ian."

The Red-Haired's voice was cold, "Please pass on my message to that brat."

"She is no longer needed."

Almost all the pirates behind him clenched their fists and gritted their teeth, afraid that they would utter a word of dissent.

At that moment, they were all almost of one mind.

Captain! Was it really necessary to go this far?

Ian lowered his head and looked at Uta, who was lying on the deck.

The little girl stared blankly, her eyes unfocused. Although she was still a child under ten years old, she looked like a walking corpse at this moment.

It seems there's no need for me to relay the message.

Ian tried hard to suppress the corners of his mouth.

As I said before, everything is under control.

But we still have to keep going.

Ian cleared his throat slightly. "This is getting more and more intriguing."

"The Red-Haired Shanks I know isn't that kind of man."

The Red-Haired's eyebrows drooped slightly, and his eyelids also drooped. "Are you trying to say you know me very well?"

"At least I'd really like to know about it now."

Ian cracked his neck. "What kind of extraordinary thing could possibly cause a man like you to change like this in such a short time?"

"Could it be that you really found some kind of treasure in Elegia? Please tell me!"

"Then let me tell you!"

The bow of the Red Fosse slumped down in an instant, as if a meteorite had struck it.

The next moment, the Red-Haired transformed into an arrow, piercing through the air in an instant and shooting towards the Golden Flying Dragon.

As expected, things have developed to this point. What do you mean by being incredibly prescient?

Ian had no doubt about Red-Haired's affection for Uta.

Then let me play along with you.

Ian was also ejected.

"Surtur."

The Fire Spirit, which had been lying on his shoulder pretending to be dead, floated into his hand like a doll.

In the blink of an eye, the tiny Fire Spirit transformed into a flaming holy sword that shone with dazzling light.

"Kamunagi!!"

Black and red Inazuma Haki and leaped on Shanks's blade.

Ian's Two-Color Haki was also infused into the blade, covering the gleaming surface with ominous black patterns and causing a thick black mist to rise.

"Levantine - Rising Sun Blade!"

Boom!!

The clash Haki the two was truly earth-shattering.

The soaring, Haki wave naturally tore through the clouds once again.

The crews on both sides were used to this.

That's the usual practice.

The sea below was also dented by the terrifying force.

The terrifying Shockwave caused both large ships to keep moving backward.

"I can take this as a provocation, Shanks!"

Despite the strong winds, Ian smiled brightly.

Red-Haired remained silent, but the immense force of their collision sent both of them flying backward.

"Yamato!"

Ian shouted.

"They're here!"

A white figure descended from the sky; Yamato had transformed into a white werewolf and crashed heavily onto the sea. In an instant, the sea for several kilometers around was completely frozen, turning into a vast ice field.

A foothold was created in an instant.

Then Ian and the Red-Haired landed on the icy plain. In the bleak, cold wind, the two swordsmen looked at each other.

"Can we fight together too?"

Yamato is extremely impatient.

Ian casually remarked, "We probably won't need it."

There's no need for it to escalate into a full-blown war; that would only make things worse.

"Yamato, with its Frozen Sea, truly lives up to its reputation."

On the Red Voss, Beckman took a deep drag on the cigarette dangling from his lips, then slowly exhaled a smoke ring. "Those who hang out with Ian are definitely rare monsters."

"Baker, isn't this the time to praise our opponent?"

Yasopp anxiously, "What on earth is the boss doing? Are we going to fight the Pirate Emperor here?"

He couldn't help but unleash his Observation Haki Haki towards the Golden Flying Dragon over there.

Honestly, I don't think we have any chance of winning at all.

The dozens of menacing giants on the deck alone were terrifying enough! Apart from the two giant leaders, almost all the remaining giants were ability users! Just looking at them was frightening!

Shanks has things he wants to do.

Beckman remained calm and composed, seemingly oblivious to the impending crisis. He simply spoke and calmly smoked.

"Ugh!!"

Yasopp annoyed that he kept scratching his head.

Although the Red-Haired Pirates fear no one, Ian wasn't really there to fight, was he? Why did a fight suddenly break out?

Yasopp suddenly felt a pang of melancholy. Captain, did we really have to go to such lengths to make Uta hate us?

"Since you've already drawn your sword, you must have been mentally prepared, Shanks."

Ian spoke calmly.

"What's the point of saying anything now?"

The Haki Inazuma on the Red-Haired sword surged, wildly shooting across the sky like dancing black dragons.

"This guy's Haki is ridiculously exaggerated!"

Luo shook his head vigorously; even with Ian blocking his way, he still felt dizzy and lightheaded.

"Compared to Brother Ian, they are nothing more than insignificant."

Jack sneered.

But of course, no matter where in the world or in front of anyone, Red-Haired Shanks is never insignificant.

The next instant, the two collided again.

The two swords clashed repeatedly, and the dark Inazuma, now almost tangible, shot out in all directions, utterly destroying the surrounding ice plains.

At the point of impact between the two, the ice field shattered, and the broken ice blocks were completely obliterated.

Shanks has gotten a lot stronger since he was in the Kingdom of Goa.

Ian swung his sword, slashing and hacking, while sighing in amazement.

His Armament Haki is stronger than mine.

However, his Conqueror's Haki is stronger.

After all, this thing is very straightforward: whoever is stronger has stronger Conqueror's Haki.

Overall, they're about the same in terms of Haki presence.

But this guy's swordsmanship is also very strong. Although he can't compare to Mihawk, the power of his slashes is still astonishing.

To defeat him, we'll have to get serious.

The two swords clashed once again in the next moment.

Suddenly, Ian heard the Red-Haired's voice, "Ian, I have a request!"