At the center of the battlefield, Shanks looked against the sunlight towards the spot where Gawain had disappeared, a strange smile on his face.
He laughed as he spoke to Beckman, who was standing not far away.
"Gawain was still not used to the scenes of a major battle. He did not know that if he disappeared for even a moment, the morale of his troops would drop a bit."
This is also why Whitebeard and Garp have always been the strongest.
Because only the two of them could fight to the death on any battlefield, regardless of its scale.
As for Gawain, or me.
We're both very smart, so we play rather recklessly.
I managed to force him to retreat for a moment within ten seconds, although that would have allowed him to launch a ranged attack afterward.
But he should know that no matter how distant or powerful the attack, it would not inspire his army as much as it would inspire him, the leader, standing at the forefront.
But this is the only thing I can do.
Gawain's abilities are very strange; even I can't guess where he obtained them from.
Could there be something else hidden behind Mary Geoise besides my aunt? Could there be other secrets hidden there?
In short, every advantage counts. Next, I'll focus on dealing with Gawain's long-range attacks.
You can go and gang up on Garp now; we can't let him face Whitebeard alone.
As long as he doesn't run into Garp, Newgate has no rivals right now. Even if he's surrounded, the sheer power of his moves can perfectly boost the morale of the pirate crew.
But when Newgate encounters Garp, his illness becomes somewhat fatal.
If anyone on this vast ocean could be certain of defeating Whitebeard at this moment, it would probably be Garp!
Oh, right, there's one more, but that guy's already in Impel Down. Luckily, Gawain didn't...
Snort!"
At this point, Shanks suddenly snorted, and at the same time, Bullet appeared right in front of Shanks, seemingly stepping on thin air.
"Hahaha, Shanks brat, it's been decades, and even you've fallen to this level!"
So, were you surprised to see me?
The man was my partner back then, but during all these years I've been in prison, you haven't even come to my rescue.
Since that's the case, let me, your older brother, test your abilities!
Primary liberation!!!
As he spoke, Bullet swung his fist fiercely at Shanks.
Shanks glanced at Bullet, dodged his attack in the blink of an eye, and then spoke without turning his head.
"Ah, Brother Bullet, you actually got released by Gawain and even joined his ranks."
Didn't you dislike the Celestial Dragon back then? You didn't even like Rayleigh and Gaban, and you only respected Captain Roger.
How could I dare to save you in this state? Who knows if I would blame you for meddling after I did?
At this point, Shanks grinned, then turned to look at the distant sea.
At this moment, there was nothing on the sea, but in Shanks' eyes, the dazzling light that made him wary had already appeared!
So he turned back again and quickly said to Ochoku.
"Senior Ochoku, could you please hold off Bullet for me? I have some other matters to attend to."
"Hmph, you always have to trouble this old man like me, Shanks. You're the real emperor of the pirates!"
Ochoku muttered impatiently, then decisively stepped in front of Bullet.
Although he is old, his strength is not much less than that of Whitebeard.
Just think about it, the future Blackbeard only managed to kill Ochoku and eventually take over Beehive Island with the help of Koby.
It's easy to imagine that although the storyline of Blackbeard attacking Beehive Island wasn't shown, the process was definitely not simple; it was probably as difficult as Luffy's participation in the movie.
This time, Teach is the protagonist of the theatrical version, and Ochoku is the boss of the theatrical version.
In any case, Ochoku's strength should at least be worthy of being the movie version's BOSS.
He swung his Guan Dao and in the blink of an eye, he and Bullet were locked in a fierce battle, neither able to gain the upper hand.
Seeing that Ochoku had actually come to mess with him, Bullet snorted in annoyance.
Bullet shouted to Shanks while gripping Ochoku's blade tightly.
"Hey, Shanks, it's been decades, and you've even stopped paying attention to your big brother!"
I even taught you how to fight back in the day!
You've got to make this old codger, who's practically on his deathbed, fight me? You've got some nerve, Shanks!
"Is it because I've been in prison too long that even you can look down on me now?!"
"Where? Bullet, buddy."
But now the situation has changed!
Now it's all about kings versus kings, generals versus generals!
"My enemy is your boss, Bullet!"
Shanks gave a brief response, then quickly reversed his grip on his sword.
Facing a sudden flash of light in the distance, Shanks gritted his teeth and charged forward!
Laugh!
Boom!
Sizzle sizzle!!!
A spinning coin was frantically rotating nearly two meters in front of Griffin 'Gryphon sword, and the shockwave it generated sent everyone within a two-kilometer radius of Shanks flying backward uncontrollably.
And it wasn't until then, until that beam of light exploded!
The people on the battlefield then realized that another attack from afar had descended upon the battlefield!
Even Whitebeard didn't see the attack.
Because not everyone can activate their Observation Haki to a level that can cover tens of kilometers at all times during intense battles!
Generally speaking, for veteran powerhouses, Observation Haki is enough to cover a distance of a few kilometers.
Drive at most ten kilometers to guard against top-tier snipers; driving any further is a waste.
Gawain's attack came from a location nearly 400 kilometers outside the battlefield.
Indeed, after flashing for nearly 120 kilometers the first time, Gawain flashed twice more, widening the distance to the point that even his Observation Haki could barely detect the distance behind the pirate camp.
Only a long-range attack that completely exceeds the limits of his Observation Haki Mantra ensure Gawain desired effect is achieved.
But after making the call, Gawain pondered for a moment, then shook his head.
"Ha, Shanks' predictive style of play is so infuriating it's driving me crazy."
If your opponents can predict your moves, what's the point of this kind of play?
Even if one's attack is close to the speed of light.
Even Newgate would have a hard time discerning the trajectory of that attack!
Even if everyone is unable to withstand this attack, they will all be exhausted and injured by it.
But Shanks won't!
Because he had already seen every detail of the future!
The level of detail far exceeded Katakuri could observe!
Meanwhile...
On the battlefield, after Shanks made a charge, Shanks' Conqueror's Haki and Gawain's Conqueror's Haki clashed for a moment before Gawain's attack was completely worn down by Shanks.
There's no other reason than that, although Gawain's attacks were fierce, the distance was still too far.
The Haki aura that Gawain's attack possessed was far less than the level of his close-combat attacks.
In the Pirate World, the strength of this Electromagnetic Cannon lies in its extremely long range and super speed.
Once these two points are resolved, the pressure this move puts on Shanks is even less than that from Beckman's pistol bullets!
Because this is Pirate World where any monster could flatten a mountain with its fist!!!
However, after catching Gawain's Electromagnetic Cannon, Shanks' brow twitched slightly again.
"Ha, you're back so soon? How boring."
I was hoping to keep you outside the battlefield a little longer so that our underlings could have a bit more morale.
Unfortunately, you are ultimately a rational person.
"If only you were a little more timid, like the rest of us, haha."
At this point, Shanks gently retracted his Gryphon and then beckoned to his right hand.
"Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roux."
Let's go support Newgate and Linlin, and my old friends from back then.
The navy and the crew of the Dark Bird Ship won't let us attack Gawain so easily.
However, it's important to note that you must be ready to support me and Gawain in our battle at any time, regardless of the circumstances.
Try to find a moment within half an hour to launch another sufficiently dangerous attack on Gawain!
Everyone, keep up the good work!
As soon as he finished speaking, Shanks immediately drew his sword again.
Facing the still empty air, Shanks gestured for a moment, his pupils dilating and contracting repeatedly.
A moment later, he pursed his lips in satisfaction and then let out a soft shout.
"Divine Departure!!!"
"Holy crap?"
Just as Gawain's lightning began to coalesce into a human form, it was immediately blasted into the face by the Divine Departure that had already struck him!
In just a moment, Gawain, who had just returned to the battlefield, was sent flying straight into the sea by this Divine Departure!
He had considered the possibility that Shanks might use his Future Sight return, but as it turned out, the outcome Shanks consistently chose in the future was indeed the one Gawain was least likely to avoid.
As the saying goes, anything is possible. As long as Shanks keeps trying and failing, whether it's a million times or ten million times, the fleeting eternity is enough for Shanks to calmly choose the future he likes best!
As he watched himself about to fall into the sea, Gawain's eyes reddened.
Fighting someone like Shanks is absolutely disgusting!
This level of disgust is even greater than when I was not yet a monster.
Even now, I find myself rather disgusting. To withdraw from the battlefield immediately after failing to gain a clear advantage, then head to conduct beyond-visual-range strikes hundreds of kilometers away—I doubt only Gawain would do something like that...
Thinking this, Gawain quickly put aside his slight resentment and instead drew his Shusui.
Gawain pointed the blade of Shusui at Shanks, snorted Gawain, and shook his head.
"The future should not be your plaything, much less something you can control at will."
You..."
"Elbaf, the Ikoku Sovereignty!!!"
Before Gawain finish speaking, Linlin's loud shout and Ikoku Sovereignty's imposing aura suddenly came from afar.
Seeing that he was being attacked from behind, Gawain nimbly shifted his position, but just as he was about to casually rebuke the Big Mom for her lack of martial ethics, he saw Whitebeard casually raise his right hand during his battle with Sakazuki.
"Sea Quake!!!"
With Whitebeard's voice, the endless waves that had just been stirred up by Linlin Ikoku Sovereignty on the sea were directly shaken into extremely fine droplets by Whitebeard.
These water droplets almost filled the entire space around Gawain. This move even affected many pirates, causing everyone around Gawain, including pirates and marines, to be covered in seawater droplets filled with Seastone particles.
Sensing the omnipresent Seastone Factor in the air, Gawain gently clapped his hands.
Fire Release: Majestic Destroyer Flame!
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!
After a barrage of attacks from the Uchiha, the seawater completely disappeared from the area several kilometers above Gawain's vicinity.
Gawain then clapped his hands with a Wind Release technique, cleaning up the remaining steam.
Then, Gawain looked amusedly at the Whitebeard in the distance who was grabbing Sakazuki's head and hitting him, and laughed.
Even Newgate has been turned into a baby by you Shanks!
Shanks, you really are a sin..."
"Back in our generation, we talked trash a million times more when we fought than we do now, you Celestial Dragon brat!"
So don't show off your trash talk in front of us old folks!
"Take my Loyalty Slash!!!"
Ochoku interrupted Gawain abruptly, the blade of his Guan Dao aimed with unparalleled precision at Gawain's face.
Facing the approaching blade of energy, Gawain suddenly raised his sword, Shusui.
Sizzle sizzle sizzle!!!
After staggering back dozens of steps in the air, Gawain steadied himself and casually shook his wrist. Ochoku, that old guy, really had some strength.
No wonder he wields Guan Dao (a type of halberd).
But the current situation left him no time to complain, because he heard two extremely faint gunshots!
The voice came from the two shooters that Gawain had been keeping a close eye on: Beckman and Yasopp!
Quickly pinpointing the bullet's direction, Gawain swung his Shusui sword in a flurry of motion.
In front of him, there were far more than just two bullets.
That was simply bullets flying everywhere!
More importantly, his usually invincible Observation Haki was now somewhat ineffective!
Beckman and Yasopp could not possibly possess the ability to Observation Killing and sound.
So...
"Oh!"
Gawain sneered, then used his left hand, relying on his suddenly unreliable Observation Haki, to sense and predict the approaching bullets and block them.
As for his right hand.
His fingers swiftly transformed into lightning, which then spread wildly and occupied every patch of the nearby sky.
"So, Beckman or Yasopp, is one of your Observation Haki abilities simply used to block and confuse your opponents' Observation Haki?"
That really suits a gunman's abilities, so that person must be Yasopp!
Beckman was not a pure gunman after all.
And Yasopp, you're the world's number one gunman.
Therefore, you can see other people's bullets clearly, but others cannot see yours.
This is the reason you became number one in the world...!
Again!!!
Gawain had to stop talking because a lithe figure wielding a rapier had already rushed in front of him.
Looking at the person in front of him, Gawain shook his head with a cold smile.
"Rowan, the navigator of the Pirate King Roger!"
You've hidden yourself for decades, just to die today?!
As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain remained motionless, letting Rowan push the scimitar up to the position above his head.
And then, in the very next moment...
Gion suddenly appeared in front of Gawain, raising her hand to block Rowan's rapier with her Konpira dagger.
At the same time, Mihawk, Ichisho, and Aramaki also lined up around Gawain, one on the left, one on the right, and one behind!
Feeling protected by his teammates, Gawain raised his Shusui and pointed them at Shanks.
"The time you can attack without restraint has come to an end."
Shanks, our war has only just begun from this moment on!
I've put up with you for far too long!!!