Shanks clashed head-on with Akda. He had to admit that his young age put him at a disadvantage; he was slightly weaker in terms of strength and was forced back several meters.
"Buggy, protect Kaiser Lynn. Leave him to Shanks and me."
"Y-yes, understood." Hearing that he wouldn't have to fight personally, Buggy was naturally delighted. He probably hadn't expected that fat pig to be so strong.
Buggy hurried over to Kaiser Lynn, grabbed her, and ran off into the distance.
"Don't think you can get away." Seeing Kaiser Lynn try to leave, Akda naturally wasn't about to let her.
"Heh. If you want to get past, you'll have to get through me first." Shirakawa blocked Akda's path.
"Fine, then I'll kill you first."
As Akda spoke, a thick killing intent burst from him, and even his skin turned somewhat crimson.
Feeling that aura, Shirakawa and Shanks both changed expression. For some people, the threat of killing intent could be even greater than that of Conqueror's Haki.
"Boy, enjoy the pain that's coming." Akda flashed a bloodthirsty smile, his pupils turning crimson as well.
"How many people must he have killed to become like this?" Shanks swallowed, speaking with some difficulty.
"Sure enough, there isn't a single ordinary person in the New World." Shirakawa could tell that these changes weren't caused by any Devil Fruit ability. They were simply the result of killing people.
"Shanks."
"Yeah." They exchanged a look, then attacked Akda from opposite sides.
But how could an attack like that possibly work against a general guarding a city? He swung his massive cleaver in front of him, forcing Shirakawa and Shanks to switch from attacking to defending. The blow sent them flying.
But the two weren't discouraged. After all, there were plenty of examples of the weaker side winning in battle. Besides, neither of them was weak; both were elites.
The two attacked again. This time, they traded blows evenly. They had been at a disadvantage before, but as the battle went on, things became more and more balanced.
"Those two boys really are exceptionally gifted." Akda might not have had much to look at, but as a general, he had experience. He could see that the two were actually growing stronger as they fought him.
"Boys, why don't you submit to me? I promise you'll enjoy wealth and splendor for the rest of your lives." Akda tried to recruit them. It wasn't because he'd developed a fondness for talent, but because none of his subordinates could compare to the two.
Akda was undeniably getting ahead of himself. How could he expect to recruit two people who possessed Conqueror's Haki?
"Heh." Shirakawa and Shanks both sneered.
"If you want us to submit, you're not worthy." Shirakawa enunciated the last sentence one word at a time.
"Shirakawa's right. The only person I'd ever submit to is Captain," Shanks added.
"Since you two are so ungrateful, I'll have to send you both to your deaths." As he spoke, Akda suddenly sprang into action, lunging toward Shanks at a speed more than twice as fast as before.
"I think I'll start with you, little friend."
"Not good!" Shirakawa reached Shanks in an instant, but he was too late to counterattack and could only take the blow.
"Shirakawa!" Kaiser Lynn cried when she saw what happened and tried to rush forward, but Buggy stopped her.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine."
"How could he be fine with a wound that long? Are you even his friend?"
"Because I am his friend, I understand him better than you do." Buggy shouted too, trying to stop Kaiser Lynn from causing more trouble.
"Sorry, but I know what he can do better than you. You have to trust me." Buggy seemed to realize that he'd spoken too harshly and apologized to Kaiser Lynn.
The force of the blow sent Shirakawa tumbling to the ground. Akda saw that although he'd hit the wrong person, he'd still accomplished his goal, and took a step back.
"Well, boy, now you're all alone. How do you plan to fight me?" Akda thought that the two of them had only just managed to hold their own against him. Now that there was only one, he could toy with him as he pleased.
"Why do you think he's dead?" Shanks glanced at Shirakawa, who had fallen to the ground. He was a little worried, but didn't show it. He trusted Shirakawa too much to think anything would happen to him.
"He took one of my hits and survived? Even if he's unusually tough, he's in no shape to fight."
Akda said confidently.
But as soon as he finished speaking, white smoke suddenly rose from the terrifying wound on Shirakawa's back. The wound slowly healed, and even his clothes returned to their original state.
Then Shirakawa stood up as if nothing had happened and felt his back where he'd just been struck.
"That really hurt."
"He's really all right?" Kaiser Lynn's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Told you. As Shirakawa's friend, I know him better than you do. He'd be fine." Buggy spoke with great confidence now.
"I knew you'd be fine." Shanks patted Shirakawa on the shoulder.
Unlike Shanks and the others, Akda was in a terrible mood. It wasn't just because Shirakawa had gotten back up; it was also because none of the boastful claims he'd just made seemed to have come true.
"Is that a Devil Fruit ability?" As a general, Akda had seen a lot, so he wasn't a stranger to Devil Fruits.
"Something like that." Shirakawa neither denied nor confirmed it.
"Shanks, step back a little. I'm going to use my full strength."
"Sure!" Shanks grinned excitedly. "It feels like ages since I last saw that giant sword of yours."
"Then I'll let you get a good look at it today." Shirakawa spoke with great confidence too.
Seeing Shanks leave the battlefield, Akda said to Shirakawa, "You want to face me alone? Do you think you can beat me?"
"How will I know unless I try?"
One by one, beams of white light emerged from Shirakawa's body and covered him. A gigantic Sword of Damocles appeared in the sky above him as well.
"Th-this is..." For some reason, seeing Shirakawa in this state made Akda suddenly feel a sacred and inviolable power.
"What is that?" Kaiser Lynn exclaimed in surprise.
"That's Shirakawa's ability. The sword only appears when he uses more than eighty percent of his strength." Shanks, who had left the battlefield, explained to Kaiser Lynn.
"So that means Shirakawa hadn't even used eighty percent of his strength just now?"
"Yeah." Shanks sounded rather dejected as he said it. When Shirakawa had first joined the crew, he'd been far weaker than Shanks—but the one who was far behind now was Shanks.
He'd just used nearly ninety percent of his strength.
"Looks like they've started fighting." Since they hadn't gone far, Rayleigh and Roger, who were in the city, naturally saw the Sword of Damocles too.
The distance made the sword look small, but it also made it easier to take in its entire form.
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