The Birth of the Red Dragon Emperor!

"Huh? What's going on? What's wrong?"

Storm looked at Shanks, a sinister and chilling laugh spreading across his face.

"Weren't you the one who tried to run away just now? The fourth Pirate Emperor of the New World!"

Shanks' expression was extremely cold and stern.

He completely ignored Storm's taunts, and also abandoned Kizaru, who had just fought him.

Shanks stomped heavily on the ground, and charged toward Storm like an arrow released from a bow.

The Pirate Emperor's speed was extremely fast, and he closed the distance between himself and his enemy in an instant.

When the distance between the two sides closed to a few meters.

Shanks raised the famous Famous Sword [Griffin] with his right hand. The snow-white blade of the rare Famous Sword named "Griffin" shone with a chilling light in mid-air, and black and red arcs of electricity wrapped around the blade as it slashed fiercely at the enemy.

Storm's golden eyes were fixed on the approaching Pirate Emperor. He slightly pulled his right fist back, channeling all his strength into his right arm, and then wrapped his mutated dragon fist with Eight-Star Armament Haki.

"Dragon Fist!"

"Divine Annihilation!"

As the red-haired man and the Red-Haired swung their right hands together, their fists and the Famous Sword had not yet touched each other, and there was still a distance of nearly half a meter between them, when the space in the middle was directly squeezed and exploded, and a sharp screech burst in the air.

Boom boom boom--

Under the friction and compression of the two powerful forces that surpass the ocean, the space between the Dragon Fist and the Blade shone with a strong light like the sun, and black and red arcs of electricity, symbolizing [Conqueror's Haki], lashed out wildly in all directions.

The raging arc of Conqueror's Haki brought forth a surging shockwave, which then transformed into a powerful super storm that instantly swept across the entire Marine Branch base and Island 66 of the Sabaody Archipelago.

The resilient branches of the Adam Tree that make up the island were instantly shattered by the collision of these two unparalleled forces. Large chunks of soil and wood were shaken out from the depths of the earth by this force and then swept away by the super storm.

In the blink of an eye, the aftershocks of the battle spread to the horizon, and the white clouds floating in the sky above the Sabaody Archipelago were completely torn apart at this moment, as if the sky itself had been ripped open by the aftershocks of this leaking power, creating an endless and distant chasm.

Even the enormous Sky Garden in the sky was propelled by this force and flew nearly a hundred meters into the distance.

The islands shattered, the sky split.

This is truly a battle scene between the top powerhouses of the ocean!

Storm and Shanks grappled with each other, their Dragon Fist and the Famous Sword locked in a stalemate, producing a series of sharp creaking sounds.

After a period of stalemate, realizing that neither side could gain the upper hand, they tacitly agreed to withdraw and then launch another attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Storm unleashed a barrage of punches, his fists, wreathed in Armament Haki and crimson Dragon Scales, creating a blurry black-red afterimage in mid-air.

At his full power, Storm's punches were faster than the speed of sound, with one black and red fist after another exploding in the void, accompanied by deafening sonic booms.

"Ora Ora Ora--"

Almost every second, Storm unleashed dozens of heavy punches in succession, his power crashing down on Shanks in front of him like a tidal wave.

However, as the fourth Pirate Emperor of the New World, Shanks' strength should not be underestimated.

Shanks swiftly wielded his Famous Sword, Griffin, a sea-bound Famous Sword imbued with Conqueror's Haki, unleashing a dense barrage of impenetrable sword light in mid-air.

Every blade of light struck every fist shadow.

Black and red light flashed continuously on the spot, and the earth-shattering roar continued incessantly. The aftershocks of the battle brought forth a terrifying and boundless super hurricane, which indiscriminately swept towards everything around it.

Boom boom boom--

In the aftermath of the battle between the strongest warriors on the sea, even the lowest-ranking pirates are treated equally.

The battle between Storm and Shanks directly affected everyone else at the Marine Branch base.

The battle between Kizaru and Ben Beckman;

The battle between Chaton and Rayleigh;

The battle between Gecko Moria and Yasopp;

The battles of the others... were all affected as a result.

The howling superstorm, carrying fragments of Adam Tree, bombarded the surrounding area indiscriminately like a continuous barrage of air cannons.

If it were a Logia Devil Fruit User like Kizaru, they could ignore this kind of damage.

However, on Island 66, apart from Kizaru, there are absolutely no other Logia Devil Fruit User!

The problem this group is now thinking about is no longer defeating their opponents, but rather protecting themselves as much as possible.

Otherwise.

Before they can even defeat their opponents, they may very well be "defeated" by the aftershocks of Storm and Shanks' battle.

Even Shichibukai of the Sea Knight Jinbe, involuntarily stepped back a distance.

Jinbe looked at Shanks and Storm, who were still fighting fiercely, with a serious expression.

"These two... they're as powerful as my father... humans are truly terrifying creatures!"

Under the onslaught of the incredibly brutal aftermath of the battle.

The number of Den Den Den Mushi) that were once broadcasting live has dwindled to less than one hundred.

These Den Den Mushi were either stunned by [Conqueror's Haki] or blown away by the aftershocks of the battle.

The other "spectators" on the high seas, watching the increasingly unstable Live Broadcast Signal, also became somewhat impatient.

How many times in a lifetime can one witness a battle between Pirate Emperor?

Just as the live broadcast signal of the Den Den Mushi was about to be completely interrupted.

A Big News Bird arrived at Island 66 from other islands in the Sabaody Archipelago and, amidst the chaos, precisely caught a Live Broadcast Den Den Mushi that had been blown away by the aftershocks of the battle.

"This is big news! Big news indeed!"

Morgans, brimming with excitement, grabbed the Den Den Mushi and, with two bird-like claws, ran towards the Marine Branch base ahead.

"I never expected that Pluton Rayleigh's execution would cause such a huge reaction!"

"Shanks! The fourth Pirate Emperor of the New World!"

"And that crimson dragon!"

Morgans himself—the birdman—did not appear on the live broadcast, but his excited voice traveled to every corner of the sea with the live broadcast signal from the Den Den Mushi.

Everyone who watched the execution live heard Morgans' words.

"With his own strength, he can fight against Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Shanks, and even stand on par with the Red-Haired Pirates and the Emperor Pirates!"

"This man can definitely be called the fifth Pirate Emperor of the Great Seas—"

"Red Dragon Emperor!"

The words "[Red Dragon Emperor]" spread throughout the entire sea instantly, thanks to Morgans' explanation.

At this point.

Storm, still Shanks, was completely oblivious.

Shanks, who was also completely focused on the battle, had no time to pay attention to the commotion on the other side of the Big News Bird.

Boom!

The Dragon Fist and the Famous Sword clashed violently once again.

Storm and Shanks each took a few steps back.

If you look closely, you'll find that...

Storm's breathing remained very steady.

Shanks's breathing, however, had begun to become somewhat disordered.

The two had just unleashed their full power in a fierce battle, and their energy expenditure was roughly the same.

But Shanks is ultimately just a human.

He had fought Sengoku and then Kizaru, and his stamina was already quite depleted.

In contrast, Storm.

Storm's [Stamina] attribute has long been upgraded to "eight and a half stars".

Furthermore, he now possesses the assistance of an Eight-Star [Artificial Red Dragon Fruit].

If we include the Eight-Star [Red Dragon Ring].

Storm's [Endurance] attribute is roughly equivalent to a "Nine-Star" level!

He naturally doesn't feel tired at all now.

'This guy really is a monster!'

Shanks gripped his rapier, the Griffin, a slight heaviness settling in his heart.

'I can't waste any more time here! Beckman, Rayleigh, and the others are still waiting for me!'

The Sabaody Archipelago is too close to the Marine Headquarters, and not far from the Red Line Continent.

If the Red-Haired Pirates stay on Sabaody Archipelago for too long...

This could very well provoke an attack from the rest of the World Government's forces!

With this in mind, Shanks believed he had to finish the job quickly.

Shanks gritted his teeth and unleashed his Conqueror's Haki once more. The highest level of Conqueror's Haki enveloped his entire body, isolating him from his aura.

At this time.

Storm's [Observation Haki] completely rendered him unable to sense Shanks.

'Is this the advanced technique of [Conqueror's Haki], [Observation Kill]?'

Storm's golden eyes narrowed slightly as he immediately realized the ability Shanks was using.

However, Storm had already made preparations in advance for this situation.

When faced with the most advanced techniques of using [Conqueror's Haki], often only the simplest solutions are needed.

Storm certainly wasn't trying to track Shanks' movements with the naked eye.

He relied on the [Rumble-Rumble Fruit]!

The invisible and colorless electromagnetic waves, originating from Storm's body, spread directly outwards.

In this case.

Storm has become a veritable "dragon-shaped radar"!

[Observation Haki] cannot break through "Observation Kill"?

Then let's use physical and technological means!

Shanks believed that his "Observation Kill" technique would give him an advantage in battle.

He made a simple trick, then quickly changed his tactics.

Shanks appeared at Storm's side in a flash, swinging his rapier [Griffin] heavily, imbued with [Conqueror's Haki], and slashing rapidly towards Storm's neck.

But as if he had foreseen this, Storm raised his left hand, and with the help of Armament Haki, his jet-black left arm acted like a shield, blocking the blade of Griffin.

Clang--

Storm's left arm steadily caught Shanks' Conqueror's Conqueror's Haki slash.

At the same time, he raised his right leg and delivered a merciless kick to Shanks, who was off guard.

Shanks was already caught off guard.

Furthermore, having lost his left hand and with his right-hand weapon being held captive, he was completely unable to defend himself.

Storm's whip kick landed heavily on Shanks' left cheek.

Bang!

It was accompanied by a dull, teeth-grinding thud.

Shanks' head shook violently, and he was kicked flying.

The brain suffered a severe blow.

Shanks' vision blurred, and he could only vaguely sense that he was "flying" in mid-air.

The fourth Pirate Emperor of the New World flew out of the Marine Branch base like a meteor and crashed into the main trunk of an island engraved with the number "66," leaving a trail of blood that filled the sky.

A loud "boom" was heard.

On the main trunk of the 66th branch of the Adam Tree, Shanks directly smashed a huge crater, and countless cracks spread rapidly from the crater to the rest of the tree.

It only took less than a second.

Shanks crashed into the massive Adam Tree, snapping it in two, and continued flying backward until he collided with a branch of another Adam Tree.

"Captain!"

"Shanks!"

The members of the Red-Haired Pirates were all visibly shaken when they saw their Captain being sent flying by the Red Dragon.

Rayleigh was equally shocked; he hadn't expected Shanks to be blasted away so easily.

Could it be this time...?

Even the weathered Rayleigh couldn't help but feel a sense of despair at this moment.

Was it him who ruined the Red-Haired Pirates this time...?

Fourth update, 14,000 words, please subscribe!

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One more chapter to go...

Um.