Sage Fox Super-Combat Mode

Minato and Shanks faced off, and the battle was about to erupt. Minato moved first, turning into a golden streak of light as he shifted the battlefield to a deserted island a few kilometers from Foosha Village. Shanks was just as fast and followed close behind.

Sessibi Island was a deserted island not far from the enormous island that Foosha Village belonged to.

The island's soil contained unknown substances that made it difficult to cultivate, and it was home to countless poisonous insects. So even though it was near the Goa Kingdom, it had never been developed. Passing ships had only left a few makeshift supply stations behind.

Today, two uninvited guests had arrived on the island.

Two streaks of light, one orange-red and the other dark red, tangled together high above in the distance before plunging onto the island like falling stars. Just before they hit the ground, the two lights slammed into each other, then recoiled in opposite directions.

The dark red streak was knocked by the counterforce into a mountain.

"Rumble!"

A black-and-red slash cleaved straight through the entire mountain, turning it into countless tiny rocks that scattered through the sky. The whole island seemed to shake as if struck by an earthquake. Scattered travelers resupplying on the deserted island scrambled to flee, firing cannons in their panic.

Shanks, clad in black-and-red Haki armor, shattered the mountain and emerged into view. He held a Black Blade, Haki guarding his body. Falling rocks crumbled into dust before they could even reach him.

Shanks and Minato had gone all out from the moment the fight began. Shanks activated his Three Types of Haki in unison, while Minato entered Sage Fox Mode. They had fought all the way from Foosha Village to Sessibi Island, locked in an even struggle. Wherever they passed, it was like a hurricane had swept through. The destruction was so tremendous that a small storm had formed near Sessibi Island.

The refugees fleeing Sessibi Island cursed under their breath. Of course, they didn't dare say it aloud.

Paying no mind to what the innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire might be thinking, Shanks focused entirely on Minato, whom his counterattack had knocked into a small lake in the forest.

Suddenly, a terrifying presence hurtled toward him from the forest, hidden behind the trees. It was a Sage Art: Tailed Beast Bomb dozens of meters in diameter, containing terrifying Nine-Tails Chakra and Natural Energy. The towering trees in its path vanished into ash like fragile candle flames.

If that hits me, I'll die!

The thought flashed through Shanks's mind. Relying on his top-tier Observation Haki, he dodged to the side at a speed that seemed downright unreasonable to anyone watching.

But the instant Shanks darted aside, the Natural Energy and Tailed Beast Chakra at the very core of the enormous Sage Art: Tailed Beast Bomb suddenly fell out of balance. The two energies descended into chaos and ran wild, unleashing a terrifying blast near Shanks. Observation Haki could detect an opponent's attack, but it wasn't genuine Future Sight...

A world-shattering presence exploded through the air, and the horrifying energy washed over the entire island.

"Captain!" The Red-Haired Pirates watched from the Red Force. They were stunned at the sight.

Nearby, Minato's Shadow Clone stood on the water with little Luffy.

"Uncle Minato, who's that red-haired guy?" little Luffy asked curiously.

"That's Red-Haired Shanks, a famous pirate in the New World."

"Uncle Minato really is an even greater pirate than the famous ones!" Luffy said with an utterly certain look. Minato's Shadow Clone smiled but didn't explain.

Back to the battlefield.

The thick smoke cleared, revealing Shanks's red figure. He was still standing tall, but his clothes were in tatters, and the Haki armor covering his body had noticeably dimmed.

It was clear that Minato's specially crafted Sage Art: Tailed Beast Bomb, which had suddenly erupted, had caught Shanks off guard. He seemed unharmed on the surface, but only because his instincts had helped him avoid part of the damage and he had spent a great deal of Haki to withstand the blast.

Even so, his body was riddled with tiny injuries, and the impact had left his internal organs aching.

After taking that hit, Shanks's presence grew even more terrifying. Haki surged around Gryphon in his hand as he sensed his enemy's direction and slashed several times toward the forest.

At the same time, dozens of black Tailed Beast Bombs, slightly smaller than the last one, shot straight out of the forest. The slashes collided with the Tailed Beast Bombs, and the resulting shock waves made the entire island seem to shudder with a small earthquake. Countless beasts perished in the aftermath, while the surviving animals and birds fled in every direction.

In truth, even infused with the greatest Haki in the sea, Shanks's slashes still couldn't match the Tailed Beast Bombs in raw power. After their collision, he had to swing his sword several more times to disperse the shock waves.

As soon as Shanks had dealt with that wave of attacks, several more Tailed Beast Bombs, no weaker than the previous ones, came hurtling toward him, covering all the space above him.

He doesn't plan to fight me up close?

Shanks thought, his expression unchanged as he swung his blade, knocking every Tailed Beast Bomb aside or detonating them prematurely.

Far away, Minato had entered Sage Fox Mode. He was wrapped in a Tailed Beast Cloak dozens of meters tall, his body brimming with Chakra. His Natural Energy was far more refined than it had been the first time he entered Sage Fox Mode, so his form was naturally much smaller.

Taking advantage of the virtually limitless supply of Nine-Tails Chakra, Minato kept using Tailed Beast Bombs to suppress Shanks, occasionally slipping in a Sage Art: Super Big Tailed Beast Bomb mixed with Senjutsu.

With all Three Types of Haki unleashed, Shanks could always counter the attacks with his incomparably sharp swordsmanship. The two remained locked in a stalemate. Several times, Shanks unleashed bursts of power to create openings, close the distance, and attack Minato, only for Minato to evade him with Flying Thunder God.

On the surface, it seemed that Minato had complete control of the fight. But he knew the truth. Apart from the initial surprise attack with the Sage Art: Tailed Beast Bomb, which had injured Shanks, his subsequent attacks had only managed to keep Shanks occupied, even when he had been suppressed for a time.

As for wearing him down? If Minato hadn't been able to sense the slight changes in his opponent's bodily energy with the astonishing perception granted by Sage Fox Mode, he wouldn't even have noticed Shanks getting tired!

At this rate, it was hard to tell whether Shanks would run out of strength first or the Nine-Tails Chakra would run out first. But Minato was sure his own stamina would give out before either of them.

Although he was currently in a fused state of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode and Sage Mode, and could theoretically balance and convert his own Chakra, Nine-Tails Chakra, Senjutsu Chakra, and Natural Energy between them, the process still came at a cost. More importantly, while the enormous boost in energy strengthened his body, it also placed a tremendous burden on it.

For a short time, Senjutsu Chakra could nourish his body. But if he kept this up for too long, his body would be like an overloaded energy core, sustaining damage and perhaps even suffering irreversible harm!

With that in mind, Minato decided to risk it all. He gradually slowed his barrage of Tailed Beast Bombs and instead set all his Chakra circulating at high speed. His orange-red Tailed Beast form began to swell like a balloon, growing ever larger as its energy surged stronger and stronger...

Across from him, Shanks felt the pressure ease and saw Minato very clearly preparing a big move. Without hesitation, he rushed in with his sword. Black Haki tinged with red swirled thickly around Gryphon. The blade seemed to slice through the very air; it had already surpassed the speed of sound. The strike made no sound, yet it carried the force to pierce through everything as it lunged toward Minato's head, inside the enormous "Nine-Tailed Fox" Tailed Beast Cloak.

At the very limit of its expansion, the Tailed Beast Cloak met the tip of Shanks's sword, which seemed to pierce through space. The enormous Chakra within the cloak exploded, and a terrifying energy storm erupted between them. In an instant, the wind and clouds scattered. The force of a tsunami and an avalanche battered the entire island once more, shaking it as if it were being torn apart.

A moment later, the smoke cleared. At the center of the battlefield lay a massive crater, like the site of a meteor strike.

Minato wore a divine robe made of golden energy. His face resembled a fox's, with long, narrow ears, and his hair had grown wildly to his waist, whipping in the wind. Nine fox tails fanned out behind him like spirits of fire, making him look like a humanoid Nine-Tailed Fox.

Three of the nine tails had crossed over each other and taken Shanks's strike head-on. If the explosion beforehand hadn't dissipated part of its force, that blow might have pierced Minato's body.

Shanks wasn't surprised that his mighty strike had failed to land. What surprised him was his opponent's current form: he had given up the enormous energy form and instead compressed his power, turning it into armor that covered his body.

Has he abandoned long-range attacks to fight me up close?

The thought flashed through Shanks's mind, but his sword showed no mercy as he attacked Minato.

Minato had already received a tremendous speed boost in Sage Fox Mode. Now, instead of using his fused Chakra as an energy core, he had dispersed it throughout his body, further enhancing every aspect of his abilities. He called this mode Sage Fox: Super-Combat Mode!

The enormous boost from Super-Combat Mode made up for Minato's disadvantage in Observation Haki. The nine tails behind him moved as if guided by his thoughts, blocking every one of Shanks's powerful, relentless strikes.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of blows at close range. Shanks gradually sensed something strange in the air around them. The small space where they fought was filled with faint red specks, remnants of Chakra that Minato had deliberately left behind as he dispersed his Chakra Cloak.

These Chakra particles were no longer controlled and posed no threat, but Shanks couldn't help brushing against them with every movement. The Haki armor on his body automatically dispersed the clusters of Chakra.

To put it simply, Shanks was fighting high above the ground, where oxygen was thin. Every attack cost him more stamina and Haki. He still had plenty of both, but he didn't want to waste them needlessly.

Shanks forced Minato back with a single strike and opened up a distance of dozens of meters. His unified Haki surged rapidly over his body, and the red markings across him seemed to come alive, flowing with a searing heat. Black-and-red energy poured more violently into Gryphon. Shanks drew his sword and crouched in place, preparing to draw. His Haki armor had originally been black and red, but as the intense fight continued, the Three Types of Haki within it fused ever more tightly, giving off a faint golden gleam!

Shanks looked as if he were surrounded by blazing flames as he settled into the poised stance of an iaido draw.

Recognizing the scene, Minato furrowed his brows slightly. Although his close-combat abilities were powerful in Super-Combat Mode, he had given up powerful offensive techniques such as Tailed Beast Bombs to achieve it. Without the enormous Tailed Beast Cloak as a medium, his body couldn't withstand the Tailed Beast Bomb's violent energy.

But Minato in Super-Combat Mode wasn't entirely helpless. He still had one move, though he had only ever imagined it until now.

Forget it. I'll give it a try.

Minato formed Hand Seals at lightning speed. Chakra gathered in his mouth, and he spat out a huge sheet of flame.

"Sage Art: Phoenix Sage Flower Nail Crimson!"

A massive flower of flame, beautiful yet deadly, surrounded the motionless Shanks.

Shanks stood within the flames with his eyes closed. Guided by his body and instincts, he unleashed the strike he had been building up.

"Divine Departure: Immovable Wisdom King!"

An unstoppable wave of sword energy burst forth. Fused with Red-Haired Shanks's domineering will, it manifested as a golden Buddha figure!

The figure had a perfect form, two faces and six arms, and was surrounded by golden flames. Its six hands held weapons including a Wisdom Sword, a demon-subduing staff, a bow and arrows, and a golden sun disk. It stood about three meters tall, far smaller than the black manifestation he had summoned before, but its strength was greater!

As soon as the two-faced, six-armed Wisdom King manifested, dozens of flames struck its body without effect and were swallowed whole.

A metallic clang rang out from within the flames as well. Kunai were hidden among them! But they still failed to make the slightest ripple, crushed to dust by the sword's force...

Minato remained calm, continuing to unleash flames that covered the entire area! The Immovable Wisdom King ignored the "harmless" flames and charged straight at him, reaching him in the blink of an eye!

Minato looked at the astonishing sword technique before him, but his eyes held not a trace of panic, because he had already sensed that the entire area was covered in his Kunai!

"Whoosh!"

Minato's figure vanished in an instant, enduring the suppression of Shanks's Conqueror's Haki.

He still isn't meeting me head-on?

The thought flashed through Shanks's mind. Suddenly, he sensed an attack coming from behind, but by the time his brain registered it, the blow had already landed!

"Clang!"

A golden streak struck him from behind and scraped past. Before he could counterattack, it vanished again~

The black-and-red Haki armor rippled violently but still held firm against the blow. And that was only the beginning...

A faint, sharp voice drifted into Shanks's ears.

"Infinite Flying Thunder God!"

In an instant, the Kunai scattered throughout the area, wrapped in red clusters of Chakra, surrounded Shanks.

Each Kunai shone like a star. With every flash, Minato's figure streaked through the night sky like a shooting star, attacking Shanks once. The only thing visible in the entire area was a golden streak of light, flashing rapidly as it struck him.

In just a few short seconds, Shanks had endured dozens of attacks! The Immovable Wisdom King created by his sword technique had already been summoned back to guard him. But during that time, the Haki armor covering his body had grown as thin as paper...

A few seconds later, the Immovable Wisdom King shattered with an angry roar, leaving Shanks exposed to Minato's assault!

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The golden streak's relentless barrage wore down Shanks's Haki. His Haki flowed faster and faster, becoming ever more unified, but just then Minato broke through his Haki defense. A streak of light flashed past. Shanks raised his left hand to wield his sword in defense, but the streak cut across his arm, severing the sword-wielding left hand completely below the shoulder...