Red-Haired Shanks Was Stunned: How Was This Five-Year-Old Stronger Than Me?

After that night in the attic when he saved the beauty, Kuina completely became Lei En's little fangirl.

Lei En casually stuffed the system-rewarded Marrow-Washing Pill into her mouth as if it were candy.

This thing was a supreme-grade treasure from the cultivation world. Less than half a day after taking it, Kuina expelled a whole body's worth of Black Mud. Not only did her skin become soft and flawless, but her once frail constitution underwent an earth-shaking transformation.

Feeling the endless strength welling up inside her, Kuina was so excited that tears filled her eyes. On the spot, she swore to serve as Lei En's personal sword attendant for the rest of her life.

Shimotsuki Koushirou watched with delight and simply began treating Lei En like an ancestor, feeding and serving him well at the dojo.

Time flew by, and a year passed in the blink of an eye.

In Sea Circle Calendar 1501, Lei En turned six.

That day, on the coast outside Shimotsuki Village, the sea breeze carried a fishy, salty scent.

A somewhat battered medium-sized sailing ship flying a skull flag slowly sailed into the harbor.

At the bow stood a young man in a straw hat with a dazzling head of red hair, holding a spyglass as he looked around.

"Ah, finally, land! Buggy, get everyone ready to go ashore for supplies! I'm dying for the grilled meat here!"

Shanks shouted excitedly.

Beside him, a blue-haired youth with a conspicuous red nose was grumbling as he scrubbed the deck.

"Shut up, Shanks! If you hadn't insisted on taking a detour to see some Sea Kings, would we have gone hungry for two days?!"

The future Four Emperor Red-Haired Shanks and the future Shichibukai Thousand-Piece Clown were still just two impoverished pirates who had recently left Roger's ship to start their own venture.

Shanks laughed heartily, ignored Buggy's complaints, casually picked up an apple, and took a bite before jumping off the ship first.

He wandered aimlessly along the coastal reefs, savoring the rare feeling of solid ground beneath his feet.

Suddenly, an incredibly sharp whistle of something slicing through the air came from behind the reefs ahead.

"Hmm?"

Shanks stopped. His keen battle instincts made every hair on his body stand on end.

He silently crept over and poked his head out to look, only to freeze.

A child of about six, dressed in a black training uniform, stood atop a massive protruding reef.

The child held a famous blade with a snow-white edge that radiated an eerie chill, gesturing toward the stormy sea.

"That's... Yubashiri, one of the Twenty-One Great Grade Blades?!"

Shanks recognized the blade at once, secretly shocked.

"These days, even little brats can run around carrying famous blades?"

Just as Shanks was silently grumbling, Lei En on the reef moved.

He took a deep breath, and his gaze instantly turned as cold as ice.

His right hand gripped the hilt, and with extreme casualness, he swung downward.

"Thunder Breathing: First Form..."

Lei En murmured inwardly.

There was no Haki bursting forth, nor were there any exaggerated movements.

But at the instant he swung his blade—

"Boom!"

A terrifying, translucent crescent-shaped sword slash visible to the naked eye roared from Yubashiri's tip like a runaway wild horse!

Skimming across the sea's surface, the sword slash surged forward with unstoppable force.

The churning sea was forcibly split open by the slash, carving a gigantic trench several meters deep and hundreds of meters long!

Seawater rolled to either side, unable to close again for a long time.

"Plop."

The half-eaten apple in Shanks's hand dropped straight onto the beach.

His usually carefree face was now filled with an expression as though he had seen a ghost.

"A... flying slash?!"

Shanks swallowed, feeling as if his entire worldview had suffered a devastating blow.

Back when he was aboard Roger's ship, it was not as though he had never seen great swordsmen display their might.

But was that really the destructive power a six-year-old child should possess?!

That power, that purity of sword energy—it was practically fiercer than his own!

"Hey, hey, hey, since when did this beginner village in the East Blue hide a monster of this level?"

After his brief shock, not only did Shanks feel no fear, but a fervent gleam of excitement erupted in his eyes.

As a swordsman, how could he possibly resist exchanging a few moves after witnessing such stunning swordsmanship?

"Hey! You little brat over there!"

Shanks laughed, drew the famous blade Griffin from his waist, and shot across the reefs toward Lei En like an arrow released from a bow!

"Your swordsmanship is pretty good! Come play with me!"

Lei En had just finished his swing and was savoring the smooth, all-encompassing sensation flowing through his body when he suddenly heard something slicing through the air behind him.

He did not even turn his head. A playful, cold smirk merely curled across his lips.

"Finally, a punching bag that's at least somewhat presentable."

He gripped Yubashiri in reverse, pushed off fiercely with his feet, and twisted his body through the air with astonishing agility.

Faced with Shanks's overwhelmingly powerful downward chop, Lei En did not retreat. Instead, he charged straight at him!

"Clang—!"

The two famous blades collided explosively in midair!

An ear-piercing screech of metal grinding against metal, accompanied by a visible shockwave, violently spread outward from the two of them.

The small surrounding reefs were instantly shattered into powder by the shockwave!

"So heavy!"

The instant their blades met, the smile vanished from Shanks's face.

He felt a terrifying, mountain-crushing force surge wildly through Griffin and into his arm.

How the hell was this the strength of a six-year-old child?!

This was practically an ancient tyrannosaur wearing human skin!

Shanks let out a muffled groan. Under the pressure of that monstrous force, he nearly lost his grip on his blade, and the recoil sent him flipping through the air.

After landing, he uncontrollably staggered back three full steps. Each step left a deep footprint in the hard reef, and only then did he barely steady himself.

His right hand holding the blade trembled uncontrollably, and even a trace of blood seeped from the web between his thumb and forefinger.

Shanks raised his head and stared in disbelief at the little brat across from him, who had landed steadily on the reef without even taking a heavy breath.

"You little monster..."

Shanks shook his numb wrist, his expression turning exceedingly solemn.

"Hey, kid, who taught you that sword strike just now?"