The Third Time-This Is the Current [Scholar] Advancement Task (Continued)

"Even if I fail a hundred times, a thousand times, I'll never join someone else's crew!"

Shanks raised his Sailor's Cutlass and shouted.

"I'm the man who's going to captain my own pirate crew!"

"Is that so?"

Adrian chuckled.

"Then I'll give you a bigger punishment this time."

The next instant, Adrian's eyes narrowed. Waves of pale Spiritual Pressure poured from his body and surged into the sky, bathing it in white light.

The Pale Energy churned like a roaring sea and slammed into Shanks.

A crushing weight, heavy as a mountain, settled on his shoulders.

Creak—

Shanks felt his teeth tremble. His bones groaned under the seemingly endless pressure, and he could no longer move.

Is this Adrian's true strength?!

This crushing pressure is like the sea itself!

Shanks's eyes bulged, their whites bloodshot.

His innate Conqueror's Haki burst from his body, whipping up a fierce wind around him. It resisted the Spiritual Pressure and steadily eased the burden on his shoulders.

"Conqueror's Haki?"

Interest flickered in Adrian's eyes. The more abilities Shanks displayed now, the happier he was.

It meant a wider range of abilities for him to draw from!

Time passed slowly.

Shanks felt his Conqueror's Haki draining away like water.

He knew perfectly well how wide the gap in strength between him and Adrian was.

Shanks was certain of one thing.

If Adrian kept unleashing that strange pressure without restraint, Shanks might pass out from exhausting his Conqueror's Haki before he could even attack.

Clenching his teeth, Shanks stamped his feet against the ground and charged at Adrian with his Sailor's Cutlass, swift as lightning.

"Divine Departure!"

He used the legendary move passed down from Captain Roger once more. Coated in Armament Haki, his Sailor's Cutlass whistled through the air toward Adrian.

But Adrian's Spiritual Pressure