A massive mushroom cloud rose into the sky.
Yet the two men at the heart of the collision held themselves steady amid the raging turbulence.
Shanks stared fixedly at Sakazuki, his expression icy. His heart sank. He had reacted far too strongly...
The corners of Sakazuki's mouth lifted slightly as he said quietly:
"You're rattled..."
Bang-
Molten flames suddenly flared around his right hand, billowing thick black smoke:
"Hell Hound!"
Like a meteor streaking across the sky, Red-Hair swung his blade to the side.
The clang of metal rang out.
The endlessly extending magma dog's head, coated in black Armament Haki, slammed straight into Griffin's blade and drove Red-Hair backward through the air.
At the same time, Sakazuki vanished from midair.
The magma dog's head pressing against Griffin solidified into Sakazuki's right arm, and Sakazuki himself appeared before Red-Hair.
The blue sea below swept past behind them.
Sakazuki kept his fist pressed against Shanks's Griffin as he spoke:
"How strange."
"One of the Four Emperors, a pirate who roams the seas unchecked, losing his composure over some brat from the East Blue."
Shanks's thoughts raced, but his expression remained unchanged as he said:
"He's a kid I have high hopes for."
"Still, I didn't expect you to uncover even that."
His half-truth sounded perfectly plausible, but it could never fool Sakazuki...
The biceps of Sakazuki's right arm swelled, unleashing tremendous force.
Boom!!!!
Red-Hair was knocked away like a baseball.
Sakazuki steadied himself, kicked off the air, and pursued Red-Haired Shanks, his right arm pouring out magma and rolling black smoke:
"Oh?"
"Is that really all there is to it?"
"A brat you have high hopes for matters more than your own daughter and companions?"
"He must be hiding some enormous secret."
His magma fist collided with Griffin in Red-Hair's hand.