"Invincible? Maybe she was before, but who can say for sure now? Besides, my feud with you is a personal matter and shouldn't be involved with other things!"
Shanks remained calm and composed, a faint smile playing on his lips, his tone utterly unwavering, but his eyes were exceptionally cold!
Shanks had no concrete concept of his mother, but over the years of building his pirate crew and wandering the Four Blues, he had seen too many scenes of mothers and children embracing each other at ports!
A fisherwoman tiptoes to straighten her son's collar, while a merchant ship captain's daughter clings to her mother's arm affectionately. Even in the midst of a raging storm, there is the unwavering figure of a mother shielding her child beneath her.
That warm feeling of being connected by blood and flesh was something he had longed for countless times while looking across the ship's railing; it was the most simple yet inviolable humanity and motherhood.
But the Celestial Dragons, these scum who call themselves "descendants of the Creator," are determined to tear all of this apart.
They not only took away his mother and the maternal love he never had, but they also etched this inhuman brutality into the fate of many more people.
Such a species should never have existed in this world!
"Bite"
The crisp sound of metal clashing pierced the air, followed by the dull thud of a sharp blade entering flesh!
"Puff"
Before he finished speaking, Shanks suddenly exerted force in his arm, and with a clever flick of his wrist, he deflected Garling's thrusting rapier by half a foot.
Before the other party could react, the Gryphon in his hand had already turned into a streak of light, so fast that no one could see its trajectory, leaving only a deep, bone-revealing bloodstain on Garling's chest.
Scalding hot blood splattered on the cold ground, blooming into eerie flowers.
Even so, it was only because Garling retreated quickly and used the strength of his waist and abdomen to barely turn to the side that he was able to avoid being cut in two. This shows the difference in skill between the two!
He was inferior in both strength and speed, and what was even more terrifying was that Shanks never used a single bit of Haki from beginning to end, otherwise Garling would have been injured even more severely!
" Shanks! Don't you have any fatherly affection for me? I've been sending people to look for you ever since you disappeared at God Valley, and later I learned that you were kidnapped by the Roger Pirates..."
I haven't abandoned raising you, it's just that Roger and his gang are unreasonable; they simply won't return you to me.
You are my son, Garling's son! How dare they prevent us from being reunited, from letting you live a life of privilege? They have no humanity whatsoever! I brought men to their door and fought with them several times, but they still won't let go.
Later, the Roger Pirates disbanded, Roger was executed, and you left alone. That's when I had the chance to bring you back to the Holy Land. I've never given up on you! Are you really going to kill your own father?"
Garling clutched his bleeding chest, trembling with pain, his voice filled with barely concealed fear.
He never imagined that his son, whom he had never cared about, would become so powerful.
This biological son really wants to kill his own father! He forced himself to speak, trying to use blood ties to pry open the other's defenses!
Moreover, this "son" surpasses his father in strength, speed, and all other aspects, and truly has the ability to kill him. He can no longer utter the threats he made before!
Garling's words were choked with emotion; he knew Shanks ' weakness all too well—this boy, raised by pirates, valued "loyalty" above all else.
He can survive as long as he can rekindle even the slightest bit of old feelings!
After all, Lord Imu is Lord Imu, and he is himself. Now that Lord Imu is being held back, if Shanks really wants to kill him, there's no one who can save him. So, he can only play the emotional card, hoping that Shanks, a man of great loyalty and righteousness, will feel the same way about him. He has no other choice but to take this gamble.
"Speaking of which, I really have to thank Captain Roger and the others. If it weren't for their efforts in protecting me and keeping me in the Roger Pirates, I really can't imagine what kind of person I would have become!"
Whenever I see the despicable behavior and beastly actions of other Celestial Dragons, I feel both lingering fear and relief!
Perhaps the luckiest thing in my life was being taken aboard the ship by the captain and his crew. But you, without hesitation, killed my mother with your own hands. I will never forgive you for that. I will send you to another world to apologize to her!
Shanks is a very determined person, and he can't be swayed by a few words from Garling, unless there really is some hidden reason behind this!
However, given what this guy did, there's no possibility of any hidden story; it simply doesn't make sense. So even if he makes a grandiose story, it's all a lie. They were originally enemies, and he had a blood feud with his mother's killer, so reconciliation was impossible!
"Since that's the case, then you might as well die! Even if you are my son, anyone who dares to defy my will will face certain death!"
Shanks ' words shattered Garling's hopes of survival. Knowing that this time there was no way to end things peacefully, his eyes were filled with madness and murderous intent, but he showed no remorse or regret for Shanks' mother. In short, he was determined to fight to the death!
As soon as he finished speaking, the wound on Garling's chest had healed. He stopped retreating to avoid Shanks ' pursuit, stepped back, and stopped completely on the ground!
A green light flashed on the rapier in his hand. Ignoring Shanks's blade that was already aimed at him, he thrust the rapier forward, trading injury for injury, risking his life for his life!
A green light flashed before his eyes, and a pungent smell wafted over. Shanks' eyes narrowed, and a sense of danger arose. He did not bring his sword down completely, but stopped instantly in an unbelievable way, leaning back as he slid off the bridge to dodge the rapier.
Seeing that Shanks could hover instantly despite such great inertia and react immediately to dodge his attack, Garling was also somewhat incredulous!
He couldn't help but admire his son's fighting talent, but it was a pity that he had wasted his time in the lower realm!
When his first attack missed, Garling immediately changed tactics, slashing down with the rapier that had been hovering above Shanks!
The blade is coated with his scorpion venom. If it can pierce Shanks ' skin, it will immediately render him unable to fight, and then he will be at Shanks' mercy!
Garling's plan was well-thought-out, but Shanks was no pushover either. He had anticipated the counterattack and, as he leaned back, swung his Gryphon sword, intercepting Garling's rapier!
This rapier posed a very strong threat to his life, and coupled with that green light, he couldn't possibly let it touch him!
"Ha!"
With Shanks shout, accompanied by a powerful burst of Conqueror's Haki, Garling was instantly blasted away, his head spinning for a moment!
That powerful Conqueror's Haki rendered his resistance futile, as if he had been blown away. In fact, he was resisting, but it was just not visible!
After sending Garling, Shanks didn't press his advantage. Instead, he stopped in place, gripping Gryphon, and silently stared at Garling as he tumbled through the air, his eyes filled with coldness!
"Not good..."
Garling immediately stood up after landing. In such a life-or-death battle, he dared not be careless in the slightest, because the slightest flaw would lead to utter destruction!
He was momentarily stunned by Shanks ' Conqueror's Haki, which was his biggest weakness. If Shanks had pressed his advantage, he would have suffered a great loss!
While he was relieved that Shanks was still too young and hadn't noticed this flaw!
But he discovered that on Shanks ' Gryphon, crimson Inazuma was constantly intertwining, and the aura that shocked his mind was rising steadily. He felt as if he were being plunged into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and even his movements became somewhat sluggish, making it difficult for him to breathe!