Chapter 388: Changes in the Environment
The crew gazed at Higuma with fiery intensity in their eyes.
But behind his confident exterior, Higuma was sweating profusely. His Conqueror's Haki had only recently awakened, and he could not control it freely. Moments ago, he had been dragged into its release by the overwhelming presence of the two men before him.
Moreover, the strength of his Conqueror's Haki was far weaker than theirs. He could feel the difference clearly.
The pressure they exerted on him was suffocating. These two… one day, he would surpass them. Higuma resolved this in his heart.
Despite his Haki being inferior, he maintained a calm demeanor on the surface. Even if the world were to crumble, he knew from his days as the Bandit King that he had to keep his composure and never show panic.
"Hahaha, Higuma, you never cease to amaze me!" Shanks broke the tense silence first, his hearty laugh ringing out as he looked at Higuma.
"Enough talk, Red Hair! Come on, show me how strong you are now!" Andre, though blind, still seemed eager for a fight, his voice brimming with challenge.
Hughes, watching this, suppressed a smile. He felt a headache coming on. Andre was like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment. What kind of power had this man gained?
"Then let's do this! I'll give you the fight you're craving, Andre!" Shanks declared.
With a swift whoosh, Shanks leaped to the shore, and Andre followed close behind with heavy, determined steps.
As the two departed, the pressure on Higuma eased. After all, Andre was half-mad now. It would be disastrous if, in his frenzy, he missed Shanks and struck him instead.
For now, neither pirate crew engaged in battle. Instead, they turned their attention to the two figures on the coast.
Higuma had not come here specifically to fight. His true purpose was to observe the strange power both crews had encountered. Not long ago, both the Andre Pirates and the Red Hair Pirates had ventured into the mysterious Sea of Demonic Mist.
Shortly after, Higuma had received a distress call from Hughes. When he arrived to rescue them, he found them in a pitiful state. Seeing their condition, Higuma thanked his own caution for keeping him out of that cursed sea.
The journey that followed was far from smooth. The captain of the Andre Pirates, Andre, was not only blind but also driven to madness. If it were just madness, Higuma might not have cared too much. The Sea of Demonic Mist was known for its eerie effects, and it was not uncommon for those who entered to lose their sanity.
But Andre was different. His madness came with increased strength. Despite his blindness, his power had grown terrifyingly. If not for his unhealed injuries and frenzied state, Higuma, Hughes, and the others might not have been able to subdue him at the time.
After restraining Andre, they discovered his madness showed no signs of fading. He had been confined to a secluded place to train and recover. It was not until the Battle of the Two Gods that Andre's condition improved, shifting from complete insanity to a state of semi-madness.
Now, the Red Hair Pirates had suddenly reappeared, having defeated the notorious pirate Gekko Moria. Strange photographs had surfaced, showing figures with peculiar black lines etched across their bodies. Those images piqued his curiosity.
He knew of Andre's condition, and it seemed the red-haired captain, Shanks, was in a similar situation. What was this power? Could he harness it for himself? These questions drove him to rush to this encounter the moment he heard of the Red Hair Pirates' return.
Boom!
A tremendous explosion echoed across the sky.
On the coast, Andre's massive, beastly crocodile claw clashed violently with Shanks' sword. The sheer force of their collision shattered the earth and rocks beneath their feet, sending cracks spider webbing through the ground.
A shockwave erupted, sweeping outward and causing several pirate ships docked nearby to sway gently on the waves.
"Hahaha! Red Hair, your sword is as fierce as ever!" Andre roared, his voice filled with excitement. "But now, I'm overflowing with strength!"
Shanks, facing the frenzied Andre, frowned slightly. The sight of Andre's madness stirred memories of his own experience in the Sea of Demonic Mist. There, they had been defeated by a demon wielding ice, leaving them frozen and unconscious.
When Shanks awoke, five days had passed. Their ship had somehow drifted out of the Sea of Demonic Mist and anchored at an unknown island. After waking his crew, he noticed strange changes in them.
They had gained an unfamiliar power. Its benefits were undeniable, but the side effects were severe. The power amplified their negative emotions, particularly fear, driving them to the brink of insanity. Their emotions plummeted, replaced by manic rage, murderous intent, and a loss of control.
Those were dark days, and Shanks shuddered to recall them. Fortunately, the power's influence weakened over time. They hid on the island, waiting for it to fade completely before venturing out.
It was only after the Battle of the Two Gods, which shook the entire world, that they sensed a shift in the environment, a tangible change. Their bodies began to adapt. The greatest boon was their newfound ability to control the once-unruly power.
No longer did it drain away constantly; instead, they could draw it from the environment. In normal circumstances, they could channel it to enhance their physical abilities. This granted them a unique state of being.
The side effects diminished, and the power grew stronger than when they first awoke, though its growth eventually slowed to a near halt. After that, they refurbished their ship and clashed with Gekko Moria before encountering Andre, Higuma, and their crews.
Andre's current state reminded Shanks of their own loss of control in those early days. But unlike Andre, Shanks and his crew had long since regained their clarity. Judging by the other Andre Pirates, it seemed they had not lingered in the Sea of Demonic Mist for long. So why was Andre still in this state? Was the power within him stronger than theirs?
Shanks puzzled over this but quickly set his questions aside. Andre's relentless assault demanded his full attention. The two clashed fiercely, their blows sending shockwaves rippling outward.
Rocks shattered, soil split, green plants bowed under the force, and the coastal currents swirled into waves that rolled toward the sea. The deafening roars of their battle filled the air.
As the fight intensified, Andre transformed into his beast form, heightening the ferocity of their duel. On the pirate ships along the coast, every crew member watched the confrontation with rapt attention.
"That guy's a monster," Roux remarked, taking a bite of the meat in his hand. "Even in his human-beast form, he could not fight the boss like this before."
"It appears that power has enhanced his body to an extraordinary degree," Beckman said, with serious expression. "Even Shanks can only match him in this state."
Roux remained optimistic, but Beckman knew they had to stay grounded in reality.