Shanks crashed onto Teach's ship like a crimson meteor, smashing straight through the deck and leaving a massive hole in his wake.
Through the lingering smoke, two scarlet eyes faintly flickered. Gritting his teeth, Teach roared,
"Red-Haired! Do we really have to take it this far? I was just passing through! Besides, this place isn't even your territory!"
Emerging from the smoke, Shanks had undergone his draconic transformation. His towering, domineering figure made Teach's pupils tremble. Though Marco had already informed him that Shanks had acquired the Dragon Fruit, seeing it with his own eyes made the reality even more overwhelming.
Red flames wreathed Shanks' body as he lifted his gaze toward Teach and chuckled softly.
"Teach... No, I should call you Blackbeard now. What a coincidence. I was just passing through as well."
Teach swallowed nervously, clinging to the last sliver of hope as he forced a grin.
"Zehahaha! In that case, we should just mind our own business! We go way back—no need to fight right now, yeah?"
Shanks' smile remained, yet there was an unmistakable hint of amusement in his eyes as he replied,
"That won't work. We're both pirates, and you happen to have something I want. I can't just leave empty-handed, or my crew will laugh at me."
Teach stiffened. Right now, compared to Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, he was practically penniless and without men—a veritable beggar. What could he possibly have that Shanks would want?
After wracking his brain and failing to come up with an answer, he hesitantly asked,
"What are you talking about?"
Shanks narrowed his eyes slightly and spoke in a calm but decisive tone,
"Your Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
"Nani?!"
Boom!
A thunderous impact sent Teach flying, crashing violently into the ship's cabin. Shanks now stood where Teach had just been, maintaining his outstretched fist.
Seeing their captain sent reeling, the surrounding crew members—Lafitte and the others—cried out in shock.
"Captain!"
They instinctively rushed toward Shanks, but he merely cast a sidelong glance at them. Without even unleashing his Conqueror's Haki fully, he froze them in place with sheer pressure alone.
Cracking his neck slightly, Shanks said indifferently,
"Small fry should know their place."
Just then, movement stirred within the wrecked cabin. A figure bolted out, but it wasn't Teach—it was his wife, Chiffon.
Frantic, she called out as she scanned the deck,
"Honey! Where are you?!"
Heavily pregnant, she had been staying in her quarters to rest. She had heard the commotion outside but, knowing her combat abilities wouldn't be of help, remained inside for the sake of their unborn child. However, with the ship now in shambles, she had no choice but to step out.
A hoarse cough rang out from within the rubble.
"Cough... Chiffon, I'm here."
In the next instant, a pile of shattered planks exploded outward, and Teach emerged. Seeing him, Chiffon's face lit up in relief.
"Honey—"
Teach immediately raised a hand, cutting her off.
"Go to the back of the ship. It's too dangerous here!"
Chiffon hesitated, her face turning pale as she glanced at Shanks. Fear flickered in her eyes.
As the daughter of Big Mom, she naturally knew who Shanks was. But in his current dragon form, he looked completely different—so much so that she had initially mistaken him for some kind of monster.
Swallowing hard, she clutched her belly and hurriedly retreated.
Shanks made no move to stop her. He had already discerned that Chiffon lacked combat abilities, and his pride would not allow him to target a defenseless woman.
Watching her back, Teach let out an imperceptible sigh of relief. Chiffon was one of his few weaknesses.
Once she was in a relatively safe spot, Shanks finally spoke.
"Hey, come to think of it, we have an unfinished fight from back in the day, don't we? How about we settle it right now?"
Teach's expression twisted as he recalled that battle long ago, on that small island. And that red-nosed clown had been there too…
Meanwhile, Shanks also remembered how Teach had refused to show him any respect back then—in front of Buggy, no less.
His flames surged violently at the memory. Seeing this, Teach clenched his fists, covering them in a deep black coat of Armament Haki.
This time, he decided to strike first. Kicking off the ground, he shot forward, his Haki-infused fists imbued with the tremor force of his Devil Fruit, aiming a ferocious punch at Shanks.
Shanks, having mastered all three types of Haki to their peak, extended a single dragon claw crackling with Conqueror's Haki-infused lightning. Their blows clashed mid-air.
A shockwave erupted, sending tremors through the ship. The sheer force tilted the entire vessel.
At that moment, Burgess, who had gone to steer the ship earlier, rushed out from below deck. Given the state of the ship, there was no rudder left to steer.
In true meatheaded fashion, he let out a roar and charged straight at Shanks with his fists raised.
Shanks glanced at him and coldly stated,
"I already told you—small fry should stay put."
Buzz!
Even while clashing with Teach, Shanks sent out a concentrated burst of Conqueror's Haki. It slammed into Burgess like a tidal wave.
In an instant, the burly man—who had been charging in with full force—was sent flying like a ragdoll. He skidded across the deck, rolling several meters before crashing into the ship's railing and coming to a halt.
Lying motionless, his body was covered in blood, his eyes rolled back. Whether he was dead or alive remained uncertain.
Seeing their so-called 'team pet' Burgess reduced to such a sorry state, Teach was momentarily enraged. However, that anger faded quickly—he simply wasn't the type to awaken any hidden power out of sheer fury.
On the surface, it seemed like he was evenly matched with Shanks. In reality, he was already struggling.
Shanks' mastery of Haki and physical combat had always been top-tier. Now, with the additional power of the Mythical Zoan Fruit, his strength had ascended to an even more terrifying level. No matter how much effort Teach exerted, he simply couldn't shake Shanks' dominance.
Just as Teach was about to be sent flying again, he suddenly opened his mouth wide. From within the pitch-black void of his throat, a gun barrel extended outward, emitting an icy chill. It was none other than the freezing gun he had previously absorbed from Lindbergh.
Shanks arched a brow, intrigued.
In the next moment, a beam of icy-blue energy burst forth, engulfing Shanks in its frozen blast.
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+230 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg