Fire, burning flames.
The scorching heat rushed forward. Eric's attack was blocked instantly, and his sword light disappeared without a trace.
Eric knew he wasn't weak—he was well aware of his own strength. But in that instant, he felt incredibly small, powerless.
…
"Eric, do you know the lord of the Land of Waves? That big-time merchant."
His memory drifted back to the past. Back then, Eric was just a bodyguard working for people in the underground black market.
He had some strength, but only just enough.
"Yeah, I know. Why?"
Eric responded. In the underground market, staying informed and recognizing important figures was essential, especially for people like them.
"I heard he was defeated by a pirate named Zabuza, and even the Land of Waves fell into that pirate's hands."
"A pirate?"
Eric was a little skeptical.
"No way. How could a pirate possibly defeat Gato? That guy wasn't someone easy to deal with."
"Well, you can't exactly call him just a pirate. Momochi Zabuza—an elite jonin from Kirigakure Village in the Land of Water, and a former member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen."
Another person spoke calmly. That explanation made Gato's defeat much more understandable.
Gato's downfall and Zabuza's takeover of the Land of Waves didn't cause much of a stir.
A ninja is a ninja, and a civilian is a civilian. Even if Gato was a powerful merchant with influence and resources, he was still just an ordinary person in the world of shinobi.
Whether it was Zabuza occupying the Land of Waves or attacking Kirigakure's trade convoys, none of it really mattered to regular people like them.
No one cared about these things.
Until… a man named Dark appeared.
He seemed to come out of nowhere and completely blocked Zabuza in the Land of Waves. Zabuza didn't even dare to fight back.
At that moment, everyone was shaken.
Unmatched power—enough to let ordinary people stand against the strongest warriors.
This was no longer just about strength. Even common people in the ninja world knew that ninjas had their own ranking system. And Zabuza? He was an elite jonin from the Land of Water, one of the Five Great Nations.
With his elite jonin abilities and the fact that he had stolen the tribute money from Kirigakure, Zabuza had already made a name for himself as one of the top fighters in the ninja world.
And yet, this same warrior was now too scared to even step out of his own home because of Dark.
It wasn't just Erik who was shocked—every single person in the underground black market was stunned.
They knew exactly what this meant for ordinary people like them.
Look at what Zabuza had done before—nobody cared about what happened in the Land of Waves.
The common people didn't care.
The ninjas didn't care.
But now, for the first time, those at the very bottom of society saw a glimmer of hope—a chance to break through the barriers that had always trapped them.
The name Red-Haired Shanks was spoken for the first time.
Everyone now knew the secret behind Dark's power—he had eaten a "Devil Fruit."
And the man holding the key to this power… was Shanks.
It was a gamble.
But they had to take the risk.
Before, they could only see the limits of their own small world.
But after Dark appeared, they saw something beyond that—things that were finally within their reach.
Erik set out, boarding a ship just like countless other desperate gamblers.
He was a smart man.
But in a battle like this… how many fools did you really think would survive?
They all saw hope—the hope of stepping beyond their own world.
Even if the odds were one in ten thousand, they had to try.
It wasn't that they were reckless.
It was that their ambitions were too big.
Even if it cost them their lives, they would fight for that one chance.
Tens of thousands of people rushed forward like moths to a flame.
That man had become their only hope.
The only light in this dark world.
"BOOM!!!"
A massive force struck Erik, sending him flying backward. The ground beneath him shattered in layers, as if something had plowed straight through it.
Flames faded in mid-air.
That man… he had become their only fire, the only light.
They knew the fire was dangerous, but they still charged toward it without hesitation.
"Shanks!!!"
Erik landed in the distance, his roar echoing across the entire coastline.
His voice carried countless emotions—anger, desperation, and something else even he couldn't fully understand.
A massive greatsword was stabbed into the ground.
Along the long scar it had left on the earth, flowers had begun to bloom.
Just like the wound across Erik's chest.
Flowers blossomed, but in that moment, their bright colors had all turned red—deep, blood-like red.
A twisted force spread from his chest.
The blooming flowers looked like blood.
Like fire.
Like a burning flame.
"Oh? So you've heard of me."
Shanks' voice was calm.
But the hand that had been resting in his pocket… he finally pulled it out.
A sign of respect for his opponent.
Although he didn't know the man, it was clear the man had seen him before. Otherwise, given how he looked like a drunk most of the time, no ordinary person would ever connect him to the Four Emperors based on a wanted poster alone.
Since the man had seen him before, Shanks showed him the respect he deserved—because this man was his opponent.
"Heh… hahaha!!"
Eric's entire demeanor turned almost manic. He lifted his head and looked at Shanks, his eyes burning with intense fighting spirit.
It was him… Shanks!!
The man who, back then, single-handedly defeated all of them. The man whose mere presence, without even drawing his sword, had sent shivers down his spine with that terrifying Conqueror's Haki.
But now, he finally had a chance to stand against him. He had earned the right to make Shanks draw his sword.
Even after all this time recovering in the Flower Archipelago, Eric's determination had never faded. The only thing that kept him pushing forward in his training was that final slash burned into his memory—the sword light of a man who seemed like a god or a demon.
"Take another strike from me!!"
The flowers on Eric's chest withered instantly, and the surrounding blooms all died in that same moment. The aura of destruction gathered around his massive blade.
"Floral World: Oblivion Slash!"
This time, there was no elegance in the sword light—just pure darkness. A colossal black slash, nearly a hundred meters long, came crashing toward Shanks, making everyone watching break out in a cold sweat.
Eric's figure followed close behind the attack. His already tall and muscular frame grew even larger in that instant, his chest expanding with power.
"Boom!!"
With a single slash, Shanks cut through the terrifying attack like it was nothing.
"Not enough."
Shanks lowered his body slightly, swiftly adjusting his grip on his katana. By then, Eric was already above him.
"Slash!!"
Eric's giant blade came swinging down. The dark energy from the previous attack, which Shanks had just shattered, gathered again, forming another massive black slash that crashed toward him.
The ground behind Shanks cracked layer by layer, tearing away from the earth itself. A black shockwave rippled outward in all directions.
The ocean surged violently, forcing Haku to freeze the sea just to stop their ships from being swallowed by the aftershocks of the battle.
Zabuza could hardly believe what he was seeing. This level of strength… how was that guy this powerful?
Wait a second, something wasn't right. If Jin could last this long, did he have his eyes on the captain's position or something?
Zabuza pondered.
Meanwhile, Yahiko and his two companions, who had withdrawn from the battlefield, were also in shock.
When Eric fought them earlier, it was nothing like what they were witnessing now. The difference in intensity was just ridiculous.
"How is this possible? Was he this strong before?"
"He was already going all out earlier, wasn't he?"
Kyosuke of the Vairocana Guard and Furido both spoke in disbelief.
Zabuza and Haku, standing nearby, remained silent.
Eric was indeed strong, but considering his opponent was Shanks, it somehow didn't feel all that surprising.
"Shocking, isn't it?"
Shisui smiled and spoke calmly.
Yahiko, standing next to him, felt a bit awkward.
"I didn't expect him to be this strong… Good thing Shanks is here."
"Shanks is recognized as the strongest in the Shinobi World right now. But… that's not even the main point.
Because in the history of the Shinobi World, there has never been a powerhouse like him before."
Shisui's words made Yahiko and the others freeze for a moment. They didn't understand what he meant. Shanks was the strongest—was there really a difference between strong fighters?
"Haha, you know, back in the day, when my enemies heard I was a genius of the Uchiha clan, the famous Shisui of the Body Flicker, they were so scared they couldn't even fight back."
"In the ninja world, some warriors are so well-known that just hearing their names is enough to make enemies lose their will to fight."
As Shisui spoke, Zabuza nodded in agreement. After all, his title—Demon of the Hidden Mist—had the same effect.
"But Shanks… that guy is completely different from us."
When people face someone stronger than them, they feel fear… But in this era, when these pirates face Shanks, even when they know they are going to die, they are never afraid.
"If anything, standing before Shanks only makes them stronger."
Zabuza said this with a serious expression. He didn't quite understand why, but that was the truth.
Even for him, if he were to fight Shanks, his own strength would push past his limits in that moment.
That had always been the case whenever Zabuza faced Shanks—he would unleash power beyond anything he thought he had.
It sounded ridiculous, but countless battles had proven that when pirates fought Shanks, their strength would skyrocket in a terrifying way.
"This is just…"
"What a strange kind of strength."
Jiusuke of the War God Clan and Daibutsu were both shocked. What kind of warrior was this? His ability was to make his opponents stronger?
"I get it now. He really is different. Shanks… he's the hope of this era."
At that moment, Yahiko's eyes burned with understanding as he stared at Shanks.
Now he knew what made Shanks so special.
A true warrior, the strongest of the ninja world—he didn't stay on top by making others weaker. He stood there, waiting for challengers to come to him.
That kind of presence, that kind of overwhelming confidence—this was what made him the strongest.
"Shanks is the kind of fighter that countless warriors dream of challenging. Because to stand against him… is an honor."
"To be his opponent means proving one's own beliefs."
"Once they acknowledge Shanks, they refuse to be weak.
How could someone so weak ever be worthy of standing against a Four Emperor?"
"Hahahaha!!"
Yahiko burst into laughter.
These people were truly strange—so proud it was almost terrifying.
They were supposed to be rivals, yet they did everything they could to protect their opponent's dignity and status.
They were supposed to be enemies, yet they held deep respect for each other.
But that was exactly why Shanks was… Shanks.
Shanks was the ninja world's one and only Four Emperor.
Because to the pirates, he was the one man they could never replace.
That was also why, when they faced Shanks, they became stronger than ever.
How could someone acknowledged by Shanks be weak?
How could a blade that Shanks chose to cross swords with ever be dull?
"Floral World—Bloom!"
Elek's power erupted once again. His muscles tore apart, and from those wounds, red flowers bloomed.
A massive force, an overwhelming power—his very life force seemed to flow into his blade.
At the tip of his sword, a red flower bloomed.
*Tap!*
Under this terrifying pressure, Shanks' body was forced to take a step back.
His red hair whipped wildly in the air.
The pitch-black blade's pressure kept forcing him backward.
The ground around him cracked and sank under the sheer force of it.
"That's impressive… but I'm getting stronger too!"
Shanks, who had been pushed back by the giant katana, finally spoke his first words. In the next moment, a surge of energy burst from him.
It carried no pressure, no display of power—just a simple change in presence.
Buzz!!!
Amid the pitch-black blade light, a streak of white light appeared. It moved slowly, but it cut upward against the flow, carving its own path through the darkness.
Swordsmanship—without a doubt, the strongest in the world. That was Shanks.
There were no flashy moves. From the very beginning, Shanks never used any extravagant techniques. His swordsmanship was purely about pushing strength to its absolute limit—about understanding his sword.
It wasn't that he couldn't use sword techniques. It was just that he had skipped past that phase entirely. He had grasped the essence of the sword and reached a state of pure mastery.
But even so, he still knew sword techniques.
"A sword has its own life. Abandoning life may grant power, but how can it compare to the strength that comes from life itself?"
"Flourishing World of Flowers!"
As Shanks murmured, the white glow of his blade suddenly expanded. The layers of deep, suffocating darkness around them shattered and collapsed.
In less than a breath, before Eric could even react, a flash of white light streaked past him—his entire body was sent flying again.
His massive form deflated like a punctured balloon. The red flowers that had grown from the cracks in his torn muscles were crushed by Shanks' blade, and blood poured from the wounds.
The pain was unbearable—an agony beyond anything he had ever felt.
Was this really all he was capable of? Even after everything, was this the limit of his strength?
"How… how is this possible?"
Memories rushed through his mind—the scene of Shanks' slash sending Dark flying, the mast of an entire ship cleaved in two.
Back then, he had only been grazed by the very edge of that attack, and even that had nearly killed him.
Had he really gotten stronger?
Had he truly changed?
Then why… why hadn't Shanks even used his Conqueror's Haki?
Had he actually grown stronger? Or was he just fooling himself?
"I wish… I could be one of them… If only I had never seen that flame."
"If only I had never set sail, I wouldn't have become a pirate, wouldn't have chased after freedom."
"If only I had never met Shanks… Damn it, he looked like nothing more than a drunken fool. But why? Why did he have that flame inside him? Why did he make us believe in hope?"
"I've trained for so long. I've pushed myself beyond my limits, giving everything to catch up to you. I thought I was finally ready to challenge you."
"But… you didn't even bother using your Conqueror's Haki against me."
Eric lay on the ground. The flowers growing from his body had withered, and blood seeped from his wounds.
That attack had been his strongest. But… these injuries weren't fatal. He would survive.
More than the pain, what weighed on him most was himself—his own weakness. And the man standing in the distance… the man who had once given them hope.
"Tell me, Shanks!!"
Eric forced himself to stand, completely ignoring the pain.
At that moment, the flowers on his chest began to bloom again. As they did, a surge of power spread from his body, and all the flowers on the archipelago started to wither and die at a rapid pace.
Life itself was flowing into him.
On the mountain, the old town chief, who had escaped with the others, looked down at the island and finally understood.
The others seemed to understand something as well—this was a forbidden power, a force that ordinary people couldn't even use. But right now, at this very moment, Eric had unleashed it.
The power of the archipelago.
"Eric… What is that guy doing!!"
The old town chief grabbed his gun and ran down the mountain.
Even if they couldn't win, they could still run. As long as they escaped, that was enough. He was a bastard, no doubt about it, so why wasn't he running?!
Why?!
He knew Eric was a bastard, a man with no moral bottom line. When he was badly injured and dreaming, he had said plenty of nonsense.
Even to the man who saved his life, he wouldn't lift a finger without getting paid.
So why wasn't a guy like that running? Was he really about to do something reckless?
The old town chief ran faster, his eyes on the withering flowers around him. He quickened his pace.
Behind him, a few young men from the village grabbed their weapons and followed.
At the foot of the mountain—
Eric stared at Shanks, standing not far away.
"Tell me, do I, Eric, have the right to be your opponent?"
"Shanks!! I used to be nothing but a small fry hiding behind Dark, completely insignificant. Do I have the right to fight you?"
Eric roared, reaching for that burning flame, hoping that gaining power would mean freedom. Hoping he could shed the identity of a mere commoner.
And because of that, he would rather die than be ignored by this man.
He wasn't like the others—those heroic figures Shanks had acknowledged.
Eric was just a nobody, a weakling caught in the aftershock of battle, swallowed by the sea like countless others.
The blade he pointed at Shanks wasn't just a weapon. It was his past, the dark history of an ordinary man from the lowest depths of society.
His sword was aimed at Shanks, at that burning fire, the only thing that could cast a shadow of his existence.
Even if it was just for one second.
In a world ruled by warriors, he wanted to leave his mark. And that alone was enough!
"A small fry?"
Shanks looked at Eric. The power of the Dragon Vein began to stir, but not everyone was Orochimaru.
A normal person couldn't harness the Dragon Vein's power—it was tied to the will of the world itself. And no ordinary person could withstand its force.
"Are you underestimating me? I am the strongest man in this world—one of the Four Emperors, Red-Haired Shanks!"
BOOM!!!
Dark clouds rolled across the sky. A terrifying pressure descended upon the land.
The old town chief and the others, still running down the slope, suddenly felt dizzy. Their legs gave out, and they tumbled down the hillside.
Luckily, Shanks' Conqueror's Haki wasn't directed at them. And now, he had even greater control over it than before.
As for Eric, when he felt that familiar power, a grin finally appeared on his face.
"Hah… Hahaha!! Looks like I really have gotten stronger."
"The me of today is already worthy of facing the great Red-Haired Shanks, the legendary Daimyo. If that's the case, then let's go!"
"Floral World: Ultimate Art—Great Bloom and Decay!!"
Eric raised his great sword, spun it halfway, and planted it firmly in front of him.
From that moment on, one side bloomed while the other withered.
Flowers blossomed everywhere, even spreading across the ice, and even on the dark clouds in the sky.
An unmatched power—purely the energy of life—one side bringing birth, the other bringing death. Even Eric himself had never imagined he could control such immense strength.
But he was recognized as a worthy opponent by Shanks. It was precisely this hard-earned recognition that allowed him to break through once more.
It was his way of honoring Shanks—and also, his way of respecting his own fate.
"This strike… is my final attack as your rival, Shanks!!"
Eric swung his great sword downward.
For a moment, it felt as if the sky itself was collapsing. Flowers, carried by thunderous inazuma, rained down from above.
And Shanks moved as well.
Thunder dragons roared in the sky as red and black inazuma erupted from his body.
"Divine…"
"Avoidance!"
With just those two simple words, the entire sky seemed to freeze.
Eric's sword came to a stop, and a smile appeared on his face.
"Losing to you… feels good.
As expected of… the Four Emperors!"
---
You can read 50 advanced chapters at my patreon.com/YeyeQiu