Although Arthur had been rejected by both Rayleigh and Shakky when he asked to leave Sabaody, he still managed to convince Shanks to continue with the duel. Arthur's determination was unwavering.
His eagerness to test his strength against a far stronger opponent was clear, and there was a sense of confidence in him that came not from arrogance but from the countless hours he had spent training under Rayleigh's strict guidance.
Deep inside, Arthur knew that even though Rayleigh always defeated him, he had never gone all out against his father.
There was always that invisible restraint, a kind of psychological boundary that stopped him from unleashing everything, not because Rayleigh could not handle it, but because Arthur could never bring himself to strike at full strength against his own parent.
Now, on a quiet island near Sabaody, Shanks and Arthur stood facing each other. The sea breeze blew softly between them, carrying the faint sound of waves breaking against the shore.
The Red-Haired Pirates stood in the distance, forming a wide circle around the two combatants.
Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roux, and the rest watched intently, their expressions serious yet filled with curiosity.
Rayleigh and Shakky were there as well, standing a little further back, both observing in silence.
"Are you excited to see your son fight someone strong for the first time?" Rayleigh asked softly, glancing toward Shakky, who had her arms crossed but whose eyes were locked on Arthur.
"I'm worried," Shakky admitted, "but I also want to see how much progress our son has made after all his training."
Rayleigh smiled faintly, and the two continued their quiet conversation as Yasopp slowly raised his pistol toward the sky.
The sound of the sea and the chirping of birds faded. Shanks and Arthur tightened their grips on their swords, both waiting for the signal.
The gunshot echoed sharply.
In the instant the sound reached them, both Arthur and Shanks moved. Their swords clashed immediately, both blades coated in Armament Haki to protect the steel.
Sparks flashed from the impact as the force of their first exchange shook the ground beneath their feet. Neither of them spoke; both understood that this was no casual spar.
Arthur and Shanks swung again. Each strike was deliberate, and each parry carried intent. The air itself seemed to vibrate from the precision of their movements.
They were not using advanced techniques of Haki, only basic hardening to preserve their weapons, relying purely on skill and physical strength.
Arthur exhaled deeply and used a burst of power, pushing Shanks slightly off balance.
Seeing the opening, Arthur followed through with a fast downward strike using one hand, aiming directly for Shanks's head.
His movement was so fast that an ordinary person would not have been able to track it. But Shanks was far from ordinary.
He reacted instantly, blocking Arthur's blade and using the momentum to counterattack, swinging toward Arthur's torso with a sharp, fluid motion.
Arthur quickly jumped back, then landed and shifted his grip to hold his sword with both hands.
His breathing stabilized as he lowered his stance. A faint smile appeared on his face as he muttered the name of his technique.
"Aoi Higanbana."
Shanks narrowed his eyes, immediately recognizing the form. The movement was familiar to him — it was almost identical to one of Rayleigh's old techniques.
"Higanbana," Shanks replied, answering the attack with Rayleigh's original move. Their blades collided again, creating a shockwave that carved a crater into the ground beneath Shanks's feet.
Arthur was thrown slightly upward from the force, landing back with a grin. Both of them were smiling now, as though the battle itself was their shared language.
The air between them felt alive, filled with the same kind of energy that surrounded legendary duels.
The Red-Haired Pirates looked on, reminded of stories that Shanks had told about Whitebeard and Roger, two men whose meetings had once shaken the world.
As the dust settled, Shanks stepped back and readied another attack. His expression changed slightly, becoming focused but calm.
"Shin Sekai e no Ichigeki," Shanks said, sending a powerful, earth-shattering slash toward Arthur. The wave of energy ripped through the ground, leaving a deep trail behind it.
Arthur watched the incoming strike carefully. The world seemed to slow for him. He inhaled sharply, gathering strength into his arms.
Holding his sword like a baseball player preparing to hit a pitch, he swung with everything he had.
The air cracked as his attack collided with Shanks's. The two slashes met, and Shanks's was destroyed midair. Arthur's counterattack continued traveling toward Shanks.
Shanks grinned faintly. "Not bad," he said under his breath. Then he raised his sword once more, coating it with both advanced Armament and Conqueror's Haki.
"Kamusari."
A massive wave of destructive force erupted from his blade. The ground trembled, and the sheer intensity of the attack shattered Arthur's slash entirely.
The energy continued forward, cutting through the air straight toward Arthur.
Shakky's eyes widened in concern. She could feel the power behind Shanks's technique. She knew what Kamusari was — an attack once used by the Pirate King himself.
Even Rayleigh had flinched slightly at its release. But unlike Shakky, Rayleigh's expression carried no panic. He simply watched his son closely, his eyes filled with quiet confidence.
'What are you thinking, Shanks?' Rayleigh thought as he sensed Arthur's energy rising rapidly.
Arthur took in a deep breath. He began drawing in an enormous amount of oxygen as his entire body shifted into a focused rhythm.
His hands tightened around his sword, and his Haki flared. For a brief moment, his mind processed everything around him in slow motion.
Each fragment of the incoming attack appeared in perfect clarity.
Then he moved.
"Kamusari." Arthur swung with both hands, releasing his own version of the same attack.
His Armament Haki extended outward, clashing against the Conqueror's Haki embedded within Shanks's strike.
The two waves collided violently, meeting in the center. For a moment, it looked as though they were evenly matched, but as the seconds passed, Shanks's superior Haki began to overwhelm Arthur's.
The explosion that followed shook the island. Arthur was thrown back violently, crashing through multiple mountains before finally stopping against the third one.
is body hit the ground with force, and blood spilled from his mouth.
Yet instead of collapsing, Arthur stood up almost immediately. His legs trembled, but his eyes burned with determination. Without hesitation, he began running back toward Shanks.
Shanks could already sense him coming through Observation Haki. He sighed slightly, though there was a faint smile on his face.
The two clashed again, and again, and again. Arthur refused to go down. Each time he stood back up, his swings grew more refined, his focus sharper, and his Haki stronger.
His Armament and Observation Haki both evolved mid-battle, adapting instinctively to Shanks's overwhelming presence.
The Red-Haired Pirates watched in awe as the fight stretched on for hours.
Arthur's breathing technique allowed him to maintain his strength longer than anyone expected, but even that had limits.
After six relentless hours of combat, Arthur's body finally gave out.
His vision blurred, his sword slipped from his grasp, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious but still wearing a faint grin — one that showed satisfaction rather than defeat.