Setsuna lazily lifted his eyelids, swallowing the sweet Hancock offered in one bite. "I have no desire to listen to sermons from someone who abandoned his family. Not even from an Emperor."
These words exploded like a bomb among the Red Hair Pirates.
"Wh-what?!" Lucky Roo's chicken leg fell to the ground. "Besides Makino-san, Captain has also abandoned someone else after taking advantage of them?!"
"I never expected you to be like this, Shanks!" A few crew members, never ones to miss a chance to stir things up, immediately jeered.
Yasopp awkwardly scratched his nose, feeling this remark was particularly pointed.
"Wait!" Shanks hurriedly defended himself. "When did I ever do such a thing?"
Setsuna waved a hand dismissively. "It's not important. With your personality, even if you haven't done it yet, you definitely will in the future. After all, you're the most 'free' man on these seas, right?"
Shanks was momentarily speechless, unsure how to refute.
Thinking about it carefully, if he truly reached that stage with Makino, he indeed wouldn't stop his pursuit of freedom for the sake of romantic attachment.
"Scum," Hancock coldly spat out the word, her disdain almost tangible.
Shanks looked at the Empress incredulously. "That's clearly slander! And you just believe it so easily?"
Hancock raised her chin haughtily. "Whatever Setsuna-sama says is the truth."
"..." Shanks suddenly felt exhausted. But then he shook his head vigorously… 'Wait, wasn't I here to pick a fight? How did we suddenly start debating whether or not I'm scum?'
"I almost let you change the subject. I came today to... oh right, to test you, the [Supreme Warlord], on Mihawk's behalf. What makes your title superior to his?"
Setsuna cracked his neck with a crisp sound, simultaneously stretching both arms. "Happy to oblige. Perfect timing. I also want to teach you irresponsible adults a lesson on Uta's behalf."
Seeing this, Beckman immediately gestured. "All rookies, return to the ship at once!"
A pirate protested, "Why retreat so far?"
Yasopp said calmly, "Their auras... you rookies can't withstand..."
Before he could finish, the surrounding pirates collapsed like wheat before a scythe, foaming at the mouth.
"Too late already?" Yasopp looked up at the sky. The originally clear sky was instantly shrouded by churning dark clouds. Dazzling lightning bolts like silver serpents darted through the clouds.
Two Conqueror's Haki auras, powerful enough to rend the earth, collided head-on. Visible black lightning crackled in the air.
From a distance, Doflamingo, who was observing, laughed. "Fufufu... So Red-Haired came for him..."
Just then, Diamante suddenly shouted in panic, "Doffy! The range of their Conqueror's Haki clash is expanding! At this rate, won't it reach Sugar's location?"
Doflamingo's smile instantly froze. Although the Toy House was some distance from the palace, given the spreading speed of their Conqueror's Haki clash, it would likely envelop the entire island before long.
If Sugar fainted, the effects of the Hobi Hobi no Mi would be undone.
Considering the severe consequences of such a development, Doflamingo cursed inwardly. Gritting his teeth, he had no choice but to release his own Conqueror's Haki, attempting to intervene in their clash.
But the moment his aura began to expand, Setsuna and Shanks simultaneously turned their heads towards him.
The combined force of their two auras, like a tsunami, blasted him away, slamming him into the city wall a hundred meters out.
His act was like a fuse, completely igniting Setsuna's and Shanks' Conqueror's Haki. The nearly materialized oppressive pressure swept across the entire island like a shockwave.
"Did that guy hit his head or something?" Yasopp looked utterly bewildered, wondering if this [Heavenly Yaksha] had become so arrogant he thought his Conqueror's Haki could match those two.
'Good thing I held back,' Ace secretly rejoiced. He could feel his own Conqueror's Haki also stirring restlessly.
"Damn it! The gap is actually this huge!" Doflamingo crawled out of the collapsed wall, grinding his teeth as he wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
He no longer had the mental capacity to worry about Sugar's situation. He couldn't understand why the gap between his Conqueror's Haki and theirs was so vast.
At the center of the battlefield, Setsuna frowned, surveying the surroundings. "We are guests here, after all. Destroying Dressrosa wouldn't be appropriate."
Shanks placed his right hand on his sword's hilt, nodding slightly. "Then let's confine the battlefield to the palace grounds."
Doflamingo screamed internally, 'Is the palace not my territory too?!'
The moment he finished speaking, Shanks's figure vanished.
The sword's tip tore through the sky. Its blade, carrying the force of a meteor striking the earth, shot straight towards Setsuna.
A flicker of excitement passed through Setsuna's eyes. This was his first real confrontation with a master swordsman.
The fight with Shiki didn't count, after all, Shiki's attacks were more like kicks than swordsmanship.
Setsuna crossed his arms. Armament Haki flowed over his body's surface.
Clang!
An ear-shattering metallic clash echoed across the entire palace square.
The tremendous impact sent Setsuna's figure flying backward, his feet plowing two deep furrows inches deep into the ground.
"What a sharp attack!" Setsuna glanced at the faint blood trail on his arm that was rapidly healing, offering sincere praise.
Shanks's raw power was far inferior to Kaido's, and he could only wield his sword one-handed. Yet, combined with his swordsmanship and Conqueror's Haki infusion, his offensive power might even surpass Kaido's.
"Tch, another monster-like physique," Shanks also sighed in admiration. The blood on Setsuna's arm hadn't even dripped before the wound fully healed. Such a recovery speed was simply unbelievable.
"It seems I need to get a bit serious. Observation Kill!" Shanks suddenly swung his sword down towards the ground.
Amidst the cloud of dust kicked up by the sword's aura, Setsuna found he had lost all perception of Shanks's movements.
His Observation Haki felt forcibly severed by some power. The world before his eyes grew hazy and unclear.
"Observation Kill works on ordinary Observation Haki too?" Setsuna was slightly surprised. He thought this technique only worked against Future Sight.
In the instant his perception was blocked, Shanks appeared behind Setsuna like a top-tier assassin, soundless. His sword aimed straight for Setsuna's heart. Only to be met by Setsuna's backhanded punch, sending him flying.
"You could still detect me?" Shanks raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"I'm not trash who can't fight without Observation Haki," Setsuna's expression remained unchanged. Observation Haki was just an added bonus for him.
His foundation was still [Ki]. Through changes in air currents, he could accurately determine an opponent's position.
"It seems this fight won't end easily after all," Shanks sighed helplessly.
He had intended to finish this quickly, teach Setsuna a lesson, and be done with it.
After all, if he really injured the guy, Uta would probably give him an earful.