The night had grown quieter.
Most of the laughter from the banquet had faded into the background, replaced by the gentle sound of waves brushing against the harbor. A few lanterns still burned around the tables, their warm light flickering across the wooden pier as members of both crews gradually retired for the night.
Arthur remained where he was.
His glass sat untouched in front of him.
Across the table, Shanks had already turned away, one hand resting casually against the hilt of Gryphon as he prepared to leave.
He watched the red-haired Emperor take several steps toward the edge of the pier before speaking.
"You're not going to tell me what that means?"
Shanks stopped.
A quiet laugh escaped him.
"I was wondering how long you'd wait before asking."
For the first time since their conversation had begun, there was no trace of the carefree expression he had worn throughout the banquet. His smile remained, but something more serious had settled behind his eyes.
Arthur leaned back slightly.
"You've been avoiding the question since we started talking about Roger."
"Maybe I wanted to see whether you'd notice."
"I noticed."
"I know."
A quiet laugh escaped Shanks as he turned back toward Arthur and walked toward the table, stopping only a few steps away.
For a moment, Shanks simply studied him.
Shanks wasn't looking at Arthur's title, bounty, or the Devil Fruits that had made the ART Pirates infamous. He was measuring the man beneath them—the same way Arthur had been measuring him since they first met on the pier.
Arthur recognized that gaze.
It was the same kind of look he had given Shanks earlier.
Assessment, curiosity, and recognition.
"So," Arthur said, "what did you actually want from me when you sent that invitation?"
Shanks' expression became thoughtful. "I wanted to meet you."
"You already knew me."
"Knowing someone's name isn't the same as knowing the person."
Arthur gave a faint smile. "Fair enough."
Shanks glanced toward the dark sea.
"I've heard a lot about what you've done since entering the Grand Line. Kingdoms you've visited. Battles you've fought. The Government doesn't seem particularly fond of you."
"They've never been very good at making friends."
Shanks laughed softly. "I noticed."
The humor disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared.
"But that isn't why I invited you."
Arthur's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then why?"
Shanks was silent for several seconds.
The wind carried the smell of the sea through the harbor. Somewhere behind them, a Red Hair Pirate laughed quietly before disappearing into one of the nearby buildings. The ordinary sound made their conversation feel strangely disconnected from the weight of what they were discussing.
Finally, Shanks spoke.
"I wanted to see the man Roger believed in."
Arthur's expression changed.
For a moment, the name of Gol D. Roger seemed to hang between them even though neither man said it.
"Roger told you about me?"
Shanks gave a faint smile. "Not exactly. Captain Roger wasn't the kind of man who explained everything on his mind."
"That sounds like him."
"He never gave me the whole story. But he mentioned the kind of person he believed would shape the world after his era. More than once."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "How much is 'more than once'?"
"Enough."
"That isn't an answer."
"No." Shanks laughed quietly. "It isn't."
Arthur studied him for a moment before looking away. Roger had always been difficult to understand. Even after death, the Pirate King continued leaving questions behind.
Shanks folded his arms.
"When I first heard what Captain Roger thought of this current era, I didn't understand it."
Arthur looked back at him.
Shanks' gaze was calm.
"You've spent years traveling from island to island instead of chasing the title everyone else wants. You've fought the World Government without becoming obsessed with destroying it. You've gathered people around you who follow you because they believe in where you're going, not because they're afraid of where you might lead them. The same thing Roger was searching for."
Arthur's expression hardened slightly. "That's a dangerous assumption."
"Maybe." Shanks smiled. "But I don't think I'm wrong."
Arthur slowly stood. The legs of his chair scraped against the wooden floor. The sound was quiet, yet it seemed to mark a change in the atmosphere.
"So, did you meet the man Roger believed in?"
Shanks' smile widened. "Have I?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Then what are you still looking for?"
Shanks' hand moved toward Gryphon. His fingers wrapped around the sword's hilt. The movement was casual, even almost effortless.
But Arthur noticed immediately.
So did the few Red Hair Pirates still awake nearby.
The conversations around the harbor gradually stopped.
Beckman, who had been standing several meters away, lifted his eyes.
Yasopp looked toward Shanks, then toward Arthur.
Lucky Roux stopped beside the doorway, a piece of meat still in one hand.
No one moved closer.
No one spoke.
Shanks drew Gryphon from its sheath.
The blade emerged with a quiet metallic sound.
Shing.
Moonlight slid along the polished steel.
Arthur's eyes followed it. "You want to fight."
It wasn't a question.
Shanks rested Gryphon against his shoulder. "I want to know who you are and where you stand."
"What?" Arthur's expression became serious.
Shanks' eyes sharpened. "I want to know whether you are the man Captain Roger believed could help create a new era, Arthur."
Arthur tilted his head. "Help create a new era?"
Silence settled over the harbor.
Arthur looked at Gryphon, then back at Shanks.
Arthur understood at last. This wasn't a challenge born from hostility, but from curiosity
Arthur's lips curved into a faint smile. "So that's what tomorrow was about."
Shanks nodded. "Exactly."
Arthur stepped away from the table. "Then there's no reason to wait until tomorrow."
"I was hoping you'd say that." Shanks' grin returned.
Arthur walked toward the open ground beyond the harbor.
Shanks followed.
Neither man looked back.
Behind them, Beckman immediately moved toward the others.
"Everyone, let's move further back."
Law frowned. "Beckman—"
"Stay out of it."
There was no hostility in the first mate's voice.
Only certainty.
Law's eyes moved toward Arthur and Shanks.
The meaning was clear.
This wasn't something their crews could interfere with.
Robin watched them for a moment before turning her attention back toward the battlefield.
She understood what was happening.
Robin quietly placed a hand on Law's arm. "Let them."
Law remained silent.
Nearby, the Angeloids began guiding Arthur's children farther away from the harbor without panic. Lancelot looked back curiously, while Arthoria tried to see what was happening. Merlin remained asleep, completely unaware of the change around him.
"What's happening?" Lancelot asked.
Yasopp crouched beside him.
"Your father is going to have a little conversation."
"With swords?"
Yasopp glanced toward the two figures walking into the darkness.
"Something like that."
Lancelot's eyes widened. "Can I watch?"
"Yeah, but not from here."
The Angeloids carefully picked up the children and carried them farther away from the battlefield.
The harbor fell into a silence that felt almost unnatural.
Only moments earlier, the island had been filled with the sounds of the banquet. Music, laughter, clattering plates, and drunken voices had echoed beneath the night sky. Now, every sound seemed to have been swallowed by the tension gathering between the two men standing at the center of the pier.
Law's gaze remained fixed on Arthur for a moment before he reluctantly stepped back. He understood the unspoken rule: this was a duel between the two Emperors, and neither crew had the right to interfere.
Law stood with his arms crossed, his eyes fixed on Arthur. "He really intends to fight Captain."
Sabo nodded. "And Captain intends to fight him back."
A few steps away, Hancock watched Arthur without saying a word.
She knew him well enough to recognize the expression on his face.
Arthur wasn't angry. He wasn't trying to prove anything to his crew. He was curious.
After everything Shanks had said during their conversation, Arthur wanted to know the answer to a question that words could never settle.
How strong was the man Roger had believed could shape the new era?
And perhaps more importantly—
And perhaps more importantly, how strong was Arthur when he stood against someone who had reached the same height?
Arthur and Shanks continued walking until they reached a wide stretch of land beyond the village, far enough from the harbor that the surrounding buildings would not be caught in their clash.
The sea stretched behind them.
The forest stood to either side.
Above, the moon hung between drifting clouds.
Arthur stopped.
Shanks stopped several dozen meters away.
For several seconds, neither moved.
The peaceful island seemed to hold its breath.
Arthur loosened his shoulders and adjusted his grip.
Shanks lowered Gryphon from his shoulder.
Their eyes met across the darkness.
There was no anger in either man's expression.
Only anticipation.
Arthur's smile slowly returned. "You said you wanted to know who I am and where I stand."
Shanks' fingers tightened around Gryphon's hilt.
"Show me."
The words were quiet.
Yet the moment they left his mouth, the wind stopped.
Arthur's eyes sharpened. He shifted his stance. The faint smile disappeared. Across the field, Shanks lowered his center of gravity.
Two men who had reached the highest level of the pirate world now stood beneath the same moon, with nothing between them but a few dozen meters of open ground.
Across the open space, Shanks slowly swung Gryphon with one hand.
The whisper of steel was almost inaudible.
Yet somehow, it seemed louder than the thunder that had rolled across the island earlier.
The blade reflected the moonlight.
Arthur's eyes followed it.
For the first time, his expression became completely focused.
He reached for the two swords at his waist.
Both blades slid free from their sheaths with a sharp metallic ring, one in each hand.
The relaxed mood vanished in an instant.
Shanks lowered his stance slightly.
Arthur mirrored him.
For several seconds, they remained still.
Then Shanks smiled. "Ready?"
"I've been waiting." Arthur's grip tightened around his sword.
Shanks' smile widened. "Good."
Arthur took one final breath.
Shanks did the same.
Arthur and Shanks remained motionless for another heartbeat, their eyes locked across the open field. The air between them had become unnaturally still, as though the island itself understood that something was about to begin.
Yet the first invisible wave of power had already begun to spread across the island.
Then—
The earth beneath their feet cracked.
Arthur vanished.
A thunderous impact echoed through the night as Arthur crossed the distance in an instant, his sword already raised. Shanks' eyes sharpened, and Gryphon came up to meet him.
CLANG!
BOOM!
The collision sent a violent shockwave across the field.
Lanterns swung violently.
Tables overturned.
Several barrels rolled across the wooden pier before crashing into one another.
The sea beneath them erupted outward.
Yet neither swordsman gave ground.
Grass flattened in a wide circle around them, while loose stones scattered through the air. Their blades remained locked for a brief moment before Arthur twisted one blade against Gryphon, knocking it aside while the second blade immediately drove toward Shanks' shoulder.
Shanks stepped back at once.
Arthur followed.
Their swords met again, and the exchange accelerated.
The rhythm changed so quickly that the watching pirates could barely follow it.
Arthur's blade descended from above.
Shanks parried.
Arthur rotated his body and cut horizontally.
Shanks ducked beneath the strike, his red hair sweeping through the air as Gryphon flashed toward Arthur's ribs.
Arthur turned his body just enough for the blade to pass his coat.
He answered with a thrust.
Shanks shifted his shoulder.
The point of Arthur's sword passed within inches of his body.
Neither attack landed.
The two men separated for less than a second before charging again.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The sound of steel echoed through the forest.
From the edge of the battlefield, Law's expression tightened.
"He's fast."
Kuina's eyes remained fixed on the duel.
"Not just fast." She followed Arthur's movements carefully. "They're anticipating each other."
Robin stood beside her, equally focused. "Neither of them is committing to an attack until they know how the other will respond."
Beckman heard the observation but said nothing.
He already knew. This wasn't a contest of brute strength. Every exchange revealed something new. Neither man was merely looking for an opening anymore; they were learning how the other thought.
Arthur stepped forward and delivered three consecutive strikes.
The first targeted Shanks' shoulder.
The second came toward his waist.
The third changed direction halfway through the motion and swept toward his neck.
Shanks blocked the first.
He slipped past the second.
For the third, he tilted his head backward by the smallest possible distance.
The blade passed directly in front of his face.
Shanks smiled. "You're tricky."
Arthur pulled his sword back. "You noticed."
"Hard not to." Shanks suddenly disappeared from Arthur's field of vision.
Arthur's instincts reacted before his eyes could.
He turned.
CLANG!
Gryphon collided with his sword from the side.
The impact drove Arthur several meters backward.
His boots carved two deep lines through the earth before he stopped himself.
Shanks didn't give him time to recover.
He rushed forward.
Gryphon came down with tremendous force.
Arthur crossed his blades just in time to intercept Gryphon.
BOOM!
The ground beneath Arthur's feet collapsed.
A crater formed beneath the two combatants as the force of the strike traveled through the soil.
Arthur's arms trembled under the pressure.
Shanks' expression remained calm. "You're stronger than I'd heard."
Arthur pushed Gryphon away. "So have you." He twisted his body and struck.
Shanks narrowly avoided the blade.
The sequence drove Shanks backward for the first time.
Arthur's movements became increasingly fluid, each strike flowing naturally into the next. There was no wasted motion. No unnecessary flourish. His sword seemed to change direction before the previous attack had fully ended.
Shanks recognized it.
He's not trying to overpower me.
Arthur was forcing him to move, controlling the rhythm and testing his reactions.
Shanks' smile widened. "Interesting."
He suddenly stopped retreating.
Arthur's next strike came toward his chest.
Shanks stepped into it.
The maneuver surprised Arthur for half a heartbeat.
Gryphon passed beside his body.
Shanks rotated his wrist.
Arthur barely managed to catch the returning slash.
CLANG!
The impact drove him sideways.
Shanks pressed forward.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Arthur blocked each one, but the force behind the attacks continued increasing.
Shanks wasn't simply swinging harder.
He was changing the timing.
The first strike came slowly.
The second arrived immediately afterward.
The third was delayed just enough to disrupt Arthur's rhythm.
Arthur recognized the pattern.
He moved.
The blade passed harmlessly beside him.
Arthur stepped inside Shanks' guard and struck upward.
Shanks twisted away.
The sword passed beneath his arm.
A thin line appeared across his sleeve.
For the first time, Shanks' expression changed.
He looked at the damaged fabric.
Then at Arthur.
A grin slowly spread across his face. "That was close."
Arthur lowered both blades. "You weren't expecting me to wait."
"No."
"Then don't make the same mistake twice."
Shanks laughed. "I won't."