"Now this is an interesting fight."
Physical skills, Devil Fruit ability, Haki—these all influenced a person's strength.
With even slight proficiency in one of them, one could dominate the Four Seas. By developing just one to its peak, one could secure a place in the New World.
And when someone became an Emperor of the Sea, none of those aspects would be their weakness.
Among opponents of the same tier, they might fall slightly short in one category, but in the eyes of most people, they were still overwhelmingly powerful.
The Clank-Clank Fruit's Awakening plus Haki was one facet of Bullet's strength, but it wasn't all of him.
"But what a pity, even someone like you worries about the weak? You've all been drawn into that same strange cycle."
Just as Shanks had protected Uta earlier, Kaido had been shielding Olga during their clash. Judging from Kaido's past reported history, Bullet had assumed Kaido was the same kind of person as himself.
He hadn't expected that, in the end, Kaido would be this kind of man as well.
"Worororo! A person's status isn't decided at birth. Only fights determines one's position. The strong should naturally enjoy more.
"But the victors of fights have already proven their worth. They're subordinates I value. Having demonstrated their value in battle, they have the right to exist.
"As long as I'm still standing, no one can erase their existence."
Kaido's protection extended only to a select few. But as long as someone could pass the standard in Kaido's heart, he would be exceptionally magnanimous. Whether they lost a fight or made mistakes didn't matter. That was the difference between him and Bullet.
"I originally wanted to recruit you as my subordinate, but it seems that won't work. A guy like you would never serve under someone else. And he wouldn't like your personality either."
The Beasts Pirates' recruitment path had always been divided into two routes. If one fulfilled either, they might join. But if both paths were closed, then the two sides were simply fated not to align.
"He? You actually care about someone else's opinion?"
"Worororo! When you've cooperated with an old partner for decades, you have to take their feelings into account, don't you?"
"Doesn't matter. I never intended to join you. I only wanted to use you as proof that I've surpassed Roger."
"Surpass Roger? I don't think you're qualified. Feels like you're still lacking on your own. Red Hair, why don't you go over there and join him? I'll take both of you on at once."
Only then did Kaido suddenly notice Shanks off to the side. Ever since Kaido had stepped in, Shanks had temporarily halted his attacks, but he hadn't expected Kaido to throw such a line at him.
"Huh?"
A string of question marks practically appeared on Red Hair's face. He hadn't dealt with Kaido much, though due to Uta's work environment their paths occasionally crossed. He knew Kaido was abnormal, but he hadn't expected him to be this unhinged.
"Didn't you both sail on Roger's ship? That makes you old acquaintances. What's wrong with joining forces against an enemy?
"Relax. For that little girl's sake, I'll go easy on you."
"…What are you even talking about?"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting? It should be you two coming at me together! Let me see just how capable you Emperors of the Sea really are!"
Before Shanks could even finish speaking, an enraged roar cut him off. Bullet had directly interrupted him.
Kaido's words felt like an insult to Bullet. After all these years, did he, Bullet, need to team up with anyone in battle?
Even his cooperation with Festa had merely been to use the man's connections to lure more people here.
"He's already teaming up with that little girl at your side. Forming an alliance with you now is only natural, isn't it?"
"Who are you calling a little girl?! Based on age, you should be calling me great-grandma! Who are you showing off your age to?!"
"Olga? Why are you still here?"
Seeing Olga still nearby, Kaido turned his head toward her.
"Just wait a bit longer, Governor-General Kaido. This situation is too rare. If I don't record it properly, I'm afraid there won't be another chance like this."
A camera had appeared in Olga's hands, and she was busily capturing the changes in Red Hair's expression.
"I didn't know you were interested in becoming a reporter. Get out of here already!"
"As you command~"
After snapping one last photo, Olga blew a whistle and rode off into the distance on Elizabeth, who had appeared from nowhere.
In a place no one noticed, some sand was quietly dispersing.
Crocodile had also chosen to withdraw. If Red Hair and Bullet fought, he could look for an opening to launch a sneak attack. But with things about to devolve into a three-way melee, his rational mind told him to leave.
Unlike someone like Red Hair, if he interfered in a fight between two battle maniacs, he'd probably be the first one targeted.
"Strange… where did that Buggy run off to? Why's he disappeared again?"
Looking around, Crocodile realized his so-called sunk cost investment had vanished somewhere, but he didn't dwell on it, instead putting more distance between himself and this place.
Once the others had left, the expressions of the three remaining figures turned rather dramatic.
Two were arguing, while the third wore an extremely unpleasant expression.
As their voices kept ringing in his ears, Shanks never imagined he would one day encounter something this absurd.
The reason Kaido and Bullet were arguing… was over which side he should go to.
And both of them wanted to shove him onto the enemy's side. From their tone, he could actually sense a hint of disdain.
He, Red-Haired Shanks.
A former member of the Pirate King's crew. The youngest current Emperor of the Sea. A swordsman capable of clashing with Hawk Eyes. A man with a mysterious background who could meet the Five Elders.
Captain of the Red Hair Grand Fleet. Friend of the Giants of Elbaf. A great pirate with a bounty of 4,398,000,000 Berries, had somehow become "dead weight."
Such blatant disrespect was practically unheard of. The last person who had shown him this little face had to be traced all the way back to the era of that so-called Mountain Bandit King.
"That's enough! You two b*stards, can't you consider other people's feelings for once?!"
Buzz!
As Shanks stepped forward, his pupils slightly contracted and a razor-sharp gaze swept across the battlefield.
The air fell into a brief stillness, then whistled outward in all directions. Red-and-black streaks filled the space as vast Conqueror's Haki surged forward like a raging tempest.
In an instant, Red Hair's powerful Conqueror's Haki descended upon the island like a sovereign. In this way, he was reminding the other two that he was no weak cannon fooder to be dismissed at will.
Bullet's green eyes narrowed as well. His own Conqueror's Haki surged skyward like a violent fiend, roaring like a demon as it pushed Shanks' Haki back.
Feeling the gale rushing toward him, the two strands of beard at Kaido's lips streamed backward. At this point, only this aura belonging to true conquerors could stir his excitement.
"Worororo… It's been too long since I last set foot on a battlefield, I almost forgot. There are no rules here. Come on, fight as you please!"
A third wave of Conqueror's Haki joined the fray. The blue demonic dragon let out an exhilarated battle cry of his own, carving out his place in the clash of Haki.
What had been a duel between two tigers became a three-way standoff. Each man's Conqueror's Haki sought to overwhelm the other two and establish supremacy.
As the forces collided continuously, the entangled currents of air shot into the sky like a sharp blade, piercing a hole through the sky.
The spiraling airflow did not tear the sky apart; instead, it drew the surrounding clouds inward. For a moment, it resembled a celestial river pouring down from above, while black lightning crackled and roared within the cloud mass.
Before the clash of Haki could determine a victor, the land beneath their feet reached its limit first.
Crack… crack!
Three massive fissures split open across the ground, and seawater surged back into them. The island had originally been composed of three separate parts; it was only due to Bullet's earlier Awakening that it had fused into one.
Now, under the confrontation, the island returned to its prior state, sea currents once again flowing between its divided sections.
At this moment, Elizabeth was sprinting across the surface of the sea, while Olga looked back at the swirling vortex of clouds in the sky. Even she felt her heart tremble at the aura emanating from its center.
"Whew… Good thing we ran fast. If we'd stayed on that island, we'd be in serious trouble."
Yet aside from Kaido and the other two, there were indeed others still on the island, now experiencing firsthand the baptism of three supreme conquerors' Haki at close range.
In a corner of the island, Smoker struggled to prop himself up. Tashigi had already collapsed unconscious beside him; this level of Haki was far beyond what she could endure.
Forget Tashigi, even Smoker could feel his very cells trembling in fear. He was still conscious, but his body felt numb and paralyzed, his movements unbearably stiff.
Relying purely on willpower, he managed to pull out the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"Calling Headquarters, this is Smoker. Reporting the latest situation at the Pirates Festival…"
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