Although his strength had increased quite a bit now, he still didn't dare to go looking for trouble with that old man Garp.
The shadow that the other had cast over him during his childhood was still far too immense, and his current strength was still a considerable distance from Roger's in the past; picking a fight with Garp was definitely out of the question.
But when it came to Kyle, he felt he could still handle him.
"Captain, spotted a Marine battleship at eight o'clock!"
Suddenly, a voice came from the lookout post above.
"A Marine battleship?!"
Hearing this, everyone was stunned for a moment. Before they could speak, the voice from above continued:
"The battleship's model is an ordinary one, nothing special!"
"There are some unknown rank-and-file soldiers on board, and Black Arm Zephyr!!"
"And also!!"
His voice suddenly trembled and stopped.
"And also what?!"
Shanks couldn't help but look up curiously.
"And also Kyle!!!"
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes went wide, their expressions full of astonishment.
But this astonishment lasted less than a second, replaced by intense excitement.
"Kyle!? ?"
Shanks jumped straight up, looking toward the eight o'clock direction, instantly releasing his Observation Haki.
When he sensed that familiar yet unfamiliar presence, the corners of Shanks's mouth curled up, stretching wider and wider until he burst out laughing.
"Hahaha..."
"We were just talking about that brat Kyle, and we're lucky enough to run into him right away. Looks like the heavens have seen my determination to teach that kid a lesson and have delivered him to me!"
"Bring the ship alongside!!"
On the other side, Kyle, who had been lying on some railing of the battleship enjoying the sea breeze, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Hmm?!"
Shifting his gaze to a certain direction, he similarly released his Observation Haki.
The next second, a hint of surprise appeared on his face.
"Shanks?"
"What's this guy doing here?!"
"Interesting, very interesting!!"
"There's a road to heaven, but you refuse to walk it; the gates of hell have no door, yet you come barging in!"
"I didn't catch you last time, let's see how you run now!!"
Kyle slowly stood up, a faint smile on his lips.
Just as he thought, as long as he was at sea, there would always be a chance to run into Shanks. Although the time between encounters was a bit long this time, nearly four years.
But fortunately, it was precisely because of this four-year interval that Kyle had the confidence to single-handedly wipe out the Red Hair Pirates and throw them all into Impel Down.
Four years ago, although it seemed like he had made the Red Hair Pirates look pretty ragged, that was just on the surface; the damage was mostly done by Garp, he was just assisting from the sidelines.
With Kyle's strength back then, one-on-one, he might not have even been able to beat the weakest officer on the Red Hair Pirates' ship.
But a scholar who has been away three days must be looked at with new eyes, let alone being away for four years.
His growth over these four years couldn't be summed up in just a sentence or two.
Even if Shanks and his crew were also getting stronger, Kyle didn't believe they could match his pace of growth.
He had cheats; did Shanks and the others have any?
And upon seeing the direction the Red Hair Pirates' ship was moving, Kyle was even more amused.
"Shanks, you're being a bit too bold, aren't you?"
"Instructor Zephyr, I'm going to go say hello to an old friend and take him back for some tea!"
Kyle called out behind him, then in a flash, he transformed into a bolt of purple lightning and sped off toward the Red Hair Pirates' ship.
Zephyr, who had been comfortably lying in the sun, heard Kyle's sudden words and looked over, but Kyle was already gone.
"What's that kid up to?"
Zephyr asked, full of confusion, immediately releasing his Observation Haki...
On the other side, Kyle arrived at the Red Hair Pirates' ship almost in an instant, his body suddenly appearing on the ship's red dragon head.
In that instant, the attention of everyone on board immediately focused on him.
"Kyle!!"
Shanks lowered his tone, but his voice was still loud.
Kyle looked up, a faint smile still on his lips, as if greeting a bunch of old acquaintances, warmly saying hello.
"Long time no see, everyone of the Red Hair Pirates!"
"Four years have passed since we last met, and I've missed you all so much!"
Shanks didn't answer; his gaze suddenly sharpened. An extremely powerful blast of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him, bearing down on Kyle in front.
The resulting shockwave caused Kyle's clothes to rustle, but the expression on Kyle's face didn't change at all.
The next second, a similarly terrifying Conqueror's Haki exploded from Kyle, clashing head-on with Shanks's Haki.
Boom—
Wave after wave of terrifying shockwaves continuously spread outwards. Ripples of black and red energy radiated from the two of them at the center, and black and red lightning flashed all around.
In an instant, the winds and clouds churned, and the speed of the sea current increased.
This moment was just like that moment back then.
Four years ago, they had also released their Conqueror's Haki to clash. Four years later, both were stronger, possessed greater spirit, and had stronger Haki, and they clashed once more.
The difference was that in the clash four years ago, Kyle had just recently awakened his Conqueror's Haki; his strength and spirit weren't a match for Shanks, and he was completely overwhelmed, at a definite disadvantage.
But now the situation was reversed.
Kyle's Haki was constantly clashing Shanks's, "pushing it back" and vying for more "territory"!
Shanks's Conqueror's Haki was being suppressed by Kyle.
"How can this be?!"
Shanks's eyes widened in disbelief, the shock inside him incredibly intense.
No, seriously?!
Why was that brat Kyle's Conqueror's Haki so strong?
Was his spirit really that powerful?
Only four years had passed, why had the situation completely reversed?
And his training during these four years had been even more diligent than usual.
Did this make any sense?!
Not just Shanks, but the others in the crew, seeing their captain's Haki suppressed, also looked as if they'd seen a ghost.
"Ca-Captain's Conqueror's Haki... is actually being suppressed by that brat Kyle?"
Lucky Roux had even stopped eating the meat in his hand, his voice full of shock.
They knew better than anyone the level of Shanks's Conqueror's Haki.
It could be said that although Shanks still had a gap in strength compared to the world's top-tier powerhouses, when it came solely to Conqueror's Haki, they might not necessarily be that much stronger than him.
The reason they could make such a guess was because not long ago, when Shanks returned from the New World, he had just fought a battle with the Pirate King's right hand, Dark King Rayleigh.
They were very familiar with Shanks seeking out Rayleigh to fight; it wasn't just once or twice.
This time, there was still a bit of a gap in strength, but his Conqueror's Haki was only slightly inferior to Rayleigh's.
Oh, right!!
The situation back then was just like it was now!
Comparing the two...
Did that mean Kyle's Conqueror's Haki had reached the level of Dark King Rayleigh??
...
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