No conclusion would have been better, but after reaching this conclusion, everyone was even more shocked.
Who was Silvers Rayleigh?
He was one of the top powerhouses of the old era; the prowess forged through years of battle and training was what made his Conqueror's Haki so powerful.
But who did Kyle think he was?!
His age was practically a fraction of Rayleigh's, dammit!
How could his Conqueror's Haki possibly rival Rayleigh's?
They didn't understand, they couldn't comprehend it!
Boom—
Suddenly, a blast of air erupted as both of them withdrew their Conqueror's Haki simultaneously.
Shanks's expression was grim, while a faint smile played on Kyle's lips.
"The appetizer is over. Are you ready for what comes next?"
"Impel Down has already reserved spots for you, just waiting for me to throw you in!"
Before his words faded, both Kyle and Shanks shot forward simultaneously.
Clang!!
The metallic clang resonated as Kyle's Purple Lightning clashed with Shanks's Gryphon, instantly unleashing a powerful shockwave.
The escaping sword aura was exceptionally fierce, striking the ship's hull and carving gash after gash into it.
Seeing this, the expressions of the others immediately changed. They quickly, each taking a section of the area to block the spreading blade light from the duel between the two men.
Damn it, their last ship had been destroyed in a fight, costing them a fortune to build this new one, identical in appearance to the previous vessel but two or three times larger.
They didn't want anything to happen to this ship; otherwise, they'd be wandering again for a while.
Riding a ship that wasn't your own just didn't feel right.
As for the battle between Kyle and Shanks, they didn't interfere.
This was a fight between the two of them; until a victor emerged, they would not make a move.
"Haa!!"
Shanks let out a low grunt, the veins in his remaining right arm bulging abruptly. He unleashed tremendous power, transmitting it through Gryphon to Purple Lightning, and then to Kyle, sending Kyle's form flying backwards instantly.
But after flying only a short distance, Kyle's figure flickered as purple lightning and reappeared at the bow.
Looking at Shanks's empty left sleeve, Kyle raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Looks like you really became the one-armed man, huh!"
Kyle wasn't particularly surprised by Shanks losing his arm; he had a contract with Im, so even without Luffy, there would still be one arm.
In short, Shanks would definitely try everything to break the contract between himself and Im, so losing his arm was inevitable.
Upon hearing this, Shanks narrowed his eyes and asked in a low voice, "What do you mean by that?"
"Nothing! Don't worry about it too much. Just take it as my compliment!"
"If you really want to know what it means, once you're in Impel Down, we can chat slowly, and I'll explain it to you then!"
"Right now, all you need to do is let me beat you down!"
"I'll give those words right back to you. After you've lost to me, I'll have a proper talk with you, you brat!"
Shanks retorted, refusing to back down.
The next moment, Shanks bent his legs slightly and shot forward, appearing before Kyle in the blink of an eye. He swung his blade down fiercely, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki.
Kyle didn't hesitate, similarly coating Purple Lightning with Conqueror's Haki and slashing vertically from bottom to top.
Boom—
The moment they made contact, another incredibly powerful shockwave exploded outwards, even more exaggerated than before.
At the point where the two blades clashed, they didn't actually touch; instead, a void formed, a confrontation between the terrifying Conqueror's Haki infused on both sides.
Crackle!!
Cracks began appearing on the ship's hull. The entire vessel was forced half its height into the sea, its draft several times deeper than before, nearly reaching the gunwales. If it sank just a little more, seawater would pour in.
The whole ship groaned, emitting sounds of unbearable strain.
This time, the other Red Hair Pirates officers panicked. They had been confident they could block the shockwaves from the clash just moments ago, but now, shortly after, they realized they had been overconfident.
They couldn't block it. There was no way they could block it!!
The impact from the clash of Conqueror's Haki was too strong, the coverage too wide; they simply couldn't protect against all of it.
At that moment, the clash between the two men continued, though their states differed slightly.
Kyle's expression was relaxed, while Shanks's face was grim, even showing subtle signs of strain.
Who had the advantage was quite obvious!
Kyle spoke, a hint of surprise in his tone:
"You've improved quite a bit in these four years!"
Although they had only clashed twice, Kyle could roughly gauge Shanks's strength—no weaker than Wang Zhi, whom he had fought earlier!
Kyle was somewhat shocked by Shanks's level of power.
This was already Admiral-class combat strength, albeit on the weaker end of Admirals, but he had still crossed that threshold nonetheless.
In the original story, Shanks became an Emperor in the year 1518 of the Sea Circle Calendar. It was currently 1514, four years before that point.
Did the original Shanks possess this level of combat strength at this time?
Kyle didn't know, but it didn't matter much. Even if he had already reached Admiral-level combat strength and was no weaker than Wang Zhi, so what?
Although not much time had passed since his fight with Wang Zhi, his own strength now was incomparable to when he had faced Wang Zhi back then.
Moreover, Shanks still lagged behind old-era powerhouses like Wang Zhi in terms of physique and Color of Arms and Color of Observation Haki. He only managed to match Wang Zhi's strength by relying on the power of Conqueror's Haki.
In close combat, the advantage was his!
In ranged combat, he feared it even less. Aerial combat, naval combat, any kind of combat—the advantage was on his side. What did Shanks have to fight him with?
This time, it was Kyle's turn to suddenly exert force with his arm. Terrifying power burst forth like a runaway wild horse, generating a massive impact that instantly sent Shanks flying. His body shot out like a cannonball, hurtling downwards past the ship.
Suddenly, Lucky Roux's rotund figure appeared in Shanks's trajectory, attempting to catch Shanks with his body.
The thought was noble, but reality was not so forgiving!
The moment he touched Shanks, the immense force carried on Shanks's body made Lucky Roux's expression change instantly. He couldn't fully absorb the impact.
The next moment, both their bodies crashed towards the deck, though their speed was indeed much slower compared to when Shanks was alone.
Boom—
Their bodies smashed straight through the deck, creating a crater in it.
Lucky Roux's original intention was indeed not to interfere in the fight between Kyle and Shanks, but in that situation, he had mainly tried to stop Shanks to prevent him from damaging the ship.
But now, it seemed to have been useless; the ship was still damaged.
On the other side, another figure of the Red Hair Pirates, Benn Beckman, narrowed his eyes, a glint flashing within them.
Given the current situation, it seemed their initial decision needed to change!!
...
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