"No need to worry about them wandering off too far!"
Indigo spun around a few times, then pointed toward the windows along the wall. "Take a look for yourselves."
Ul'dah and the others walked over to the glass, frowning even before they pressed their faces close. "The stench of blood is overwhelming."
Bracing themselves against the reek, they peered out. All along the perimeter of the harbor, countless golden stone pillars had risen from the ground.
They were not particularly tall — only two or three meters high — but there were so many of them that from a distance, the entire port seemed to glow with thousands of golden lights.
"What is this?" Ul'dah turned back, his expression asking for an explanation.
"Have you heard of the technology the Navy now uses to sail safely through the Calm Belt?" Indigo asked in return.
"Of course — they say Sea‑Prism Stone is specially refined and embedded into the hulls, releasing an aura similar to the sea itself so Sea Kings dare not approach…"
Ul'dah's voice trailed off and his eyes widened in realization. Indigo nodded with a satisfied smile.
Everyone understood instantly. That was the trick.
"These pillars were forged using Lord Grimm's Holy Light ability. They carry his own aura, and none of these creatures will dare cross them."
At his words, all eyes turned toward Grimm with looks of admiration. Just then, Grimm set down the Den Den Mushi — he had just finished a call with someone.
---
"Such a staggering number!"
Out in the harbor, the monsters poured forward like a flood, filling the entire field of view. Some of the Red‑Hair Pirates gasped in alarm.
Shanks' expression hardened. His presence suddenly surged outward, cracking the trees around him from sheer pressure.
Conqueror's Haki!
But the effect was limited. The monsters only froze in their tracks for two seconds before their faces twisted into even more ferocious snarls, as if Shanks' display was nothing but a challenge.
With renewed fury, they charged in even faster.
"Great — now we've made them angry!" Shanks pulled a comical face and shrugged.
No need to count — there were easily five times as many of them as there were Red‑Hair crew members.
"Captain, we should retreat!" one of his men called out anxiously. Just seeing the horde rushing toward them was enough to make anyone hesitate.
The unknown always inspires fear.
"Are you joking? This is the perfect chance to see what our host is capable of." Shanks drew his rapier from his hip, his voice ringing with confidence.
"Alright, lads — let's get to work!"
"YAAAAAAH!"
Everyone raised their weapons and roared to bolster their courage.
The next moment, the two sides clashed in a chaotic melee.
Shanks leaped straight to the front of the largest Destroyer, grinning.
"Blow its head off, pierce its insides — and still it won't die. You remind me of your master, you know? Though I doubt you understand a word I'm saying."
ROAR!
The Destroyer bellowed and swung its arm — a limb that looked like twisted rubber — like a giant whip.
Shanks gripped his sword backward, and in a flash of steel, he severed the monster's ten‑meter‑long arm clean off, sending it crashing heavily to the ground.
"Whoa!"
"Such incredible swordsmanship — and speed beyond belief!"
Many of Grimm's men watching from the castle gasped in amazement. None of them were certain they could have matched that strike.
"Ah, but don't think the Destroyer is so easy to finish off," Indigo added with a smirk.
Eyes turned back to the monster. They watched in disbelief as thin red threads of flesh and blood began to weave between the severed arm and the stump. Within seconds, the limb reattached itself as if it had never been cut.
"Remarkable — it just glued itself back together," Shanks murmured, his tone carrying hidden meaning. He glanced instinctively at his own arm.
"So similar, yet the aura is completely different… I wonder if I could ever learn to do something like that myself?"
Elsewhere, Beckman, Lucky Roux, and the others were locked in battle with the Dominators and Brawlers.
Though far less skilled than the Red‑Hair veterans, the creatures had rapid regeneration and overwhelming numbers — more than enough to keep the pirates fully occupied.
Shanks' wide‑range Conqueror's Haki proved useless against them, and the fighting quickly settled into a stalemate.
---
After half an hour of combat, the monsters had lost roughly a third of their numbers, while only two or three Red‑Hair crew members had been carried away with injuries.
Grimm finally spoke.
"Indigo."
"At your command!" Indigo turned around instantly.
"Tell Mannoroth to head toward the Red‑Hair Pirates' position and stand by. Bring the Den Den Mushi with you — it's time to give Shanks a little gift." Grimm smiled faintly.
The men below blinked in confusion, not sure what he had planned, but they hurried off to carry out the order.
Outside the castle, as they walked toward the harbor alongside Mannoroth, Indigo and the others whispered among themselves.
"Does Lord Grimm intend to strike from behind and wipe them out once they're worn down?"
"Probably not. Let's just get into position and wait for orders over the Den Den Mushi."
---
SWISH!
Shanks dodged another heavy blow from the Destroyer, slicing through several Brawlers nearby with a wave of sword energy.
He leaped back dozens of meters and stared at the massive creature.
It had taken countless hits to vital spots yet remained as active and dangerous as ever.
"Insane regeneration — we'll have to shatter it completely in one strike, otherwise it will just keep putting itself back together!"
Of course, Shanks had no idea the monster's true weak point was actually its rear end.
While he was still figuring out how to defeat it, Beckman — having just finished off a Dominator — called out from behind.
"Shanks, many of our men are reaching their limit. Do we stay or do we go?"
It was true: they had lost nearly thirty percent of their combat effectiveness, though none had been killed — only many badly wounded.
The Red‑Hair crew was small, numbering only a few dozen, but every member was an elite fighter.
Most injuries came from monsters they thought were dead, only to be struck again as they revived.
Those who could no longer fight were pulled back immediately, which explained why they had lasted half an hour without a single fatality.
But their strength was fading, while the enemy seemed endless — and who knew how many more of these things Grimm still had in reserve?
Yet Shanks could not understand why Grimm would set them loose just to "play" with his guests.
"Give me one more shot. If this doesn't work, we retreat!"
A sharp glint appeared in Shanks' eyes. He raised his rapier high above his head.
HUMMM!
In an instant, blazing red energy and bolts of crimson lightning erupted along the length of the blade.
Grimm, who had been waiting calmly for Shanks to call it quits, suddenly straightened slightly.
That technique… it bears the unmistakable mark of Roger himself.
Roger… you truly left behind one remarkable successor.
__________________
For more advance chapters visit patreon.com/bars45.
For 10$- All advance chapters.
"Schedule"
Monday - Friday - Update 3 Chapters a Day
Saturday - Sunday - Off