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On the screen above, Shanks' resounding "declaration of war" landed like a bucket of ice water poured into a pot of boiling oil!
In an instant, the entire battlefield's focus converged between him and Blackbeard Teach…
That overwhelming Conqueror's Haki—though not fully unleashed—pressed down on everyone's hearts like a tangible weight.
Facing Shanks' domineering stance, even Blackbeard Teach—who had just stolen the Tremor-Tremor Fruit and was riding high on momentum—couldn't help but have his expression shift slightly, fine beads of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
The immense power granted by dual Devil Fruit abilities still didn't allow him to completely disregard the accumulated prestige of this veteran Four Emperor.
However, he refused to fully yield in presence. Squeezing a ferocious grin onto his plump face, he spoke with provocation: "Zehahahaha… getting more and more manly, aren't you! Red-Hair!"
Teach's gaze swept over the three long-healed scars over Shanks' left eye, his tone dripping with mockery: "That wound on your left eye suits you pretty well, huh!"
His words were like a spark igniting a fuse!
"Click!"
Almost simultaneously, the Red Hair Pirates' sniper Yasopp and the Blackbeard Pirates' Van Augur drew their beloved guns at speeds barely perceptible to the naked eye!
Yasopp's expression remained cold and steady as a mountain, while Van Augur's long rifle gleamed with an eerie chill. From dozens of meters apart, their muzzles locked precisely onto each other's vital points!
Both men's eyes were icy, showing not the slightest wavering—as if the next instant they would pull the trigger and unleash a new storm of blood and carnage.
Immediately after, the screen rapidly switched, showcasing instant matchups between the top combatants of both sides:
Lucky Roux chewed on a meat leg but stared fixedly at the ferocious Burgess.
Though Benn Beckman had holstered his gun, his scrutinizing gaze measured every flaw in Shiryu and Doc Q like the most precise ruler.
And at the very center of the storm stood Shanks and Teach themselves!
This tense, sword-drawn standoff lasted a full several minutes. Everyone else on the battlefield held their breath, afraid that even the slightest movement would detonate this final powder keg.
Finally, the suffocating silence was shattered by Teach's signature, devilish laughter:
"Zehahahahahaha!! No need! No need!"
He waved his right hand, signaling Van Augur to stand down: "We've already achieved our goal! Now… isn't the time to fight you!"
Van Augur complied without a word, retracting his rifle like the most precise machine.
Across from him, Yasopp—after receiving an almost imperceptible glance from Shanks—slowly lowered his barrel as well, though the vigilance in his eyes remained undiminished.
Hearing Teach choose to back down, Shanks didn't press further. With a flick of his wrist, the famous sword "Griffon" slid elegantly back into its sheath with a clear ring.
He no longer looked at Teach's nauseating smug face. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the Navy Fleet Admiral—Sengoku in his Buddha form—who had stood steadfast amid the ruins of the execution platform.
His eyes were heavy as they slowly swept over Whitebeard's massive body, carefully laid to one side, and Ace, quietly lying nearby—also covered.
The screen briefly flashed back to earlier encounters: Ace's radiant smile as a boy, Whitebeard's bold and heroic figure—adding layers of sorrow.
Shanks took a deep breath. His voice carried a weighty power that echoed clearly across the battlefield:
"Everyone… I hope you can give me face once more!"
"Since no one objects, allow me to handle the funerals for Whitebeard and Ace. The footage of this war has already spread across the entire world—I will not permit anyone to further desecrate their deaths!"
Shanks looked at Sengoku, his tone grave. Though he had arrived one step too late…
Now that things had reached this point, he—Red-Hair—had to be the one to call the shots!
Shanks' words caused an uproar across the field!
The remaining Whitebeard Pirates could no longer hold back their grief and humiliation. Many dropped to their knees, weeping uncontrollably.
These tears were for their lost father and brother, but also carried the helplessness and unwillingness of having to accept an "enemy's favor" just to preserve their family.
Without Red-Hair's intervention to stop the fighting—though they hated to admit it—Whitebeard was already gone, and the remaining commanders alone could never withstand the Marines' counterattack!
The three Admirals were still alive, along with Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Hero Garp, and several capable Vice Admirals. The scales of battle had long since tipped.
Without Shanks, the complete annihilation of the Whitebeard Pirates would have been only a matter of time.
Aokiji freezing the sea to block escape routes, Akainu and Kizaru unleashing indiscriminate bombardment—just imagining it was despairing!
And they had no way to stop it.
At this moment, the Marines began quietly tending to the wounded, helping up fallen comrades. Exhaustion and complex emotions were written on every face.
They knew that continuing the fight might allow them to wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates, but the cost would inevitably be more Marine lives—perhaps even creating a gap in the Navy's top combat power.
Shanks' proposal, in the face of harsh reality, had unexpectedly become the only acceptable option.
Yet understanding was one thing—getting the proud Marines to nod easily was quite another.
"What a joke!"
Leading the hardliners, Vice Admiral Doberman immediately voiced opposition.
Blood still stained his face, his eyes fierce: "We went through hell, lost so many brave soldiers, just to kill Whitebeard and Fire Fist Ace! How could we possibly let them rest in peace?!
By tradition, their heads must be displayed publicly to proclaim the absolute justice and victory of the Marines!"
"That's right! We can't just let it end like this!"
"The blood the Marines shed can't be in vain!"
Some equally blood-maddened Marine soldiers joined the clamor. Though they feared Red-Hair deep down, on the issues of victory's ownership and the Navy's honor, they refused to yield easily.
Just as the voices grew chaotic and the situation threatened to spiral out of control again, a steady voice—carrying unquestionable authority—rang out, silencing all the noise: "I agree!"
The speaker was none other than Fleet Admiral Sengoku!
The surrounding Marines—even some pirates—showed expressions of utter shock.
They couldn't comprehend why the supreme commander would agree to such an "excessive" request from the enemy.
Sengoku folded his arms across his chest, his tall figure casting a long shadow.
His gaze swept over the now-silent Whitebeard, over Ace who would never rise again, over the mountains of Marine and pirate corpses piled around, and finally settled on Shanks' face.
His eyes were extremely complex—relief after victory, pain for the enormous sacrifices, an indescribable exhaustion…
And perhaps… a trace of final respect for an old rival?
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