They had no choice but to act.
Shanks possessed both Future Sight and overwhelming Observation Haki control. The only viable strategy left was to wear him down through stamina.
Pini and Youki had the advantage in raw endurance. Their physiques were built for prolonged combat.
Shanks, despite his comparatively lean build, was still one of the Four Emperors. Exhausting him in a short period was unrealistic. If the battle dragged on for days, even the Marines or remnants of Whitebeard's forces might arrive to witness the outcome.
Before that could happen, Ash moved.
In a flash, he appeared between Pini and Youki, pushing them aside with both hands. Without slowing down, he charged straight into Shanks' blade.
A deafening explosion followed.
The shockwave, delayed by Ash's speed, burst outward and kicked up a massive cloud of dust.
Youki, thrown clear of the clash, rolled his eyes and muttered, "This looks familiar."
Pini, reconstructing his golden bow with Lightning Metallurgy, replied with irritation, "He did the same thing last year when Rayleigh was chasing us down."
On the battlefield, Shanks was anything but relaxed.
Seeing Ash step in and take his strike head-on brought no relief.
A swordsman could always tell.
The sensation of cutting flesh and the sensation of striking something solid were completely different.
Shanks knew his blade had connected.
But it had not cut.
It had been stopped.
A sharp warning rose in his mind. Without hesitation, he attempted to retreat before the dust settled.
Then his grip tightened.
A powerful force surged from the tip of Gryphon.
Ash was pulling it.
Shanks' expression hardened. Letting go was not an option.
He had already lost his left arm. Every ounce of his combat strength depended on the sword in his right hand.
Without Gryphon, he would be helpless.
He poured Armament Haki and Haoshoku Haki into the blade, trying to tear through Ash's defense while resisting the pull.
In his mind, Ash's weapon had to be some form of gauntlet, similar to Youki's.
There was no other explanation for how someone could grip a Supreme Grade blade with bare hands.
But Ash gave him no room to think.
Even if Shanks had released the sword earlier, escape would have been impossible.
The next moment, a terrifying force dragged Shanks forward.
The dust cleared.
Shanks' pupils shrank.
Ash stood before him, one blackened hand gripping the tip of Gryphon, the other pulled back in a tight fist.
Their eyes met.
Ash finally spoke.
"I cannot give you this face."
Shanks froze.
The punch followed instantly.
It grazed Shanks' right shoulder, yet the force behind it tore through the air itself. The sky in the distance split open, leaving a vast stretch of cloudless emptiness.
Shanks collapsed to his knees.
Both arms were gone.
Blood poured from his wounds as he coughed violently.
Ash did not look at him.
Instead, his gaze fell on the captured blade.
Gryphon.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
After Durandal, another Supreme Grade sword had fallen into his hands.
Either none, or two in a row.
He stored the weapon and turned away.
"Kirk, how long until the food is ready?"
The moment of satisfaction passed quickly. Hunger returned just as fast.
Kirk shot him an annoyed look, then pulled his sister away from the battlefield and headed toward the Dawn ship.
"Understood, you glutton."
Behind him, Shanks coughed again, struggling to remain upright.
"Why didn't you kill me?"
Ash glanced back, his expression indifferent.
"You're mistaken. I held back because I might have destroyed your body completely. Your physique is fragile."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"I plan to keep your head alongside Kaido's. When all the Emperors are gone, displaying them together should make quite an impression. Whether it's for the world or the Marines, it will be interesting."
Shanks understood immediately.
Kaido was already dead.
Which meant the Beasts Pirates, active around Wano for months, had already fallen under Ash's control.
A faint, bitter laugh escaped him, followed by another cough.
"So you defeated an Emperor and kept it hidden. Your ambitions are greater than they appear."
Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Trying to understand before you die? Or planning to pass information along to the Gorosei, Figarland Shanks, Saint?"
Shanks' eyes widened.
That secret was not supposed to be known.
He had only learned of his origins in recent years.
Yet Ash spoke of it as if it were nothing.
Confusion flashed across Shanks' face, but Ash offered no explanation.
Whatever admiration Ash once had for Shanks was long gone.
Whether as a pirate or a Celestial Dragon, Shanks stood among the greatest threats to this world.
And more importantly, he carried on Roger's will.
That alone made him someone Ash would never allow to remain.
Silence fell.
Ash waited.
Shanks, on the other hand, had questions he would never ask.
Given Ash's past, his hatred for pirates was not difficult to understand.
As for his Celestial Dragon identity, it was a stain Shanks himself never accepted.
And now, it no longer mattered.
Both men suddenly turned their heads at the same time.
A faint sound came from the rocks behind where Ash had been standing earlier.
A soft groan.
Moments later, a small figure emerged.
Half-white, half-red hair.
A familiar face.
"Uta…"
Shanks' voice trembled with disbelief.
Uta blinked, her purple eyes unfocused at first. Then recognition set in.
Joy filled her expression.
That joy shattered the moment she saw Shanks.
His condition.
The blood.
The missing arms.
Tears streamed down her face as she ran toward him.
Shanks watched her approach, his expression softening.
Relief washed over him.
"So you didn't kill her…"
His voice weakened.
"My daughter… thank you…"
Warmth flickered in his eyes.
Then it faded.
His head lowered.
And Shanks breathed his last.
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