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"Hmph! What kind of justice advocate are you pretending to be!" Kaido sneered, forcing himself to speak, but sweat was already seeping from the hand holding the kanabo. "Haven't you so-called 'righteous armies' done enough dirty deeds behind the scenes?"
Shanks shrugged indifferently. "At least we don't attack civilians." His tone suddenly turned cold. "Last warning, Kaido. Either you and your people get lost now, or..."
Gryphon was fully unsheathed. Where the sword point was directed, space began to distort. "I will personally send you off."
This explosive conversation made the atmosphere extremely tense throughout the scene.
Whitebeard stroked his chin, watching the battle with interest. Ron looked thoughtfully at Shanks's back. On the Marine side, Sengoku had quietly ordered all warships to retreat, clearing the battlefield for these two Four Emperors.
Kaido's face was unpredictable. He glanced at the distant Whitebeard, who was watching intently, then looked at the ready Marines, and finally his gaze fell on Ron, who could attack at any moment.
Reason told him that the situation today had exceeded expectations...
But if he were to stop now, he would be absolutely unwilling!
Haki raged on the scene. The confrontation between the two Four Emperors changed the color of the sky and earth.
Kaido's dragon breath gathered in his throat. The scorching firelight lit up half the sky red, while Shanks's Gryphon was completely covered in dark red Haki.
The forces of the Whitebeard Pirates and Marine Headquarters were suppressed by the Haki, feeling uncomfortable, and retreated in unison, clearing space for this ultimate confrontation.
A violent wave of air suddenly rolled up on the sea surface, and the figure of Red-Haired Shanks moved in an instant!
"Blast Breath—!"
Kaido opened his gaping mouth, and the scorching dragon breath erupted into a pillar of fire dozens of meters in diameter. Wherever it passed, the seawater instantly vaporized, and white mist rose.
The scorching high temperature caused the paint on the distant Marine warships to begin peeling off. The watching pirates had to raise their hands to shield themselves from the incoming heatwave.
Facing this destructive breath attack, Shanks merely smiled slightly. The muscles in his right arm tensed, and a dazzling red light suddenly burst forth from the blade of Gryphon.
"Divine Departure!"
With a light shout, Gryphon drew a perfect arc.
What seemed like a casual slash contained the power to split the heavens and earth.
The sword energy and dragon breath collided in mid-air, erupting in a deafening roar.
Boom—!!!
At the center where the two forces collided, space showed visible distortion.
The violent shockwave spread out in a ring, forcibly pressing a huge depression into the sea surface within a thousand-meter radius.
The three closest warships were directly capsized, and several small boats of the Whitebeard Pirates were even thrown dozens of meters into the air.
When the smoke and dust cleared, the two still stood in place, as if they had never moved.
Kaido's dragon whiskers trembled slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in his vertical pupils.
He hadn't expected Shanks to be able to take his Blast Breath so easily with just one arm.
Shanks's red short hair was blown messy by the aftermath, but the Gryphon in his right hand was as stable as a rock.
"Warm-up is over?" Shanks's mouth curved slightly. His empty left sleeve fluttered in the sea breeze. "Or... is this your full power?"
A fierce smile appeared on Kaido's dragon face. "Interesting..." His dragon claws slowly tightened, and the flame clouds churned violently. "It seems you haven't been idle all these years."
The two looked at each other across the distance. The air on the battlefield seemed to freeze.
The watching members of the Whitebeard Pirates unconsciously held their breath. Marco's phoenix wings spread slightly, ready for a surprise attack from Kaido at any moment. On the Marine side, Akainu took a step forward, ready to intervene at any time.
It would be best if all these pirates killed each other, and he would finish them all off in the end!
Ace was also stunned by the sudden battle. He had thought only Whitebeard would come, but unexpectedly, all the Four Emperors were about to gather!
And Sengoku, standing on the high platform watching all this, murmured softly, "They're getting serious..."
Sure enough,
The next second, Kaido's dragon body suddenly surged, the blue light on his scales turned deep purple, and Shanks's Conqueror's Haki also fully erupted, dyeing the entire sea area dark red.
The two's auras continued to climb, and the sea surface beneath their feet began to boil.
The true clash between these Four Emperors was just about to begin at this moment!
At this critical moment, Ron's voice suddenly cut in: "Gentlemen, if you want to fight..." The Sea King beneath his feet let out earth-shaking roars. "How about adding me?"
One could see that the purple patterns had already spread to his arm, shimmering with an eerie light under the sunlight.
Ron felt the boiling blood in his body. The purple patterns wound and moved under his skin like living things, and surging power flowed between his fists.
That feeling of immense power filling his entire body made him almost want to roar up at the sky, wishing he could shatter all obstacles before him with a single punch!
Just as Kaido's dragon mouth slightly opened, about to speak—
"Enough!"
A deep, cold, and hard voice suddenly cut in.
Akainu stepped forward heavily. His lava-transformed right fist dripped with scorching magma, burning charred pits into the steel deck of Marine Headquarters.
His sharp gaze pierced Ron like a knife:
"Ron, this farce should end." Akainu's voice was unquestionable. "You are already an expelled traitor. You have no right to stand here pointing fingers, and even less right to return here."
The sea breeze suddenly became hot and dry, and the air was filled with the smell of sulfur.
Ron slowly turned around, his expression unchanged. He looked at the current Marine Admiral with a half-smile:
"Oh? Sakazuki..." Ron deliberately dragged out his tone. "Since when is it your turn to decide where I should stand?"
He lightly moved his wrist, and the joints of each finger made crisp cracking sounds. "Or... do you think you now..." A purple light suddenly flashed in his pupils. "...are already stronger than me?"
Akainu's pupils suddenly contracted, and the veins on his forehead bulged. The magma around him surged violently, and the steel plate beneath his feet began to melt. "Whether I'm strong or not..." He suddenly tore off his coat of justice. "...won't you know if you try?!"
Boom!
The giant lava fist punched out without warning! The scorching pillar of magma tore through the air and shot straight at Ron's face! This strike was as fast as lightning. The distant Garp didn't even have time to voice a protest.
But Ron's movement was faster!
One could see his right hand form a claw, instantly covered in purple Haki, actually grabbing that mass of magma capable of melting steel out of thin air!
Even more shocking was that the magma rapidly cooled in Ron's hand. The Devil Fruit patterns under his skin flashed and disappeared, and the magma grabbed by Ron eventually turned into black volcanic rock debris that rustled down from between his fingers.
"Is that all?" Ron contemptuously blew away the ashes on his hand.