Shanks stood at the bow of his ship. Hearing Doflamingo's words, his battle spirit surged.
"Then let's settle this with our skills," Shanks said, his expression as steady as an old hound, showing no sign of retreat. Inwardly, however, he was secretly wary of Doflamingo; after all, the aura of a powerhouse emanating from Doflamingo was undeniable.
Benn Beckman, seeing Shanks in this state, also realized that the opposing pirate crew was not to be trifled with. But the Red Hair Pirates were not ones to shy away from a fight. If a battle was inevitable, then he too would have to get serious. He warily watched the Donquixote Pirates on the Ark Maxim.
"Then bring it on! Let me see what you're made of, Red Hair!" Doflamingo declared dominantly.
One man draped in a pink feather coat, the other in a black cloak; both exuded formidable auras, neither willing to yield to the other. The crew members of both pirate groups, seeing their captains begin to clash, instinctively tensed, ready but not yet making a move. Now was not the time for an all-out brawl. Even Crocus and Diamante paused their fight, each looking on with expectant eyes. Crocus anticipated Shanks's growth; after all, Shanks was a child he had watched grow up, and he had high hopes for Shanks's future. Diamante had absolute faith in Doflamingo; he didn't believe this suddenly appearing Red Hair could be Doflamingo's match. Both men firmly believed in their respective captains, silently cheering them on.
Swish! In an instant, Shanks and Doflamingo simultaneously leaped into the air, hurtling towards each other. Doflamingo didn't use the abilities of his Rumble-Rumble Fruit, simply coating his hand with Armament Haki and throwing a punch towards Shanks's Gryphon. Shanks also swung his sword, meeting Doflamingo's fist without initially using Haki.
Bang!
With a resounding clash, the two exchanged blows. The very air seemed to crackle, emitting an explosive sound.
"Very strong, Red-Haired Shanks!" Doflamingo, his punch unsuccessful, retreated back to the Ark.
"You're very strong too!" Shanks also retreated to the Red Force, standing with his sword at the ready, his expression wary.
"Captain, are you alright?" The considerate fatty, Lucky Roux, for once not gnawing on a chicken leg, asked Shanks with concern.
"I'm fine. We were both just testing the waters a little," Shanks replied, calming his crew's worries.
On the Ark Maxim, Monet also asked nervously, "Young Master, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. We were just probing each other," Doflamingo answered.
"That's good then!" Monet let out a sigh of relief.
"That was just a probe?!" Law, hearing Doflamingo's words, sucked in a cold breath. He had witnessed the entire exchange. A casual blow from each of them had made the air explode. If such a hit landed on a person, it would be unbearable. It seems Young Master Doflamingo was completely playing around during my training! Looks like my efforts are still not enough! Law stared at Doflamingo's back, secretly vowing to himself.
The others, hearing Doflamingo's words, also felt reassured. In their hearts, Doflamingo was invincible, their spiritual pillar! Doflamingo paid no mind to everyone's thoughts. His long-dormant battle blood was stirred once more. Not since his last exhilarating battle with Aokiji had his blood boiled like this.
"Red Hair, how about we take this to land?" Doflamingo proposed.
"Since you request it, then nothing could be more fitting!" Shanks, unafraid, replied with dominant confidence.
"Law, the Ark Maxim is in your hands," Doflamingo suddenly said, turning to Law.
Law, abruptly receiving Doflamingo's instruction, was stunned for a moment. As everyone's gaze fell upon him, he quickly recovered, understanding Doflamingo's meaning, and nodded. This was a trial Doflamingo was setting for him. It remained to be seen how well Law could handle it. People only grow under pressure, don't they?
Doflamingo and Shanks sped towards a nearby landmass. Soon, they each stood on separate patches of ground, facing each other.
"Come on!" Shanks declared dominantly.
"Fight!" Doflamingo responded to Shanks.
Having probed each other in the previous exchange, neither held back this time. An invisible aura rapidly spread around them as they quickly closed the distance. It was still a simple punch and a simple sword strike, yet it was anything but. This was a clash of two kings' Conqueror's Haki! Those without insight would naturally assume it was just an ordinary exchange. But for powerhouses like Enel and Benn Beckman, they quickly discerned the ferocity of the encounter. Though it was only the first move of this round, its intensity was no less than Kizaru's "ice-breaking operation." Don't believe it? Just look at the sky!
On the Ark Maxim, everyone watched the two figures intently. Since there was no immediate danger, everyone had gathered to witness the battle between two top-tier powerhouses, completely unaware of the approaching peril.
"Heavens! The sky… they've cracked the sky open!" Baby 5 suddenly shouted, pointing at the sky, her mouth agape in astonishment.
The others were even more astounded, if not more so. They all looked up in awe at the sundered clouds above. A bottomless chasm in the sky had formed right before their eyes.
"Is this what a top-tier powerhouse is? Is this Young Master Doflamingo's true strength?" Law murmured in disbelief.
"The Young Master… is truly too strong."
"Doffy, it seems there's still quite a gap between you and me!" Enel watched the scene created by Doflamingo's battle with excitement, a look of aspiration on his face.
"Indeed. Onii-chan always makes such a big scene every time he makes a move," Robin said, a smile in her eyes.
On the other side, the Red Hair Pirates were also awestruck by the scene their Captain Shanks had created. Such a spectacle was indeed rare.
"The Captain is so strong!" Lucky Roux resisted the urge to eat his chicken leg and praised.
The others nodded in agreement. Only Benn Beckman took a somber drag from his cigarette, saying nothing. It wasn't just one person who was strong; both were incredibly strong! This was going to be a battle between a dragon and a tiger!
Crocus, on Laboon's back, wasn't particularly surprised by such a scene. He merely remarked with a gratified look, "Captain Roger, Shanks has grown to this level as well."
Diamante wasn't as experienced as Crocus, but he quickly suppressed his shock and focused intently on the battle.
"Red Hair, again! My blood is boiling! You truly are an opponent to look forward to!" Doflamingo declared, unyielding.
"It's been a long time since I encountered a strong opponent. Then let us fight to our hearts' content!" Shanks replied with excitement.
They retreated after the first blow and then clashed once more. Both unleashed their Conqueror's Haki to the fullest. Dark red lightning crackled around them, constantly spreading outwards, causing the Twin Capes themselves to tremble. The earth-shattering aura leaked out in all directions. The nearby Donquixote Pirates and Red Hair Pirates were also affected, their ships rocking on the sea surface.
"Not good! Their battle is too intense! Even their aura is something ordinary people cannot withstand!" Enel said with a grave expression.
Law now completely understood Doflamingo's earlier instruction. He had to protect the Ark Maxim. Although Enel could also intervene, Doflamingo had entrusted this task to Law. Enel, trusting his subordinate, was also willing to watch Law grow.
"Room!" A massive, transparent surgical space enveloped the Ark Maxim.
"Takt!" Law strained, moving the Ark away from the battle zone of Doflamingo and Shanks, protecting the ship and everyone on board from being caught in the aftermath.
"Law, nicely done! Though you look a bit drained!" Enel teased.
Law was half-crouched on the deck, cold sweat beading on his face and forehead. Hearing Enel's jibe, he had no energy to reply. Law was also dissatisfied with his own strength; he hadn't expected that just moving an ark would nearly exhaust him. Ibes, seeing Law like this, sympathetically helped him up and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"Thank… thank you, Sister Ibes," Law said with difficulty, a faint blush on his cheeks, somewhat shy.
Baby 5 looked at Law strangely. She had never seen him in such a state before! The others' attention was all on the battle, not noticing Law's embarrassing predicament. As for the Red Hair Pirates, they were also veterans of great storms and quickly moved the Red Force away from the battle zone.
"I didn't expect to encounter a powerhouse possessing Conqueror's Haki in such a small place," Yasopp couldn't help but exclaim.
"Yeah!" Lucky Roux mumbled through a mouthful of chicken.
Benn Beckman, however, continued to watch the battle intently, somewhat curious about this Donquixote Pirates crew, a group they had previously overlooked.
The fierce battle between the two continued for a day and a night. The land at the Twin Capes was ravaged by them, and now it was hard to even find a decent place to stand. Throughout this day and night, Doflamingo had fought Shanks purely with physical skills, not using his Devil Fruit abilities. Both were using basic physical combat and swordsmanship, enhanced with Armament Haki and aided by Observation Haki, engaging in the simplest form of direct confrontation. Doflamingo didn't know if Red Hair could use Conqueror's Haki coating at this point, but he suspected he could. After fighting for a day and a night, Red Hair hadn't fallen into a disadvantage. Considering Doflamingo hadn't slacked off on his own physical training over the years, and Red Hair was no worse, it showed his monstrous talent! However, Doflamingo was no slouch either.
They clashed and retreated again. Doflamingo landed a punch on Red Hair, and Red Hair slashed Doflamingo in return. Both managed to injure each other, though Doflamingo's injuries were slightly more severe. After all, it was a slash from a great swordsman. If not for his Armament Haki reinforcement or relying on Observation Haki stronger than Red Hair's to dodge, Doflamingo would have been in danger long ago. Indeed, a swordsman's attack was truly the sharpest! Doflamingo hadn't gained much advantage over Red Hair, but Red Hair wasn't much better off either!
"Fuffuffuffuffu! Exhilarating!" Doflamingo said with a laugh.
"Hahaha! Indeed, exhilarating!" Red Hair also acknowledged this opponent, smiling at Doflamingo.
"Tell me your name! You are worthy of me remembering it!" Red Hair then asked.
"Donquixote Doflamingo. Your enemy. Remember it!" Doflamingo generously stated his full name.
"Donquixote, huh?" Red Hair murmured, his thoughts unreadable.
"However, you're not qualified to speak to me like that, Red Hair! Next, I'm going to use my full power!" Doflamingo said with a cold smirk. He had no desire for mutual admiration with Red Hair. They were destined to be enemies. If he could eliminate him sooner, Doflamingo wouldn't hold back.
However, Doflamingo himself knew the chances were slim. Not using his fruit ability initially was to see what level he had reached on his own. The result was acceptable: his Armament Haki was comparable to Red Hair's, and his Observation Haki was stronger. If not for Red Hair's overly sharp swordsmanship, Doflamingo wouldn't have been so constrained. Now, by using his fruit ability, Doflamingo saw a glimmer of possibility – the possibility of making Red Hair disappear from this world.
It seemed danger was imminent! Red Hair also sensed something was wrong.
The crews on both ships watched the battle tirelessly. Now that the fighting had paused, they were hesitant to approach and investigate. Ultimately, the area where the two had fought became too quiet. This prompted both sides to consider investigating and prepare to move. Suddenly, a series of crackling sounds erupted, halting the advance of both pirate ships. In the dimming sky, a massive amount of lightning suddenly appeared, descending towards Doflamingo and Red Hair.
"Thunder Tribulation: World-Ending Thunder!"
A chilling voice echoed in everyone's ears!