"Damn it…!"
Feeling the terrifying pressure surging from behind, Ben Beckman's pupils contracted slightly, and a thin line of red gleamed across his vision.
He had seen it.
In a brief flash of Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki), the next few seconds revealed a shocking scene—Yamato, whom he had overwhelmed just minutes ago, was now fighting on equal ground with him.
It defied logic.
But there was no time to doubt the vision. Beckman was a veteran of the seas—one of the sharpest minds among the Yonko crews—and he trusted his instincts. Abandoning his attempt to intercept the incoming Raimei Hakke-style thunder slash from Ragnar, he turned swiftly and raised his rifle-saber to block Yamato's charging kanabō.
Bang!
Two Haki-wrapped weapons clashed violently.
Black and red Haoshoku Haki lightning sparked through the air—Busoshoku (Armament) and Haoshoku infused weapons grinding in midair.
But this time...
They didn't even touch.
A full meter before their weapons collided, the compressed Haki between them exploded with sheer force, pushing back the very atmosphere. The clouds above the Red Force were instantly torn apart, a black hole expanding from the shock.
Yamato didn't budge.
Beckman was stunned—not because of her power, but because she had grown this much in such a short exchange.
"What the hell is with Kaido's bloodline…?!"
"Just one fight… and she's evolved like this?"
Even though he'd already foreseen it using his Haki, Ben Beckman couldn't stop himself from cursing. His legendary composure was being chipped away, moment by moment.
If this were just a spar, he might've praised her strength—said she lived up to Kaido's name. A worthy daughter of a Yonko.
But now?
His captain was locked in battle.
The ship was under threat.
And their tactical plan was unraveling.
"Yasopp!" Beckman barked over the roar of crashing Haki. "Sniper support—now!"
But Yasopp didn't respond. His blackened sniper rifle, armed with advanced Busoshoku Haki, was frozen in place—aiming at Ragnar, but the trigger unmoved.
Because standing between him and the target… was Kaido.
The Strongest Creature Alive.
Kaido stood like a fortress, kanabō resting on his shoulder, a smirk curling beneath the shadow of his horns.
He hadn't attacked.
He didn't need to.
He simply stood.
And that was enough.
Beckman gritted his teeth again.
"Lucky Roux—move! We're switching—"
But before he could finish, a deep BOOM echoed beneath his feet.
Kaido had casually brought his kanabō down onto the Red Force's deck—the legendary ship constructed from the Adam Tree—and even that legendary timber couldn't endure it.
Crack—!!
Spiderweb fractures raced outward like lightning bolts. Dozens of fractures split across the deck.
To the Red Hair Pirates, the ship was more than a vessel. It was family. A brother. A comrade.
To see it hurt was to see their pride wounded.
And then came Kaido's low, guttural warning:
"Those who cross this line—
—die."
With his kanabō, he carved a line into the ruined deck—a boundary.
On one side: the might of an emperor.
On the other: hesitation.
Even the brave warriors led by Yasopp and Lucky Roux exchanged uncertain glances. In their crew, loyalty ran deep. Courage, deeper. But this was Kaido—the same man who had once thrown himself from a Sky Island and lived.
Without Shanks or Beckman free to counter him...
Not even the famed Iron Wall Red Hair Pirates could move.
This was the weight of an emperor.
The crushing reality of a Yonko.
Especially when this Four Emperor was Kaido, known as the strongest in single combat and infamous for destroying entire pirate crews singlehandedly.
Without Kaido's restraint, and with the Vice-Captain, Ben Beckman, also tied down, Yasopp and the others couldn't change anything before being overwhelmed by the sheer might of the Six-Path-level Kaido.
"Ragnar, are you truly going this far?"
Red-haired Shanks had already sensed the tide of battle shifting.
His eyes were bloodshot — whether from fury or the advanced Observation Haki burning in his mind, it was hard to say.
"What do you take piracy for? A game of pretend?"
"From the moment you, Red-haired Shanks, dared to meddle in my battle — letting my little pheasant (Aokiji) and little red dog (Akainu) slip through my fingers — you should have known there would be a price."
Faced with Shanks' fierce glare, sharp as Conqueror's lightning, Ragnar remained unmoved.
"So be it, Ragnar..."
Shanks shut his eyes briefly.
When he opened them again, all the anger had drained away.
What remained was a pure, ice-cold killing intent, deeper than the volcanic magma that even Akainu wielded.
"Hmph."
Ragnar scoffed with equal coldness, showing no concern for the murderous resolve in Shanks' eyes.
He had no intention of showing respect.
He had no desire for diplomacy.
Akainu and Aokiji were lost—not by fate, but because of Shanks' interference. The Red-Hair Pirates would pay.
The Red Force was only the beginning.
Even a ship made from Treasure Tree Adam, even if it belonged to a Yonko like Shanks, wasn't enough to compensate for today's losses.
But if he could devour an entire Yonko crew… if he could seize their territory, their power, and their reputation…
Only then would the scale be balanced.
Visit patreon.com/ShiroTL for more chapters.