As soon as Diarmuid made his move, a huge commotion erupted on the island. The pursuing fleet and the Straw Hat Pirates' Red Force naturally noticed it.
On the Red Force, Benn Beckman's expression changed instantly. He said in a deep voice, "Meteors… It really is Marine Admiral Rodriguez Diarmuid!"
"Beckman, what do we do now?" Yasopp asked, his voice low.
Although he was one of the first to join Shanks's crew, Beckman was the first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates.
Shanks had somehow managed to find this guy in the North Blue. Before Beckman set sail, no one knew there was such a powerful expert hiding there. He wasn't just incredibly strong; he was also very intelligent.
But thinking about it, it was normal. Like Fujitora, Beckman was probably a folk hero before this, someone without a name in the public eye.
While Fujitora was directly drafted and made a Marine Admiral, Beckman chose to join the pirate side. That was the only difference.
Hearing Yasopp's question, Beckman thought for a moment. "We don't have a choice. We have to turn back and clash with the Marines head-on."
When you take a risky gamble, you have to accept the consequences.
If Beckman's plan had succeeded, not only would Shanks be safe, but they might have even outsmarted the Marines.
But now that it had failed, he had to accept the disadvantage of their captain being trapped behind enemy lines. They couldn't just abandon Shanks and escape, could they?
Wait, could they?
If they did that, who knows if Shanks would survive, but the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates would have a high chance of escaping.
But that was a choice that wasn't even in Beckman's mind.
Soon, the Red Force turned around, its cannons roaring as it began to exchange fire with the Marines' armed merchant fleet.
To be honest, if this had been a fleet of standard Marine Headquarters warships, the Red Force wouldn't have had the firepower to fight them at a distance. One full broadside would have been enough to sink them.
But now, to conceal their movements, the Marines were using armed merchant ships. In terms of firepower, they really couldn't compare to the Red Force. Their performance in every aspect was inferior; they could only rely on their superior numbers.
For a time, the battle was surprisingly fierce and difficult to resolve.
At the same time, Diarmuid picked up his Den Den Mushi and called Sakazuki.
Before long, Sakazuki answered the call. "Diarmuid?"
"Sakazuki, you and your fleet, stay on the Red Force. Split the battlefield. Do not let them meet up with the guy on the island!" Diarmuid commanded in a low voice.
Both were Admirals, but on this mission, the command authority was in Diarmuid's hands. Diarmuid also had more seniority as an Admiral.
Sakazuki did not argue and quickly replied, "I understand."
Under Sakazuki's command, the formation of the fleet quickly changed. They shifted from a pursuit to a defensive stance, blocking the Red Force and preventing it from turning back.
Beckman's mood was extremely irritable. He looked at the Marine fleet ahead and murmured softly, "I've heard that Admiral Meitora is both wise and brave. I never thought our first clash would hit us where it hurts…"
Before setting out, Beckman had heard of Diarmuid's reputation, and after they set sail, he often heard Shanks talk about him, which gave him an even better understanding.
To be honest, Beckman had a bit of an arrogant streak, especially when it came to being "wise and brave." He felt that he was no different.
But in this first clash, Rodriguez Diarmuid had seen right through his plan. He hadn't stopped the Red Force from leaving the island, but instead waited until they were a certain distance away before attacking the island, forcing Shanks out.
Now, if he wanted to go back and rescue Shanks, it would be extremely difficult. He would have to fight through the Marine blockade. What was once an advantage had become a disadvantage, and the battlefield had been split. It was a very uncomfortable situation.
Thinking that his plan had been seen through so easily, and even used against him, Beckman felt a deep sense of caution.
He didn't know that Diarmuid hadn't thought about it that much. It was more like a wild guess that actually paid off. He had just made a quick test and it worked.
Now the battlefield was split. Sakazuki and the main fleet held back the Straw Hat Pirates, led by Beckman.
Diarmuid's armed merchant ship slowly docked at the island's natural deep-water port.
Diarmuid had already changed into a Marine Admiral uniform. The coat with the "Justice" insignia on the back swayed in the wind. He wore a white short-sleeved shirt, black pants tucked into high-top military boots. He looked dashing.
The cursed sword, Kokorowatari, which Hina had been holding, was now at his waist.
Stepping onto the ground, Diarmuid's gaze fell on the figure walking out of the distant jungle.
He was wearing a familiar straw hat. Under the brim, his hair was a short, reddish-wine color. His clothes were a bit sloppy—a captain's coat over a pair of flowery shorts, with a simple pair of flip-flops on his feet.
The only thing that stood out was the sword at his waist. It was a Western-style sword, one of the Meito, named Gryphon.
Without a doubt, this was the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates, Straw Hat… Shanks.
Compared to when they met a few years ago in the East Blue, Shanks looked much more mature, with less of the youthful innocence. For example, he had a bit of stubble.
"Red-Haired…" Diarmuid said softly.
The moment he said that, Shanks's face showed his annoyance. "After all this time, you still call me 'Red-Haired'?"
Shanks knew very well that he was originally known as "Red-Haired," but the Marines had deliberately turned his name into "Straw Hat." And who was behind all of that? Diarmuid.
Now, this jerk was pretending to be polite, calling him "Red-Haired." What was he doing? Wasn't he just being a pain?
Diarmuid burst into laughter. "Hahahaha, you're right. Now I should call you Straw Hat Boy. Do you remember what I told you back then?"
Shanks was displeased by the name "Straw Hat Boy" and was also confused. What did you say to me back then?
Seeing Shanks's confused expression, Diarmuid smiled again. "Of course, you don't remember. Back in the East Blue, I warned you that if you ever dared to become a pirate, the next time we met, I would burn your straw hat. It seems you've forgotten my advice…"
"Hey, don't think I'm scared of you just because you're a Marine Admiral!" Shanks said suddenly.
"Tch…" Diarmuid clicked his tongue, then placed his hand on the hilt of Kokorowatari. "Surrender, or fight?"
Without waiting for Shanks to answer, Diarmuid continued, "If you surrender, I can at least let you keep some of your dignity. If we fight, I won't hold back."
"Funny, because I won't hold back either!" Shanks said with a laugh.
After he said that, Diarmuid remained silent, and Shanks didn't say anything else. They just looked at each other for about ten seconds. As a sea breeze blew by, causing Diarmuid's coat to billow behind him, he moved. He used Soru to propel himself, his body becoming weightless as he suddenly vanished from Shanks's sight.
Shanks couldn't track Diarmuid's movements, but as someone who had fought countless battles since childhood with Roger, he instinctively drew Gryphon and slashed forward.
In the next instant, a murky, gloomy, and cursed aura rushed toward him. His body felt heavy, and his flip-flops sunk into the ground.
The muscles in his arm bulged. Diarmuid's cursed sword, Kokorowatari, was now directly on his Gryphon.
"Tiger's Roar…" Diarmuid whispered.
Before Shanks could react, a powerful wave of gravity erupted from Kokorowatari, morphing into a roaring tiger that enveloped Shanks and instantly sent him flying.
Shanks's body was agile. He flipped in the air and sent a flying slash toward Diarmuid. He used the moment to regain his posture and land safely. He wasn't seriously hurt, only a faint feeling of pressure in his chest.
Diarmuid, on the other hand, simply raised his arm and deflected the slash with the flat of Kokorowatari's blade.
After only one exchange, Shanks's expression turned incredibly serious. Both men had a sense of the other's power from this brief test.
Diarmuid could clearly feel that Shanks's strength was far below his own.
Shanks, however, couldn't perceive his opponent's strength as clearly as Diarmuid could. He was on the weaker side, but he could tell by comparing him to Charlotte Linlin. He even thought Diarmuid might be a little stronger than her.
Not daring to think any further, Shanks infused Haki into his sword, and Gryphon instantly became a black blade. He stomped his flip-flops hard on the ground, combining his waist and horse stance, and roared, "Divine Departure!!!"
As he said the words, he unleashed a single slash.
When Diarmuid saw the attack, a flash of surprise appeared in his eyes. The slash was remarkable, and the name of the technique sounded familiar.
Then he remembered: it was Roger's technique!
It seemed this kid Shanks had inherited a lot from Roger.
But if Roger had used this attack, Diarmuid might have had to evade it. It was, after all, Divine Departure.
But coming from Shanks, while it was powerful, it was not on a level that Diarmuid couldn't handle.
Diarmuid tightened his grip on the hilt of Kokorowatari. A dark black Armament Haki instantly coated the blade. At the same time, he slashed forward to meet the incoming Divine Departure slash.
"One Sword Style: Tiger Slayer!" Diarmuid grunted.
Shanks's Divine Departure was cut in half by Diarmuid's single strike. Two sharp slashes flew past Diarmuid's sides.
Shaking the Haki off his sword, Diarmuid grinned. "You're still a long way off, kid!"
"You're not in a position to call me 'kid'!" Shanks roared. He stomped his foot and shot forward.
Anger filled his eyes and pupils. Gryphon reflected the sunlight, casting a blinding light that hit Diarmuid's eyes, causing him to instinctively close them.
It was in that moment that an extremely powerful aura flowed from Shanks's hand—not Armament Haki, but Conqueror's Haki!
This Conqueror's Haki wrapped around Gryphon. As Diarmuid's eyes opened, Shanks's figure had already arrived, and he unleashed a powerful slash!
"Counter Fang!!!" Shanks bellowed.
In that moment, he and Gryphon seemed to become one, a single fang piercing toward Diarmuid.
Diarmuid felt a menacing force from this slash. As expected, Conqueror's Haki coating was not to be underestimated, no matter who used it.
In that instant, Diarmuid, seeing the attack, suddenly had an inspiration. His mind went blank for a moment, and the dark Armament Haki on his sword had, at some point, transformed into a cloud-like, formless power. If one were to look at it, they would see it had a power that could intimidate people.
Conqueror's Haki coating!?
He didn't think about it; he simply responded instinctively to Shanks's descending slash with a slash of his own.
The two incredible Conqueror's Haki clashed. The sky changed color, and an invisible force and shockwave instantly spread from the two of them. The air around them crackled with black and purple lightning.
"Break!" Diarmuid suddenly roared.
The two forces were at a stalemate for only a moment. As Diarmuid's roar subsided, Shanks's figure was sent flying with a single slash.
"Like I said, you're still a long way off, Shanks!" Diarmuid laughed loudly.