The moment Shanks' feet touched the ground, the earth beneath him collapsed. His eyes rolled back briefly, his Conqueror's Haki radiating outward in waves. If it hit someone directly, it would almost certainly knock them unconscious.
But in the next instant, Shanks' eyes returned to normal. His staggering figure stabilized, planting firmly on the broken ground.
If you looked closely, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
He raised his arm to wipe away the blood, staring at Finn with undisguised wariness in his eyes.
In that brief clash just now, he'd felt it clearly. Finn's Conqueror's Haki infusion was immature, barely developed. He probably hadn't used it much, or quite possibly, that had been his first time wielding such power.
But even so, the one who'd been overwhelmed was still Shanks.
What did that mean? It meant that in terms of raw power, Finn was more than a full tier stronger than him.
In truth, Shanks hadn't yet reached his peak. Although Mihawk helped him with their duels, acting as a whetstone, the gap in overall strength remained.
In the original timeline, it would be six more years before Shanks truly ascended to the position of Yonko.
Right now, as Finn had said, he was still far from it.
Finn, having injured Shanks, didn't press his advantage immediately. Instead, he carefully examined the sensation of Conqueror's Haki infusion he'd somehow just used.
But if someone asked him to explain the experience or share insight, he genuinely couldn't articulate it.
That feeling could only be understood through experience, not expressed in words.
After pondering briefly, Finn stopped analyzing and instead looked toward the distant sea where the Red Force and the Marine armed merchant fleet were engaged in battle.
Sakazuki's magma had begun erupting across the battlefield. Not only could the Red Force not break through, it was fleeing in apparent panic.
Considering the situation, Finn decided to suspend his offensive and see if he could capture the entire Straw Hat Pirates in one sweep.
If he killed Shanks quickly and efficiently, perhaps Beckman would just grit his teeth, turn around, and flee with his crew?
There was a Calm Belt ahead, and the Red Force' performance was indeed superior to armed merchant ships. If they fled without restraint at maximum speed, they might genuinely escape.
Therefore, Finn planned to stall for a while, dragging Shanks along. As long as Shanks wasn't killed, the Straw Hat Pirates would never abandon their captain like that, right?
This would keep them engaged, giving Sakazuki enough time to properly trap the Red Force.
Shanks had been waiting tensely, expecting Finn to attack.
However, he noticed Finn ignoring him entirely, instead watching the distant Marine battle. He felt somewhat confused.
But he quickly understood. Although he wasn't as intelligent as Beckman, Shanks was no fool. Finn's strategy was too obvious, and he recognized it immediately.
Now that things had reached this point, there actually wasn't any good way for him to break the deadlock.
Therefore, Shanks only hesitated for a moment before a determined look flashed through his eyes.
He had to go all out, attack Finn with everything he had regardless of consequences. If by chance he could defeat Finn, he'd seize this ship and attack the Marine fleet from the rear, creating a pincer movement.
He'd take advantage of the chaos to reunite with Beckman and the others, then quickly hide in the Calm Belt.
Of course, this was the best possible outcome. If Finn still couldn't be defeated even with an all-out assault, then there was no other option. The situation would already be hopeless. He'd force Finn to end the battle as quickly as possible, sacrifice himself, and signal Beckman to abandon Shanks and flee immediately.
Although his own fate might be grim, at least the Straw Hat Pirates could be preserved. Perhaps there'd be a chance to recover in the future.
Shanks was a decisive person, courageous to his core. Once he'd made up his mind, he no longer hesitated.
Wiping the blood from his mouth with his arm again, Shanks took a deep breath. His aura intensified steadily. He stared at Finn and said, "Don't... underestimate me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a fierce glint flashed through Shanks' eyes. His body coiled low, then he rushed toward Finn like a springing rabbit.
A trace of helplessness crossed Finn's eyes. He knew this kid had seen through his intentions.
But it didn't matter. In truth, as long as Shanks was eliminated, the Straw Hat Pirates would be finished. Although Beckman was strong and possessed high intelligence, he lacked Shanks' personal charisma. Without Shanks, this crew actually wasn't a major concern.
Thinking this, Finn no longer hesitated. He swung Shindokutō outward and called out, "Gravity Blade: Tiger Strike!"
Many years ago, this technique had been considered his signature attack. Now, it was barely different from a normal swing.
Powerful gravitational force erupted from the blade, but Shanks completely ignored it. He slashed downward, carving gaps through the gravity field, and plunged directly through. In the blink of an eye, he stood before Finn.
"Hawk Cry!" Shanks growled, following with another strike.
Finn swung his sword back, blocking the blow. At that instant, Shanks' grip loosened, and the famous blade Gryphon flew from his hand. At the same time, killing intent flashed through his eyes. Conqueror's Haki like flowing water wrapped around his hands as he thrust them toward Finn's chest.
It was as if he intended to rip out Finn's heart directly.
Finn had never fought Shanks before, but in his understanding, Shanks made his living through swordsmanship and Haki. For a moment, he genuinely couldn't process why this guy had suddenly abandoned his blade.
Why does this move look so familiar? Isn't this the Black Tiger Heart Rip technique?
"Gryphon's Claw!" Shanks roared, his palms transforming into sharp talons like his sword's namesake, reaching for Finn's heart.
In that moment, Shindokutō fell from Finn's hand. The sharp tip pierced the ground directly, the blade supporting itself as it embedded into the earth.
Simultaneously, Finn pulled both arms back, wrapping them protectively over his chest with Armament Haki.
The next second, Shanks' claws seized Finn's arms.
Blocked by the Haki coating, he couldn't advance further.
Finn's swordsmanship was only passable. What he truly excelled at was his Devil Fruit ability, Haki, and physical combat techniques. Perhaps many people noticed his ability was powerful, but in terms of Haki and hand-to-hand combat, few had discovered Finn's exceptional skill.
The main reason was that when facing top-tier masters like Whitebeard, everyone was roughly comparable, so he couldn't stand out particularly.
When facing weaker opponents, he wouldn't need these skills at all.
That's why his proficiency remained relatively unknown.
The moment Shanks' claws gripped Finn's arms, Finn didn't retreat. He advanced. He stomped the ground and leaned forward half a meter. This half-meter brought him directly against Shanks' body. With Shanks' arms extended in claw formation, his chest was naturally wide open and defenseless.
Just as Finn had no experience fighting Shanks, Shanks had no experience fighting Finn.
Finn's sudden tactical shift caught him completely off guard.
"Falling Tiger!" Finn laughed.
He drove forward with his shoulders and elbows. Using his height advantage, he suddenly closed inside Shanks' extended arms. In the next instant, all the strength in his body exploded simultaneously. With a thunderous impact, when his shoulders and elbows struck Shanks' chest, the tremendous force sent Shanks flying backward.
However, just as Shanks flew back half a meter, he felt sudden pain in his arm and coughed blood. He looked down, only to see that Finn had stepped forward and caught his arm with one hand, stopping his backward flight.
"Tiger Palm!" Finn said quietly.
At the same time, Shanks was pulled back toward him. Finn's other hand placed a palm against Shanks' chest.
Like Lucci's Six Powers Secret Technique, the Six King Gun, an extremely powerful shockwave carrying gravitational pressure and Haki burst forth from Finn's palm.
Shanks first felt agonizing pain in his chest. He couldn't tell how many ribs had broken. Then, dark blood sprayed from his mouth, staining Finn's white shirt crimson. Faintly, he could see fragments of internal organs mixed in the blood.
Then Finn released his grip. Without the force holding Shanks, he was driven into the ground by Finn's palm strike. First, a crater thirty to forty centimeters deep formed where he impacted. Then Shanks plowed backward through the hole. After more than ten meters, he finally stopped.
Before Shanks could recover from this devastating series of strikes, Finn extended his hand into empty space, fingers spread wide. From between his fingers, a faint purple energy aura, already darkening toward black, emanated.
"Lockdown: Death coffin!" Finn said in a low voice.
As soon as he spoke, earth and stones from the ground beside Shanks instantly adhered to him. Without giving him a chance to struggle, they completely submerged him. In moments, they formed into the shape of a rectangular coffin. A layer of light purple energy flowed across the surface of the earthen structure, locking Shanks tightly inside.
"He's really a bit weak..." Finn muttered, watching this scene unfold.
He'd known Shanks definitely wasn't at peak condition yet, but he'd never expected Shanks would have virtually no ability to fight back. This was indeed too weak.
If nothing unexpected happened, how would he become one of the Four Emperors six years from now, relying only on Conqueror's Haki and swordsmanship?
How could he fight against monsters like Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and even Whitebeard?
With his current strength, he couldn't even defeat Sakazuki.
It was baffling.
"Did everyone really just give him face?" Finn complained aloud.
Just as Finn was contemplating these messy thoughts, suddenly, a force threatening to break through the suppression emerged from within the black coffin sealed by Finn's ability.
Before Finn could apply additional pressure, the black coffin suddenly exploded. Shanks' disheveled figure emerged from the smoke and debris. Compared to before, although he looked thoroughly battered, he'd undergone a dramatic transformation.
First, he seemed to have lost consciousness. His eyes had rolled back, giving him a frightening appearance. His clothes were torn and tattered, and his straw hat lay crumpled on the ground.
But at this moment, Shanks was radiating powerful Haki from everywhere, and this Haki was precisely Conqueror's Haki!
What was even more incredible, he'd actually covered his entire body with Conqueror's Haki, as if his Conqueror's Haki was unlimited!
"This is..." Finn whispered softly.
He remembered someone in his past life speculating that among the Four Emperors, each should have a supreme advantage. Kaido had the strongest vitality, Whitebeard had the strongest attack power, Charlotte Linlin had the strongest defense, and Shanks, in all likelihood, possessed the strongest Conqueror's Haki.
Now it seemed this was genuinely the case!
Shanks appeared to have completely lost his rational mind. He roared at Finn unconsciously, like a wild beast.
The Conqueror's Haki emanating from his body seemed endless. Gravel on the ground beneath his feet rose and fell with the trembling of his aura, some pieces even floating in midair.
Without giving Finn time to observe further, Shanks stomped his feet and lunged at Finn. During this charge, he seemed to have truly transformed into an irrational beast. He even dropped to all fours to increase his speed.
In the blink of an eye, he'd rushed before Finn. He raised both hands and threw two punches, intense Conqueror's Haki surging forward with each strike.
Finn didn't block. Instead, he moved left and right, always evading Shanks' attacks just before they landed.
A flash of understanding crossed his eyes. He murmured softly, "In the end, he was unable to control the power within himself, and instead became controlled by it?"
There was no doubt that the Conqueror's Haki within Shanks' body was genuinely extraordinary, whether due to innate talent or some other reason. It was so abundant that he could use it freely, spending it with extreme luxury.
But unfortunately, he hadn't been able to truly master this power yet. When he used it, everything was purely instinctive. Therefore, although he was strong, he could only be described as "nothing more than that."
Perhaps six years from now, he'd have completely mastered this power and would be able to compete with the three legendary monsters using only Conqueror's Haki and swordsmanship?
After dodging several more attacks, Finn reached out and pulled. The demon blade that had been embedded in the ground flew toward him, drawn by gravity, and quickly fell into his grasp.
At the same time, Finn swept his hand across Shindokutō's blade. An extremely powerful force, emitting pure black light, adhered to the steel.
"The blade cuts flesh, the heart cuts the soul... Absolute Void Slash," Finn said softly.