I've seen this move before!
Although that was the silent complaint in his heart, there was a significant difference between Shanks Divine Departure and Rayleigh.
First off, Huamei Meow hadn't dispelled Shanks Observation Killing this time. This meant Sherwin couldn't pinpoint the final landing spot of the blade ahead of time like he had against Rayleigh. While he could still block it, it certainly wasn't the optimal response.
Secondly, Shanks was much younger, whereas Rayleigh had already been worn down by Sherwin for a while before he unleashed his Divine Departure.
Furthermore, Rayleigh hadn't gone all out during his fight with Sherwin. But now, with Sherwin reputation preceding him, Shanks wouldn't hold back as Rayleigh had, even if this was just a sparring match.
Finally, and most crucially...
Shanks possessed a higher quality of Conqueror Haki. Even if that pressure didn't affect Sherwin directly, the effect was incredibly obvious when it was converted into a Conqueror Infusion attack.
This was exactly why Sherwin felt even more pressure now than he had back at the Sabaody Archipelago, despite being much stronger than he was then.
However, it was precisely this pressure that finally allowed Sherwin to find the key to unlocking the Valor Style!
"Phew—"
Sherwin, who had originally intended to defend with Mirrored Flower Stance, exhaled a long breath. He quickly swung his left arm to trigger Dodo Advance and grant himself the Serene Pose buff, then immediately returned the Longsword to his waist, settling into an Iai sheathing stance.
Monster Hunter Style: Secret Technique: Iai: Solar Eclipse!
Bolstered by Hunter Time, Sherwin's draw speed was not at all inferior to Shanks Divine Departure. The Longsword, dyed pitch-black by Armament Haki, met Shanks Gryphon with an unstoppable momentum.
Crackle, crackle, crackle...
Just like during the battle with Kaido, black lightning—the signature of a Conqueror's clash—erupted between the Longsword and Gryphon, even though Sherwin did not possess Conqueror Haki himself.
The clouds in the sky remained unchanged, primarily because they had already been scattered by the earlier Haki clash with Huamei Meow.
Clang—!
Since both Sherwin's Solar Eclipse and Shanks's Divine Departure were moves built for speed, the Longsword and Gryphon collided almost the instant the black lightning appeared.
"..."
BOOM—!
After a brief moment of tranquility, a massive shockwave erupted from the two clashing combatants, sweeping out in all directions.
At the instant the blades collided, Sherwin felt the Longsword in his hand scream. He even had the fleeting but crystal-clear illusion that the Longsword would snap in the next second.
And then...
Nothing.
Sherwin had expected to be sent flying by Shanks or cut by his sword energy, but in reality, nothing happened. His full-power strike had actually managed to clash evenly with Shank Divine Departure.
Did Red Hair hold back? But that doesn't make sense. I haven't even tried to build a rapport with him yet.
With these doubts in mind, Sherwin and Shanks both withdrew their blades at the same time, retreating two steps to create some distance.
"My, my, young people these days are truly something..." Shanks flicked his blade and asked with some curiosity,
"With strength like yours, there absolutely no need to hide from Kaido. Or did your strength grow again after fighting him?"
Though he didn't possess the "ultimate secrets" of this world like Sherwin did, Shanks could conclude from experience that there was a certain probability of a massive power jump after battling the strong.
After all, that was exactly how he had made it this far.
Sherwin nodded and then asked in return, "Did you hold back just now? Why do you feel... a bit weaker compared to the other two Emperors?"
Shank face darkened, and he said indignantly, "Don't compare me to those two monsters! My fighting style is different from theirs!"
As he spoke, as if to prove his words were true, he launched another attack at Sherwin.
Although he didn't use Divine Departure again, Shank speed hadn't decreased much. Furthermore, because of his Observation Killing, Sherwin was unable to respond with his usual ease.
However, because of this, Sherwin figured out what had happened during that clash...
Actually, Sherwin had overthought it. Because he had been at a disadvantage in terms of power during his previous battles with Kaido and Big Mom—and the same applied when facing Garp and Rayleigh—he habitually assumed he would be sent flying during a clash of Conqueror Haki Infusion.
But in reality, with his current strength and all his Monster Hunter buffs stacked, he wasn't actually that far behind Shanks in terms of raw power.
Not to mention, Shanks was missing an arm if Sherwin switched to a two-handed grip on his Longsword, he would actually have the advantage in strength.
And just as Shanks said, he wasn't the same type of fighter as Kaido or Big Mom. He didn't possess their invulnerable monster bodies, and he was quite a bit behind them in terms of raw strength.
What truly allowed Shanks to stand on equal footing with them was his superior agility and speed, his Observation Killing, and his Conqueror Haki.
His style was like an enhanced or prime version of Rayleigh.
If using game characters as an analogy, Kaido and BIG MOM were warriors with high defense and thick health bars, while Shanks was a high-attack, high-agility assassin.
Of course, this was only relative, as everyone in One Piece was like a cockroach even an "assassin" possessed a tenacious vitality akin to a Saint Seiya.
After figuring out Shanks situation, Sherwin decisively switched his weapon to Sword and Shield. Holding the recently acquired "Sakura Ten" in one hand and a heater shield forged from "Ibushi Alloy" in the other, he began a battle of attrition using the Monster Hunter Style: Hunter's Dance.
Actually, from a training perspective, continuing to clash with Shanks using a Longsword would have been the most rewarding choice.
However, for one, the Bushido style Sherwin had been longing for had already been successfully unlocked, meaning he had gained enough from this fight.
Secondly, he was worried about Haibara Meow's previous encouragement (threat)... after all, he truly didn't want to experience that Satan Potion ever again.
As for the third point...
Monster Hunter Style · Secret Technique: Perfect Guard Point!
After struggling under Shanks assault, Sherwin finally seized the opportunity. He used a shield parry to knock the other man heavily off balance and immediately followed up with a slash.
Although Shanks reacted instantly, he was still grazed across the ribs by Sherwin.
"What kind of move is this again?! Mihawk never mentioned this to me!"
Shanks, who had been holding the upper hand the entire time, hadn't expected to be the first one injured. He couldn't help but ask.
"Because when I sparred with Mihawk, I never used a shield," the triumphant Hunter explained smugly.
"After all, he only interested in swordsmanship, so I only consulted him on swordsmanship... Besides, this move even made that wily old Rayleigh suffer a great deal back then. You're already quite impressive for only getting a scratch."
"Humph, you'll only succeed with that once!"
Shanks didn't feel comforted at all instead, he felt Sherwin was being sarcastic.
However, just as he prepared to continue his attack on Sherwin, he saw the other man put away both his weapon and shield.
"Not fighting, not fighting! You've seen my swordsmanship, and I've seen yours. I'm no match for you, I give up!"
Adhering to the principle of slipping away after gaining an advantage, the despicable Hunter decisively ended the match.
Shanks: "..."