Shanks didn't utter a word. Unlike Buggy, who could shrug off the biscuit soldiers' blows because of his Chop‑Chop Fruit ability, Shanks found himself surrounded by countless enemies, barely able to hold his ground. Despite his recent breakthrough in Armament Haki that had allowed him to shatter Cracker's armor, battling an overwhelming number of hard‑bodied foes left him feeling powerless.
As Shanks struggled, a pained cry echoed through the battlefield. Startled, Shanks realized it was Buggy screaming. With the biscuit soldiers swarming in every direction, he could not see the true situation.
Instinctively, he twisted his body and drove his long sword outward, pushing back clusters of attackers.
Then he saw the scene that turned his blood cold.
Buggy's detached limbs were being twisted in cruel grips by several biscuit soldiers, while another stomped hard on his head, squeezing tears, blood, and snot from him.
Shanks' eyes widened with rage.
"Let go of Buggy, fight me instead!"
Not far away, Cracker's lips curved into a cruel smile.
"Don't worry, you're next. But first, watch that red‑nosed clown die right before your eyes."
Obeying his command, all the biscuit soldiers tightened their grip. Buggy's body twisted grotesquely, and the stomping soldier ground down with merciless force. Buggy's screams weakened with every second.
Shanks' eyes burned red with fury. He tried to dash forward to save Buggy, but the ring of soldiers around him blocked his path again and again.
His mind clouded with chaos, Shanks lost the calm he once maintained. His Observation Haki faltered, and soon he bore several cuts across his body, even a lock of his red hair on his forehead sliced away.
Despite Shanks' dire condition, Xebec stood watching from atop a distant tower. Crimson light danced in his pupils as he observed the bloody fight unfolding.
Shanks ignored his wounds, his only thought to reach Buggy in time.
As Buggy's screams faded to a whisper, Shanks' pupils suddenly contracted. Fury long suppressed erupted within him like an untamed storm.
"Take your filthy foot off him!"
Buzz!
In that moment of intense rage, Shanks awakened Conqueror's Haki.
Unfortunately, the battlefield held too few weaklings for it to overwhelm, and only a handful of low‑ranking Big Mom Pirates were knocked out by the shockwave.
Still, it halted the fight, drawing everyone's attention to Shanks.
Linlin's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That kid…"
Roger's face held genuine surprise.
"As expected, he has that aptitude!"
The Roger Pirates cheered at Shanks' awakening. Only Bullet glanced briefly before averting his gaze, unimpressed. In his view, Shanks' awakened state was still not worth his focus.
Katakuri had already mastered Conqueror's Haki long ago, so his surprise was mild. But Roger and Linlin's reactions, though seemingly strong, held deeper meaning.
Their own cultivations of Conqueror's Haki were refined to the point of externalized force—especially Roger, whose external Haki could cause devastating effects. Roger recognized Shanks' eruption as pure, a true king's potential. Once such power was awakened, growth accelerates beyond normal limits. Roger knew this intimately because he had walked that path himself.
Given time, Shanks could very well catch up, or even surpass him, though Roger's own life was drawing shorter with every passing day.
And Roger also thought of Lloyd. In the earlier encounter, Lloyd's Conqueror's Haki had pressed against Roger's own with equal force, an impossible level for someone so young and unexpected.
Roger could not fathom how such a power could emerge from someone linked with the Navy.
But Xebec watched Shanks with relief. He hadn't intervened precisely because he wanted to see if Shanks' Conqueror's Haki would surface under crisis. In his view, Shanks' circumstances were perfect for awakening: life‑threatening danger paired with Buggy's suffering.
And his prediction had proven correct.
…
Cracker, stunned by Shanks' surge of Conqueror's Haki, now stared at him with eyes full of jealousy and resentment.
"How could someone like you awaken Conqueror's Haki?" he growled, grinding his teeth, "You don't deserve it!"
No longer caring about Buggy, who was barely conscious from torture, Cracker commanded the biscuit soldiers to rush Shanks once more.
Roger tried to intervene, but Linlin held him firmly.
"Save that clown if you want," she sneered, "Give me Owen first!"
Roger's anger flashed.
"You stupid woman! I told you it wasn't us!"
By now, Shanks was nearly drained of strength. Surrounded and wounded, he roared, seemingly ready to unleash Conqueror's Haki again.
But his mastery was still too raw. His yell merely bolstered his spirit and caused nothing more.
At that moment, Xebec in the distance parted his lips slightly.
"Break."
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
Under Shanks' stunned gaze, the biscuit soldiers vibrated at a specific frequency, dense cracks racing across their forms. Before they could reach Shanks, every one of them disintegrated into fragments.
Shanks stared at the scattered crumbs at his feet, blinking in disbelief, wondering whether he had truly released Conqueror's Haki again. But this power felt far more extraordinary than anything he had ever unleashed.
Cracker's jaw dropped, his face frozen in shock.
Roger and Linlin, their battle paused, both turned their attention in the same direction.
High above, Xebec stood over Owen's limp body. With one hand gripped around Owen's head, he twisted.
Crack.
With a crisp break, Owen's head separated cleanly from his body.
Xebec tossed the severed head casually in his hand.
"We've been discovered," he said quietly, "I was going to watch the carnage for a bit longer."
The moment after, Owen's head darkened to pitch black, and shot forward like a cannonball…
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