The royal capital of Dressrosa was already submerged in torrential rain and dragon flames, serving as the battlefield between Kuzan and Kaido.
Griffin skirted the edge of the battlefield without even a glance.
...
In the midst of the fight, Kuzan blocked the spiked club with his arms covered in ice crystals, his focus momentarily drawn to Griffin who flashed past.
In such an intensely high-level confrontation, even a split-second distraction could sway the outcome of the battle.
But Kaido didn't seize the opportunity to press his advantage, as he too was affected, even turning his head to look.
"Tsk… the more I look, the more alike they seem. If I didn't know that no two Devil Fruits are the same—"
"You've left an opening! Kaido!!"
Kuzan seized the moment to close in instantly, his Ice Fist crashing down toward Kaido's face!!
Boom——!!
...
Kaido straightened up, wiped the wound on his forehead, and grinned. "Heh, you're still far from matching Garp!"
"Who do you think you're going to hurt with such a weak punch!!"
Kaido discreetly wiped the blood from his palm onto the rope knot at his waist.
...
As soon as the words fell, Kuzan charged forward, swinging his fists and launching an even more ferocious assault.
Kaido parried while sneering, "You seem nervous. Afraid I'll go after that kid?"
"Haha, don't worry…"
"Clearly, you're the more interesting one, aren't you!! Kuzan!!"
Ice Fist and spiked club collided once more, the erupting Haki splitting the royal capital in two!!
——
——
Having confirmed the direction of the Eye Power reaction, Griffin transformed into a white wolf and continued his sprint.
Doll's location was far, at least a thousand miles away.
The White Wolf wasn't equipped with long-distance rapid navigation devices, and in human form, he couldn't sustain the energy consumption of Moonwalk over such a long distance.
To ensure he had enough combat strength upon arrival, Griffin had also brought Spring Rain with him.
If it weren't for Saint Miya's presence, he wouldn't have wasted those extra seconds putting on an act—he would've just had Kari toss it to him directly.
And because of Kari's unique mechanism…
In case he was outmatched, Griffin was prepared to summon Kari.
...
While racing forward, a voice called out from below.
"Hey! Uchiha Griffin! Who's fighting over there?"
Griffin followed the sound and looked ahead. The person who appeared made his pupils contract sharply.
It was Shanks!!
No… Shanks himself wasn't the issue…
The problem was that his panel hadn't reacted!
Just moments before, at this distance, the panel had provided information about the Celestial Dragons and their assassination difficulty, allowing him to know Saint Shangong was there even before hearing the voice.
Shortly after, Saint Miya appeared, and the Celestial Dragon Radar had also activated.
Saint Shangong's assassination difficulty was listed as Easy, one tier higher than the Very Easy rating for Shalria and the one from the Goa Kingdom.
He might be able to provide another extraction opportunity, which was why Griffin had Kari abandon intelligence gathering and instead go assassinate Shangong.
If he could draw suitable equipment, it would be the fastest way to boost his combat power.
...
Griffin's mind raced.
Situations like this weren't unheard of—the panel had no reaction to former Celestial Dragons like Doflamingo.
The only difference between Shanks now and the last time they met was his missing arm, so…
...
"If you come any closer, I'll take it as you launching an attack against us!!"
Shanks rested a hand on his sword hilt, watching Griffin rapidly approaching through the air, an excited smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Having been relegated to background material in newspapers for over half a year had grated on him for far too long. This time, he'd knock this guy flat and see who would make the front page!
...
No time to linger with him...
Griffin gritted his teeth in frustration, unwillingly conceding, "Move aside! I can't turn!!"
To maximize his speed, he'd employed Ice Release: Thousand League Sprint, a ninjutsu similar to Fire Release: Flame Fang Rush.
The difference lay in one utilizing explosive acceleration through flames, while this technique relied on swift gliding via ice.
If he tried to change direction now, he'd have to rebuild his momentum from scratch, forcing Allen to temporarily 'yield' with his words.
But...
The same words carry different meanings depending on the context and who speaks them.
Facing a fully transformed Zoan-type user charging ferociously toward them, it looked exactly like a premeditated attack!
...
"Hey, do any of you believe that 'can't turn' excuse?"
"Hahahaha! At least use a better lie when trying to deceive someone! It's obvious he's coming straight for you, Captain!"
"Yeah! This Marine rising star plans to use our captain as background material again!"
Click—
Gryphon left its scabbard, Haki radiating outwards.
With a smile playing on his lips, Shanks swung his blade fiercely: "Remember what you told me when I asked you to move aside during our first meeting?!"
"If I just let you pass without doing anything, where would that leave this captain's dignity?!"
...
"Divine Departure!"
The moment his deep voice cut through the blizzard, black-red lightning and invisible shockwaves erupted along the blade's path.
Terrifying Haki materialized like a crimson griffin spreading its wings, tearing through the swirling snow.
BOOM————!!!!
The sword energy collided head-on with the speeding white wolf. The massive body froze mid-air for an instant before plummeting like a broken kite, crashing heavily into the ground.
...
Shing—
Shanks sheathed his sword and slowly approached the crater where the white wolf had fallen.
"Dressrosa is one of the World Government's Member Nations, right? Shouldn't the Marines' priority be preventing their destruction? Or..."
Shanks gave a faint smile: "Fighting this pirate also counts as fulfilling your duties. No need to rush off."
Suddenly,
His smile vanished as he stopped and sharply gestured to his approaching crew: "Everyone scatter! Fall back!!"
Too late.
Crack—
A terrifying presence erupted violently, colder than the blizzard, more furious than thunder, spreading like a tsunami.
The dust from the impact scattered, forming a circular vacuum zone.
The air trembled, pulling rocks and wood splinters from the ground before violently hurling them away.
Thud—
The nearest ordinary members of the Red Hair Pirates lost focus in their eyes, their bodies going limp as they collapsed straight down.
Those slightly farther away clutched their chests, faces pale, staggering several steps before kneeling on the ground.
"How... how is this possible..."
"This is... Conqueror's Haki!!"
More and more people fell. Beckman and Yasopp immediately moved closer to Shanks, watching the figure slowly emerging from the crater.
Though clearly human in form, shrouded in that overwhelming Haki, the figure appeared unnaturally tall, like a terrifying beast emerging from the abyss, ready to devour its prey.
...
"You've got to be kidding... his Conqueror's Haki..." Beckman bit through the cigarette he'd been holding.
"Is no less than yours!!"
Whoosh————
As if in response, Conqueror's Haki erupted from Shanks' own body.
An intangible impact, yet like two planets colliding in the void, erupted with visible black lightning and crimson ripples.
The collision point emitted a low rumble, as if space itself were collapsing, with light refracting eerie shadows within it.
...
Under the gaze of the scarlet Sharingan, Shanks felt an indescribable, profound chill.
With one hand resting on his sword, his eyes sharp as blades showed not the slightest retreat.
"Has it not even been a year... To have grown to this extent already..."
"How about we take this elsewhere? Some of the crew haven't yet grown accustomed to the impact of Conqueror's Haki."
Thud—
Thud—
Griffin stepped out of the crater one step at a time, glancing down at the sword scar on his chest.
He did not advance further, leaving behind an icy glance over his shoulder before his body transformed into a wolf and he flew into the sky.
...
"Next time, I'll kill you."