After the violent clash, both captains landed back on their respective ships.
However, Kaido's flagship had already been destroyed, forcing him to retreat onto King's ship instead.
"Hahaha! Sorry about that, Kaido—had to give you a little warm-up right at the start."
With an empty sleeve on his left side and a somewhat sloppy appearance, yet exuding overwhelming kingly presence—
"Red-Haired" Shanks!
"You bastard—!!!"
Kaido was furious.
He was always hot-tempered, but it was rare for him to be this enraged.
Losing one of his three fleets right at the start?
That was a humiliation.
—
High above, on the edge of the floating Flower Capital—
Xia Te raised an eyebrow as he watched.
"Isn't that the same move Whitebeard used to ambush Marineford? These two really think alike."
"That level of strategy… among the Red-Haired Pirates, only one man could've come up with it."
Law said in a low voice, resting his nodachi on his shoulder.
"Ben Beckman. Said to have the greatest brain on the seas, standing shoulder to shoulder with Shanks."
Shiryu added.
"They came up from underwater… which means our pincer attack with Kaido is useless now."
Xia Te chuckled.
Originally, they planned to sandwich the Red-Haired Pirates from both sides.
But instead—
Shanks used the same trick as Whitebeard.
A surprise attack from beneath the sea.
Now the battle had turned into a chaotic frontal clash.
"But Captain… you've still got a backup plan, right?"
Shiryu asked confidently.
"Heh… you're getting to know me well, Shiryu."
Xia Te smiled.
Then—
he raised his right hand and clenched his fist.
—
Suddenly—
the warship that had been sinking after Red-Haired's attack…
rose into the air.
Both Kaido and Shanks froze for a moment.
Before anyone could react—
the massive ship shot upward—
and then hurled itself straight toward the Red Force at point-blank range!
"What?!"
Even Shanks hadn't expected this.
Kaido, meanwhile, immediately understood—and grew even angrier.
"XIA TE, YOU BASTARD!!!"
He realized it instantly.
Xia Te must've secretly touched the ship earlier and placed it under his control.
Back in the Rocks Pirates days, Golden Lion Shiki used this exact trick countless times—
touch a ship unnoticed, wait until the enemy boarded…
then lift it into the sky and drop it.
Instant annihilation.
Kaido had been on guard against this the entire time.
Yet somehow—
he still got played.
—
Just as the ship was about to smash into the Red Force—
a figure flashed.
A rifle was drawn.
A bullet infused with a special form of Armament Haki was fired.
BOOM!!!
The shot obliterated the incoming ship mid-air—
its destructive power rivaling that of a great swordsman's slash.
"Advanced Armament—Ryuo!"
Xia Te's pupils shrank as he recognized the technique.
"Ryuo?"
Shiryu frowned.
"A specialized form of Armament Haki used in Wano. Instead of just coating the body, it flows outward—attacking the target internally."
Xia Te explained briefly.
Enel and Law, who hadn't even mastered basic Armament, felt a chill.
So there was an even higher level beyond normal Haki…
—
Xia Te's gaze shifted to the man who blocked his attack.
Ben Beckman.
So his mastery of Ryuo had reached this level…
"I thought that sneak attack would at least destroy their ship."
Xia Te smiled faintly.
"The so-called 'Iron Wall Pirates'… the Red-Haired crew lives up to the name."
Then—
his tone turned cold.
"Kill them."
—
In the next instant—
the Ark Maxim beneath their feet plummeted.
At about a hundred meters above the sea—
Weevil, Enel, and Shiryu leapt down.
Law remained behind in the Flower Capital—
to "hold the fort."
In reality—
he simply wasn't strong enough to join this level of battle.
—
"They're coming! The Xia Te Pirates!"
Beckman said coldly, rifle in hand.
"A bunch of rookies daring to challenge us? Not bad."
Yasopp laughed.
—
"Lion's Majesty: Sea Lion Earth Roll!"
Floating in the sky, Xia Te raised both hands.
The surrounding ocean surged upward—
forming massive lion-shaped waves of water, their jaws wide open as they roared toward the Red Force.
"Heh… still not as bold as someone who abandons his wife and child."
Xia Te sneered.
Then—
his hands dropped.
The sea lions roared—
and lunged to devour the Red-Haired Pirates' ship.
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