"Well then, I guess I'll just have to test the power of Godfrey," Shanks said, setting down his mug of ale with a relaxed smile still on his face.
"Sorry to interrupt the party, guys. I'll be done quickly," Shanks added, turning to his crew, who burst into laughter.
"Go get 'em, Captain!" one of the crew shouted.
"We'll save your drink for you!" Yasop called out.
They weren't worried at all for their captain.
"Your Majesty, are you sure about this?" Godfrey's tense voice reached Augustus's ear, causing him to smile reassuringly.
"Don't worry, consider it a sparring match," Augustus said to Godfrey.
Seeing the confidence Augustus had in him, Godfrey felt foolish for his moment of doubt. Who was he? He was Godfrey, The First Elden Lord. How could he show such a weak side to his king?
Drawing himself up to his full height, Godfrey gripped his axe tightly and stepped away from the group, moving to stand in front of Shanks, who pulled out his sword.
Shanks looked at Godfrey with a curious glint in his eye. "Ready when you are, Godfrey."
Godfrey nodded, his earlier hesitation replaced by a steely determination. He wasn't just fighting for himself; he was fighting to show Augustus that the confidence he had in Godfrey was not a mistake.
The crew slowly gathered around, forming a loose circle, their eyes gleaming with excitement. Shanks and Godfrey faced each other, the tension in the air was palpable.
"Let's make this interesting," Shanks said, his voice calm but firm. "Let's not use any Haki, let us compete in simple raw power" Shanks said with a smile.
He was confident that if he used haki, Godfrey would not be able to stand a chance against him.
He was also interested in the technology proposed by Augustus, so he didn't want to completely embarrass Augustus by instantly crushing Godfrey, and that is why he proposed this.
Godfrey took a deep breath, then launched himself at Shanks with a powerful swing of his axe. The clash of steel against steel echoed through the clearing as their weapons met, the force of the impact sending a shockwave through the air.
Shanks's grin at this moment was immediately wiped away when he felt the unstoppable force hit his sword.
His arm went weak for but a moment as he felt the grip over his sword loosen.
the sword flying out of his grip becoming embedded into the ground a few meters away.
Silence immediately swept the relaxed redhead pirates, all their drunkenness vanishing almost immediately as they watched Godfrey with laser focus.
Shanks noticed his crew's seriousness, so he laughed out loud to dispel the tension. "Not bad," he said, walking to his sword and pulling it out of the ground. "You are powerful," Shanks admitted, his tone respectful.
He covered his sword with his unique Armament Haki.
"Let's have a real battle,", Shanks said with a grin as he launched towards Godfrey.
The two weapons meeting again and a even larger shockwave impact spreading.
Their weapons fought against each other as their bodies constantly moved, the large impact of shockwaves constantly spreading.
His crew, which had formed a loose circle, quickly retreated along with Augustus a large distance away.
Every clash of their weapons pushed Shanks back a bit, and he realized that just this would not be enough, so he mixed his conqueror's haki, yet even after that, he was only evenly matched in each blow.
By now, the ground was filled with spider web-like cracks, trees were shattered into hundreds of pieces and Rocks... Well, all the rocks in the vicinity of their battle had basically been grounded into dust.
The fight continued, each exchange more intense than the last. Godfrey's powerful strikes were met with Shanks' quick and precise counters, neither giving an inch. The crew watched in awe, their earlier laughter replaced by respectful silence.
Augustus observed the battle with a satisfied smile. This was exactly what Godfrey needed—to be reminded of his strength and to gain the respect of his new allies for this partnership to work.
As the duel raged on, it became clear that this was more than just a test of strength to Shanks. It was a meeting of equals, each pushing the other to their limits.
At this moment, Augustus knew that their kingdom had successfully gained a powerful ally along with the respect of one of the most powerful forces in the world.
Finally, after exchanging countless blows, Shanks stopped, his hands trembling a little due to the constant heavy impacts he had experienced; Godfrey's condition was no better, but due to Godfrey's quick regeneration, his condition quickly stabilized.
"How are you... so strong," Shanks said, looking at Godfrey.
The level of haki displayed by Godfrey was clear to Shanks. It was at most beginner levels, yet Godfrey could single-handedly have a real battle with him and not lose, which was something that left Shanks completely baffled and doubting his own strength.
Godfrey, on the other hand, felt completely refreshed, and his confidence was back again as he understood his own strength in this world much more clearly.
"So, Shanks what do you say?" Augustus said as he approached closer to the silent Shanks whose gaze alternated between Augustus and Godfrey for a while.
"I agree to Teach Godfrey the three types of haki," Shanks said looking at Augustusand Tony and then his eyes looked towards his crew "I'm sure you guys wouldn't mind if he had an ally as strong as Godfrey on our side, would you?" Shanks said the last part to his crew with a laugh, knowing their answer already.
And as he expected no one in his crew disagreed with him.
"Well then, let's celebrate this partnership", Shanks said as he took hsi mug of ale held by Yasop and raised it in the air.
The rest of the crew looked around for a few seconds before they raised their mug up in the air.
"To a Successful partnership," Shanks shouted as the party began again.
The atmosphere was relaxed, and booze flowed freely for a whole day before Augustus, Godfrey, and Tony finally managed to leave the Island and appeared back in the Glofield kingdom's training ground.