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Vaguely guessing the red-haired pirate's motive, Sakazuki suddenly devised a plan.
"Has Kizaru arrived?"
After receiving a positive response, Sakazuki thought for a moment.
"You and Bon Clay should head there slowly and show your presence first. Stall the red-haired pirates as much as possible.
I'll fly over and should arrive just a few minutes after you!"
"Hibari, supervise Bon Clay carefully. I'll leave the rest to you!"
With that, he immediately hung up the phone.
However, Sakazuki made another call. He exchanged a few brief words with the other party and then hung up.
After finishing, Sakazuki stood up from his seat, straightened his military uniform, and prepared himself.
What lies ahead is a fierce battle!
Enel, who was sitting opposite him, had heard everything clearly. He stopped eating his meat, picked up an apple, and bit into it. Holding his golden staff, his expression turned excited.
"The Red-Haired Pirates? Are they the same ones you mentioned, led by the strongest of the Four Emperors?"
"Yes! Are you ready? No time to waste. Let's set off at full speed!"
"I'll take you to witness another pinnacle of this world!"
Without further discussion, the two boarded the Ark Maxim positioned above the warship.
Enel infused it with his full power of thunder and lightning.
The spacecraft disappeared into the sky at an astonishing speed.
Only Sakazuki's shout echoed behind them:
"Doberman, proceed directly to the Sabaody Islands! The red-haired pirates are coming!"
Doberman, who had just exited the warship's command room, could no longer see Sakazuki's shadow.
All he saw was a black dot vanishing on the horizon.
Shaking his head, Doberman bent down to pick up an unburned cigar lying on the ground.
Looking regretful, he was about to put it in his mouth, but he caught sight of the peculiar expressions on the soldiers' faces around him.
Doberman coughed twice to mask his embarrassment, then reluctantly threw the cigar into the sea.
With a fierce expression, he growled, "That brat is getting bolder! He's so arrogant, he doesn't even respect the Marines!"
Doberman, looking resolute, ordered his men to move forward at full speed.
Sabaody Islands, Marine Base
The red-haired pirates had surrounded the entrance to the base.
Lieutenant General Stainless stood facing Shanks, his face covered in cold sweat.
"Marine! Is it really proper to humiliate an old man like this?"
Shanks glanced at Rayleigh's body, hanging lifelessly on the wall beside the base gate.
hen he glared at Lieutenant General Stainless with a grim expression.
"Red-Hair! This isn't our decision. It's an order from Fleet Admiral Sakazuki!"
Lieutenant General Stainless quickly shifted the blame to Sakazuki without hesitation.
Sakazuki had previously instructed them to hang Rayleigh's body outside the gate, intending to use the death of the Roger pirates' vice-captain to intimidate the pirates.
The effect was undeniable—there had been noticeably fewer pirates around the Sabaody Islands in recent days.
But this came at a price: the wrath of one of the Four Emperors.
Hearing Sakazuki's name again, Shanks's expression darkened even further.
He gestured for his crew member, Lonz, to retrieve Rayleigh's body.
It must be said that the physical resilience of the world's strongest pirates is remarkable. Even after several days, Rayleigh's body showed no signs of decomposition.
As Lonz went to take down Rayleigh's body, Lieutenant General Stainless hesitated to speak but ultimately dared not stop him.
"The body is yours now. Will you leave?"
Stainless mustered some courage to ask, though it was clear from Shanks's demeanor that he had no intention of leaving peacefully.
"It's not that simple! You've humiliated a man I deeply respected. Be prepared to pay the price with your lives!"
In an instant, Shanks unsheathed his sword, Gryphon, and pointed it toward the Marines.
Even Roger had destroyed an entire nation's army when his crew was disrespected.
As Roger's successor, Shanks had every intention of upholding that legacy today by completely annihilating the Marine base.
"Wait! Wait!"
Lieutenant General Stainless felt an overwhelming sense of dread as he tried to plead further.
But Shanks had no patience for further discussion.
He raised Gryphon, the supreme-grade sword, and casually swung it.
A ten-meter-long, dark-red slash of sword energy erupted from the blade, surging directly toward the Marine base.
It seemed as though the attack would obliterate the base and everyone within it.
"Ouch~! That's scary!"
A golden light flashed, and a sly voice echoed in the air.
"Murakumogiri!"
Kizaru appeared out of nowhere, standing in front of the Marine base.
In his hand, he condensed photons into a blade of light, effortlessly deflecting Shanks's sword slash.
"Admiral Kizaru!"
Lieutenant General Stainless's eyes widened with relief, his voice trembling as he exclaimed.
He was saved.
But before Stainless could celebrate, another voice interrupted.
"Kizaru! Don't move!"
Ben Beckman stood a short distance away, his flintlock gun aimed steadily at Kizaru.
"Ouch~."
Kizaru pouted as he slowly raised his hands, glancing sideways toward the red-haired crew's famed lieutenant.
"Kizaru! Do you really want to challenge the entire Red-Haired Pirates?"
Shanks's deep and commanding voice sent chills through the Marines, as though the Red-Haired Pirates were an invincible force.
"Under Fleet Admiral Sakazuki's orders, we can't let you act recklessly!"
Kizaru replied with his usual drawl, his tone both casual and firm.
In the distance, Ben Beckman didn't wait for a response. His eyes narrowed, and he pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The seastone bullet, infused with advanced armament haki, sped toward Kizaru at a sharp angle.
Bang!
The bullet struck Kizaru's upper body, blasting it apart.
For a moment, only Kizaru's lower half remained. The Marines behind him panicked.
"Admiral Kizaru!"
Yet no blood flowed from the disintegrated upper half of his body.
Just as confusion spread, Kizaru's familiar voice rang out again.
"Beckman, have you ever been kicked at the speed of light?"
At some point, Kizaru's lower body had transformed into countless particles of light.
In the blink of an eye, his full figure reappeared directly in front of Beckman.
Kizaru delivered a swift kick aimed at Beckman's head.
But Beckman was ready. He raised the butt of his gun, blocking the attack.
Before Kizaru could land another strike, a loud whoosh pierced the air.
Another bullet, equally powerful, exploded against Kizaru's body.
"Kizaru! You can't take us on alone!"
Yasopp's voice echoed from a distance, his laughter mocking the admiral.
Kizaru's figure reappeared in the sky, fully intact once more.
"What a terrifying group of individuals~," Kizaru muttered, almost in amusement.
As he finished speaking, countless dazzling light bullets erupted from his hands, raining down on Shanks and his crew.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
The name of the move was spoken calmly, yet its destructive intent was clear.
While Beckman, Yasopp , and Lucky Roux managed to fend off the attack, Lonz, carrying Rayleigh's body, narrowly avoided the barrage.
However, many of the lesser members of the Red-Haired Pirates weren't so lucky, their screams filling the air.
Watching his comrades suffer under Kizaru's large-scale attack, Shanks's anger boiled over.
His expression, already darkened by the sight of Rayleigh's desecrated body, turned even more ominous.
It was like the calm before a devastating storm.
"HAVE YOU HAD ENOUGH?!"
Shanks's voice wasn't loud, but its weight carried through the air.
It made people tremble inside!
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Check out advance chapters over here:
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