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Accompanied by the red-haired man's growl,
a majestic, overwhelming, and boundless aura burst from his body.
This presence was silent yet suffocating, like standing before an ancient, monstrous beast.
The Marines nearby felt an immediate sense of dizziness. Their consciousness blurred, and many of them collapsed instantly.
This was the effect of the Shanks's Conqueror's Haki, even when not directly targeting the ordinary Marines.
Centered on the shanks , the Haki manifested as a semi-circular shockwave.
It spread outward, and as it did, the light bullets still falling from the air exploded upon contact with the wave.
Smoke filled the air as a result.
Emerging slowly from the haze, the shanks gripped his sword, Griffin, with his head lowered slightly.
A gentle breeze swept through, lifting the edges of his red coat.
"Kizaru!"
"I'll fight with you!!!"
shanks suddenly raised his head and shouted.
Kizaru, startled, muttered in his usual sarcastic tone, "Be afraid, be afraid, be afraid."
Looking down with his characteristic smirk, Kizaru met the sharp, blazing gaze of the shanks .
For a moment, the air turned utterly still.
Neither of them moved.
As Kizaru weighed whether to back off, a soldier's loud cry broke the silence:
"Sakazuki is coming!!!"
Kizaru exhaled a visible sigh of relief. He clearly had no desire to battle the enraged red-haired man.
Facing someone like the red-haired Shanks, especially in peak condition, was both exhausting and perilous.
"Why risk my life?" Kizaru thought to himself.
The nearby Marines erupted in cheers, their spirits lifted. Sakazuki's reputation was legendary.
With him present, even the mighty Four Emperors wouldn't dare act recklessly.
Meanwhile, the red-haired pirates grew tense. Akainu was not someone to take lightly.
His Magma-Magma Fruit abilities were incredibly destructive and lethal.
Shanks himself narrowed his eyes, watching two figures approach from the shore.
Though he despised Sakazuki for his actions, Shanks couldn't deny that the man's strength was formidable—a genuine threat.
From the shore, Sakazuki and Hibari walked side by side, closing in on the scene.
Bon Clay, who was disguised as Sakazuki, felt his entire body trembling.
His legs were so weak that he could hardly walk.
Just moments ago, he had experienced the earth-shattering aura of the red-haired Shanks.
Bon Clay felt as though he might die from the sheer force of that momentum alone.
His instincts screamed for him to flee—flee far away from this terrifying battlefield!
Hibari noticed Bon Clay's fear and hesitation.
She stepped closer and spoke coldly, her voice low:
"Don't be nervous! Uncle Sakazuki will be here soon!"
"If you reveal your secret to me now, not only will you die, but your idol Ivankov and your hometown in the Kamabakka Kingdom will also be buried with you!"
Hearing Hibari's chilling threat, Bon Clay took a deep breath, struggling to calm his wildly beating heart.
He could not allow himself to become a sinner to his homeland!
The road leading to Shanks seemed both endlessly long and painfully short.
After what felt like an eternity, Bon Clay finally reached the front of the group.
Vice Admiral Doberman stepped forward and saluted.
"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki! Secretary Hibari!"
Bon Clay nodded indifferently, doing his best to maintain his facade.
Hibari shot Doberman a disdainful look, laced with a hint of murderous intent.
She had heard Uncle Sakazuki mention Doberman's questionable reputation before.
"Red Hair! What do you want to do?"
Bon Clay, still imitating Sakazuki's cold demeanor, addressed Shanks in a frigid tone.
Shanks, however, was puzzled.
He couldn't sense the usual burning aura of Sakazuki today, but his response was still hostile:
"Sakazuki! Mr. Rayleigh was killed by you! Why do you still insult his body like this?"
"The strong have dignity!"
"The strong cannot be humiliated!"
Had the real Sakazuki been present, he would surely have mocked this sentiment.
To him, pirates had no dignity. Their heads were worth only as much as the bounties placed on them.
Their greatest value lay in using their deaths to inspire fear, uphold Marine authority, and briefly maintain order.
Bon Clay, under Hibari's intense pressure, forced himself to meet Shanks' fiery gaze with a calm demeanor.
"A mere pirate!"
"He, Rayleigh, has no dignity. And neither do you, Red Hair!"
"Even if your captain Roger were resurrected right now, the Marines wouldn't grant any of you dignity!"
"Gol D.Roger's final words before his death ushered in this cursed era of pirates. He deceived the world with lies of countless treasures in Laugh Tale—it's absurd!"
"Does Roger have a Celestial Dragon father who sits on mountains of heavenly gold? Or did he hoard treasures himself?"
"His lies have only driven countless fools into piracy, plunging the world into chaos. How many lives have been lost, how many families shattered because of his words?!"
"Roger is the true villain behind this tragedy! And Silvers Rayleigh, as Roger's right-hand man, is his greatest accomplice!"
Bon Clay's voice grew more impassioned with every word, his righteous indignation swelling.
To those watching, it seemed as though he genuinely believed himself to be the Marine Fleet Admiral, condemning the evils of piracy.
Hearing his harsh criticism of Roger and Shanks, some of the nearby Marines were invigorated.
They clenched their fists, eager to clash with the red-haired pirates.
Hibari, standing beside Bon Clay, smirked ever so slightly.
She knew the delay was working. Sakazuki would arrive any moment now.
Kizaru, however, was perplexed.
"Why is Sakazuki talking so much today?" he thought.
"Usually, he'd just attack first and talk later. Did becoming Fleet Admiral turn him into a philosopher?"
Shanks, meanwhile, stiffened at Bon Clay's accusation that Roger had a Celestial Dragon father. His pupils trembled slightly, but he refrained from responding.
When "Sakazuki" continued his tirade, Shanks' patience snapped.
"Sakazuki! Stop talking nonsense!" he bellowed.
"Today, I will not only take Mr. Rayleigh's body but also bury every Marine on Sabaody with him! No one can stop me!"
A surge of tremendous momentum erupted from Shanks.
The atmosphere froze.
Everyone fell silent.
Bon Clay, overwhelmed by the force of Shanks' Haki, wobbled unsteadily on his feet.
Hibari's heart sank.
Shanks, standing nearby, noticed the fake Sakazuki's unusual condition.
"Could it be that he's injured after fighting Whitebeard, Aokiji, and Rayleigh back to back?" Shanks wondered.
The thought filled him with excitement. A sneer played at the corners of his mouth.
"While you're weak, I'll finish you!"
Raising Griffin, Shanks prepared to strike.
In Bon Clay's horrified eyes and Hibari's anxious gaze, Shanks' blade moved in for the attack.
Suddenly—
A dazzling bolt of lightning roared from the sky!
With the force of thunder, it shattered the power of Shanks' gathered sword aura.
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Check out advance chapters over here:
https://patreon.com/VerseVagabond