Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 211 The Red-Haired Man Who Foresaw the Future

The atmosphere on the Red Fosse was very cheerful.

First mate Ben Beckman complained, "I told you we couldn't go this way! Look, we've run into the Navy. How are we supposed to continue our secret infiltration?"

Captain Shanks laughed heartily: "So what if the secret infiltration failed? Does the East China Sea navy dare to interfere with us?"

Chef Lucky Roux picked up a large piece of leg meat, took a big bite of the tender and juicy meat, and said indistinctly, "Haha, we are the strongest pirates. If we are forced back by the Navy in the East Blue, we will become the laughing stock of the whole world."

Shanks reached out and grabbed the straw hat, laughing as he said, "Oh well, there's nothing we can do about it."

"We're here to find a new base of operations, and dealing with the navy is inevitable. Don't worry about them."

Yasopp seemed to have drunk too much. He raised the sniper rifle on his back and said indistinctly, "It's just, just one, one warship, or rather, a branch navy warship."

"Making them pretend they can't see us is too, too easy."

"All I need to do is shoot the naval officer in the head, and they'll run back like rats and make up a bunch of lies to cover up their commander's death."

As he spoke, the drunken Yasopp narrowed his eyes, activated his Armament Haki, which wrapped around the sniper rifle bullet, and then he pulled the trigger.

With a loud bang, a bullet imbued with Armament Haki flew out of the gun barrel and disappeared in the direction of the naval warship.

The captain and crew of the Red-Haired Pirates burst into laughter, completely disregarding the life and death of a naval officer, as if they were drunk and had casually urinated on an anthill.

Of course, for Shanks, his Observation Haki was enough to determine that Yasopp's target was not the head of the naval officer, but the main mast of the warship.

Since no one would die, he had no intention of interfering.

Anyway, the navy has plenty of money. They can easily repair a damaged mast, but a warship without a mast cannot track the Red Fosse.

Two seconds later, Yasopp exclaimed, "Strange, my bullet was actually blocked by that lieutenant colonel. He's really brave."

Shanks' Observation Haki couldn't extend that far, but he sensed something strange from Yasopp's words, so he put down the bottle and stood up.

Ben Beckman, a cautious and steady man, also sensed the strangeness of the situation and placed his hand on the pistol at his waist.

Yasopp shook his head and muttered, "Damn it, did I drink too much?"

"Try again, this time aim at that strange officer and go all out."

Yasopp unleashed his full power, raising his gun once more and firing a bullet several times more powerful.

Just as the bullet left the barrel, Shanks suddenly saw three overwhelming sword energies sweeping in, instantly slicing through Yasopp's bullet and splitting the Red Voss into four pieces.

The ship's officers all managed to evade the attack, but nearly half of the carefully selected elite crew members were killed or wounded.

More importantly, the Red-Haired Pirates lost their foothold and could only engage in long-range combat with the Navy, which was several kilometers away. Under the sword aura of that monstrous Navy Lieutenant Commander, they were completely on the defensive.

Because that monster can fly.

While Shanks' side didn't have any ability users who lost their fighting power upon encountering seawater, they also lacked the ability to fly, so they were completely helpless against him.

The next moment, the future Shanks saw through his Observation Haki dissipated. He drew his sword, Griffin, and used the figurehead as leverage to leap off, launching his attack, "Divine Evasion," first.

The Conqueror's Haki condensed into a red entity, wrapped around the longsword Griffin, and swept across the sea with a horizontal slash.

In that instant, Ben Beckman, Yasopp, and Lucky Roux all realized they were about to be in danger, while the captain, through his precognitive abilities, sensed it and preemptively launched a counterattack.

Just as Xia Zuo drew his adjutant's standard-issue sword, wrapped it with Haki, and prepared to attack, his Observation Haki detected a great danger.

But the attack, which was already halfway through, could not be interrupted. He could only pour all his strength into the longsword, channeling all his domineering aura into it, and slashed three times in succession towards the Red Fox.

Three massive sword energies were unleashed almost simultaneously, in sync with the red, domineering sword energy that was rushing towards them from the opposite side. The two clashed in the middle of the two warships.

Xia Zuo's three sword energies were completely defeated, and he was crushed by [Divine Evasion] without any chance to resist.

The power of [Divine Evasion] was reduced by more than half, but it still maintained its arc-shaped attack outline as it attacked the warship of the 77th Division.

Xia Zuo jumped off the warship, kneeling steadily on one knee on the sea surface, and placed his hand on the water. A tremendous force surged from his body, transforming into endless chill.

[Water Release: Ultimate Water Formation Wall]

【Ice Release: Ice Age】

Suddenly, huge waves surged up on the sea, blocking the naval warships like a ring wall.

Just as both sides were taking a big surprise, the waves surging up on the sea made a crisp "crackling" sound.

A terrifying chill emanated from Xia Zuo's palm, and the azure seawater instantly froze into solid white ice after being swept by the icy blue wind.

Starting from Xiazuo, a fan-shaped ice field appears on the sea.

In just two breaths, the sea froze into a crystal-clear white ice field, and icebergs replaced the waves, blocking the way in front of the red [Divine Avoidance].

From high above, one can see a crimson aura of domineering power sweeping across the vast ice plain, which resembles a half-open folding fan, towards the towering, crystal-clear ice wall at its center.

Rumble—!

Under the impact of the red Conqueror's Haki, the towering iceberg collapsed, and the impact of the iceberg debris broke the ice field, creating towering waves.

The iceberg was destroyed by the residual power of [Divine Repellency], but [Divine Repellency] itself was also completely exhausted by the iceberg, turning into shattered fragments, and after breaking several huge ice blocks, it disappeared completely.

Behind Xia Zuo, all his men lay prone on the side of the ship. They had no choice but to lie down because they were all too terrified to stand up.

Even the hidden intelligence officer from Naval Headquarters, Captain Mers, disguised as a naval lieutenant, was so frightened he almost wet his pants.

The frigatebird he had just released was almost knocked down by the collision of sword energy and the extreme cold air, and it struggled for several minutes before regaining a stable flight posture.

The branch naval personnel were indeed terrified, but the headquarters naval intelligence officers, who were hiding their identities, were not so vulnerable.

The reason why this de facto colonel lost his composure was because Shanks, after his hasty attack, unleashed his full Haki.

The Conqueror's Haki that condensed into red lightning was far more ferocious than the Haki that was hastily attached to the sword!

Under such terrifying pressure, the 77th branch of the navy did not faint, which shows how excellent the training Xia Zuo had given them during this period was.

Colonel Mers witnessed all of this, and he was utterly shocked.

A group of soldiers and officers at the lowest rank in the branch navy were able to maintain their will under the Conqueror's Haki of the Four Emperors Red-Haired Shanks. This quality has surpassed that of many lieutenant officers in the headquarters.

When did the 77th Naval Division become the most elite unit in the Navy?

The Navy was stunned by Shanks' Haki and basically lost its ability to fight, while the Red-Haired Pirates on the other side of the sea were also terrified, fearing the unknown.

Ben Beckman was shocked: "The frozen sea... it's Admiral Aokiji! The Admiral is here... is he lying in ambush on us?"

The smell of alcohol on Yasopp's breath dissipated instantly as he loaded the precious sniper bullets into the chamber, but he said solemnly, "The distance is too far. Aokiji could easily block my bullets with his bare hands."

Lachi Rue said, "How about I try to sail forward and find you a sniping spot on that iceberg?"

First mate Beckman stopped Lazio Ryu, saying, "We can't get close. If the Red Fosse is frozen at sea by Admiral Aokiji, we'll be in big trouble."

Red-haired Shanks rubbed his chin and said in confusion, "That's strange. I don't remember Admiral Aokiji having such powerful Haki. And although he is skilled in swordsmanship, he is definitely not at the level of a sword master."

"Those three sword energies just now were quite extraordinary; they were definitely not powerful sword techniques that an ordinary swordsman could unleash."

Ben Beckman asked, "Not Admiral Aokiji? Is there another Devil Fruit on the sea that can freeze it?"

Before he finished speaking, an endless cold wind swept across the sea once more, freezing the seawater into a white ice field with a pleasant "crackling" sound.

The edge of the ice field expanded rapidly, spreading quickly toward the Red Fosse at a speed far exceeding the maximum speed achievable by the warship.

Shanks pulled his straw hat over his head and stood up: "Such powerful frost power seems to belong only to Admiral Aokiji, the user of the Ice-Ice Fruit."

"Perhaps he's been diligently practicing his Haki lately?"

"Tsk, the ice field is expanding so fast. Our Red Voss has no chance of escaping. The Ice-Ice Fruit is such a troublesome ability."

The chubby Razi Lu laughed and said, "I'm definitely not as good as Aokiji, but at this distance, I'm confident I can withstand his freezing attack."

After speaking, Razi Ru opened his mouth and transformed the energy he had accumulated through food into flames, spewing out a blazing stream of fire that held back the spreading ice field.

Standing on the iceberg a few kilometers away, Xia Zuo looked at the flames in the distance and laughed loudly: "The pirate world is indeed filled with flames. Any capable guy will master a few fire-playing skills."

"No wonder everyone says: even dogs won't eat the Flaming Fruit!"

Then he turned to look behind him. The warship of the 77th Division had been lifted up by the ice field and placed on the frost rails. All it took was to activate the chocks to quickly rush several kilometers before sliding into the sea.

Once they re-enter the sea, their position will be beyond the range of Shanks' Conqueror's Haki. They will regain control of their bodies and be able to steer their warships away from the battlefield.

Xia Zuo laughed and said, "Are you ready? My dear subordinates, and my superior, Brigadier General."

Brigadier General Pudding Pudding tried his best to control his body and nodded as much as possible to indicate that he was ready.

This brigadier general is not young, and he has neglected his training. He also disregards Xia Zuo's training methods, so his performance at this moment is far inferior to that of his subordinates.

Xia Zuo's direct adjutant, Lieutenant Borg, was able to stand up while holding onto the railing and asked with concern, "Sir, what will you do if we leave?"

Xia Zuo replied, "Idiot, I can only use my ability to fly away safely once you're far away."

Lieutenant Borg slapped his forehead: "Oh, I forgot the sir can fly."

First mate, Lieutenant Commander Faye, was in better shape. He gripped the helm and gave Xia Zuo a thumbs-up, saying, "Commander Xia Zuo, we'll be waiting for you at the end of the slide."

Xia Zuo jumped over, drew the long sword from his waist, and said, "Don't stand there foolishly waiting for me. The farther you go, the safer I'll be, understand?"

His subordinates interpreted his words as words of comfort.

After all, that's the Four Emperors Red-Haired Shanks, along with the three top officers of the Red-Haired Pirates and an entire ship full of elite pirates. Even if the three admirals were here, they probably wouldn't be a match for the pirates.

Xia Zuo was fed up with his whining subordinates, so he stopped trying to persuade them, pulled the hull open, and the naval warship slowly started up, dragging the Musketeer away from the battlefield.

The warships and pirate ships sped up, and soon the annoying crying could no longer be heard. Xia Zuo finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look in the direction of Shanks.

He stepped off the ice and walked toward the blazing fire.

His actions immediately caught the eye of the sniper Yasopp, who raised his sniper rifle without hesitation and fired a powerful, domineering entanglement round at Xia Zuo.

Because it uses specially made sniper bullets, the sound of the gun firing is exceptionally long and has a strange penetrating quality, as if a small-caliber cannon is firing.

With the added power of the special sniper bullet, its speed was astonishing, and it arrived in front of Xia Zuo in the blink of an eye.

With the first mate's knife in his right hand, Xia Zuo used his left hand to swat away the powerful bullet as if swatting a fly.

As someone who grew up in the world of pirates, he can use various ninjutsu to transform his abilities and can also use powerful swordsmanship like a swordsman, but these are not his fundamental strengths.

Xia Zuo is most familiar with and best at his fists and feet, which are the domineering aura he has honed over the years and the physical strength of more than a dozen Xia Zuos.

Especially the Saiyan Shazam and the Saint Seiya Shazam, the physical training of these two is simply unbelievable. It took the pirate Shazam several months to barely digest it and present it in the pirate world.

Xia Zuo's current physical strength is such that he can completely withstand the most powerful firearm in the One Piece world with his muscles.