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

Chapter 212 Conqueror's Haki Awakened

As he walked toward the Red Fosse, Shazo nonchalantly swatted away sniper bullet after sniper bullet.

It wasn't that he was worried about the bullets hitting him, but rather that his uniform would be torn.

After firing his third shot, Yasopp put away his sniper rifle and took out a pistol for close-quarters combat.

He couldn't harm Xia Zuo, but he recognized Xia Zuo's appearance, so he reminded him, "Captain, that navy officer isn't Admiral Aokiji, or even a general."

Raziru noticed the ice around him was no longer approaching, so he stopped breathing fire. He wondered curiously, "Not Admiral Aokiji? Then who could it be? Could it be another admiral in disguise?"

Then, under the watchful eyes of his companions, he slapped himself in the face: "My mistake, no great general can disguise himself as someone else."

Shanks stood up, sheathed his sword Griffin, and said with a smile, "You guys wait here, I'll go fight him one-on-one."

Beckman asked, "Are you sure we don't need to gang up on them?"

"If we delay for too long, we might attract the attention of a real big shot."

Shanks said, "Beckman, haven't you noticed that this guy has so many and varied abilities, and his physical strength is ridiculously high, making him perfect for chaotic battles?"

Ben Beckman was taken aback, then realized what he had done and apologized to Shanks, saying, "I'm sorry, Captain, it was my oversight."

Shanks said dismissively, "It's alright, it's not your fault."

"This is the first time I've encountered a monster that can't be attacked in groups. If the captain hadn't told me about his past experiences, I probably wouldn't have made this connection."

"Beckman, you take charge of getting the Red Fosse a little further away so it won't get caught in the crossfire."

Beckman asked hesitantly, "Captain, you can't fly, and you're a terrible swimmer—how are you going to get back after you're done?"

Shanks seemed to have been hit where it hurt. His face flushed red as he shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? I'm Red-Haired Shanks, the fourth Pirate Emperor, the strongest pirate! How could my swimming skills be bad?"

Under the disdain of his three companions, Shanks' feigned anger vanished, and he chuckled, "Alright, I know my swimming skills are a bit lacking, but I learned a sword technique from Hawkeye that allows me to use a log as a boat and use the recoil from the sword energy to move forward quickly, enough to catch up with the Red Fox."

The members of the Red-Haired Pirates remembered the handsome and serious First Swordsman, and how he always paddled alone in his canoe across the sea, so they believed their captain's words.

With its sails unfurled, the Red Fowles, guided by its navigator, sped off into the distance.

Red-haired Shanks adjusted his straw hat and chuckled, "Alright, let me see just who you are, this Marine."

He slung his sword over his shoulder and walked in the direction Xia Zuo had come from.

As Shanks and Shazam approached, their Conqueror's Haki intensified, and the red lightning bolts became increasingly dense, striking Shazam's body frequently.

Once, twice, three times, finally Shazam's Conqueror's Haki was activated, pushing Shanks' Conqueror's Haki away and creating a powerful standoff.

Shanks became even more curious. The Navy is an army controlled by the World Government, and only one of its members is known to possess Conqueror's Haki, namely the current Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

Garp, a naval hero, is suspected of possessing this quality, while the three admirals Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru do not have this "qualification for a king."

The reason for this is that the Navy is a disciplined force, which is often suppressed by the World Government and the Five Elders, and is frequently forced to serve as lackeys for the Celestial Dragons.

In particular, the primary duty of the three admirals is to protect the Celestial Dragons when they are threatened. This kind of task, which treats the admirals as watchdogs, will inevitably wear down the will of the strong and diminish their potential to become kings.

Even Dragon of the Revolutionary Army only awakened his terrifying Conqueror's Haki after he defected from the Navy and established the Revolutionary Army to stand on his own.

In short, those who possess Conqueror's Haki are born to be kings, not dogs.

Because of his Conqueror's Haki, the Warring States Master endured countless suspicious glances from the Five Elders.

It's really interesting that a strange lieutenant colonel now possesses Conqueror's Haki.

Perhaps this powerful naval officer won't stay in the navy for long, and another powerful emperor or first mate will emerge among the pirates.

Thinking this way, Shanks felt even better.

As a member of the pirates, he naturally wanted to see the pirates' power grow further, so that his power as the pirate emperor could be further enhanced.

The two soon met in the center of the ice field. Without exchanging any words, they immediately brandished their weapons.

[Divine Avoidance] VS [Summer Eight Cuts]

This time, Shanks had ample time to prepare, and his Conqueror's Haki filled the surrounding environment, bringing the power of [God's Evasion] to its limit.

Xia Zuo had also prepared to maximize his strength in advance. His wildly slashing longsword was in line with the sword principles of the "Nine Swords of Dugu". His posture was extremely ugly, but the power of his sword moves was enormous.

The result of the clash between the two attacks was a complete victory for [Divine Evasion].

Shaza's defeat was to be expected. After all, he was not good at swordsmanship. To compete with the real great swordsman Shanks was to use his weakness against his opponent's strength.

Secondly, the Dugu Nine Swords are known for their skill, and they cannot be used to their fullest potential in a battle where powerful sword energy is unleashed.

In the end, the difference in their weapons was too great. After only three exchanges, Shaza's weapon was reduced to fragments and was knocked away by Shanks' sword.

Shanks won the sword duel, but a great unease welled up inside him.

He shouted, "What's wrong with your body? Why weren't you injured after being hit by my [Divine Evasion]?"

Xia Zuo was furious and tore his tattered shirt to shreds, revealing his strong physique.

He pointed to the red knife mark on his abdomen and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? You've slashed me like this, and you still say I'm not injured?"

Shanks frowned as he looked at the bright red wound that resembled a burn. "Don't joke around. That strike I just delivered was enough to destroy a fleet, yet it only caused you a superficial wound that didn't even break the skin. How dare you say you're injured?"

Xia Zuo sneered, "Why don't you give me Griffin and let me try cutting you with all my might?"

Shanks laughed and said, "That won't do. My body isn't as strong as yours. I'd die if you cut me."

"By the way, my curiosity is about to explode! Who exactly are you?"

Xia Zuo clenched his fists, black Armament Haki covering them and quickly spreading to his entire arm.

He shouted, "Red-Haired Shanks, remember my name! I am Shaza, the officer in charge of the 77th Marine Division!"

He then charged at Shanks with a punch, while Shanks' Armament Haki enveloped his sword, Griffin. The black sword and the black fist collided, and a fierce battle ensued.

Boom! Boom! Boom—!

Above the vast ice field, rumbling thunder echoed, and red and golden lightning silently attacked and canceled each other out.

This is a clash between two types of Conqueror's Haki: the red one belongs to Shanks, while the gold one belongs to Navy Vice Commander Shazam.

Shanks's red Conqueror's color comes from his pride in his bloodline and his admiration for the captain.

Xia Zuo's golden Conqueror's Haki comes from the great will of Xia Zuo, who led thousands of troops and carried the fate of the nation, and also from the grand ambition of Xia Zuo, who carried the future of mankind.

It must be said that Xia Zuo's potential for Conqueror's Haki is even stronger.

Under Shanks' all-out pressure, he grew rapidly in a short period of time and was even able to fight Shanks to a standstill.

However, the battle using Conqueror's Haki was silent; the muffled thunderous sounds came from the collision of Shanks's sword and Shazam's fist.

Each muffled roar represented a fierce battle between the two, the aftershocks spreading in a ring, tearing the ice field into shards the size of washbasins.

The shockwaves originated from the center of the ice sheet, tearing apart the ice and reaching the sea surface, causing a major low tide.

An unprecedentedly large depression appeared on the entire sea surface, as if a terrifying wind pressure had compressed the sea surface into the shape of a bowl.

As the battle continued, Xia Zuo not only refined his mastery of his own power, but also gained a deeper understanding of the Six Powers of the Navy.

This is also something that Xia Zuo finds deeply puzzling.

Shanks' fighting style is practically a carbon copy of Gol D. Roger from One Piece.

However, a closer look reveals that Shanks' background actually has a strong naval influence.

This doesn't mean Shanks is using the distinctive Six Styles of the Navy, but rather that his power generation methods and combat decision-making habits felt familiar to Xia Zuo, who had experienced the training team.

These ingrained fighting habits are the hardest to break, and sometimes even the hardest to detect.

If it weren't for the many Xia Zuos standing behind Xia Zuo, sharing with him a massive amount of combat experience in their memories, he wouldn't have been able to feel familiarity even from the most basic movements.

The battle lasted for ten minutes. Shanks had the upper hand and firmly controlled the rhythm of the battle, but he just couldn't defeat Shaza in one fell swoop, or even break away from the battle.

Shanks was firmly entangled, while Shaza's strength increased wildly during the battle.

Meanwhile, Xia Zuo's proficiency with the Six Styles of the Navy was constantly improving, and he even quickly developed his own way of applying the Six Styles.

【Storm Kick - Machine Gun Kick Technique】

Xia Zuo braced himself with his left foot, while his right foot transformed into a blur, unleashing a barrage of vacuum slashes.

Then he switched his feet repeatedly, unleashing a continuous barrage of kicks, forming the "Prince's Battle Technique" that converged wildly in one place, creating an overwhelming wave of slashes that instantly engulfed Shanks' figure wielding his longsword.

The black longsword easily shattered the vacuum slash. Amidst the dense, crisp sound of metal clashing, Shanks lifted Griffin and reassembled his red Conqueror's Haki, unleashing a sword strike with unwavering determination against the relentless vacuum slash.

The red [Divine Evasion] deflected countless vacuum slashes, accurately hitting Xia Zuo, who was attacking with all his might, causing him to stumble and almost fall to the ground.

On Xia Zuo's huge wound on his waist and abdomen, another bright red scar appeared, and the two scars formed an "X" shape.

This time, Xia Zuo was in a state of excitement. He didn't scream. Instead, he touched his wound and shouted, "A painless attack that can't even break my skin."

"Shanks, can't you be serious? Act like a real pirate and risk your life for one more time!"

""

Xia Zuo shouted excitedly and stirred up an extremely cold wind to reinforce the ice field beneath his feet, so as not to lose the stage for this battle.

As the cold air continued to gather, the abundant moisture on the sea surface turned into a blizzard, raging across the entire ice field and obscuring the view between them.

Kizaru Borsalino flew high in the sky, looking down at the vast ice field and howling blizzard below, completely unable to understand what was happening.

He was completely bewildered: "That's terrifying. Could it be that Aokiji is faster than me and arrived ahead of time to intercept Shanks?"

Borsalino took out a colorful video phone snail and dialed the Admiral's number.

The moment the call connected, the Fleet Admiral's calm voice came through: "Kizaru, have you arrived?"

Borsalino said with a wry smile, "Marshal, I've arrived, but something's not right."

-

The Warring States period scholar asked, "What exactly happened?"

Kizaru stroked his chin and concluded, "Simply put, Shanks is still fighting, while the sea has been frozen into an ice field."

"So I need to ask if Aokiji arrived here beforehand and intercepted the Red-Haired Pirates who were trying to leave?"

Sengoku categorically rejected Borsalino's guess: "That's impossible. Aokiji is right here in my office, resting with his beloved eye patch on."

Borsalino exclaimed in surprise, "If it's not Aokiji, then who could it be?"

"Does our navy have another Devil Fruit user capable of freezing the sea?"

At this moment, Aokiji, who had been using the excuse of being too tired from traveling to take a break in the Fleet Admiral's office, sat up and said, "There are many people in the Navy who can use freezing or frost abilities, but they certainly can't freeze the ocean into an ice field."

"Kizaru, can I see what the battle is like?"

Borsalino nodded and said, "Of course, I'll film it and send it to you right away."

"Oh! How terrifying! Their battle is getting more and more intense."

Kizaru kept saying "How scary!" but while holding the video phone, Snail kept lowering its height, trying to get a clearer picture.

At this moment, many high-ranking naval officers gathered in Sengoku's office to watch the sudden outbreak of battle.