Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 294 The Failed Plan

In just a minute or two, all the women in the room had finished dressing, but their faces were rather grim, and one could vaguely see signs of anger.

Obviously, neither men nor women would feel comfortable being disturbed at this time.

"Alright, since these pirates are courting death, let's just do it! Let's wipe out all these bastards!"

Nami clenched her little fists and said angrily.

"Heh, I was originally planning to keep these guys around for a while longer to train them, but now it seems that being smashed to pieces by me is the best fate for these pirates!"

Hancock's gaze was icy, and her body was filled with murderous intent.

"They've come knocking on our door... Looks like I should stretch my legs a bit!"

Even Robin, who had been mostly just observing and hadn't really done anything, revealed a dark expression this time. Her aura fluctuated slowly, and her hands showed faint signs of diamond-like transformation.

It's worth noting that Robin hadn't really made a move in the previous battles. But with the Flower-Flower Fruit and Diamond Fruit complementing each other, this Devil Child is actually the most difficult one to deal with among all of them.

Aside from certain Logia-type Devil Fruit users, even the Four Emperors would find it difficult to resist a diamond arm that suddenly grows from their own body.

Because her abilities are so overpowered, the combat experience is terrible and it's not easy to gain combat experience, that's why Robin has never joined the battle.

In the silent palace, a red light suddenly flashed, the glow of Shanks' red hair shimmering in the moonlight.

"It's so deserted... I didn't expect there to be so few people..."

Shanks murmured something, then looked up at the center of the palace they were about to reach, and gently stroked the mirror.

"That's about enough. Let's release everyone in this central square!"

"Otherwise, if the mirror gets broken... I don't want to deal with those women alone!"

The mirror in his hand shimmered faintly, and after a moment the pattern on the mirror turned into a vortex, and a huge arm slowly stretched out from the mirror.

Just then, a diamond arm suddenly grew from Shanks' severed arm and smashed into the mirror with a crack, shattering the entire mirror into pieces.

With an angry scream, the massive arm was torn in two by sharp spatial fragments the instant the mirror shattered. With a thud, the huge, muscular arm, dripping with blood, fell to the ground. Its abundant life force caused the severed arm to struggle desperately, and the dragon scale tattoos on it seemed to come alive as they twisted.

"What happened... how could this happen?!"

Shanks' expression changed drastically, not only because he had been discovered by the enemy, but also because his Observation Haki, which allowed him to foresee the future, had not reacted at all. It was precisely because of his Observation Haki that Shanks was able to move freely throughout the palace complex without being discovered by anyone, but this time his Haki did not give him any feedback.

"Could it be... an ability to kill through observation?!"

Almost instantly, Shanks realized what was happening, and the door to the palace in the center of the palace complex was pushed open, and a group of women walked out.

"As expected... there was absolutely no warning; it really was an 'observation-kill' ability..."

Shanks felt a bitter taste in his mouth. The power derived from Conqueror's Haki, called "Observation Kill," had always been possessed only by Shanks on the entire sea. This time, he had finally met a second person with this ability.

Unfortunately, their first encounter was a shock, as Kaido of the Beasts was dealt a severe blow by Kaido's arm...

Moreover, Shanks was well aware that the so-called Observation Haki was not a panacea—in the end, Haki itself had no such thing as a counter; as long as one's Observation Haki was good enough, it could still counter Conqueror's Haki's Observation Haki.

The only reason why he could not predict the future or even use Observation Haki was that his opponent's Conqueror's Haki was so powerful in both quality and technique that it was almost unbelievable and completely overwhelmed him!

Shanks' gaze swept over the women who came out. Most of them were acquaintances, and the few who were different, such as Sugar, Marianne, and Robin, only made him glance at them before looking away.

Among these newly appeared unfamiliar women, there were naturally some with considerable strength, but none of them possessed an overwhelming aura that could crush him.

"So... it can only be that guy!"

Shanks looked seriously into the depths of the palace. With the sound of footsteps, a handsome young man in his twenties with black hair walked out of the palace.

The black-haired youth was none other than Uchiha Touyu. He raised his head, glanced at the red-haired man standing on the roof, and a cold smile appeared on his lips:

"Red-Haired Shanks, hmm, that must have been the power of the Mirror-Mirror Fruit! If I'm not mistaken, all three of you Yonko pirate crews are probably hiding in that mirror space."

"Tsk tsk tsk, that was close! Your scheme almost succeeded. If the elites of three pirate crews had appeared at the same time, it would have been a very troublesome situation!"

Shanks sighed and shrugged slightly:

"I don't see anything wrong with you, nor do I see any danger in you... The real danger is probably on our end!"

"Kaido is known as immortal. Apart from the scar he left on Oden's hand, he's never had a single wound on his body. Yet this time, he easily had an arm severed. I feel like my every move has been under your control!"

Uchiha Touyu remained calm and spoke indifferently, "It's not just a feeling; ever since you emerged from the mirror, your every move has indeed been under my control!"

"Ha...just as I expected..."

Shanks sighed, his wry smile deepening, but after taking a deep breath, he put it all behind him, and his wry smile turned into a hearty grin.

"Forget it... if the plan fails, we'll just have to resort to the most basic pirate method!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Shanks's famous sword Griffin drew an arc, unleashing a barrage of flying slashes that swept directly towards the crowd in the plaza!

As for Shanks himself, he pushed off with his feet and flew backwards—fighting was out of the question; with so many powerful opponents, Shanks simply couldn't win. He could only use his unique strengths as a pirate and make a quick getaway!

Just as his feet left the ground, two enormous diamond arms sprouted from the ground and gripped his legs. At the same time, diamond arms also sprouted from Shanks' body, locking all the joints in his body.

Shanks' expression changed, and his Haki erupted instantly, attempting to expel the Devil Fruit power, but it had no effect.

That's only natural. The Flower-Flower Fruit's ability to bloom, although it seems very abnormal, is not actually a physical modification. It merely summons flower-like limbs and organs within the field of vision. It is not a Devil Fruit ability that affects other people's bodies, so it cannot be negated by Haki.

Originally, this ability was extremely difficult to deal with, but due to Robin's own physical strength, it had little effect on strong opponents—it was like trying to tie up a rhinoceros or an elephant with a thin rope, which could be easily broken by the opponent. Moreover, the summoned limbs shared the same senses as Robin, which would only cause her pain.

Robin's abilities only truly improved after she obtained the Diamond Fruit. It was as if her original hemp rope was transformed into an incredibly strong alloy rope, capable of binding even a Tyrannosaurus Rex!

Unfortunately, Shanks is not a pirate known for his brute strength. Although he is one of the Four Emperors, his strength is not weak, but it is only just enough to meet the standard of a top-tier strongman. Faced with the diamond arm stuck in his joints, Shanks was unable to break free for a short time.

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave, Mr. Shanks!"

With a sly smile on her lips, Robin slowly twisted her arm. As her arm, which was attached to her body, began to exert force, Shanks could feel his joints groaning in pain.

However, the next moment, the flowing Armament Haki burst forth wildly from the direction where the human body could not exert force, and with a slight cracking sound, some fine cracks appeared on those diamond arms.

"Hmm... such a hard arm... thankfully, it can't be covered by Haki, otherwise even I probably wouldn't be able to break free!"

With his overwhelming power and physical strength, Shanks finally broke free from the suppression of those diamond arms amidst a series of cracking sounds and countless diamond fragments, though his expression was far from pleasant.

Because Shanks was already surrounded by a group of women, it took him several seconds and a lot of his Haki just to break free from their arms. If these women had made a move, the most powerful man on the sea would probably be dead.

Even now, Shanks hasn't figured out a way to counter the Flower Flower Fruit. If the opponent attacks again, he can only rely on his Haki to shatter those diamond arms. Not to mention how much Haki he would consume, just a few seconds of being unable to resist would be enough for the opponent to kick him around like a football.

"Looks like there's no escaping it..."

Shanks sighed, then rallied his spirits: "But getting my head won't be so easy!"

"Don't you dare try to take it from me, this guy's head is mine!"

Hancock, Shanks' old rival, stepped forward immediately, but was then met with mocking laughter:

"Hancock, you're not thinking of taking on Shanks one-on-one, are you?! Without my help, you can't beat him!"

"Nami, you brat..."

"Alright, stop arguing! Nami, Hancock, you two, attack together!"

Uchiha Touyu's voice slowly rang out. Although it wasn't loud, both Hancock and Nami immediately quieted down and turned to look at Shanks seriously.

Shanks narrowed his eyes—this was why they were using a decapitation tactic. As long as Uchiha Touyu was there, these powerful women with different personalities could be united as one.

But now is not the time to think about these things. In the next second, Nami casually waved her hand, and the lightning, which had been electromagnetically bound into the shape of a sword, struck straight at Shanks.

"Raging Lightning Blade!"

On the other side, Hancock didn't hesitate either, unleashing a pink light:

"Arrows of the Captives!"

"Gods, beware!!"

The fierce battle unfolded almost instantly, and the surrounding palaces were reduced to rubble in the fighting. The women watching retreated again and again, going hundreds of meters away before they could avoid the aftershocks.

"Tsk, if the fighting continues, the palace might be destroyed."

"Let me move some of these buildings aside!"

The peacock, holding the whip, spoke, and was just about to make his move when Uchiha Touyu said:

"Don't waste your time. The rest of the Four Emperors' pirate crews have already come out. I'm afraid these palaces won't be able to be saved today."

Although the mirror passage was broken and even severed Kaido's arm, there is more than one mirror serving as a passage here. As mentioned before, there are more than one mirror that was taken as spoils of war. It's just that that particular mirror was the closest to the center of the palace complex.

After Kaido lost his arm, all the pirates naturally realized that Shanks had definitely been discovered by Uchiha Tou.

Although these people were pirates, they knew the principle of "if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" (meaning that if one's lips are gone, one's teeth will be cold). Not to mention that the Red-Haired Pirates were also in the mirror space, so of course they couldn't let Shanks be surrounded and beaten up. They immediately found a new passage and ran out.

At the outermost edge of the palace complex, a vortex-like image flashed in a huge floor-to-ceiling mirror, and a moment later, Bemank was the first to emerge.

"Alright, it's safer outside now, everyone come out!"

As soon as Bemank finished speaking, a group of pirates emerged from the mirror one after another, with Kaido, who had lost an arm, bringing up the rear.

This strongest creature on land, sea, and air, although he had lost an arm, had stopped bleeding from his severed arm in such a short time, and the wound had even begun to scab over.

The combination of the powerful Oni race and the top-tier Mythical Zoan species creates a terrifying physique, which is vividly demonstrated in Kaido, no wonder he is called immortal.

However, immortality is ultimately just an exaggeration. Even though the wound showed signs of healing, the severed arm could not be regenerated. In a short period of time, this Yonko's strength was weakened by at least two levels.

Despite this, the eyes of this Yonko still burned like fire, and the pain from his wounds only fueled his desire for revenge and destruction.

(End of this chapter)