Chapter 25 Confrontation With Red Hair
East Blue, Windmill Village, Dusk
The afterglow of the sunset falls on the sea, the golden light shimmers, and the wheat waves roll.
The windmills turned as before, as peaceful and tranquil as before, as if they had never been touched by the world's war.
But at this moment, there was a suffocating sense of oppression in the wind, like the low roar before a storm.
——The tide is approaching quietly.
[Red Hair Pirates · Red Force]
The ship has docked, and the red skull flag flutters in the wind.
The red-haired people who had just returned from the tavern did not make any noise, but stood quietly on the beach of the harbor, looking at the junction of the sea and the sky in the distance.
Beckman stood still, his cigarette burning to the end, his brows slowly furrowed.
He squinted his eyes and looked:
"Here I come."
"That aura... is like the entire ocean forging its rage into a fist, coming for justice."
Shanks stood in the wind, his hands in his pockets, facing the wheat field.
His red hair fluttered in the evening breeze, and his expression was neither angry nor smiling, but it was unpredictable.
He suddenly spoke softly:
"Don't do it."
"Today is not the day for us to draw our swords."
He turned around and smiled lightly, but his eyes were filled with an indescribable solemnity:
"This sea—has a new owner."
"We... are just guests."
East Blue, Windmill Village Offshore, Warships
The night is dark and the sea is cold.
Breaking through the waves and slowly slowing down on the last leg of the route, the black iron ship was like a sea beast approaching its prey.
Rogge stood at the bow, his eyes sharp as a blade, his black cloak fluttering in the wind.
"arrive."
He spoke lightly, his eyes had already passed through the night fog and locked onto the distant coastline dyed red by the sunset.
Lei Te stood on the right, holding a brass knuckle in one hand, and whispered calmly:
"That's the redhead?"
"...You don't sound like you're drinking.
He grinned, but his face was full of fighting spirit.
Enel stood atop a tall mast, surrounded by lightning, squinting at the figures on the shore.
"Three people on the boat and four on the shore."
"Shanks, Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Rue, all there."
"…They're all waiting for us."
They watched from afar—
[Windmill Village Port and Beach]
Under the dim sky, the main force of the Red Hair Pirates stood quietly on the beach.
Shanks stood at the front, his red hair flying in the wind, his hands in his windbreaker pockets, his expression calm.
To his left was Beckman, cigarette still unsmoked, eyes sharp as an eagle;
On the right, Yasopp is carrying a sniper rifle on his shoulder, his eyes like an eagle;
A little further away, Laqi Lu held the meaty leg but didn't bite it. He just lowered his head and stared at the sand under his feet, uncharacteristically calm.
The four of them stood like rocks, with the waves slowly rising and falling behind them.
Shanks raised his head slightly, looked at the black warship on the sea in the distance, and raised the corner of his mouth slightly:
"…Here I come."
"Leit, Enel."
Rogge's voice was low and his tone was as cold as ice:
"Get off the boat."
Leiter nodded heavily and jumped off the deck.
Enel landed like lightning, his silver hair fluttering and lightning flashing across his palms and arms.
The three of them stood side by side, slowly stepped down the gangway, and walked towards the shore.
The entire Windmill Village sea area was like the boundary of a battlefield torn apart by two forces of heaven.
On one side is red-haired Shanks, on the other side is Marine Rogge!
Justice and freedom are about to clash head-on!
[Windmill Village Tavern]
At this moment, in the old tavern in the village.
The wooden door is slightly closed, the curtains are half rolled up, and the evening breeze blows gently on the wooden platform.
On the familiar bar counter, a small, old wooden box was placed alone, with the lid slightly loose, as if waiting for the call of fate.
The box body is covered with traces of time, but it emits a faint luster under the dim light.
It is silent, yet it seems to be calling out to a child.
At the bar, an excited childish figure jumped onto a high stool.
Eight-year-old Monkey D. Luffy, his grubby little hands clinging to the side of the box, curiously peeked in.
"Huh? What kind of weird fruit is this?"
He didn't think much about it, he just opened his mouth and bit it -
"Waaaaaah, this is so painful!!"
He stuck out his tongue, but had already swallowed the whole fruit.
The wooden box fell quietly to the ground, the lid was completely opened, empty as a mirror, and completely quiet.
The gears of fate mesh silently on this sea.
At this moment when the two kings are competing, a new [Legend] is quietly ignited!
And that boy—the name that will soon be remembered by the world—
He was chewing rubber with a painful look on his face.
"Wow... I'll never eat unfamiliar fruit again!!"
He didn't know that just a few kilometers away, two auras of "kings" were confronting each other on the shore!
————
Leiter was the first to step out from the harbor gravel, leaving behind a trail of heavy footprints as he headed straight for Lachi Lu.
"Are you the guy who gnaws on meat while fighting?"
He twirled his brass knuckles and grinned:
"Come on, let's try and see if your fat body can take my punch."
Laqi Lu bit off a large piece of meat, chewed it and said vaguely:
"I could eat a whole bison in one mouthful."
"But I'm never afraid of a head-on confrontation with Tietou."
He stuffed the meat into his pocket, licked his fingers, and drew his battle axe with a bang:
"...Just right, I'm full."
"Let's fight fists against axes and see who breaks bones first."
The aura between the two of them suddenly rose, gravel flew everywhere, and the air seemed to vibrate in advance due to the collision of power!
On the other side, Enel flashed and blocked Yasopp's way.
His silver hair was flying, lightning flashed at his fingertips, and his eyes were as sharp as a knife.
"The legendary sniper who never misses a shot?"
"My heart beat a few times, my pupils shrank slightly, and I exerted force with my index finger—"
"These are all clear in my mind."
Yasopp's eyes flashed, and he placed his rifle against his shoulder, aiming instantly.
"I don't need to look for a heartbeat."
"I only look at the aura and lock it in for a moment."
Enel grinned, his arms flashing with lightning:
"So, can you lock up Lei now?"
Bang--!
A loud thunder tore through the night sky, and the lightning and the cold gun collided at the same time.
The sand beneath Lachi Lu's feet crumbled, and Rhett's fighting spirit pressed down on him like a mountain.
The two sides have not yet fought, but the wind waves are already surging in the harbor!
...
The evening breeze died down, the clouds lowered, and the air felt heavy as if drowning.
Rogge walked slowly, his black cloak fluttering in the wind, his footsteps on the sand and gravel, each step like a falling hammer.
Five meters away, Shanks stopped.
He turned around and their eyes met.
Justice and freedom - at this moment, a silent confrontation!
Shanks's smile was inquiring, but unyielding. "Sakazuki's nephew... an executive of East Blue."
"Are you here for me or for this sea?"
Rogge's eyes were as cold as a blade, and his voice was calm but iron-hearted:
"You shouldn't have come."
"East Blue is the last pure land in the ocean."
"You're polluting more than just the land."
"And faith."
Shanks's expression was restrained and his tone was low:
"I just want to confirm whether this sea still has the power to protect 'freedom'."
Rogge's eyes were like cold stars in the night sky, and he said with absolute certainty:
"Freedom cannot be built on slaughter."
"You Pirates never bring romance, but loss of control and disaster."
Shanks's eyes were solemn as he spoke word by word:
"You are justice... I understand."
"But justice is too sharp, and sometimes it hurts more than sin."
The two men slowly pressed forward, their steps approaching like the sound of a drum.
The next moment——
boom!!!
Conqueror's Haki: Head-on Collision!
The air pressure dropped suddenly, and the sky and the earth lost their color!
The air seemed to be torn apart, and black thunder and red flames exploded and collided between the two, just like the confrontation between Uranus!
The wind is blowing violently!
The ground around exploded, the wooden planks at the port snapped, debris flew backwards, and a violent tide instantly rose on the sea!
"hiss...!!"
Rhett's pupils shrank suddenly, his feet slipped and he was pushed back three steps!
He raised his arms tightly to protect his face, cold sweat appearing on his forehead:
"This... is the King's Haki?!"
"…This oppressive feeling, like my soul being torn apart!!"
Lightning surrounded Enel, and at this moment his pupils suddenly shook!
"Is this a clash of wills!?"
His arms spasmed and his earlobes twitched continuously, as if his radar was out of control.
Lightning flashed uncontrollably around him, and he cursed under his breath:
"Damn it... How can this be the kind of aura a human can release!?"
Yasopp half-knelt, holding his gun at his shoulder, his expression unable to conceal his shock:
"He actually... awakened Conqueror's!?"
"It's still a Marine—and so young!?"
Laqi Lu gritted his teeth, flesh fell off, and cried out in shock:
"This guy's aura...is actually on par with the captain's!"
Beckman took a deep puff of his cigarette, his hands shaking uncontrollably:
"…Oh my god."
"There's actually a king in Marine..."
"Still so young... This is more than just trouble..."
Shanks retracted his foot, a meaningful smile appearing on the corner of his mouth:
"I thought East Blue was still gentle."
"It seems... I was wrong."
Rogge's black hair flew up, and he responded expressionlessly:
"If you don't retreat."
"This sea is only big enough for one person to stand."
The next second——
boom!!!
The gravel under the feet of the two men exploded inch by inch, and the aftermath of Haki swept across!