The other Battle Maids around Blake were still a bit inferior compared to Mandy and Koala.
Although Hancock possessed Conqueror's Haki, her level of development was not as profound as that of Shanks and Teach.
Furthermore, she had only just reached adulthood. Even though Blake had been using some ability cards on her recently, Hancock's abilities in all aspects had yet to reach their peak.
Relying on the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, if she were to face Shanks or Teach, she could hold her own for a short time.
However, using the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was extremely stamina-intensive, and she likely wouldn't be able to hold out for very long.
Kalifa's situation was similar. Even though her Magma-Magma Fruit had already awakened, she was an extremely specialized fighter.
If she really were to fight the two of them, the most she could do was rely on elementalization to hold out a little longer than Hancock.
Needless to say, Marigold and Alpha were even further behind.
Their innate talent wasn't particularly high, and Blake had invested fewer ability cards in them compared to their sister, so trying to challenge Shanks and Teach was still too much of a stretch.
Just as the women were either watching with keen interest or offering their critiques, the battle between Shanks and Teach became increasingly intense.
The collision of their two Conqueror's Haki caused the clouds in the sky to begin swirling.
Shanks's slashes sliced through the air, while Teach's fists shattered the earth; every collision between the two made the entire island tremble.
The image projected by the visual den den mushi flickered slightly.
Even though the intelligence agent was very far from Thersfield, the collision of their Conqueror's Haki and the aftermath of the battle still affected the operation of the visual den den mushi.
However, this slight fluctuation did not in the least affect the immersive experience for Blake and the Battle Maids as they watched the battle.
On the screen, Shanks's griffin and Teach's fists collided violently once again.
This time, before the deafening roar had completely dissipated, a teeth-grinding sound of rock tearing came from deep within the island.
The force generated by the collision of pure Haki penetrated the surface, and the crack on the pier began to spread rapidly toward the interior of the island.
Not only were the Maids watching with eyes shining, but the members of the Red Hair Pirates who had retreated to the distance were also getting excited.
"I didn't expect that Black Fatty could actually fight the Captain to this extent?!"
Hongou let out a sincere exclamation: "He truly is worthy of being a member of the Whitebeard Pirates."
Yasopp leaned against a rock and laughed: "The Captain's swordsmanship has improved quite a bit!"
"At this rate of destruction, the west coast of Thersfield will need a new map in ten minutes."
It was evident that although the battle was currently at a stalemate, the members of the Red Hair Pirates were not in the least bit worried about Shanks. Lucky Roux had even brought over a barrel of booze from somewhere, and they were all raising their glasses while watching the battle.
They all had strong confidence in Shanks and didn't think for a moment that Black Fatty Teach would be a match for their Captain.
Shanks swung his sword again, the sword energy piercing through the clouds, as if the entire sky had been split in two by this single strike.
"Ze-hahaha..."
Teach was still laughing wildly, throwing out his fists alternately. Each punch left a visible shockwave in the air, with explosive, deafening sounds continuing incessantly.
The two figures crossed paths again, and a dull roar came from deep within the island—this crack had already pierced through the entire Thersfield island.
The intelligence agent's hands were trembling slightly as he operated the visual den den mushi.
He felt a wave of lingering fear.
Fortunately, he was a rational person and knew very well that a battle of this level was not something a small fry like him was qualified to participate in.
Look, if he had stayed on the island trying to snatch food from the tiger's mouth, who knows where his ashes would have been scattered by now.
"Hold it steady!" Blake reprimanded him with dissatisfaction. Why couldn't this kid handle a little praise?
The intelligence agent hurriedly steadied his mind and took a few deep breaths: "No problem! Boss!"
The screen returned to calm, and when the dust slowly settled, the onlookers finally saw the scene at the center of the battlefield.
Shanks stood holding his sword, his short Red Hair flying in the wind.
Teach stood opposite him, his chest heaving violently, his eyes burning with a rare fighting spirit.
Blake was quite surprised by this. In Teach's judgment, was the priority of the sing-sing fruit really that high?
Based on his understanding of Teach, this guy was not the type who liked to fight against strong opponents of the same level.
In the original work, whether facing Aokiji or Akainu, or even facing weaker opponents, he would avoid fighting if he could.
If he absolutely had to fight, he would find a moment when he had an absolute advantage, just like during the Marineford War.
Teach was a true pirate; ruthless, yet unwilling to take unnecessary risks.
His mindset was somewhat similar to Blake's—"Ninety percent chance? How is that any different from throwing your life away?"
Only when it came to betting everything, when the winner takes all, would Teach truly show his spirit of daring to risk everything and truly burst with fighting intent.
But now, why could the sing-sing fruit, a Devil Fruit that didn't seem too special in Blake's eyes, make Teach burst with such fighting intent?
You have to realize that this guy, leading the entire Blackbeard Pirates, would run away without a word when he saw Akainu.
The current situation was far more dangerous than that.
Even if the others hadn't made a move yet, he was facing the entire Red Hair Pirates alone.
The fact that Teach hadn't run yet meant that, in his view, the value of the sing-sing fruit was worth him taking this level of risk.
Blake was very puzzled by this; could this Devil Fruit have some miraculous effect he didn't know about?
Just as Blake was pondering these things, the situation on the field finally changed.
Shanks's griffin hung slightly low in his hand, but the tip of the blade was gathering a chilling light that made one's heart palpitate: "Let's decide this! Teach!"
"Divine Departure!"
When Shanks swung this sword, the color of the entire sky seemed to dim for an instant.
Where the blade passed, lightning formed by Conqueror's Haki crackled incessantly, and space itself seemed to show subtle distortions.
"Ze-hahaha... I was just thinking the same thing!"
"Come on! Red Hair!"
Facing this unavoidable strike, Teach brought his fingers together into a claw. The muscles of his entire arm were rapidly trembling to a visible degree, and the power of every single muscle fiber was compressed to his fingertips.
"Soul-Splitting Heart-Hunting Claw!"
Teach's five fingers tore through the air, and five shockwaves wreathed in Blake-red Haki lunged straight at Shanks like the fangs of a giant beast.
The two trajectories collided violently in mid-air!
Boom-rumble-rumble!
Explosive roars like that of a wild beast continued one after another.
Shanks's slash was incomparably sharp, but Teach's claw strike carried a sinister quality that devoured everything—it shattered at the moment of impact, yet transformed into countless tiny Blake-red streams of light, covering the entire battlefield like a rainstorm.
One! Two! Three!
Three of the most concentrated streams of light, like living vipers, precisely bypassed the blade of griffin and struck straight at Shanks's face!
Shanks's pupils constricted, and he quickly tilted his head to dodge, simultaneously condensing Armament Haki in an attempt to defend.
But those claw marks, capable of tearing the soul, ultimately slashed fiercely across his left eye.
Blood instantly gushed out, streaming down Shanks's cheek.
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