However, the crises of the ocean never recede because of momentary praise.
Just when everyone thought the Lord of the Coast would retreat, a sudden change occurred!
The massive black shadow that sank into the water did not move away; instead, it entrenched itself in the shallow sea area, its cold vertical pupils peering through the rippling seawater, locked firmly onto the crowd on the shore—especially the Red Hair man.
The beast’s instinct made it realize that this human, whose aura seemed peaceful, was the most dangerous existence among this group of “little ones,” and the frustration of the prey escaping just now, mixed with the continuous stimulation of the smell of blood, completely ignited its primitive ferocity.
Splash—!!!
The sea surface exploded again!
The massive body of the Lord of the Coast suddenly lunged out with a rapid speed inconsistent with its size; this time, instead of pouncing and biting, it whipped its long neck toward the shore like a giant python!
Its target pointed straight at Shanks, who was standing at the very front and had just sheathed his sword!
That wide-open bloody mouth covered a radius of several meters, its bone-white sharp teeth shimmering with cold light under the moonlight and the village lights, and the fishy wind instantly enveloped the entire beach!
Too fast!
Too close!
“Captain!” Beckman’s warning and gunfire rang out almost simultaneously, bullets accurately shooting towards the eyeball of the Lord of the Coast, only to be bounced away by the thick eyelids, splashing only a streak of sparks.
Shanks’s pupils contracted slightly; he could dodge, and with his strength, evading easily was not a difficult task, and he even had more than one method to instantly severely wound or even kill this beast.
But at this very instant, a thought flashed across his mind like lightning, cold and clear.
His gaze instinctively swept over his naturally drooping left arm; beneath the cuff, a dark red old mark resembling a branding iron burn could be vaguely seen—that was not a scar, but a trace of a “contract” left from many years ago with special significance, a reminder, and also a shackle.
The giant mouth biting down wildly before his eyes produced an eerie overlap with a vague prophetic fragment in his memory concerning the “price” and the “new era.”
(Perhaps…
is this an opportunity?)
An opportunity to test fate, and also an opportunity…
to cut off certain intangible shackles?
Deep within Shanks’s eyes flashed an imperceptible determination and inquiry; his right foot, which was originally prepared to step back, paused for a very subtle half-beat, keeping his center of gravity in a state that looked like “imbalance.”
His right hand holding the sword remained relaxed, with no intention of drawing the sword, instead lifting that left hand bearing the mark intentionally or unintentionally to his front—a position that looked like a hasty block, but in reality exposed his arm to the very forefront of the sharp teeth.
He wanted to see.
To see if this overlord of the East Blue could really leave something behind.
To see how that little girl, who had just demonstrated astonishing potential, would react the moment she witnessed her “protector” about to be injured.
To see where fate…
would eventually head.
All these thoughts were merely a flash in reality.
“Shanks!!!” Makino’s scream pierced the air.
Supported by Makino, Luna had just stepped onto the beach and had not walked more than a few steps.
She was frowning slightly due to the pain in her flank, while reviewing the previous battle, pondering how to adapt to seawater faster and develop more effective tactics against large creatures.
The system prompts flickered at the corner of her eye, recording the growth of new skills.
Then, she saw that terrifying giant mouth swallowing toward Shanks, and Shanks…
actually seemed to react half a beat slower, raising his left hand?!
Time seemed to be stretched out.
Luna’s breathing stopped abruptly.
The brain that was still excited by the battle and sobered by the pain a second ago was instantly submerged by a more primitive and violent emotion.
That was not fear, nor worry, but a kind of…
completely ignited anger!
She didn’t want to owe a favor.
She had said before that she didn’t like owing favors.
Higuma spilling milk was a small matter, but Shanks’s protection in the bar, the helping sword strike on the sea just now, and that silent expectation and trust…
all of these were favors.
And now, this Red Hair man who had given her a Devil Fruit (though she stole and ate it), taught her things, and looked at her with that complex gaze, was actually going to lose an arm in front of her because of a mere sea beast?!
“What a joke!!!”
A power originating from the depths of her soul, dormant for a long time, exploded roarfully in a corner she hadn’t even noticed herself!
That was not the power of the Rubber Fruit, nor the ability bestowed by the system, but the innate aptitude belonging to a “king” as the existence of “Monkey D.
Luffy” herself!
“Get lost—!!!”
A childish yet indescribably majestic and angry roar erupted from Luna’s mouth!
No warning, no buildup.
Centered on her, an intangible and qualityless yet seemingly substantial terrifying aura suddenly spread out like a tsunami!
The air instantly became viscous and heavy, the fine sand on the beach vibrated and leaped out of thin air, and the approaching waves seemed to be pressed down by an invisible giant hand, abruptly calming their ripples!
Bearing the brunt were Makino and several villagers close at hand.
They felt their brains go “buzz,” as if struck by a heavy hammer, their vision darkened, their legs turned soft, and they collapsed unconscious directly to the ground without a sound.
Closely following were some ordinary members of the Red Hair Pirates.
Although battle-hardened, under the impact of this sudden aura filled with anger and absolute oppressive force, they also felt chest tightness and shortness of breath, turned pale, and had to grit their teeth to stabilize their figures, their eyes filled with horror.
And the one bearing the vast majority of the impact of this aura head-on was precisely the Lord of the Coast!
That giant mouth about to close, filled with sharp teeth, stiffened abruptly less than half a meter away from Shanks’s arm!
In the cold vertical pupils of the Lord of the Coast, for the first time, an emotion other than hunger and rage appeared—that was the most instinctive fear originating from the crushing of life levels!
From that small figure, it felt an incomprehensible and irresistible majesty, as if what it was facing was not a human toddler, but the primeval king of predators entrenched in the deepest part of the deep sea!
Its simple brain could not process this information, but its biological survival instinct shrieked wildly: Escape!
Escape immediately!
“Woo—!!!”
The Lord of the Coast let out a whimper, nearly a wail, completely different from its previous ferocious roar.
It forcibly twisted its body, desperately shrank back into the sea, its huge tail flailed in panic, splashing water all over the sky, and fled in panic toward the deep sea without looking back, disappearing beneath the dark sea surface within a few breaths, leaving behind only gradually spreading ripples and a dead silent beach.
Conqueror’s Haki!
And it was of extraordinary strength and purity, awakened and bursting forth in a five-year-old child due to extreme anger and the will to protect!
The only ones left on the shore who could remain awake were a few top executives like Shanks, Beckman, Yasopp, and Lucky Roux.
Looking at the little girl standing proudly on the beach, her black hair fluttering without wind, with dark red electric arcs seemingly flashing faintly in her eyes, the shock on their faces was beyond measure.
Shanks slowly lowered his raised left hand, the old mark under his sleeve faintly burning hot.
His gaze locked tightly onto Luna, the inquiry and expectation in those eyes having turned into a surging wave.
He had guessed she had potential, but he hadn’t expected this potential to bloom so early, so brilliantly, and so…
domineeringly!
“Haoshoku…
huh.”
Shanks murmured in a low voice, but the corners of his mouth slowly curled up into an incomparably carefree, incomparably gratified smile that even carried a hint of madness, “As expected…
it’s you.”
It seemed to be drawn by Luna’s aggressive and angry Conqueror’s Haki, or perhaps stirred by this moment where fate intersected.
Inside Shanks, his kingly aptitude, which had long reached the pinnacle and could be freely retracted and released, also could not help but burst forth roarfully!
It was not targeted at anyone, but more like a response, a resonance, a cheer and sharpening for the birth of the king of the new era!
Boom—!!!
More vast, more condensed, and like substantial dark red Conqueror’s Haki than Luna’s Haki soared into the sky from Shanks!
Without anger, it contained supreme majesty and spirit forged through countless life-and-death trials, conquering the Grand Line, and standing at the position of the Four Emperors!
The clouds in the sky seemed to be stirred by this aura, and the moonlight dimmed for a fleeting instant.
Two streams of Conqueror’s Haki: one was a newborn calf, anger bursting forth, filled with infinite possibilities; the other was at the peak of perfection, majestic and heavy, symbolizing the peak of the old era.
These two powers, both representing “kings,” collided fiercely on the tranquil beach of Windmill Village!
There was no sound, yet it was more soul-shaking than any loud noise.
The air emitted an overburdened wail, and with the two of them as the center, the fine sand on the beach was pushed outward and sank layer by layer in a ring shape!
The sea surface further away was oppressed by this invisible collision to concave outward, forming a short-lived, eerie, smooth depressed area.
The executives of the Red Hair Pirates had to retreat once more, operating their own willpower to resist this dual oppression with all their might.
Looking at the two figures, one large and one small, in the center of the field, their eyes were filled with excitement and emotion.