April 1
"No way…" Shanks muttered in shock, his eyes fixed on the sky above. There, soaring through the clouds, was a flying pirate ship—its massive frame cutting through the air like it belonged there. It looked absurd… and yet, it looked cool.
"Should I shoot it down?" Yassopp asked, already aiming at the ship with deadly precision. Shanks immediately reached out and stopped him, his hand firmly pushing the weapon down.
"Of course not. You can't shoot something that cool down," Shanks said, giving Yassopp a seriously? kind of look.
Yassopp sighed and lowered his weapon, and yes, with Haki-coated bullets, he could've taken out the ship if needed. But even he had to admit—it was cool.
"Someone's jumping down," Benn said calmly, his eyes fixed on the sky as he took a drag from his cigarette. He remained composed, barely reacting—until he heard the person falling.
"Shanks! Get ready to give up Uta!" Kong laughed, his voice echoing through the sky as he fell from above.
Shanks and the others stared upward, eyes wide—almost bulging from their sockets. It wasn't just Kong's sudden arrival that shocked them. No, what truly stunned them was the overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki that came crashing down with him. The air itself seemed to bend under the pressure.
Kong landed on the waters in front of their ship, standing tall with a sword in hand. He looked at Shanks with a cocky grin, the sea barely rippling beneath his feet.
"Kong! You've grown!" Shanks shouted, rushing to the edge of the ship to get a better look at him.
But he wasn't alone—his crewmates were doing the same, and it turned into a brief scramble as they all pushed forward to see the source of the overwhelming Haki for themselves.
"I don't have long," Kong said, still smiling. "I need to meet up with Luffy before he gets himself into more trouble than he can handle…"
He raised his sword slightly, resting it on his shoulder. "So, what do you say—give up Uta?"
"…Sorry to tell you this, but Uta left the crew years ago," Shanks said, his tone calm. Kong froze mid-step, his Conqueror's Haki glitching for a brief moment from pure shock.
"But… but…" he stammered, eyes wide. He had come expecting to leave with a new crewmate, only to find himself empty-handed.
His mind stalled, caught between disbelief and frustration. That sight alone was enough to send Shanks and his crew into a fit of laughter. Their voices echoed across the sea as they doubled over in amusement, some wiping away tears.
Kong's face slowly darkened. "Shut up!" Kong snapped, but that only made them laugh harder.
He let out a long sigh of defeat. They hadn't changed at all—still the same as back then. Shaking his head, Kong jumped up onto the ship's deck, landing lightly as his eyes swept across the crew.
He took a moment to get a good look at all the faces, only to now, he was able to read their strength, and could tell how powerful they were…
"You guys are pretty strong," he said with a smile. "I thought you used to be some low-level pirates who struggled against a Sea King."
His words carried no malice, only genuine surprise as he quietly sensed the power each of them now held.
"Don't you have Luffy to go save?" Shanks asked, clearly trying to avoid a fight.
"Come on, just one blow," Kong said with a grin. Shanks' face immediately twisted into a look of disgust, clearly unimpressed by the request. But after a long moment, he sighed and reluctantly raised his hand, pointing toward an island in the distance.
Moments later, they stepped onto the island. There, the two stood opposite each other, the tension already building in the air. Shanks' crew remained on the ship, far from land, casually placing bets—not on whether Shanks would win, but on how well Kong could endure their captain's attack. Their faith in Shanks was absolute.
Kong extended his hand, and from his palm, a staff began to grow—formed entirely from his own body. It twisted and solidified with ease, the process smooth and natural.
Shanks' eyes narrowed slightly, taking note of the weapon… and the way Kong casually grabbed it, resting it across his shoulders like it weighed nothing.
"I thought you used the sword," Shanks said softly. His tone was quiet, but it carried weight—like the sight of the staff stirred something in him. It clearly meant more than just a weapon choice to him.
"Nah," Kong yelled, grinning wide. "The sword's for when I'm holding back… the staff is when I'm going all out!"
In that instant, his Conqueror's Haki exploded outward at full force. The impact was immediate—lightning surged around him, crackling wildly. The sand beneath their feet turned to glass wherever the energy passed, scorched and fused by the intensity.
Above, storm clouds formed in a matter of seconds, swirling violently as lightning rained down from the sky. The entire island seemed to tremble beneath the sheer pressure of his presence.
'What the…' Shanks thought, his eyes lifting to the sky.
Conqueror's Haki wasn't supposed to do this. It didn't have elemental properties. Other than splitting the heavens and creating black lightning, it had no business manipulating weather and creating lightning storms; all of that should've been impossible.
But Kong's Haki was different. He could feel it in his bones. It wasn't just strong—it was unnaturally stronger than the normal Haki the world knew.
BOOM.
In the next moment, Shanks released his own Haki. A wave of pressure erupted from him, so overwhelming that the storm clouds above shattered—blown apart in an instant.
It was a force so absolute that even Awakened Zoan users in full transformation would've been ripped from their forms just by standing too close. Trees exploded from being too close, the glass was destroyed, and the ship was knocked further away from the island as strong winds formed on the sea.
Kong tried to control his staff, but it vanished from his hand. He blinked in confusion—he couldn't even access his Devil Fruit powers. Something about Shanks' Haki was suppressing him, forcing him to fall back on a regular sword. Without hesitation, he gripped it tightly and infused it with all of his Haki, black and red lightning sparking violently around it.
He attempted to look into the future, but nothing. His vision was blocked. Somehow, Shanks was disrupting his future sight too.
"Ready?" Shanks asked, stepping forward with a light step, which somehow caused his conqueror haki to grow stronger.
Kong didn't answer. He charged, wasting no time, and launched his attack directly at Shanks.
"You've gotten strong…" Shanks said with a light smile—then vanished.
Kong's eyes shrank. He immediately reached out with his Observation Haki, trying to sense Shanks' location—but found nothing. Shanks was somehow canceling out his observation Haki, leaving him blind.
Relying on pure instinct, he swung his staff forward—just as Shanks reappeared mid-strike.
BOOM.
The clash lasted a fraction of a second before Kong was sent flying, his pupils turning white as blood erupted from his mouth.
His body was launched across the island like a cannonball, tearing through trees, boulders, and terrain alike—until Enel appeared in a flash of lightning, catching Kong just before his broken body could slam into another cliffside.
'A twin… I rejected that fate… yet I forced that fate upon them,' Shanks thought, his expression unreadable as he stared through his Observation Haki at Enel, still holding Kong.
Saying nothing, he turned and walked away. He returned to his ship in silence, eyes locked on the ground. The once-cheerful mood of the crew was gone—replaced by quiet understanding. None of them spoke. They all knew why Shanks looked so heavy-hearted.
"He's strong," Benn said softly, breaking the silence. "That blow Kong threw out… it should've been enough to one-shot someone like Big Mom."
And it was true. Kong had grown powerful—powerful enough to defeat a Yonko without even relying on his Devil Fruit. But before someone like Shanks… it wasn't enough. Not when Shanks wielded a Conqueror's Haki that rivaled even that of Joy Boy himself.
"Captain?" Enel called out, his voice tense as he hovered over Kong's battered form, trying to wake him. Thankfully, it didn't take long. Kong's eyes snapped open, though pain twisted across his face.
"Fuck… what a monster," Kong groaned, wincing as he sat up.
He couldn't understand it. He had been sure—absolutely sure—that he was the strongest. He was far beyond the version of himself that had fought Big Mom. By now, he could've one-shotted her without even needing his Devil Fruit.
And yet… with his Devil Fruit, with everything he had… Against Shanks? It hadn't mattered.
"He was able to outright nullify your Devil Fruit," Enel said, arms crossed, his voice steady. "Looks like with strong enough Conqueror's Haki, he didn't just cancel out Devil Fruits… he even canceled Haki itself."
Kong was quiet for a moment—then a slow grin began to spread across his face. Suddenly, Conqueror's Haki exploded off him like a tidal wave, cracking the ground beneath his feet and distorting the air around him.
"I WILL COME FOR MY REMATCH!" Kong roared, his voice echoing across the island, reaching toward the distant ship where Shanks had already returned.
Now, he had a new goal—one beyond strength. He needed to make his Haki so dominant that it could cancel out not only Devil Fruits… but Haki itself. To reach that level, and surpass it… But first, he had to go see Luffy.
So, they quickly boarded their ship, the crew moving with urgency as the sails caught the wind. From the deck of his own ship, Shanks stood silently, watching them disappear into the distance. A soft smile slowly formed on his face.
"He and Luffy would've stepped onto this path one way or another," Shanks said quietly. He was meant to follow in Roger's footsteps—to carry on what the Pirate King couldn't finish. That was the expectation laid before him.
But he had turned away from it. He wanted something else—freedom. And to him, freedom meant walking a path that was entirely his own.
The day Luffy ate the Devil Fruit… Shanks had wrestled with the decision himself. He had been torn—part of him wanted to eat it, to see what fate had in store for him. But in the end, someone else got to it first.
It was a weight off his shoulders… or at least, it should have been. It would've been perfect—if Luffy didn't have a twin. Twins with a bond so deep, so dangerous, it made everything far more complicated.
"The younger generation will surpass us," Benn said softly, as he stared into the distance. He could still feel it—Kong's Conqueror's Haki. Even after such a short clash… it had grown stronger, as if Kong had fought Shanks 100 times.
"Don't underestimate the younger generation," Shanks said softly, his gaze lingering on the horizon where Kong's ship had vanished. "They grow stronger with every new era…."
His tone held no bitterness—only a quiet respect, and perhaps a hint of concern for what was still to come.