As Elior finished speaking, a beautifully crafted katana made entirely of ice formed in his right hand.
"Shanks!"
Yasopp, standing beside the red-haired man, instinctively placed his hand on his gun. If Elior and his crew made a move, his side would obviously have to respond.
"Yasopp, don't act rashly" Shanks said, eyes locked onto Elior.
Kaido's group also turned to observe both crews, uncertain if a fight was about to erupt. Yet, a part of them clearly hoped it would.
"Hm?"
At that moment, Shanks noticed a dark crimson aura swirling around the blade of Elior's ice katana. That ominous energy transformed an otherwise ordinary weapon into something far more mysterious.
This was Elior's newly unlocked swordsmanship — integrated perfectly into his being, now manifesting as a unique path of the sword tailored solely to him.
"A swordsman…" Shanks recognized it at a glance. And not just any swordsman.
Behind Elior, Shiryu was visibly surprised. Even having witnessed Elior's swordsmanship before, he could now feel it — his presence was unmistakably stronger. The intensity was no illusion.
Was it just his imagination?
Shiryu was deeply unsettled.
An expert sees the essence.
Whoosh!
Elior's eyes narrowed as boundless sword aura surged through his ice katana and coursed through his body. In an instant, his entire presence became overwhelming—surrounded by waves of dark crimson energy. The pressure he exuded now was unmistakably that of a Great Swordsman.
Shiryu and the others instinctively stepped back.
"A Great Swordsman?" Shiryu murmured in shock. On the other side, even Shanks was taken aback. Further away, Gion, reacted the same.
Compared to the others, swordsmen could truly appreciate what they were witnessing.
Then Elior swung.
A massive crimson slash erupted from the blade, tearing through the air and the frozen ground in front of him. The violent roar of the slash screamed like a feral beast breaking its chains, ripping toward the horizon.
It was a display — a test of Elior's new power, but also a warning to the Red-Haired Pirates:
Don't mess with him.
He knew Shanks had a tendency to meddle.
Before their shocked eyes, the slash vanished into the distance. But the aftermath was clear — from three meters in front of Elior, a massive rift had torn through the ice, stretching far beyond visibility.
It was as though an entire section of the sea had been cleaved open.
It might have reached several kilometers into the ocean.
And in Elior's hand, the ice katana shattered — unable to withstand the immense power it had just unleashed.
"Looks like I need a real blade… one of the Supreme Grade Meito" Elior muttered, glancing at the remains of his broken sword.
"What terrifying swordsmanship…" Shanks was stunned. "To think, besides that mysterious ice-based ability, he's also a powerful swordsman!"
"A Great Swordsman?" Shiryu echoed, once again confirming what he felt. Elior's swordsmanship had undeniably grown stronger.
Could it be that the battle with Kaido had refined it?
Or was the captain hiding his true strength all along?
Was swordsmanship his trump card?
Shiryu was flooded with speculation. The other crew members were just as overwhelmed.
Elior had once again left them all in awe.
But Elior wasn't merely showing off. He wanted to test this new power — and make sure the Red-Haired Pirates got the message.
Maybe even Kaido, too.
After all, Kaido likely had trauma when it came to swordsmen—his only known scar had been inflicted by Oden, a swordsman of legend.
"Shanks… when the time comes, stay out of it" Elior said coldly, giving him a long look.
He had no doubt that this man would head to Marineford.
But no matter what, Elior and Shanks were never going to be allies.
Just as he wasn't allied with any of the other Yonko.
Shanks said nothing. Finally, Elior turned and walked away, Bullet and the others following behind.
As he did, Bullet glanced back at Shanks — what that look meant, Shanks couldn't say. But it certainly wasn't friendly.
"This era… there's no stopping it now."
"With the Whitebeard incident, and now Elior… what will the world look like a month from now?" Shanks had no answer. But it wasn't going to be good.
A single young man, with power on par with the strongest pirates—he had defeated Kaido. His strength now ruled this sea.
The New World.
"Shanks… some things can't be stopped, no matter how strong we are…" Ben Beckman said quietly, knowing Shanks too well.
"Shanks, what the hell are you doing here?" Kaido finally spoke up, challenging him.
"You should worry about recovering, Kaido."
"If you're planning to stop Whitebeard, though… then I'll gladly meet you head-on" Shanks replied at last, unsheathing the sword at his waist. Beckman and the others mirrored him — guns and swords drawn.
"You—Shanks!" Kaido roared, but the strain was too much—he coughed up another torrent of blood.
"Kaido-sama!"
"Kaido-sama!"
...
Elsewhere, a Den Den Mushi rang once again. Sengoku hesitated but finally answered the call.
There were many reports coming in—most of them bad. A deep unease had begun to settle in Sengoku's heart.
"Sengoku, it's me — Tokikake"
"Vice Admiral Chaton!"
Sengoku perked up, a rare flicker of excitement on his face.
The three Admirals seated nearby took note—it had been days since they'd seen him look anything but grim.