Fukuda Kiyomu's battle experience and strength were already far beyond anyone else of this era.
Observation haki was indeed powerful, but sometimes, you just couldn't dodge—there wasn't always a way out.
And this strike was Fukuda Kiyomu's hidden move.
Even now, no one knew what Shanks' devil fruit ability really was. In fact, no one even knew if Shanks had eaten a devil fruit at all.
But because of Shanks' appearance, this world even gained the Devil Fruit power system. So the chance of Shanks eating a Devil Fruit was—one hundred percent!
Because Shanks never does anything he's not confident in. Everything he says, he can make happen.
"Bang!!"
A huge surge of seawater crashed straight into Shanks' face. The sheer force of the water alone made the air above it explode into ripples.
But for Shanks, this kind of attack strength didn't mean much at all.
What's truly terrifying about Shanks is his swordsmanship and Conqueror's Haki. And don't forget, this guy is from the Uzumaki clan, and he's the first person in this world to figure out the "Six Powers" on his own.
Shanks' strength isn't just in his swordsmanship and Haki. This body, which doesn't even look that muscular, can trade blows with Orochimaru directly.
Behind his powerful swordsmanship is Shanks' monstrous physical ability.
"Buzz!!"
The seawater exploded apart in an instant, and Shanks vanished from where he stood. A flash of red and black lightning streaked through the ripples.
Fukuda Kiyomu's pupils shrank. Shanks' speed… was too fast. He could only vaguely make out Shanks' figure—he couldn't even see his sword.
But.
"I don't need to see it clearly. I've been… waiting for you!"
White steam burst from Fukuda Kiyomu's right fist. Countless threads of energy formed from Sage Chakra connected with the ocean beneath him.
The next moment, he threw an ordinary punch, and the sea surface suddenly bulged upward.
That punch was anything but ordinary.
"Shanks, see for yourself… the power of the world's top Sage! Ordinary Conqueror's Haki can't take me down!!"
A heavy force pressed in. That punch made Shanks feel the ocean's counterattack, as if the strength of the whole sea was squeezing toward him.
But…
"Clang!!"
The red-and-black katana clashed with Fukuda Kiyomu's right fist. The shock from the impact blasted all the seawater off Shanks' body. The countless water droplets in the air proved that the strike… had indeed landed.
"So… the ocean really has no effect on you, huh?"
Feeling Shanks' terrifying strength, Fukuda Kiyomu wasn't surprised at all.
If Shanks had the power to shatter limits, then being able to ignore the Devil Fruit's weakness to the sea wasn't strange.
"Looks like you've got the wrong idea about me."
A smile appeared on Shanks' face. Fukuda Kiyomu's strike was indeed powerful.
But the next instant, countless black and red bolts of lightning shattered the bulging sea surface. Fukuda Kiyomu felt a massive force crash into him—a slash breaking through his Armament Haki.
Under the crushing power, Fukuda Kiyomu was forced back step by step by Shanks' blade.
With each step he took, Shanks' aura grew more terrifying, more overwhelming.
"Step!!"
Finally, Fukuda Kiyomu's foot touched the surface of the sea. He gritted his teeth, staring at Shanks. His own aura was still frightening, but this time, the once bone-chilling presence had been completely suppressed by Shanks.
"Shanks!!"
The sea dipped down under the force of Fukuda Kiyomu's roar, splitting the water apart. His power exploded again, his whole body's muscles coming alive.
And in that instant of explosive strength, Fukuda Kiyomu broke free of Shanks' suppression and kicked him back with one blow.
Shanks blocked with his left hand, but Fukuda Kiyomu's strength was monstrous—enough to even lift the waves themselves.
Shanks's body was sent flying back like a kite with its string cut, smashing through several waves in a row.
At the same time, an even stronger force came down from the sky.
Shanks stepped on the air, dodging Master Genichi's attack. The sea before and behind him vanished in an instant—you couldn't even tell when the strike had landed.
And in that moment, the massive will of the "Earthly Sage Kingdom" took shape in the sky, making Shanks feel a heavy weight pressing down on him.
His body, his mind… every part of him was locked in place. At the same time, Master Genichi and Fukuda Kiyomu were fully empowered.
The wound on Fukuda Kiyomu's back healed in that instant.
One stood in the sky, the other on the sea, facing off against Shanks.
It was only now that Shanks finally felt real pressure.
The power of top-tier sages was just that overwhelming.
Fukuda Kiyomu excelled in taijutsu, but that didn't mean he couldn't use other sage arts—and Master Genichi's sage arts were even stronger and stranger.
As for Master Genichi and Fukuda Kiyomu, watching Shanks's growing aura filled them with deep astonishment.
Because up to this point, Shanks still hadn't unleashed that certain power.
Yet even in his normal state, he had already forced both of them into such a tight spot.
"Shanks… if you came here to test us, then… it's about time you showed your true power."
Master Genichi didn't rush to attack, even though he was already in full combat mode.
But he had no confidence in killing Shanks. To be exact, at the moment, the only thing they could be sure of was not getting killed by him.
Shanks was here to see them, and they were here to see his power as well.
After seeing the state of the Earthly Sage Kingdom, Shanks understood enough.
He wasn't a sage, nor did he know many secret techniques, but when it came to understanding willpower, he was second to none.
And beyond that, his extraordinary intuition let him figure things out instantly. With just one glance, he could see what the Earthly Sage Kingdom was all about. As for whether he could copy it—
That was impossible.
"A test? You've got it wrong. I simply came to see you."
"But, since you want to witness my true strength, I can show you."
Shanks spoke with a serious tone—this was respect for strong opponents, respect for those standing before him.
Their plan was to challenge him while enduring the pressure of the New World. Honestly, no one else in the world had ever dared to do that.
"But Divine Departure comes from my earliest swordsmanship. It was the key to cutting away my instincts and becoming what you call a reverse sage."
"You must know about the will of the world—the stronger it is, the stronger I become once I cut through that pressure."
"So…"
Shanks's gaze sharpened, and black-and-red ripples burst from his pupils.
From the New World… the true Conqueror's Haki!!
Even with countless dragon veins erupting, his Conqueror's Haki still remained.
Under the overwhelming will of the world, he could still hold it steady—and at this moment, it burst forth.
From just a single glance, the ripples shattered the four black Truth-Seeking Orbs behind Master Genichi into pieces.
This terrifying Conqueror's Haki was beyond anything Master Genichi and Fukuda Kiyomu had expected. And this… was only the beginning.
"Divine Departure!!"
In the next instant, a blast of Conqueror's Haki came crashing in, carrying a strike that could cut past the world's limits.
The moment those words appeared, the sky filled with countless bolts of Inazuma, and time itself seemed to freeze.
The will of the Earthly Sage Kingdom began to gather at incredible speed. Master Genichi didn't even look at the shattered Truth-Seeking Orbs behind him.
The power of the Earthly Sage Kingdom descended upon Master Genichi and Fukuda Kiyomu, lifting them on the spot.
Under that terrifying force, the Earthly Sage Kingdom's power surged wildly. The cost was already being transferred through the kingdom to somewhere else entirely.
The aura around Master Genichi shot upward, breaking through step after step until his physical strength reached its very peak.
In that moment, it was as if Master Genichi had lost his own will.
Or rather, his personal will had risen to the same level as the will of the world itself.
Breaking through countless barriers, Master Genichi caught a glimpse of power beyond the very limits of the world with this strike.
Fukuda Kiyomu felt the same.
His strength seemed endless, and though his body was that of a sage, it carried the aura of the dragon veins.
On the sea below, Fukuda Kiyomu moved, and in the sky above, Master Genichi moved as well.
Neither of them showed the slightest hesitation as they charged straight toward that blade of light.
A hundred kilometers away, all the sages stared toward the battlefield in fear, the natural energy in their bodies bursting out of control.
The Marines stationed on the islands, along with the "pirates" who had been brought under control, also looked toward the battlefield in shock.
Across that hundred kilometers—
Whether it was Marines empowered by the Earthly Sage Kingdom's power or the "pirates" who had been absorbed into their ranks—everyone could feel it.
A few of the stronger "pirates" were trembling all over, gripping their katanas tightly, their eyes locked in that direction.
"It's… that man. He's making his move!!"
"Yeah… and it's different. This feeling… is completely different."
"..."
These pirates looked down at the katanas in their hands. In the crowd, they all spotted one another.
They weren't like the Marines. They had always been pirates from the start. The only reason they were here was because most of them had been "tricked" by the sages.
Aside from the sages of the Earthly Sage Kingdom, some other sages wanted to enjoy the power of the New World's dragon veins, so they disguised themselves as pirates.
And that's how they ended up in this place.
But from start to finish, they had always been pirates.
Of course, they weren't the only ones who could feel this strike.
On the other side of the Red Line, within the Golden Lion Pirates—
"What? You're saying our main base just suddenly flew off into the sky and disappeared??"
"No way! That's impossible!!"
Jigen roared in anger. That base had been his biggest advantage in defeating Shanks, and now he was being told it had just flown away for no reason?
But just as Jigen was about to teach this clumsy pirate a lesson, the aura coming from the horizon caught his attention.
He dropped the pirate to the ground, gripped his katana with his right hand, and then closed his eyes.
As he felt that terrifying presence, a smile spread across Jigen's face, his grin stretching wider and wider.
"Heh…"
"Hahaha!!! Hahahaha!!"
"Is it finally about to start?"
"Doesn't matter. This time, I'll show Shanks my power. Even without that thing, I can still make Shanks submit."
"If the land of the New World is red, then let the sky of the New World turn gold.
Shanks, it's been a long wait!!"
The golden Armament Haki spread without restraint, covering the clouds in the sky, and nearly a hundred ships flew toward the battlefield.
Jigen held nothing back. At this moment, almost the entire sky was bathed in gold.
That's just how he was—if he wanted to impress Shanks, he never thought about being subtle.
Four Emperors? Totally unnecessary.
In the New World, as long as he, the Golden Lion, and Shanks were present, that was enough!
At this moment, the last powerful force officially entered the scene.
Yet on the battlefield itself, the fight between the two sides wasn't as intense as it looked.
Shanks's "Divine Departure" was blocked.
The razor-sharp blade was stopped by Fukuda Kiyomu and Master Genichi together. Their aura, once towering and overwhelming, sharply dropped and almost disappeared.
Master Genichi's forehead even bled from the eye there, but the two of them still managed to block the attack.
Shanks himself also bore countless wounds, caused by the suppression of the Earthly Sage Kingdom's power.
Blood ran down his forehead and dripped to the ground.
On Shanks's right arm, a bloody hole appeared as a dark Zen staff pierced through his hand.
After the red-black blade strike, Shanks looked at the two in front of him.
"Looks like you succeeded. Truly a legend… Master Genichi!"
"But that's not enough to kill me!"
After Shanks finished speaking, a figure slowly collapsed.
A slash appeared across Fukuda Kiyomu's chest.
The wound couldn't be sealed. His Senjutsu chakra surged to try to heal it, but it was useless.
The world's strongest naturally gifted Sage body had fallen.
As Fukuda Kiyomu collapsed, his body aged rapidly. His muscles vanished, and his hair and beard withered.
Master Genichi quickly withdrew from the battlefield, panic on his face as he carried Fukuda Kiyomu back.
He looked at Shanks in the distance. Shanks had already turned and left.
"If it had been the old him versus you, I might not have been this relaxed… but he's weaker now."
Shanks's voice reached him. Master Genichi looked up at the now-solid Earthly Sage Kingdom in the sky. A scar remained there, unerasable, etched into the surface.
Looking at his fallen friend, Master Genichi once again doubted himself. Had he lived up to everyone?
But Fukuda Kiyomu in front of him… he had never been worthy of him.
"Was I wrong?"
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