Chapter 240: Battle—Exhilarating!
"Brace for impact!"
Dalmatian had barely spoken before his body shot through the air like a fired bullet, slicing through the wind with a thunderous whoosh, and smashed into the family fortress wall.
Two hundred Marine giants quickly reacted, raising their massive shields to block the follow-up assault.
Boom.
Again, the same force erupted.
A violent blast, like a volcanic eruption mixed with the shockwave of Conqueror's Haki, detonated from the center.
The sheer force rattled flesh, bone, and soul, sending Marine giants flying.
The defensive formation they'd built was torn open by the waveburst.
Several of the weaker giants' eyes rolled back as they collapsed unconscious.
"Sorry for the delay, crew. You know how captains are—always the last to show up. I'm not late, am I?"
Shanks pressed down the brim of his straw hat.
With a gray-black cloak and eyes blindfolded by crossed cloth strips, he looked every bit the wandering swordsman.
Thunk.
A broken plank struck his head.
Even with seal talismans binding him and restricting his movement, Yasopp managed to lift that plank and chuck it.
"Didn't you see we were getting our asses kicked, Captain? And you're over here trying to look cool?"
"Come on, can't you let the captain have a little dignity?"
"Ugh, we just can't keep things serious."
Even though the situation was dire,
the moment felt absurdly comedic.
Or maybe—
the tense, hopeless atmosphere had lifted the moment Red-Haired Shanks appeared, turning it warm and lively again.
Beckman's lips curled into a slight smile.
This was the Red-Haired Pirates. This was Shanks.
He might not be revered like the other Yonko,
but every crew member regarded him with unwavering trust.
Even captured, blades to their throats—
once the captain arrived, everything would be fine.
Because they believed he could overcome anything.
"Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roo, Snake… everyone."
Ignoring the wary Marines ready to strike at any moment,
Shanks looked at his crew, face serious, and bowed deeply.
"I've long ignored my true will. Even knowing how important the Reincarnation Game was, I turned a blind eye, and now you've all suffered for it."
Every member of the Red-Haired Pirates was elite.
But as a whole, their power barely placed them in the second tier of players—because Shanks hadn't embraced the Game, and thus neither had they.
Thunk.
Another plank hit him—this time from Beckman.
"You idiot," he said, grimacing. "No emotional speeches. Article one of our adventure pact: no sappy crap. That includes the captain."
"Captain's entrance… ruined by cheap drama?"
The crew erupted in laughter.
And just like that, all of Shanks' carefully built emotions scattered. He chuckled and cursed,
"You bastards… laughing at your captain. Maybe I should've waited longer, let the Marines pummel you a bit more."
The joking passed.
Shanks turned to Dalmatian, who was climbing back up, and grinned.
"Vice Admiral Dalmatian, step aside. You're not my match."
Having changed class to Asura, Shanks hadn't yet reached the Tier-1 peak like Mihawk or Smoker.
But he was definitely top-tier.
"Red-Haired Shanks, you're the one who should surrender."
Dalmatian's tone was grim.
"Even if you've embraced the Game, it's too late. You think you can take on me and two hundred Marine giants?"
With the creation of the Marine Headquarters family and the family system's launch,
he had seen the end of the solo-player era.
Those lone warriors who once could shake the world with a single swing—
they'd never replicate that glory again.
The gap had been closed.
No matter how strong a solo player was, they couldn't overcome a family's power.
"Wanna bet?"
Shanks unsheathed Gryphon.
It sang with a crisp hum, the blade now gleaming—repaired from its previous shattering.
He had already fused metal ore that enhanced [Wave Affinity] into the reforged weapon.
"Let's see what Yonko Shanks is really made of!"
Dalmatian's body surged in size.
He was a Dog-Dog Fruit user. In hybrid beast form, his claws and fangs were deadly weapons.
But more than that—
he radiated a unique energy, something beyond Devil Fruit power.
A primal, beastly aura untainted by outside forces.
Vastaya bloodline.
A special race from the Rune Continent.
Part human, part prehistoric spirit beast—blending physical and magical might.
Every Vastaya possessed intense beast-like traits.
"Predator's Mark!"
Dalmatian's fur bristled.
A wave of mental energy pulsed outward—an invisible psychic force.
Whoever was marked would suffer multiplied damage from his attacks.
He'd tested this—
even vice admirals who'd changed class to [Stone Warrior] couldn't withstand him once marked.
"Pirates belong in hell, Shanks included!"
He vanished.
A ripple in the air, a sonic boom—and he reappeared in front of Shanks, claws raised to pierce his chest.
"Wave imprint?"
Shanks sensed the mental brand clinging to him.
Boom.
A waveburst detonated from his body, radiating outward.
The same blast had earlier flung Dalmatian and knocked out multiple Marine giants.
But now, Dalmatian had gone all out.
He squinted, enduring the blast—even the Haki-infused wave couldn't stop him.
Clang.
His claws slammed into Gryphon's blade.
Dalmatian grinned.
His mark didn't just work on people—it applied to weapons and even buildings.
Break!
But the expected shattering didn't happen.
Dalmatian's smile froze.
Had he not used his full strength?
Even Supreme Grade swords in the One Piece world couldn't withstand this…
unless they were like Mihawk's black blade, infused with Haki.
But Shanks' sword was never rumored to be a black blade…
Wait—
He realized with horror:
neither the blade nor Shanks himself had been marked by his Predator's Mark.
What was going on?
Shanks' voice echoed playfully:
"Wanna play with waves? Who's better at that than me?"
There might be other Asura players in this sea.
But one who had invested 200,000 reward points into the Asura class?
That was Shanks—and Shanks alone.
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