Splash! Bang!
The attacks of Zephyr and Shanks, who were battling mid-air, struck each other simultaneously. Shanks's sword tip sliced into Zephyr's right flank, a deep wound about five centimeters in depth. Zephyr, in turn, landed a heavy punch squarely on Shanks's right cheek, instantly leaving it swollen and bruised.
Both fighters landed on opposing ships at the same time. Several members of the Red Hair Pirates quickly rushed behind Shanks, worriedly asking, "Captain, are you alright?"
Shanks touched his injured right cheek with his uninjured right hand, wincing and baring his teeth in pain. "Ow... that punch was brutal..."
On the other side, while Zephyr's wound was deep, a closer look revealed countless extremely fine threads of blood weaving together at the site, working tirelessly to repair the injury.
Shanks, with his exceptional eyesight, noticed this and immediately recalled Alucard's fighting style and the characteristics of the strange monsters he first saw on Arderay. He clicked his tongue and remarked, "Hey, hey, do all the guys under him have that kind of ability?"
Zephyr laughed heartily. "Your strength is pretty good, kid, but I heard you lost your arm during those days you spent in the East Blue. Who cut it off?"
"Well..."
Shanks glanced at his severed left shoulder, a slight smile on his lips. "I merely gambled it on the New Era."
"...Hmph. Forget it. In any case, as a former member of Roger's crew, you must have inherited a part of his will. If you're not dealt with now, you'll surely bring chaos to the world in the future." With that, Zephyr kicked off the deck and surged into the sky again.
"It doesn't sound very convincing coming from you, a man who joined a pirate crew!" Shanks brought his sword up and charged, and the two clashed once more.
Shanks's blade cut across Zephyr's flesh countless times, while Zephyr's fists battered Shanks's body just as often.
The biggest difference was that one could recover from his injuries, and the other's wounds were growing progressively worse.
In this way, Shanks quickly began to lose ground, beaten back repeatedly by Zephyr, until he was ultimately forced into a defensive stance with no chance to counter.
When the two dropped down once more, the Red Hair Pirates crew members gritted their teeth and muttered, "The Captain is falling behind..."
"Incredible! Z-san!"
"Shanks, the man who even put one of the Yonko, Kaido, in a tough spot, is actually being suppressed!"
"There's no need to notify Alucard-sama at all! Let's finish them off quickly!"
The morale on the Immortal Pirates' side soared to an unprecedented high. They stared like wild beasts at the 'fat sheep' on the Red Force. While some had initially thought about notifying their Captain Alucard, who was currently in the East Blue, it now seemed unnecessary.
Crack! Crack!
Zephyr squeezed his fists, his knuckles popping crisply. He declared, "Admiral the Black Arm has died, and I am no longer a Marine. I can't lock you up in Impel Down. Now, perish in the sea, Red-Haired Shanks."
Shanks regulated his breathing and unleashed his Haki. "I'm not that fragile, old man! Taking my head won't be that simple!"
"Hmph. Saying that with a face so bruised and battered isn't very convincing," Zephyr scoffed.
Shanks cracked a grin, but the pulling of the wounds on his face made the smile instantly turn into a grimace.
Whoosh!!!
Suddenly, a wave of sword energy stirred the ocean, creating a straight line of spray over ten meters high. Like a sea dragon traversing the ocean, it separated the Red Force from the other Immortal Pirate ships.
The spray gradually dissipated, leaving a bottomless chasm on the sea surface. It took several seconds for the surrounding seawater to fill the gap, restoring the sea to its original state.
"This is..." Zephyr's brows furrowed tightly.
"Such powerful sword energy, is it..." Shanks thought to himself, glancing about 250 meters to the left. On a small sailboat marked with a cross, a man was holding a massive black blade, still in the posture of a swing. Clearly, that last move had come from him.
"Warlord of the Sea, Hawk-Eyes Mihawk..."
Stragus narrowed his eyes, calling out the opponent's name. The hands gripping his weapon unconsciously tightened a notch. This was an extremely troublesome person. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't matter, but why would he appear here at a time like this...?
"Red-Hair! I don't recall you being such a fragile man." Mihawk returned his blade to his back and crossed his arms over his chest, speaking to Shanks with a touch of disdain.
"Oh!!! Hawk-Eyes, long time no see! Has it been four years?"
Shanks paused for two seconds, exclaimed with exaggeration, and then played dumb. "Did you come here for a duel?"
Mihawk stared at Shanks's severed arm for a long time, then replied, "I have no interest in fighting a man who has lost an arm."
"Hey! Hawk-Eyes man, what do you mean by that?"
Stragus yelled at Mihawk, "Why are you interfering in this fight? Are you declaring yourself an enemy to us?"
Mihawk's eyes focused on Zephyr, and he said calmly, "I merely wished for a challenge."
Speaking, Mihawk once again drew his Supreme Grade Black Blade, Yoru, the only one of its kind currently discovered in the world, and pointed it at Zephyr. "With the ability to regenerate, I have never cut an opponent like this."
"Hahaha!"
Zephyr roared with laughter for over ten seconds before his expression darkened. "When I fought Shiki, you probably didn't even know where you were."
Zephyr's words instantly reminded Mihawk of the time he had been thrashed by Shiki ten years prior, right after setting sail. However, he was not angered, his tone remaining as calm as ever. "It is truly a pity that I was unable to cross swords with such an opponent then, but you will suffice."
"A lapdog of the Government. There are a few interesting characters even among the Warlords of the Sea. Since you are also a pirate, it is my duty to reduce you to trash as well!"
The intense battle began again, but the addition of Hawk-Eyes dampened the morale of the Immortal Pirates and raised that of the Red Hair Pirates.
Seeing Zephyr fighting continuously against two opponents who were more than Admiral-level, Stragus instructed a subordinate behind him, "Get me the Den Den Mushi. I need to notify Alucard-sama."
"Understood!"
Half an hour later, on the deck of a ship fronted by a skull with sharp fangs, Alucard and the many members of the Alucard Pirates behind him finished listening to the report from Stragus via the Den Den Mushi...