Chapter 226

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Reo has never seen such a bullshit fight before.

He knew Kaido is strong, very strong, but the power he was displaying right now still amazed him. He understood how strong a person needed to be to exert that much power. However, there was something more shocking…

Red Haired Shanks. That man who was 4 times smaller than Kaido in build was clashing with him without any effort. More so he only had one fucking arm, yet he was matching up, no, by concentrating, Reo could see that Shanks was overpowering Kaido. 

Unfortunately, Reo couldn't observe the battle much longer as he dodged another bullet shot from Yassop. 

Meanwhile,

"Worororo!! Shanks, you brat! Why aren't you using all your powers!?"

Kaido's thundering roar caused the clouds to split since they were just under the sky. His heavy club slammed down to Shanks' sword but the latter simply blocked it. 

"I simply have no reason to, you see, I am merely here to stop you from reaching Marineford." 

Shanks said while blocking another of Kaido's attacks, this was when Kaido realised it too. So he was here to stop him? He should have expected it from this pacifist.

However, there was no other choice. He needed to reach Marineford, to reach Whitebeard, so that he can prove who is strong, and if not, due a honourable death.

"Hah! You mentioned it at a good time, get away from me, brat! I need to go there right now!!"

Kaido swung his club at Shanks yet again, which was blocked by Shanks again, however, Kaido didn't continue his assault.

"Or do you have any other ideas in mind?"

"I do." Shanks smiled. "If you're looking for a fight, I am here. I will give you a fight-"

"Shut it." Kaido cut him. "You're strong, I accept, may be stronger than that old Whitebeard in his peak even, however, he is a legend, he is a conqueror, he is a man. You're not."

Shanks only smiled at this. He wasn't completely wrong, so he didn't see a reason to get mad.

"I can catch you any time, but I have a gut feeling that old Whitebeard would be out of my reach after this War."

Shanks' smile didn't collapse. He was right yet again. From what the world around him calculated, and from what he heard from their 'Voices', Whitebeard would most probably die here, but that was more reason as to why Kaido shouldn't go there. Whitebeard's death would mean Marine's victory, but if Kaido goes there, and Whitebeard somehow still dies, then it'd mean no side won.

The loss of the Marines would cause the pirates to get more active, and the grandline to flood with new insects. And since two of the Emperors would be out by then, Big Mom and Whitebeard, along with the Marine weakened, the chaos in the world… would be too much for Shanks to handle alone.

He couldn't let such a thing happen. He was no fan of destruction, so he needs to stop the cause at the root. 

"Then I guess you have to go past me, Kaido." Shanks' smile simply widened. "After that, do whatever you want to do."

Kaido grumbled just as Shanks started again, his gaze fixed at Kaido's left eye. "Though I am curious, the last time we met… you didn't have that scar on your eye. Are you trying to match me, eh?"

Kaido's left eye had a scar, his eyeball missing. Shanks didn't know about this before, and he didn't feel like asking the 'Voice of Everything' about it right now. But it didn't seem like he'd get an answer as Kaido simply raised his club, black lightning crackling on top of his weapon. 

Shanks' statement got into his nerves as Kaido was about to start his assault again, however, a figure… who was also in his kill list, appeared before both of them.

At a slow silent motion, they both turned their head to the left where a man wearing a simple jacket and black pants waved at them.

"I hope I am not interrupting something important, but Mr Shanks, I would like if you let Kaido go-"

The new face, Amon, didn't get to finish his line and neither Shanks got a chance to answer as Kaido rushed and slammed his club at Amon.

But by the time the club hit him, he had simply disappeared.

"Ah, Mister Kaido, what is this?" The man chuckled. "Did you just say you didn't have time for Shanks? Isn't it because of Whitebeard? Yet you got time for me? My, I had no idea that I was more important than Edward Newgate?"

Kaido turned behind him, where the voice had just talked, but he found no one, yet, he swung his club behind him, he knew where the brat went.

However, a moment later, the same voice came from above him.

"Ah, scary, I believe I am immune to Observation Haki, but you could still tell I would spawn behind you? Truly scary." 

Kaido wanted to attack again, but Amon simply kept blinking from one spot to another.

"Let me finish what I have to say. Let me make a deal." He said. "I keep Shanks busy, you reach for Marineford, and then, a month later, I'd go to meet you by myself. You can attack me, tear me apart, or do whatever you wish then. How about this?"

"Why should I agree?" Kaido grumbled.

"Well, you have got no other choice if you don't want to miss out on the war… I heard it has begun already, and now if you waste your time on me and Shanks, by the time you reach there, the old man might have kicked the bucket."

A thoughtful scowl appeared on Kaido's face before he growled and turned to King and Reo.

"You two, finish them and follow me asap, we don't have time."

He didn't say much and leapt in the air, transforming into a serpentine dragon. Shanks normally would have jumped in to stop but… he knew he'd have been blocked by the other guy present, so he didn't waste his strength.

Amon smiled and nodded and immediately flickered from one place to another just as multiple, not all, but still a lot of members of Red Haired Pirates simply slump to the ground, specifically the ones fighting Reo and King.

"You two, please follow your Master immediately."

King's eyes glared at Amon while Reo simply shot him a glance, making sure to not look suspicious. Then, they both leapt off as well, leaving Amon and Shanks… on the battlefield.

Shanks's eyes drifted to his knocked out companions, Yassop, Beckman, and some more. 

"They're fine."

Amon said, smiling. 

"I don't want to antagonise you for such a small reason."

Shanks understood that he'd still antagonise him if the reason is big. 

Shanks laughed softly.

"Very admirable, however, you let Kaido go, how about you do the same for me?"

Amon shook his head at this. 

"Unfortunately, I can't do that. You'd cause trouble in the war."

"Hah." Shanks sighed. "Why are you doing this?"

It was mostly a rhetorical question. He knew Amon benefited from the war, he knew he did this for his own advantages.

"There is more than one benefit, in fact."

And… he could read his mind too. Shanks immediately used a trick he learned from Roger back in the day to block Amon's mind reading. The technique is: The user rages Conqueror's Haki inside his head, blocking any kind of Devil fruit, and even Observation Haki, from reading his mind. Normally people would die because of the aggressive nature of Conqueror's Haki, but Shanks' mastery over this black lightning isn't something to take lightly off, he can easily control it enough to make sure nothing gets damaged.

Shanks tapped his finger on his sword as he decided on something.

"Okay, I guess there is no other choice… I didn't want to clash with you… yet. But, I guess I have to for two reasons. One, I have to defeat you to reach Marineford, and two… I need to make sure you don't reach there yourself."

Amon blinked at this, as if surprised. "Oh my…"

"You don't mind if my crew leaves right?"

After his 'shock' vanished in thin air, Amon smirked. "I wouldn't suggest they go to Marineford though, they'd get destroyed."

"I guess you sent your crew there, huh, but don't worry, they won't go without me."

Amon shrugged. "Fine, whatever, they can go. Not like they are a danger, to begin with."

Shanks nodded at this. He turned to his crew and motioned them to pick up the knocked unconscious guys and lead them to the ship that is thousands of feet under redline, on the sea. 

Slowly, but surely, after momentary hesitation, the crewmates left while Amon and Shanks waited, and finally, after a deep sigh, Shanks sheathed his sword.

"You aren't going to sue your sword-"

Amon stopped talking as his <Future Vision> acted up. He tried to teleport, then he tried to move away from his spot, sensing the attack, however, he could do… neither. 

Something was wrong.

Shanks vanished from his spot and appeared behind Amon, his single fist coated in the crackling Conqueror's Haki. Amon's eyes widened for the first time in a while, he felt his jaws almost tearing apart as if a truck hit him in the face.

The fist didn't touch his face, no, that's not how Advance Conquerors Haki worked, however, the black lightning did come in contact with his now sore jaws.

Amon was flung forward, almost rolling on the ground before he teleported, successfully this time, and appeared a few meters in front of Shanks while wiping his lips.

"What the hell was that?"

Amon's greatest power is his speed, however, at that moment, he felt that an invisible wall was surrounding him. Walls that disconnected him from the outside electromagnetic fields even, causing his teleportation to not work and blocking his attempt to flee by blocking him from all sides, as if a coffin.

Shanks stood over him, his face expressionless. "You're by far the strongest man in a few centuries, but that's only considering your base power. Haki wise… you're but a teenager."

The world of Haki was more vast than Amon had ever imagined, however…

"I will make sure to teach you why you can't stop me."

...It was stupid of Shanks to think that it alone was enough to defeat, or even stop, God-King Amon.

Because Amon is at his peak right now.

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