“Bring it on,” Shanks declared, unsheathing his blade. He and Mihawk spread out, forming a pincer formation as they charged at Kuke together.

“God’s Retreat!”

Shanks unleashed his strongest technique right at the start. His blade burned with crimson Haki, an overwhelming conqueror’s Haki entwined around the sword, shining as if the sun itself was descending.

Mihawk remained silent, his calm demeanor unwavering. With a single slash, a gigantic sword wave—tens of meters high—tore through the heavens and earth.

Kuke remained composed, drawing his blade leisurely. He raised it horizontally, steady and unhurried.

A piercing sound resonated as Mihawk’s sword energy collided with Kuke’s blade. The impact sent shockwaves across the entire island, stirring up a blizzard of snowflakes that swirled through the air.

Meanwhile, Shanks descended like a blazing sun from above.

Kuke exerted a burst of force, shattering Mihawk’s sword wave. He then raised his blade to block Shanks’s descending strike.

Boom!

The resulting explosion of energy resembled countless missiles detonating simultaneously. The flying snow evaporated into nothingness. The icy and snowy landscape of the island was stripped bare in an instant, leaving not a single flake of snow.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Shanks and Mihawk simultaneously flanked Kuke, their blades striking furiously. A storm of sword strikes enveloped Kuke. Each strike carried the force of a top-tier swordsman of the sea.

“Kuina, watch carefully,” Kuke said as he blocked their attacks. His gaze turned toward Kuina.

Kuina’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“You’re so lucky,” Shakky commented, standing beside Kuina. “The captain is feeding his opponents moves just for you, giving you the perfect chance to witness the pinnacle of swordsmanship.”

Kuina bit her lip, saying nothing, though her heart overflowed with gratitude.

The three-way battle raged on, unleashing massive energy waves. Snowy peaks were decapitated, their tops crumbling into debris and dissipating under the relentless barrage of slashes, turning into dust clouds hanging in the air.

“This is the strongest man in the world,” the Red-Haired Pirates muttered in awe as they watched the fight unfold. They couldn’t predict who would win, but what stunned them most was that despite fighting two opponents simultaneously, Kuke showed no signs of faltering.

Boom!

Kuke’s blade intercepted both Mihawk’s and Shanks’s weapons. The ground behind him collapsed, and the sea behind him seemed to vanish, leaving a gaping void.

“Conqueror!”

Kuke’s entire body ignited with an intense surge of Haki. His stature seemed to grow, and with a single sweeping motion of his blade, Shanks and Mihawk were sent flying, spitting blood.

“Two against one, and still losing?” Shanks muttered as he hurtled through the air, struggling to accept the reality of the situation.

“We’re teaming up for this!”

Shanks landed heavily, using his blade for support as he stood back up. His overwhelming conqueror’s Haki cracked the ground beneath him, causing the entire island to quake violently.

Mihawk, ever the silent one, said nothing. However, his aura began to burn like a blue flame, radiating a sharp and relentless sword intent.

“God’s Annihilation!”

The two charged simultaneously, swinging their blades. The air around them twisted and spiraled like a vortex. In the next instant, a piercing energy beam shot straight toward Kuke.

Their techniques—seamlessly coordinated despite being old rivals—complemented each other perfectly. It was their first time teaming up, yet their synergy was impeccable.

“No wonder no one dares face two opponents at once in these seas,” Kuke remarked. He activated his Conqueror’s Haki once more, meeting their combined attack head-on.

To Kuke, both Mihawk and Shanks had just broken into the emperor-tier level, their combat powers barely surpassing 400,000 each. However, when they fought together, their combined strength exceeded the sum of their parts, reaching a staggering 900,000.

“But I’m far beyond you,” Kuke said, his voice calm and unshaken.

With a single slash, he shattered the space around them. The distorted air and spiraling vortex were torn apart. Kuke vanished and reappeared before them in an instant.

“Golden Crow Sky Patrol!”

A golden streak of light descended upon their blades. The force bent their weapons and pushed them against their chests. Both Shanks and Mihawk spat blood again as they were sent flying once more.

“Again!”

Shanks stood up, his fiery red hair flaring like flames in the wind. Mihawk silently discarded his hat and wrapped a piece of torn cloth around his hand and sword hilt.

“Not bad. You’ve made me feel the thrill of battle again,” Kuke said, his eyes glinting with a rare hint of fighting spirit.

The two men, once hailed as the strongest swordsmen and the youngest of the Four Emperors, displayed terrifying potential. Their growth during the fight was astonishing.

“Show me how much fun you can provide,” Kuke said, a smile creeping onto his face.

Boom!

A massive explosion of three Haki auras enveloped the entire island, reducing it to rubble. Everything within the island’s bounds was subjected to devastating destruction.

“This is the power of their teamwork,” Benn Beckman muttered as he observed the battlefield. He was stunned by the overwhelming force they unleashed.

“One-on-one, I could hold out against either Shanks or Mihawk for a long time. But against both of them together, I’d lose quickly,” Benn admitted.

Despite their combined might, Kuke was visibly overpowering them.

Bang!

Kuke grabbed Shanks’s and Mihawk’s heads, smashing them together with a resounding crack. Stars danced in their vision before Kuke sent them flying with a kick each. Both crashed into the distant ground, their swords having long since been knocked away.

Mihawk struggled to push himself up on trembling arms, only to collapse again. Hours of relentless battle had pushed him to his limit. Shanks was in a similar state, lying motionless nearby.

“Not bad,” Kuke said, brushing dust off himself. The hours-long fight had brought him genuine enjoyment. At their peak, Shanks and Mihawk’s combined strength had nearly reached one million.

“Keep trying to grow… or maybe not,” Kuke muttered, stopping himself. He considered encouraging them to grow stronger for future challenges but realized that he would likely outpace them regardless, diminishing the thrill.

Mihawk lowered his head, a mix of frustration and determination in his eyes. He had glimpsed the path ahead but knew the gap was monumental.

Shanks, on the other hand, looked at Kuke with a pleading expression, silently asking what his fate would be now that the fight was over.

“Shanks, you’re not bad,” Kuke said, glancing at him.

He had suspected Shanks might collaborate with the World Government to ambush him. If that had been the case, Kuke wouldn’t have hesitated to kill him, as Shanks wasn’t a Devil Fruit user.

But Shanks hadn’t done so.

“This time, I’ll take your pirate flag as a lesson. Don’t mess with what’s mine,” Kuke declared, gesturing with his hand.

The flag of the Red-Haired Pirates tore from their ship and flew into Kuke’s grasp. For pirates, a flag was more than just cloth; it was a symbol of honor worth defending with their lives.

Shanks opened his mouth as if to protest but ultimately fell silent. Glancing at Mihawk and then at himself, he realized they had no ground to stand on. They’d teamed up and still lost. What more was there to say?

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DONT FORGET POWER STONE

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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up 40+ chapters at patreon.com/Emik01.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep