Chapter 678: I've Got You Cornered!
Chapter 678: I've Got You Cornered!
Bang!!
A spiral beam struck the sea, creating a deep hole that the water couldn't fill. The beam then exploded inside the water, sending a massive wave surging up.
Just as the wave began to rise, a massive slash cut it into pieces, which then scattered and fell, turning into a heavy downpour.
Amid the rain, a figure retreated like a cannonball, landing on a reef.
"Shanks!"
Bekkman's eyes followed the voice, and he was startled.
The red-haired pirate in front of him was in poor shape. He was hunched over, gasping for breath, and blood dripped from his mouth. Though his right hand still gripped Griffin, his left side hung limp, and there was a large hole in his left shoulder.
If the hole had been just a bit lower, it would have reached his heart!
Clearly, he was injured, and the wounds were severe. Bekkman could feel Shanks' energy waning.
On the other side,
Under the rain, the white-haired man on the black cloud smiled viciously as he looked over. The gash on his waist was steaming, and new flesh was rapidly growing, stitching the wound closed until it was completely healed.
No trace remained.
Unlike the monster's chest, which clearly bore an irreparable wound from Shanks' attack, nothing remained of the damage Shanks had inflicted.
The threshold has changed since then.
Just as Bekkman thought this, his pupils dilated. He unconsciously pushed Jesus Burg to the side, standing in front of him and gripping the gun barrel tightly. His veins bulged as he swung the gun forward like a baseball bat.
Whoosh!
At the same moment, another spiral beam shot from the white-haired man's fingers, heading straight for the butt of Bekkman's gun.
Bang!!
The Haki emanating from the gun butt condensed into a small point, colliding with the compressed spiral beam. A massive shockwave erupted first.
The wind blew through Bekkman's hair, and his face, usually cold and composed, contorted in a fierce grimace. His veins bulged as he gritted his teeth.
"Get lost!!"
Bekkman roared, pushing his hands forward to resist the beam.
But sometimes, willpower can't overcome the mass of an object.
Smack!
Bekkman's hands swung forward, but the Haki was pierced through, and the gun butt shattered into pieces. The beam shot through the fragments, grazing his body and plunging into the sea, causing another tidal wave.
At least it was deflected a bit.
"Very commendable."
The man on the cloud praised, "You're worthy of the title 'Vice Emperor.' As the strategic mind of the Red Hair Pirates, your strength and will are impressive, but—"
Swish!
"Bekkman!"
Shanks suddenly called out.
Just as Bekkman was about to catch his breath and regain his strength, Shanks' voice rang out. After a brief rest on the reef, Shanks was about to move when several bolts of lightning struck from the sky.
The thick lightning formed a curtain, momentarily blinding Shanks.
By the time he shattered the lightning with a slash and used Haki to attack, what he saw made his blood boil.
A hand strike had pierced Bekkman's chest, and his heart, still beating, protruded from his back.
Sagel appeared in front of Bekkman, grinning. "Too bad, you need time to recover, but I don't. Your Haki can't keep up, but my strength can."
Shanks' slash was purely a feint. Sagel's relentless attacks were too annoying. Although he could wait for Shanks to exhaust himself and find a weakness, it would take too long. A more straightforward approach was better.
His nearly regenerative body was perfect for trading blows.
Using his strengths to his advantage wasn't just Shanks' skill; Sagel was also quite adept at it.
If the two of them had been on guard, the fight would have dragged on longer. It was better to take out the Red Hair Pirates' strategic mind first to avoid any surprises.
Shanks still had strength, but Bekkman might not.
His attacks weren't easy to block.
Managing to withstand one was already impressive.
"Not a Power Holder, but relying on your skills and willpower, you've come this far. That's commendable. But unfortunately, I'm stronger."
Sagel pulled his arm out and said to Bekkman, whose face was turning pale and body beginning to slump, "That's enough. I'll make sure your deeds are reported in the newspapers. Losing to me is better than losing to some unremarkable nobody in the future."
"Such arrogance, truly."
Bekkman chuckled, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Are you so certain that we will fail in the future?"
"The old shaman of yours acts without thought, leading to inevitable consequences. It won’t be any different."
Sagel smiled and pointed to the side. The spiral beam of Tengahu’s collapse shot through Jesus Burg’s chest, who was still stunned and shocked.
Pssst!
Jesus Burg used his gun to block, but it was no use; the gun and his chest were both pierced, creating a gaping hole. He stumbled back two steps, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and fell to his knees, powerless.
Jesus Burg laughed bitterly. "Hey, isn’t that a bit too much? I can barely keep myself from being reduced to dust."
"Not bad, for a sniper to have such presence, it’s impressive." Sagel glanced at him and nodded. "You’re a strong one."
"I haven’t even said hello to my son yet."
Jesus Burg muttered, "I wonder if he’ll be proud of his old man. After all, the Red Hair Pirate crew is quite famous."
"Who knows? A normal person wouldn’t be proud of a pirate father who abandoned them and their mother when they were a child, and then disappeared for years, almost as if he were dead."
Sagel said, "But the Straw Hat crew, like you, isn’t quite normal."
"Is that so."
Jesus Burg lowered his head and laughed. "I guess I failed as a father, it’s a shame."
Whether he had more to say or not, Jesus Burg fell silent.
And Bekkman, standing there, also lost his breath.
"Bekkman! Jesus Burg!!"
Red Hair’s neck veins bulged, his eyes wide, and his legs shot forward like an arrow, "You actually—"
Bang!
But just as he dashed out, Afterimage appeared in front of him, and Sagel kicked Red Hair back to the rocks. At that moment, his Haki was fully restored, and he pointed again, unleashing Tengahu’s collapse straight at Red Hair, who had just landed on the rocks.
But this time, Red Hair clearly sensed it in advance. In that instant, he swung his sword to block and twisted his body, narrowly avoiding the spiral beam.
"Ah, you lost your composure for a moment, but quickly regained it. To be honest, when you’re calm, I wonder if you’re even human."
Sagel lowered his finger, surprised. "It seems you never have any passion. Every step is calculated, isn’t it?"
"You killed Bekkman! And Jesus Burg!"
Red Hair glared at Sagel coldly. "Sagel! I won’t forgive you!"
"You sound like I shouldn’t have killed them. He was just Bekkman, not Kiriman."
Sagel grinned, baring his teeth. "No matter how much they’ve been elevated, they’re still just subordinates of the Yonko. There’s a clear gap. Your Three Musketeers aren’t three Yonko."
How strong could they be?
Jesus Burg could probably go toe-to-toe with Quin, and Rasi Rui, in terms of true strength, might have the edge over Jack.
Not in physical prowess, but purely because they were the most standard pirates, using guns and fighting with great agility.
Bekkman was the same. His Haki was excellent, but as a gunner, his agility outweighed his physical strength, allowing him to hold his own against the Yonko for a long time.
But that was about it.
In front of Sagel, who was sixty times stronger and had developed new techniques, if he couldn’t quickly finish them off, he would lose more than just his own face; he would also tarnish Kaido’s name.
He wasn’t the type to play games like the Straw Hats.
Some individuals were physically weaker than others, and while their Haki was good, it still couldn’t match Sagel’s. They were outmatched in both speed and strength.
Superiority meant overwhelming, and naturally, it led to overwhelming.
"And you."
Sagel glanced at Red Hair and then at the watching Yellowtail. "Do you really think he can save you, Shimizu, and then return to Marineford to take revenge on me? Today, no one will take you away. Lily!"
He called out, "Call Big Mom. If Yellowtail acts, it means the World Government is breaking the agreement and attacking me rashly. Use Pluton to destroy Marineford! I want to see if the life of one Shimizu is more important than the lives of all the Shimizu in Marineford."
"Oh, how frightening. Is this a direct threat? I just came here to deal with Tottokika. I’m merely an observer now, with no such intentions."
Fleet Admiral Kizaru chuckled, "Of course, I was injured just now, and my old head wound flared up. I didn’t hear a single word you said."
Shimizu?
He didn’t know that.
"Ha-ha-ha, that’s why I said, why not come to me? Ohara is where you can truly shine."
Sagel laughed heartily, then stretched his hand out toward Shanks again, "I’m going to feast on you today! No one can stop me, I swear!"
Whoosh!
A spiral beam shot from his finger, hurtling toward Shanks at an incredible speed.
Shanks gritted his teeth and swung his sword, gathering a dense Haki on the blade. He swung quickly to block, but couldn’t withstand the powerful spiral beam. As before, after a brief stalemate, he moved his body to dodge the attack.
But this time, the tables had turned.
Sagel moved the instant he fired the beam. As Shanks barely dodged the Tengahu, Sagel was already right in front of him, his punches and kicks faster than an afterimage. By the time Shanks saw the afterimage, it was too late—the attack had already landed.
But Shanks, one of the Four Emperors, had a quick enough reaction. He quickly raised Griffin in front of him, and there was a sharp clang as Sagel’s fist met the blade. The next moment, Shanks felt a sharp pain in his left shoulder and spun backward, flying into the air.
In the next instant, his eyes widened, and he forced his spinning body to a stop, creating a wave of air with his feet as he shot upward, dodging Sagel’s suddenly moving body and the leg that kicked upward.
Injured, his reaction speed was completely different from before.
The obvious consumption of Haki was making Shanks struggle, and he was gradually losing the ability to hold on.
Though he didn’t want to admit it, if this continued, he would eventually be the one to run out of energy. And he was certain that Sagel wouldn’t be affected at all.
This was a different kind of ‘hunting.’ He would be worn down here.
"At the very least..."
Shanks gripped his sword tightly, his eyes turning crimson, "I must clear the way for Luffy."
"Sagel!!"
He shouted, "You are indeed the strongest! But fate did not choose you! It will never be you! Just like the captain, coming early or late, if it’s not the right person, it’s all for nothing! Fate is full of guidance, and this is destiny!!"
He raised Griffin, Haki surging into the blade, and it erupted with red lightning.
"You are now the greatest obstacle to destiny. Before that..."
"Stop your nonsense! Tengahu!"
In just two seconds, Sagel recovered, raised his finger, and fired another spiral beam.
"Let’s end this with this one strike!"
Shanks’s brows furrowed, and he gripped the blade with one hand, swinging it down, "God-Avoiding Slash!"
The heavens were painted red as the beam was effortlessly cut in half, but the ease of it made Shanks’s eyes widen in shock.
"Ha-ha-ha, you’ve truly lost it! Instant kill!"
From the side, Sagel swooped in like a ghost. As he approached Shanks, countless afterimages formed around his body, then reformed as he passed by Shanks, all converging on Sagel and moving past Shanks to reach his back.
"Tengahu Enhell!"
With his back to Shanks, Sagel swung his fists and pointed a hand toward the sky, "Look! Your death star is already shining, guiding you to your path of death!"
The move he used against Kaido, now used against Shanks’s physical strength, was a perfect match.
After all, this was a power even Kaido couldn’t withstand.
As for the move just now...
Sagel didn’t use his full strength. It was just a simple Haki wave with piercing power.
So there was no cooldown or recovery time.
It was a feint, a ruse to make Shanks take it seriously and expose a weakness.
Now, Sagel had succeeded.
There was no need for a prolonged battle. Once he had the upper hand, dealing with Shanks, who relied on physical strength and Haki, was straightforward.
Sagel had a specific strategy for him.
From the moment he appeared, Sagel was destined to win.
And now, he had won!
(End of Chapter)
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