Chapter 69

Future chapters (15+) at patreon.com/FFAddict.

Additionally, I have many new works readers may be interested in. Go look, if you wish! 

068: The Man Who Made Red Hair Pirates Tremble! Four Emperors Die!

At the same time,

Boom...!

On the Sabaody archipelago.

"Just, what was that just now?!"

"Did Pluton Rayleigh help us hold off the tsunami?!"

"Do those legendary beings really live on the Sabaody Archipelago?"

Countless people were shocked on the islands. They had thought that their home would be completely destroyed, but then an old man with silver hair and a robust presence suddenly appeared. With a single swing of his sword, the tsunami that hit vanished quickly.

Despite having retired for decades, the figure was quickly recognized by the residents. "Pluton" Silver Rayleigh! The former deputy captain of the Roger Pirates... a man known as the "One Piece Right Arm." 

"That's not a legend... Hey, hey, this is not a joke. What day is it today? Even these beings have appeared," people murmured in disbelief. The supernovas gathered together, Urouge muttering with cold sweat on his forehead, exchanging glances with other supernova pirates.

 The shock was visible in their eyes, and their cold sweat revealed that even they, as supernovas, felt fear that they might die here during the tsunami.

Suddenly, in the distance, a terrifying Conqueror's Haki was felt. The supernovas' faces changed again.

"Which monster is it this time?!" they wondered as they looked up towards the direction of the distant tsunami. They watched as people around them and on the islands began to lose consciousness and collapse.

"This 'Conqueror's' Haki... Is it a joke? But it's so powerful..." they wondered.

On area 13 of the Sabaody Archipelago,

"Rayleigh, it looks like you're going to be exposed," Shakky said to the man who had come back.

"There's no way around it. The seeds of the new era can't just die here."

Rayleigh picked up a glass of wine and looked toward Mariejois, the 'sacred place' above the Red Line.

"What the World Government did this time is really too much. They nearly buried hundreds of thousands of people with the Grand Line to launch such a terrible attack. Even the incident back then wasn't so severe."

Shakky was silent for a moment,

"The Rocks Pirates?"

Rayleigh shook his head. But before he could finish speaking, Conqueror's Haki slammed across the archipelago from a distance. Rayleigh's pupils narrowed and Shakky looked up sharply.

"This Conqueror's is..." she began, but Rayleigh had already moved to the edge of the archipelago with his Western sword in hand.

"It's Shanks. That guy has come to the first half of the Grand Line."

"Shanks?!" Shakky exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, and he's fighting," Rayleigh affirmed with a serious look in his eyes but also a touch of horror. 'Redhead' Shanks arriving wasn't the main concern. The bigger issue was who he was fighting in the battlefield decimated by the World Government.

Was it Kaido, the World Government, or that man from West Blue? Rayleigh was struck by the thought that even the World Government's formidable power might not defeat that 'monster'.

Meanwhile, the battlefield where Bai Ye fought the Red Hair Pirates was in chaos.

"Xiang, Shanks~!" shouted the crew, rushing to help.

But as dust and mist cleared, they were struck with terror at the sight—land sunken, ablaze with orange-red flames rising high as if the sky was painted red. 

Shanks stood behind a seabed split open as if by a knife. It was a sight certain to mean death.

"That horrible monster...!" Dege clenched his trembling fists and shouted, "Shank, Shanks! We're here to help you!"

As Yasopp and the others were about to act, another figure stopped them.

"Beckman?!" 

"What are you doing?!" they asked as they recognized Shanks' right-hand man, known for his calm mind, clear thinking, and extremely high combat effectiveness—a figure rumored to be as powerful as "Red Hair" Shanks himself.

Benn Beckman surveyed the perturbed cadre of the Red Hair Pirates with a sense of calm. Shaking his head, he spoke with a profound timbre, "Take a good look. That man, a coveted terror of this world, holds a power that even a member of the Four Emperors pirates should fear."

Beckman continued at a slow pace, "This is simply causing trouble for Shanks."

Following a moment of silence, Yasopp and the others seemed to be doused with cold water, regaining their composure.

Though it was hard to accept, the reality was stark. The monstrous man, despite several daunting battles and having defeated Kaido, remained unfathomably strong. The first encounter had already shown that there was a clear disparity in strength between him and some of the crew.

"B-Damn... Are we just going to stand by and watch?"

Bendik Snake could not contain his frustration.

"No," Beckman replied, shaking his head and declaring, "This battle is drawing to a close soon..."

"What?!"

"It's ending?"

"Why would that be?"

Bu and the others were caught off guard by Beckman's words, their minds racing with thoughts.

Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the ground beneath them. Yasopp and company's expressions shifted as they steadied themselves. Then, a gust like a hurricane swept across the battlefield.

"Oooohoo!!! Prepare to meet your end!" bellowed an unseen force.

Soon after, they saw Kaido, who had been downed, rise with wounds that had rapidly healed. Transforming back into his formidable human-beast form amidst the tumultuous winds, Kaido emitted a fearsome heat, conjuring a massive fire dragon to envelop his body, melting anything it touched with its flames.

The next moment, Kaido took to the air with the fire dragon, wrapping the Conqueror's Haki around it and charging toward Bai Ye below.

"Who do you think you are... Die!"

The intensity in Kaido's eyes was unmatched. His vigor was a stark contrast to the Kaido who had once believed he stood invincibly at the top of the world. As Kaido dove toward Bai Ye, sweeping high-temperature flames across the sky, Yasopp and the others were struck with the realization that Kaido still possessed formidable strength. They began to understand Beckman's words: the conflict was indeed nearing its end.

With a revitalized Kaido and their captain, 'Redhead' Shanks, present, the sheer power was overwhelming. The Red Hair Pirates beat a quick retreat, wary of the battle's effects.

Now, in what seemed like a dire predicament for Bai Ye, he remained unfazed. Under the cover of his Reiatsu, Bai Ye had a clear view of Kaido's every move. Had Kaido chosen to flee, perhaps Shanks could have saved him. But instead, Kaido had delivered himself to the fray.

With a burst of hot flames from Ryūjin Jakka, Shanks was pushed back. As Kaido closed in wildly from behind, Bai Ye simply lifted his left hand toward the sky.

"々Hadō's eighty-eight..." A dazzling blend of blue and white lightning surged forth.

In the next moment, under Bai Ye's indifferent gaze, a beam of lightning more than ten meters in diameter erupted from his palm, cleaving through the heavens. Heading straight for Kaido, it left Yasopp and the others in disbelief.

The sky was torn asunder, and daylight seemed to flood through the dark clouds as the crew of the Red Hair Pirates squinted against the brightness.

An explosion of unfathomable proportions then bloomed mid-air, sending shockwaves that leveled the already shattered battlefield with the force of a legendary swordsman's slash. Beckman braced against the blast, and even Shanks deployed 'Griffin' in defense.

When the dust settled, the battlefield was unrecognizable, leaving the crew breathless with dread.

The navigator, Bendik Snake, turned sharply to see the crew's ship far off in the distance, pushed hundreds of meters away by the force of the clash.

Bendik Snake was horrified at the surreal scene. The staggering collision's impact reached even miles away. As he looked back at the battlefield, Bendik Snake saw Yasopp and the others with enlarged pupils and sweat-drenched foreheads.

"What happened?" he trembled, instinctively following their gaze to witness a sight that explained the drastic change in their demeanor.

Lying before them was Kaido's lifeless body, plummeting from the sky.