37. The Strongest!

"I will let the world, when they say 'the strongest', only think of me!"

Rob's tone was full of ambition, his eyes gleaming with determination.

For the goal of becoming "the strongest"—

He was determined to achieve it!

Sa!

Shanks, who had taken Rob's sword strike, staggered back.

With an admiring smile on his face, he said, "What an amazing dream! As expected of someone with such a terrifying Haki at the age of ten!"

Hearing Shanks' words, the smile on Rob's face remained unchanged. Then he raised his sword, Shinto.

Zheng—

He unleashed a flying slash, splitting the ground into a smooth gully. Rob's speed surged, and as the red-haired man dodged the slash, Rob was already above him.

Holding up Shinto, the combination of flowing Armament Haki and the demonic aura emanating from the blade showed how fierce Rob's next strike would be!

Snap—

Facing Rob's sword, Shanks, already at a disadvantage, did not dare to be careless. He gripped his sword with both hands, wrapping it in Armament Haki, and met Rob's strike head-on.

Clang—

The moment the two swords collided, violent sword energy erupted, destroying the ground, seawater, and trees by the shore. The area where Shanks stood cracked under the pressure.

After one clash, Shanks was forced to retreat again, flying back into the forest!

Sa—

Rob's figure followed like a shadow, Shinto in hand, slashing relentlessly at Shanks. The two battled fiercely, entering the forest on the small island.

Bang! Bang!

Boom!

BOOM!

The violent battle soon spread across the entire island, with trees and terrain quickly destroyed by their fight.

...

From morning till night.

In the middle of the night—

The island, now dilapidated from the battle between Red-Haired Shanks and Rob, had lost its scenic beauty and taken on a unique desolation typical of a battlefield.

"Ha—"

"Ha—"

"Ha—"

Panting heavily, Shanks held his great sword, his body covered with crisscrossing wounds. The blood had scabbed, making him look quite miserable, though he had not sustained any serious injuries.

At this moment, Shanks' eyes were serious, with a hint of disbelief. He looked at Rob, who stood not far away, still in good condition despite a few battle marks. Their states were vastly different.

Rob had only a few shallow wounds, which were harmless. With his current physique, he would fully recover in a day or two without any scars!

Lost.

Seeing the state of both sides, the expression on Shanks' face relaxed. The fighting spirit that had been bursting from his body vanished in an instant, and he completely surrendered, no longer wanting to fight.

Pat—

After sheathing his sword, a hearty smile appeared on Shanks' face. He laughed loudly and said:

"Dahaha... I lost this battle! Teacher Rob, you are really strong! Dahaha... But one day, I will definitely win it back! When that time comes, I will invite Teacher Rob to guide and enlighten me again!"

Seeing the red-haired man, Shanks, who had completely subdued his fighting spirit, convinced and surrendered, and no longer wanted to fight, Rob pondered for a while. He then slowly sheathed his sword and, facing Shanks' declaration of a future rematch, nodded in acknowledgment.

With a casual demeanor, he said, "I will wait for you! But you are not my opponent now, and you will certainly not be my opponent in the future!"

Although Shanks had not yet reached his peak, Rob, as his opponent, was also far from his peak state and could be considered still in an immature developmental stage.

Shanks was bound to grow, and not too slowly. But Rob's aggressive progress would not stop, and his growth rate would definitely not be slower than Shanks'. So, in their next fight, Rob was confident that Shanks would still not be his match.

"Dahaha..."

With a hearty laugh, Shanks pressed the straw hat on his head, saying, "Who can know what will happen in the future? Maybe at that time, it will be my victory! And if you don't try hard, who can be sure you won't be able to do it?"

Nodding in agreement, Rob didn't refute Shanks' words, but his inner resolve remained unchanged.

Next time—

Shanks would still be the loser!

To borrow a phrase from someone else:

The enemy defeated by oneself will no longer be regarded as an opponent, and the opponent will be given time to catch up until I am out of sight!

"Have a banquet!" Shanks didn't care about his injuries at all and laughed loudly. "To celebrate making my friend Teacher Rob, and also to celebrate Teacher Rob successfully helping me create a handy weapon! The banquet is here! Dahaha..."

For the banquet invitation, Rob smiled and did not refuse.

Not long after, on the Red Force of the Red-Haired Pirates, a night banquet with singing and dancing started lively without any special reason.

...

The next day, on the sea near the island—

The small sailboat and the Red Force parted ways. The Red Force sailed in the direction of Loguetown, obviously heading for the Grand Line. Shanks said so before parting.

On the deck, Rob looked at the Red Force disappearing into the distance.

With a little smile on his face, he said, "Grand Line? I will go to that sea again soon!"

Da da da—

Robin, holding Uta, came to Rob's side with a smile on her face.

"Oni-chan is the strongest! Even the Grand Line can't stop Oni-chan!"

Hearing Robin's confidence in him, Rob smiled heartily. From Robin's arms, he took Uta, who had been screaming "Nini", and opened his hands for him to hug, then touched Robin's little head with his other hand.

Confidently, he said, "That's natural! After we stay in East Blue for a while, when Uta grows up, we will enter the Grand Line!"

Nodding, Robin enjoyed Rob's head pat.

"I listen to Oni-chan! Because Oni-chan is everything to me!"

While speaking, Robin's little face turned pink, her eyes shy, and her head lowered, which was quite cute and had some indescribable charm.

Rob didn't notice any change in Robin's mood. Holding Uta in his arms, he teased her while singing some nursery rhymes he had just learned recently. Occasionally, he could hear Uta babbling, singing along with specious words.

It could only be said that she was worthy of being a world singer in the future. Even though her life trajectory was completely different, the talent in singing was truly possessed since she was a child.

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