RNP Chapter 103 The Red-Haired Brothers Reunite, Assassination Surpassing Observation Haki!
Chapter 103 The Red-Haired Brothers Reunite, Assassination Surpassing Observation Haki!
Chapter 103 The Red-Haired Brothers Reunite, Assassination Surpassing Observation Haki!
Beyond Alabasta, along the Grand Line, a frenzy of news birds' wings and radio waves intertwine.
Alabasta is like a giant magnet, attracting not only the Masters and Servants who are participating in the war, but also stirring the nerves of the entire world.
Morgans, the news agency's director, was in his office, his white feathers bristling with anxiety.
"Useless! All of you are useless!" he roared into the Den Den Mushi, his saliva almost spraying into the receiver.
"What do you mean by 'cannot enter'?! What do you mean by 'blocked by strange smoke'?! Alabasta is now the biggest news goldmine! The Holy Grail War! Heroic Spirits descend! It's said the desert has turned into a rainforest! Even the Celestial Dragons are heading there to join the war!"
"Any scrap of information I dig up will sell out the newspaper! Send me the best agents! Submarines! Hot air balloons! Dig tunnels and have them crawl in!"
However, no matter how much he roared, the messages from his subordinates were all despairing.
The outer perimeter of Alabasta was completely shrouded by an incomprehensible and impenetrable barrier.
Any crew or crew attempting to force their way in, even newsbirds, will become disoriented or be forcibly ejected.
Morgans made a fortune from the early reporting with Dieter's tacit approval, but now he has been ruthlessly shut out of the ultimate feast by another guy.
He could only stare helplessly at the ever-changing layer of smoke, nearly driven mad with anxiety.
Newspapers around the world are repeatedly rehashing outdated stories of the "Holy Grail War" and the "Alabasta ecological anomaly."
The scraps.
Morgans felt his journalistic spirit burning brightly.
On the Grand Line, a fleet of elite naval vessels, consisting of several top-tier warships, is cutting through the waves, heading straight for Alabasta, which is shrouded in smoke.
Inside the flagship's luxurious conference room, the atmosphere was heavy and strange. Fleet Admiral Sengoku frowned as he reviewed the latest report on the barrier.
Opposite him sat Rob Lucci, whose aura had become even more sinister and profound after being promoted to CPO.
Beside him, in the corner, stood a silent shadow, the very Assassin he had summoned—Hassan al-Sabah, who was as silent as the air itself.
Seated at the head of the room was Shamrock Saint, a Celestial Dragon and a world noble.
He wasn't wearing that ridiculous spacesuit with its bubble hood; instead, he was dressed in a very smart and capable outfit from the Order of the Gods.
His face held a mixture of arrogance and a hint of barely perceptible excitement.
His gaze was mostly fixed on the extraordinary-looking Taigong Wang beside him.
Grandfather was currently examining the painting with great interest, as if it were just an ordinary toy.
That is the treasure containing a world within it—the Map of Mountains and Rivers.
Taigong Wang looked relaxed, a faint celestial light flowing from his fingertips as he gently brushed across the scroll of the Map of the State.
The scroll seemed to come alive in his hands, faintly emanating from it the earth-shattering roar, the howling of the waves, and the shrieks of a hundred beasts.
"Wow, this beast's temper is just as fiery as the rumors say."
Taigong Wang shook his head and chuckled, his tone tinged with helplessness and a hint of schadenfreude.
"I originally intended to prioritize peace and persuade him to lay down his arms and not to attack the Marine Headquarters again, which would only increase casualties. However, this man is too obsessed and only wants to save his subordinate, Drought Jack."
"Reasoning with him won't work, so we'll have to ask him and his overly energetic subordinates to go to a private place to calm down."
As he spoke, another dull, thunderous impact and Kaido's signature roar echoed from within the scroll.
"Damn it! Let me out! Or I'll tear this lousy painting down!"
Taigong Wang merely flicked his finger lightly across the scroll, a flash of clear light appeared, and the commotion inside immediately subsided, leaving only a muffled thud of resentment.
"Hmph, you lowly pirate, you don't know what's good for you."
Saint Shamlock snorted, but his gaze toward Taigong Wang was filled with satisfaction.
"However, Grandfather, I admire your power. It is precisely the power of order that the Knights of God need."
He glanced warily at Sengoku and Lucci.
"The chaos in Alabasta must end. The Holy Grail and the Heroic Spirits will ultimately belong to the World Government and the descendants of the Creator!"
Anyone who harbors disloyal intentions must pay the price!
The Warring States Marshal remained silent, not responding, his worries deepening.
The Celestial Dragons themselves intervened, bringing with them such powerful Heroic Spirits and a nuclear weapon that sealed away another Sea Emperor.
The situation in Alabasta has slid into the abyss he least wanted to see.
Lucci, on the other hand, was like a cold machine, waiting only for orders.
In the same sea, in another direction, the Red-Haired Shanks' Red-Haired Fox sailed the waves, its destination also being that country shrouded in smoke.
At the bow, Shanks stood against the wind, his red hair flowing, his one arm resting on the famous sword at his waist.
Beside him, Hawkeye Mihawk gazed calmly at the distant horizon, as if sensing the wind's path.
A little behind them, the figure of Merlin, the Flower Magician, seemed to exist between reality and a dream.
He wore that signature knowing yet playful smile.
"Oh my, how lively!" Merlin's cheerful voice rang out as he looked towards the horizon where the sea met the sky.
There, the outline of the navy's massive fleet was already faintly visible.
"It seems our old friend has also chosen the same path, Master."
Upon hearing this, Shanks raised an eyebrow. His powerful Observation Haki had already detected the familiar yet vast aura emanating from the fleet ahead.
"Lord Taigong Wang, and that unpleasant aura of 'descendants of the Creator.' They have indeed come."
His eyes sharpened as he recalled that in Elegia, it was Taigong Wang who centered his efforts on the Investiture of the Gods.
Only with Merlin's illusion magic was the terrifying demon within Uta's body successfully sealed away.
That was a huge favor he owed.
"Brother," Shanks murmured to himself, his voice carrying a complex emotion.
Saint Shamrock is his older brother, also a Celestial Dragon, but they took completely different paths.
Upon learning that Taikoubou's Master was actually his own brother, Shanks was filled with mixed emotions.
This means they are very likely to clash on the battlefield in Alabasta.
Merlin seemed to see through Shanks' thoughts, his smile remaining mysterious.
"The threads of fate are always so strangely intertwined and separated, King. No, no, forgive me, I seem to have mistaken you for someone else."
"But now, it seems an even more enthusiastic welcome ceremony awaits us."
His gaze turned forward, and the naval fleet had clearly spotted the Red Fosse as well, adjusting its formation and displaying obvious hostility and an intention to intercept.
Hawkeye Mihawk's hand was already on the hilt of the black sword "Night" behind him, his eyes sharp as an eagle's: "It seems a battle is unavoidable."
Sasaki Kojiro slowly opened his slightly closed eyes, his hand tightening on the dry scabbard of his sword. His aura became like a sharp blade before it was drawn: "Where the Master's sword points, I will slay."
Merlin gently shook his staff, the flowers on its tip moving without wind, as he looked towards Taigong Wang, who was far away inside the warship.
The two were separated by a great distance, yet their eyes seemed to meet in mid-air.
Merlin's smile deepened, carrying a profound meaning that only the other person could understand.
"Well then, Grandfather, now that the stage is set and the audience is in place—let's begin this reunion!"
"For observation from higher vantage points."
An unspoken understanding flowed between the two Grand Magicians; their words were like riddles, impossible for outsiders to fully decipher.
Their very existence seems to represent some rule or purpose that transcends the Holy Grail War itself.
Two powerful forces stand in a distant confrontation on the sea beyond the ever-changing smoke barrier of Alabasta.
Like two ocean currents about to collide, there is no way to avoid it.
The distance between the USS Red Fosse and the naval flagship was rapidly closing. The air seemed to freeze, and even the sea breeze carried a chilling atmosphere.
A fierce battle between Servants is about to erupt on this vast ocean before they even enter the main battlefield.
The shadow of the Shadow Lantern quietly spread across the sea ahead of the naval fleet, while Kojiro's "Dried Goods" already emitted a low groan of thirst for blood.
The luxurious conference room of the naval flagship.
Marshal Sengoku's expression was solemn, while Rob Lucci stood by like a cold rock, his aura even more profound and dangerous than before.
Behind him, a strange, elusive feeling resonated through his senses, even though there was nothing there.
It was as if the light was slightly distorted there, and the density of the air was subtly altered.
A blurry, swaying outline, like a distorted projection, appeared and disappeared.
He was silent, yet the temperature in the entire room seemed to drop a few degrees, and even Sengoku felt a slight, instinctive discomfort.
The moment Kojiro drew his sword, the shadows in the room vanished. He had already made his move on the Grand Line. The Red Voss was on the verge of collision with the Navy flagship, and the tense atmosphere was like a fully drawn bowstring, ready to explode at any moment!
Both sides could even see the solemn expressions on the faces of the people on the other side's application board.
Ahead of the naval fleet, the sea, which had been shimmering in the sunlight, began to darken without warning.
The sun in the sky was still shining brightly, but on the vast sea where there was no obstruction, its light gradually deepened.
The viscous darkness spread rapidly like ink into water, turning vast stretches of the sea into a lightless abyss.
This darkness was not still; countless indescribable shadows writhed within it, emanating a chilling malice and murderous aura.
This is precisely the Noble Phantasm that Yudai Hassan unleashed, a variation of the Shadow Lantern Noble Phantasm.
It is the prelude to dragging the real space into the "shadow" that it dominates!
It spread silently, intending to devour the entire Red Fosse into an eternal dark prison.
"Hmph, cowardly rat hiding its head and tail." Hawkeye Mihawk sneered, his long sword already half an inch out of its sheath.
The chilling sword energy automatically cleaved through the thin shadows that were trying to approach the ship.
Standing at the bow of the ship, Sasaki Kojiro's gaze remained as calm as an ancient well as he faced this eerie realm that devoured the light.
He slowly placed both hands on the hilt of the extra-long nodachi, "Monogane-choku," and instantly suppressed his aura to the extreme.
He seemed to transform into a stubborn rock, or a solitary peak about to pierce the sky!
As he unleashed his swordsmanship, the surrounding noise, the howling sea breeze, and even the looming shadow of death seemed to recede into the distance.
In his eyes, all that remained was the ever-expanding darkness, and the path to sever it.
Merlin watched Kojiro's poised stance with great interest, then glanced warily at the increasingly dim shadow, his smile growing ever more mysterious.
His staff tapped gently on the deck, the flowers on its tip moving without wind, emitting a faint light that could dispel all gloom.
He subtly countered the mental erosion caused by the shadow, creating the best environment for Kojiro to draw his sword.
In that instant, while everyone was still in a tense standoff,
Kojiro's sharp eyes suddenly lit up as he caught a strange fluctuation in the shadows, originating from the same class!
Without thinking, without hesitation, almost out of instinct, he swung his sword fiercely.
bite!!!!!!!!!!
In the instant the metal clashed, everyone realized that something in the shadows had been repelled.
The moment that sound came, Sengoku, at the bow of the enemy fleet, narrowed his eyes slightly; it seemed his first attack had been seen through.
"Shanks, did you feel that? What was that just now?"
Beckman didn't disturb Kojiro, who was concentrating, and instead quietly asked his captain.
Shanks shook his head; even with his powerful Observation Haki, he couldn't detect it.
This eerie atmosphere startled everyone present, and an unsettling silence fell over the room.
As tensions rose, Shanks frowned deeply.
He looked at Taigong Wang and his elder brother, Saint Shamrock, who was beside him.
Beneath the incomparably magnificent attire of the Knights of God, Shamlock's gaze was equally complex.
Shanks gripped Griffin's hilt tightly and said in a deep voice.
"Lord Taigong Wang, I remember the matter of Elekia. But now, our paths diverge!"
He was reminding the other party of their position, and also conveying a sense of heartache for the path his brother had taken.
On the naval flagship, Taigong Wang naturally saw Merlin's actions, as well as Shanks' complex and sharp gaze.
He shook the God-Slaying Whip in his hand, pointing it at Merlin from a great distance.
At this moment, it seemed that no words were needed; a single glance was enough to convey everything.
In the shadows, unnoticed by everyone, a cold glint flashed from Shanks' neck.
Shanks froze on the spot.
His visionary aura hummed, and in the image, blood spurted from his neck like a waterfall.
Almost the instant the heads fell to the ground, Shadow struck again, wiping out his own pirate crew with lightning speed.
Suddenly, Shanks awoke from the vision of the future!
He drew his sword with lightning speed and assumed a fighting stance. His serious demeanor and rampant domineering aura proclaimed his anger.
Beckman and Yasopp frowned slightly, unsure of what had happened, but also became wary.
"What's going on? Shanks?"
Shanks' eyes were bloodshot; the scene of his own head falling to the ground and the entire ship being slaughtered was simply too gruesome.
This must never be allowed to happen!
That's danger, a lurking danger all around! A terrifying danger!
However, his powerful Observation Haki swept across the surroundings, attempting to find the source of this danger.
But this was a waste of time. There was nothing around except the shadow. No matter how strong his senses were, could he perceive the shadow itself?
In the instant Shanks was on guard, that glint of cold light merged into the shadows, concealed itself in the light, and blended seamlessly with everything.
This strike will sever Shanks' head!
In the Navy's lavish conference room, Rob Lucci interlaced his fingers, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"I'll take the heads of the Five Emperors."
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