One Piece : The Strongest Fleet Admiral

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Shanks, standing behind Beckman, naturally knew that Beckman was also injured in the battle with Kizaru.

Although Beckman's injuries weren't as severe as his own, he still couldn't defeat Kuzan alone.

Noticing Shanks' movements, Beckman immediately turned his head and shouted:

"Shanks, you go and clear the way for the ship! I'll hold him off first!"

Before Shanks could reply, Beckman rushed forward, engaging Kuzan in battle.

Seeing Beckman desperately trying to stop Kuzan, Shanks gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran quickly towards the pirate ship. He swung his sword, breaking the ice that had trapped the ship.

Once aboard, Shanks checked the ship's condition. Luckily, the power systems were intact and not damaged by the freezing attack.

However, the navigator and shipwright inside weren't as fortunate—they had already frozen to death.

"Ice Skates!"

After another clash, Kuzan was momentarily blocked by Beckman.

As he retreated, ice in his hand instantly formed into a sharp short sword.

He pushed off the ground with incredible force, dashing toward Beckman at a speed too fast to avoid.

Beckman, seeing the icy blade rapidly approaching, realized it was too late to evade.

With no other choice, he gritted his teeth and raised his arms, covered with Armament Haki, to block the strike.

Kuzan's blade, reinforced with his own powerful Haki, collided with Beckman's defense, sending sparks flying.

The sharp ice blade failed to penetrate Beckman's Haki-coated forearms but left deep scratches on his skin.

Kuzan's eyes briefly flashed with recognition. Beckman's strength was truly deserving of someone so close to the level of a Yonko's right-hand man.

Beckman stumbled back, gritting his teeth at the pain in his arms.

Before Kuzan could press his advantage, Beckman created distance, retreating a hundred meters in an instant to make better use of his firearm.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three bullets, each tipped with Seastone, flew toward Kuzan in a tight formation.

In less than a second, Kuzan's body shattered into a pile of broken ice as the bullets struck.

Beckman exhaled in relief but didn't lower his guard, carefully scanning the area. Kuzan was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, Beckman felt a sinking dread.

Realizing Kuzan's true target, he immediately turned and sprinted toward the pirate ship.

At the ship, Shanks had managed to free the Red Force from the ice and slowly began ascending.

As he swung his sword to clear more ice blocking the ship's path, an intense chill swept across his back.

Without hesitation, Shanks pivoted and swung his blade in the direction of the cold.

"Divine Departure!"

A violent wave of sword energy erupted from his blade, its power enough to tear apart the deck and shatter dozens of icy spears aiming for his back.

Kuzan's figure landed silently on the deck, the frigid air around him thick with killing intent.

"Shanks, don't think you can escape!" Kuzan declared, his tone colder than the ice itself.

"Why are you doing this, Kuzan? You're no longer a Marine," Shanks questioned, keeping his blade raised defensively.

"The Red-Haired Pirates have no quarrel with you!"

Shanks felt a deep unease. Kuzan, who used to exude a more relaxed and aloof demeanor as a Marine admiral, now seemed grim, completely dedicated to his mission.

Kuzan's icy glare didn't waver. He had no interest in entertaining Shanks' questions.

Sakazuki had told him everything: the humiliation of the Marines and Rayleigh's death on Sabaody Archipelago. Kuzan had resolved to show no mercy to pirates like Shanks.

"Ice Time Capsule!"

Kuzan unleashed a powerful wave of freezing energy, aiming directly at Shanks.

Behind him, a towering ice wall rose, effectively cutting off Beckman, who was rushing to rejoin the battle.

Boom!

The freezing energy collided with Shanks' sword strike, the two forces clashing violently.

However, Shanks was severely injured, and the imbalance in power quickly became apparent.

"Divine Departure!"

Shanks roared, his expression twisted in pain as he swung his blade with all his remaining strength. The motion pulled at the wound on his chest, causing him even greater agony.

Knowing he wouldn't last much longer in this fight, Shanks decided to risk everything in one final, desperate attack.

A massive surge of sword energy erupted from him, roaring toward Kuzan.

The deck of the Red Force groaned under the immense strain of the battle. It creaked and seemed ready to collapse at any moment, as though it was screaming in pain from the damage inflicted by its owners.

Kuzan's expression grew serious as he observed the enormous surge of sword energy in front of him. This was several times more powerful than anything Shanks had unleashed before.

"Ice Age!"

In an instant, ice spread from Kuzan's feet in a radius of several hundred meters, transforming the area into a frozen wasteland.

Although the bulk of Shanks' Conqueror's Haki-infused sword energy was neutralized by the ice, faint traces of it remained, leaking through the frozen battlefield.

The residual energy slashed through the air, slicing Kuzan's coat and leaving several moderately deep wounds on his skin.

Kuzan glanced at the blood oozing from the cuts, his expression unchanging. The blood froze instantly into ice shards, which fell to the ground with a soft clink.

Shanks, on the other hand, was now completely encased in ice, unable to move.

"Shanks!!!"

Beckman, who had disappeared earlier, reappeared, his voice cutting through the icy battlefield.

With precise aim, Beckman fired a single shot, shattering the ice imprisoning Shanks without harming him.

Before Kuzan could launch another attack, Beckman fired a volley of bullets at him.

Kuzan moved swiftly, summoning several ice spikes that collided with the incoming Seastone bullets. The bullets were deflected and fell harmlessly to the frozen ground.

After neutralizing the attack, Kuzan turned back toward Shanks—only to find him gone.

It turned out that Beckman, after being blocked by the earlier ice wall, had shifted tactics. Instead of trying to break through the wall directly, he had carved out a passage through the ice-covered sea, creating an escape route.

Now Beckman was swimming through the icy waters, carrying the unconscious Shanks on his back.

This was the advantage of not eating a Devil Fruit—one could still move freely in the sea.

Kuzan watched the two escape toward the edges of Fish-Man Island's waters.

He quickly used his powers to create an ice tunnel large enough for a person, extending into the deep sea.

Without wasting time, Kuzan chased after them through the tunnel, but his speed in the confined passage couldn't match the two physically capable fighters who had avoided Devil Fruits.

As Kuzan watched them getting farther away, he made a snap decision. He raised his right arm and unleashed his full power.

"Ice Dragon!"

A massive ice dragon, dozens of meters long, materialized in front of Kuzan and roared as it surged toward Beckman and Shanks.

Beckman, sensing the threat behind them, swiftly changed direction, swimming away from the oncoming dragon.

Despite his speed, the ice dragon managed to catch up. Its massive fangs clamped down on Shanks' left leg, encasing it in a solid block of ice.

Beckman felt the sudden resistance and turned his head to see Shanks' leg trapped in the ice dragon's jaws.

Gritting his teeth, Beckman made a grim decision.

He stopped swimming, turned around, and raised his right hand, which was cloaked in Armament Haki.

With only a moment of hesitation, he brought his Haki-imbued hand down in a swift, decisive strike.

The blade of his hand severed Shanks' frozen left leg cleanly, freeing him from the ice dragon's grasp.

Thus, the legend of Shanks, the one-legged, one-armed Emperor of the Sea, was born.

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Check out advance chapters over here:

https://patreon.com/VerseVagabond

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