The wind stilled over the Elbaf coast, as if the world itself dared not breathe. On one side, the Red Force floated like a phantom, its crimson sails catching the twilight. On the other, the fleet of the God's Knights waited silently, their blackened ships sharp against the bleeding sky.
Figarland Shamrock stood at the prow of his vessel, armored in obsidian-black, Cerberus in his grip, its blade dripping an ichor that evaporated before it ever reached the deck. The sword pulsed—hungry.
On the opposing ship, Shanks stepped forward, cape fluttering. His Conqueror's Haki unfurled like a tidal wave, pressure slamming into the sea and sky alike.
"Shamrock!" he shouted across the water. "You've gone too far."
Shamrock's voice was calm, cold.
"And you've stood in the way for too long."
He raised Cerberus.
The sky cracked.
Their Haki collided.
Invisible shockwaves exploded outward, ripping through the clouds, splitting the sea, and shattering nearby stone islets into dust. Waves towered and collapsed in chaos. Trees on the cliffs of Elbaf were torn from their roots and flung into the air like toys. Thunder boomed without lightning. The battlefield transformed into an elemental catastrophe.
[System Alert: Conqueror's Clash Initiated] [Haki Intensity: Tier 6 Detected. Initiating Bloodmark Synchronization.]
Cerberus howled.
The battlefield warped. Air twisted under pressure. The Red Hair Pirates surged forward, led by Beckman and Yasopp, their own Haki flaring like suns.
But so too did the God's Knights.
Ser Kael parried Lucky Roo in midair, their clash detonating like a cannonade and reducing a nearby ship to splinters. Bastion intercepted Rockstar, their fists colliding with the force of siege cannons, sending a shockwave that created a crater in the ocean itself. Lady Nyra weaved through gunfire like smoke, carving holes through pirate ships that exploded seconds later.
The seas around Elbaf boiled with fury.
Shamrock and Shanks met midair, blurring between warships, clashing above the ruined masts and sinking hulls. Haki met Haki. Observation. Armament. Conqueror's. All layered, refined, advanced.
Shanks slashed forward. Shamrock sidestepped in the air, twisting as Cerberus countered.
Steel met steel.
The sky detonated.
Islands fractured. Entire sections of Elbaf's coastline were cleaved off, crashing into the sea below. The giants looked on in awe and terror, their sacred homeland scorched by forces beyond comprehension.
"You were always strong," Shanks grunted, parrying again. "But this... isn't strength. It's corruption."
Shamrock's smile was cruel. "Corruption is the language of gods."
[Bloodmark Activated. Cerberus Feed Mode Engaged. Target: Shanks.]
He swung.
Cerberus howled.
The blade phased, passing through Shanks' sword and biting into his side. Red Hair staggered, blood trailing in the air. The wound burned, leaving a blackened mark that refused to clot.
But Shanks didn't fall.
His own Haki surged, pure, burning, defiant.
The heavens responded.
Lightning cracked between their figures, drawn not from weather, but from their wills alone. The storm clouds above twisted into a vortex, spinning around the point of their conflict. Hail the size of cannonballs pelted the ruins below. The wind howled in mourning.
Below, Beckman roared as he shot through a knight's defense, but Ser Voss met him with a barrier of pure Haki, reflecting the shot into a nearby hill, obliterating it.
Yasopp fired a bullet infused with Future Sight but Nyra caught it between two fingers, redirected it, and shot down a fleeing pirate ship behind them.
Everywhere, gods battled legends.
And above it all, Shamrock pressed forward.
Each swing of Cerberus drained the very life around it. The deck beneath them cracked and blackened. The very air recoiled. Birds fell from the sky, lifeless.
Shanks' blade sparked against Cerberus, but for the first time in years, the Emperor was bleeding.
[System Alert: Blood Saturation Level 72%. Cerberus Evolution Approaching Threshold.]
Shamrock drove Shanks backward, strike by strike, pushing him toward the heart of Elbaf's city.
The clash landed near the sacred Tree of Eld—a giant monument to the gods of old. As they collided once more, the tree cracked down its center, ancient bark splintering into dust.
"You were a relic of the old balance," Shamrock whispered. "But balance is a lie."
He unleashed a final surge of Conqueror's Haki.
It struck Shanks like a meteor, blasting him through three layers of giant stone defenses. The shockwave turned buildings to rubble and sent tremors deep into the bedrock of Elbaf.
The Red Hair Emperor collapsed to one knee, eyes wide with pain and disbelief.
Cerberus hovered above him.
Shamrock raised the blade.
"Your era ends now."