The smoke of battle still hung thick over Marineford's devastated plaza. Bodies lay scattered across the shattered courtyard.
Sengoku's golden Buddha form towered over this destruction, his divine energy crackling with residual power as he surveyed the carnage. The few surviving Marines cheered their absolute victory, their voices hoarse from battle cries and the acrid smoke that filled their lungs. But their celebrations began to fade as their Fleet Admiral's attention turned seaward.
The sea itself seemed to part before the approaching vessel. Through the smoke and mist emerged the Red Force, cutting through the waters with authority.
"Shanks," Sengoku murmured, his voice carrying across the plaza despite its quiet tone. Conversations died mid-sentence, celebrations ceased abruptly, and even the wounded stopped their groaning to turn their attention to the approaching vessel.
Vice Admiral Momonga wiped blood from a gash above his eye, his hand trembling slightly as he gripped his sword. "The Red Hair Pirates... now?"
"Perfect timing," Admiral Kizaru drawled from where he stood over Marco's sea-stone bound form, though his usual lazy demeanor carried an edge of wariness. "How troublesome."
Admiral Aokiji said nothing, but ice began forming around his feet in unconscious preparation. Even Admiral Akainu, still radiating heat from his recent victories, turned his scarred face toward the approaching ship.
The Red-Haired Emperor stepped onto Marineford's dock with the casual confidence of a man who had never known defeat. His crew followed behind in perfect formation, Ben Beckman's rifle held with professional ease, Lucky Roux's usually jovial expression serious and focused, Yasopp's sharp eyes already calculating firing angles and escape routes. Each member of the crew moved with the fluid grace of seasoned warriors, their reputations preceding them like an invisible banner.
The moment Shanks' boots touched the dock, his Conqueror's Haki washed over the battlefield like an inexorable tide. The pressure was immediate and overwhelming, a manifestation of pure. Weak-willed Marines collapsed instantly, their minds unable to process the sheer force of his presence. Even seasoned soldiers staggered under the pressure, their weapons clattering to the ground as they fought to remain conscious.
But Sengoku remained unmoved, his golden form radiating its own divine authority that pushed back against the encroaching wave of Conqueror's Haki. Where the two forces met, the air itself seemed to shimmer with barely contained energy.
"Impressive as always, Red Hair," Sengoku acknowledged, his voice carrying clearly across the plaza. "But if you think to intimidate me, you'll find yourself sorely disappointed."
Shanks strode forward, his footsteps echoing on the cracked stone. His eyes swept across the devastation with a mixture of sorrow and grim determination. Ace's lifeless form lay crumpled near the execution platform, his young face peaceful despite the violence of his end. Whitebeard's massive corpse dominated one section of the plaza, the World's Strongest Man brought low at last. And there, cradled by what remained of his desperate allies, lay Luffy, battered, broken, but still breathing.
"This is enough," Shanks declared, his voice cutting through the chaos with absolute finality. The words carried weight beyond their simple meaning. "This war is over."
Sengoku's laugh was cold. It was the sound of gears turning in a vast machine, calculating and merciless. "Over? This war ends when I say it ends, Red Hair. You have no authority here, this is Marine territory."
The Fleet Admiral's form pulsed with golden light, divine energy crackling around him like living lightning. "You arrive too late to save anyone who mattered. Whitebeard is dead. Fire Fist Ace is dead. Even Blackbeard, for all his scheming, lies broken beneath my justice. What exactly do you think you can accomplish here?"
"I have the authority of someone who refuses to watch this madness continue," Shanks replied, his hand coming to rest on Gryphon's hilt. His stance appeared relaxed, almost casual, but those who knew him recognized the subtle shift in his posture, the coiled tension of a predator ready to strike. "You've proven your point, Sengoku. The old era is dead, buried beneath the weight of your justice. But if you continue this slaughter..
The temperature of the battlefield seemed to drop several degrees as both men regarded each other across the devastated plaza. Marines and pirates alike held their breath.
Sengoku said, his golden eyes never leaving Shanks' face. "What I see before me is the last remnant of a dying age, clinging desperately to relevance. The world has moved beyond the need for pirates, Red Hair. Your time, all of your time, is over."
Without warning, both men unleashed their Conqueror's Haki simultaneously. The clash was immediate and catastrophic, Shanks' crimson aura meeting Sengoku's golden divine energy in a collision that split the very air between them. Lightning crackled where their wills met, purple-white bolts dancing across the plaza as two titanic forces of will warred for dominance.
The shockwave from their clash rippled outward in visible waves, shattering what remained of the windows in Marineford's buildings and sending loose debris flying like shrapnel. The very ground beneath their feet began to crack and splinter, spider-web fractures racing outward from the point where their Haki met.
But something was profoundly wrong. Shanks' eyes widened as he felt Sengoku's Haki pressing against his own with unnatural, overwhelming strength. This wasn't just the Fleet Admiral's willpower, there was something else entirely, something divine and absolute that made even his Emperor-level Conqueror's Haki strain and buckle under the pressure.
In all his years as a Yonko, through countless battles and confrontations with the world's strongest individuals, Shanks had never encountered anything like this. It was as if he was clashing wills not with a man, but with the concept of order itself.
"What... what are you?" Shanks muttered through gritted teeth, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead as he poured more power into the clash. The strain was evident in his voice, a note of uncertainty that his crew had rarely heard from their captain.
Sengoku's golden eyes gleamed with satisfaction, his divine form growing brighter as he intensified his assault. "I am order, Red Hair. I am the will of justice given form. I am what this chaotic world needs, a force that cannot be bargained with, cannot be corrupted, and cannot be defeated."
The Haki clash intensified beyond anything the battlefield had witnessed, even during the earlier confrontation between Sengoku and Whitebeard.
"Fleet Admiral!" Admiral Akainu stepped forward through the oppressive aura, magma bubbling around his form as he fought against the pressure. "Let us handle this interference! These pirates have overstepped their bounds!"
"Stand down, Sakazuki," Sengoku commanded, never breaking his concentration on Shanks.
But Ben Beckman was already moving, his rifle flowing into his hands with practiced ease as he trained the weapon on Akainu. The first mate's movements were fluid and precise, honed by decades of combat alongside his captain. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Beckman said coolly, his finger resting lightly on the trigger.
Akainu turned toward Beckman with deliberate slowness, and for the first time in years, the legendary sniper felt something that made his blood run cold. This wasn't the calculated, professional ruthlessness he'd expected from studying the Admiral's reputation. Akainu's eyes burned with manic satisfaction, magma dripping more freely from his form as if his control had been loosened by the intoxication of total victory.
The Admiral's smile was wide and feral, more suited to a beast than a man. Fresh blood still stained his uniform, some his own, but much of it belonging to the pirates he'd crushed beneath his molten fury. The scent of burning flesh still clung to him.
"You think that toy scares me, pirate?" Akainu's voice was a low growl, vibrating with barely contained violence. "I've just burned through legends today. Whitebeard's commanders fell before me. What's one more corpse to add to the pile?"
He took a step forward, and where his foot touched the ground, the stone began to smoke and bubble.
Beckman's usual calm composure cracked slightly, a bead of sweat forming at his temple. He'd intimidated Admiral Kizaru before, but this Akainu was something else entirely, unhinged and reveling in destruction. This was why they called him the Mad Dog.
Lucky Roux and Yasopp flanked their first mate without a word, their own weapons appearing in their hands as they formed a protective triangle. But Admiral Aokiji was already moving to intercept them, ice spreading across the blood-soaked ground in intricate patterns. "Ara ara," the tall Admiral said with deceptive laziness, though his eyes were sharp and focused. "Can't have you interfering with official Marine business. This is still our territory, after all."
The standoff escalated rapidly as more Red Hair Pirates faced off against Marine officers throughout the plaza. Swords were drawn, guns were cocked as both sides prepared for what seemed like an inevitable clash. But despite the smaller confrontations erupting around them, all eyes remained fixed on the central battle of wills between the two leaders.
The Haki clash reached a peak that seemed to shake the very foundations of Marineford itself. Both men strained against each other's will with everything they possessed, but slowly, Shanks found himself being pushed back. His crimson aura flickered under the relentless pressure of Sengoku's energy.
"Impossible," Shanks breathed, his knees threatening to buckle under the overwhelming force pressing down upon him. In all his years as a Yonko, through battles with Kaido and confrontations with the other Emperors, no one had ever overpowered his Conqueror's Haki so completely.
Sengoku's form began to glow even brighter, his divine energy reaching heights that seemed to touch the very heavens. "This is the difference between us, Red Hair. You rule through fear and reputation, through the memories of past glories and the weight of legend. But I lead through absolute certainty, the unwavering knowledge that order must prevail over chaos, no matter the cost."
The pressure intensified, and several of the weaker Marines and pirates began to bleed from their ears and noses. The very air seemed to thicken, becoming almost solid under the weight of Sengoku's divine authority.
With a grunt of effort, Shanks pulled back his Haki entirely, ending the clash abruptly and stumbling backward several steps. The sudden absence of opposing force left Sengoku's golden aura dominating the battlefield completely for several long seconds before he too reined in his power.
The silence that followed was deafening. Even the wind seemed afraid to disturb the aftermath of such a display of raw power.
"Smart," Sengoku acknowledged, his voice carrying clearly across the suddenly quiet plaza. His golden form began to dim slightly, though he remained ready to resume the clash at a moment's notice. "Continuing would have only proven my point further. You cannot stand against order, Red Hair. No one can."
Admiral Akainu snarled at the temporary ceasefire, magma still dripping from his clenched fists as he glared at the assembled pirates. "You're letting him show weakness and still negotiate? Fleet Admiral, these pirates understand only strength! Let me show them what happens when they dare to interfere with justice!"
"I said stand down!" Sengoku's command cracked across the plaza like a whip, carrying such authority that even Akainu was forced to take a step back.
Ben Beckman kept his rifle trained on the Admiral, sweat now freely beading on his forehead as he tried to read the unpredictable man before him. He'd studied Akainu, analyzed his patterns and weaknesses, but the creature standing before him bore little resemblance to the cold professional described in intelligence reports.
For a long, tense moment, the two groups faced each other across the ruins of Marineford. Shanks, still recovering from the devastating Haki clash, his crew ready for battle behind him, stood opposite Sengoku and his Admirals.
In the distance, the surviving members of the Whitebeard Pirates watched with desperate hope, while the wounded Luffy stirred slightly in his allies' arms.