Chapter 23
Shanks the Red, The Power of the "Face" Fruit

“Boom…Boom…Boom…”

On the chaotic battlefield, countless explosions rang out continuously.

Every explosion was accompanied by the mangled limbs of pirates.

As the fierce battle and constant killing continued, the situation on the battlefield became clearer.

The pirates who could survive the chaotic fighting were all incredibly powerful crews.

“Big Mom Pirates’ Cracker, Beast Pirates’ Jack…”

“Are you two also trying to fight our Whitebeard Pirates and steal the power of the Tailed Beast!?”

Marco said to the Big Mom Pirates and Beast Pirates.

Next to Marco, stood a burly and ugly man.

These two were the third division captain of the Whitebeard Pirates, Diamond Jozu, and the currently inconspicuous Marshall D. Teach, otherwise known as the future Blackbeard.

Diamond Jozu was just as strong as Marco, a division captain with exceptional power, and he had come to help Marco obtain the power of the Tailed Beast.

As for Teach, while he was currently inconspicuous, he harbored the ambition to conquer the sea. How could he possibly let go of this opportunity to enhance his strength with this powerful Tailed Beast?

“Humph, you Whitebeard Pirates think you’re so great!? I’m Jack, and I fear no one…”

“We, the Beast Pirates, want the Tailed Beast’s power…”

Jack, the headstrong member of the Beast Pirates, roared loudly, charging directly at Marco.

“Mom, let me bring the Tailed Beast back…”

“I won’t let go of the Tailed Beast…”

Cracker of the Big Mom Pirates continued, immediately activating his Devil Fruit ability to create countless biscuit soldiers, launching into the fray.

“Crocodile, are you really going to be an enemy of the World Government!?”

The CP agents shouted as they fought against Crocodile’s attacks.

“Enemy!? Heh, aren’t we already enemies!?”

Crocodile said disdainfully, attacking the CP agents with even more ferocity.

It could be said that these pirates had all become extremely frenzied for the sake of the Tailed Beast and its overwhelming power.

No one was willing to give up, no one was willing to back down.

At that moment, another group of pirates arrived from the desert in the distance.

Leading the charge was a man with long red hair and three scars across his face.

There was no doubt about it, they were the Red Hair Pirates.

When the Red Hair Pirates arrived at the scene, they were shocked by the chaotic battlefield before them.

The battlefield was truly chaotic and bloody.

Pirates were fighting everywhere, with pirates dying every second.

Crimson blood constantly spilled on the desert, turning the entire area red.

Even the Red Hair Pirates, who were used to rough seas and fierce battles, were slightly overwhelmed by the sight before them.

“What a fierce battle!…”

“Yeah! It’s unbelievable that the Tailed Beast attracted so many pirates…”

“So many pirates, and there’s even the Whitebeard Pirates, the Beast Pirates, and the Big Mom Pirates’ executives…”

“Captain Shanks, what should we do? Should we join the fight!?”

“…”

The Red Hair Pirates looked towards Shanks himself.

“Too many people have already died here…”

“We should stop the fighting first…”

“Haoshoku Haki…”

Shanks’ eyes narrowed, and a powerful Haki spread from him as its center, surging toward the many pirates on the battlefield.

The pirates who were currently fighting felt Shanks’ powerful Haki and their bodies froze momentarily.

“This is Haki!…Such terrifying Haki!…”

“Who is it!? To have such terrifying Haki…”

For a moment, all the pirates stopped their movements, their actions halted, as they looked towards Shanks.

“That’s…Red Hair Shanks…”

“Right, it’s him, one of the Yonko, the Red Hair Pirates…”

“Damn it, Red Hair Shanks has actually come in person, this is trouble…”

“…”

When the pirates saw Shanks appear, their faces all turned serious.

They all knew very well how powerful Shanks, one of the Yonko, was. It was completely beyond their capabilities to fight him.

Now that Shanks had appeared here, it would be incredibly difficult to steal the Tailed Beast.

Seeing the fighting around him stop, Shanks walked towards the battlefield with his crew.

As they walked, all the pirates quickly made way, warily watching Shanks and his crew.

Eventually, Shanks arrived at the center of the battlefield and stopped.

“Everyone, give me some face…stop fighting!…”

“Continuing this fight is meaningless, it will only lead to more casualties…”

Shanks shouted loudly to everyone.

Hearing Shanks’ words, many pirate crews began to think about retreating.

This wasn’t because Shanks’ face was so useful, but because Shanks was incredibly powerful.

You couldn’t refuse to give face to such a powerful pirate.

However, there were still some pirates who were unwilling to give up.

“Red Hair Shanks, are you trying to monopolize the power of the Tailed Beast!?”

“Yeah! This is the terrifying power of the Tailed Beast, we absolutely won’t give up…”

“That’s right, we have to get the Tailed Beast’s power…”

“…”

Some pirates shouted loudly, clearly not willing to easily give up on such powerful Tailed Beast power after just one sentence from Shanks.

“It seems you all still want to fight…”

“Then, I’ll be your opponent!…”

Shanks drew his sword and looked at the pirates who were unwilling to give up.

Despite feeling Shanks’ aura, these pirate crews were extremely reluctant, but none of them dared to attack Shanks.

Shanks was a Yonko, attacking a Yonko would be no different than suicide!

It could be said that at this moment, Shanks had single-handedly intimidated all the pirates present.

This was the strength of a Yonko, the strength of a pirate emperor.

He didn’t even need to make a move, just his aura was enough to intimidate everyone.

But not everyone was intimidated by Shanks.

“Damn it, Red Hair Shanks, are you trying to stop me from getting the Tailed Beast’s power!?…”

“Anyone who stands in my way will die…”

“Boys, get on it…”

As soon as Shanks finished speaking, Jack, the Drought of the Beast Pirates, immediately charged forward.