My consciousness suddenly grew hazy, and I saw a blurry silhouette charging toward us across the horizon.
"We have guests."
Shen Yuan smiled faintly, folding his arms as he stood calmly, awaiting the arrival.
Rayleigh turned around slowly, puzzled.
Then he saw the blur take shape—rushing at breakneck speed through the air.
"Captain of the First Division of the Whitebeard Pirates... what brings you here, Marco?"
The figure stopped abruptly just a foot from Shen Yuan, coated in flickering blue phoenix flames. His pineapple-shaped hair swayed in the breeze, and the Whitebeard Pirates' insignia gleamed proudly on his chest.
Lean. Tall. Calm. Dangerous.
The blue fire faded slowly, revealing the man within.
"Marco the Phoenix…"
Shen Yuan smiled. "Long time no see. So… what does the commander of the strongest pirate crew want with me?"
Marco's sharp eyes moved slightly—glancing at the silver-haired old man beside him.
That one glance was enough.
"Rayleigh?"
"Yo, young'un. You're sharp as ever," Rayleigh chuckled and gave a casual wave.
Smoker, Tashigi, and Brocki stood frozen. No one dared to breathe too loud.
"Alright, Rayleigh, enough small talk," Marco said flatly. "Shen Yuan. Oyaji wants to see you."
Whitebeard. The man closest to the title of Pirate King.
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow and responded slowly:
"He and I will meet when the time is right. I'm not in a hurry to face the old sea god just yet."
He smiled faintly and gave a dismissive wave, turning away.
Marco's expression instantly darkened. His eyes were now sharp as a hawk's.
It was as if a massive boulder had dropped into the sea.
Turbulent waves.
"Shen Yuan," Marco said, his voice cold, "don't mistake kindness for weakness. If you raise yourself too high, the fall will crush your bones."
Shen Yuan looked sideways and turned to Tashigi with a grin.
"Tashigi, I'll show you a new recipe later. You'll love it."
Marco: "…"
His face sank.
Behind him, Brocki was practicing Shen Yuan's Haki cultivation method. Smoker had returned to the ship after ten days of intense horse-stance training and body reinforcement.
His muscles were tempered, his breathing refined.
Before him stood a wooden dummy. He clenched his fists and punched continuously, forging the base for awakening Armament Haki.
Meanwhile, Shen Yuan stepped onto the deck.
"Tashigi, step back a bit. There's a fly."
Suddenly, he raised his right arm—coated instantly with Busoshoku Haki.
"CLANG!"
A shining black arm stopped Marco's sneak attack mid-air!
"Tsk tsk tsk… The pride of the Whitebeard Pirates really resorts to this?"
Shen Yuan turned around sharply.
"Haa!"
His fist launched forward like a cannon, crashing into Marco and sending him flying to the coastline!
"Shen Yuan—don't get cocky just because you've been out at sea for a few weeks!" Marco roared.
"Let me show you the power of a man carrying Oyaji's name!"
Blue flames erupted violently from his back.
He soared into the sky and dove like a meteor, his leg wreathed in green-blue phoenix fire, aiming to crush Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan stood still.
He didn't dodge.
He merely rested his chin in one hand, calmly pondering something else entirely.
Should I say something cooler before the counter? What line would hit hardest?
This aloof indifference felt like contempt to Marco.
"Damn you! Don't look down on me!"
The phoenix flames surged as Marco's output rose.
But Shen Yuan didn't move.
He smiled instead.
"Do you want to dance too?"
That line struck him as suitably badass. He resolved to keep it as his signature phrase.
With that, he sprang into the sky.
Marco's kick was parried effortlessly.
Shen Yuan snatched Marco by the head mid-air, spun mid-turn, pulled back his arm and—
SLAM!
A savage suplex tossed Marco upward.
He didn't stop.
Haki-coated fingers curled.
Marco was dazed midair.
"I'm a damn phoenix! I can fly! Why the hell are you throwing me like this!?"
"Flying Thunder God!"
Using Soru and Geppo, Shen Yuan blurred into the sky.
BOOM!
A massive fist crashed into Marco's abdomen, knocking him downward. The Phoenix tried to stabilize with his wings, but—
"Flying Thunder God!"
Shen Yuan appeared below and drove another strike into his ribs.
"Flying Thunder God!"
"Flying Thunder God!"
"Flying Thunder God!"
One after another.
After more than ten hits in rapid succession, Shen Yuan finally stopped.
He landed calmly.
Marco crashed nearby, slamming hard into the ground.
Rayleigh's shoulders shook. He was holding back a laugh.
"Koff... koff…"
Marco stumbled upright.
He clutched his abdomen and lower back, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth.
Shen Yuan watched him without blinking.
He wasn't angry.
Just calculating.
Should I make an alliance with the Whitebeard Pirates?
Whitebeard's crew was, without question, the strongest force on the sea.
With dozens of powerful "sons" and the man closest to the Pirate King's throne…
If I could recruit them, it would be invaluable when I confront the Five Elder Stars.
"Marco," Shen Yuan said at last, "tell Whitebeard: I'll find him."
Marco took a long breath.
He stared at Shen Yuan one last time, then took to the sky and vanished.
> [Defeated Plot Character: Marco — Level Increased to 53!]
"Maxed-out Haki stat!"
Shen Yuan clenched his fists in excitement.
He immediately dumped all his upgrade points into Haoshoku Haki.
A full-powered Conqueror's Haki blast erupted from his body!
Waves of invisible pressure surged outward!
"W-Woah…"
Rayleigh staggered slightly as the shockwave blasted past. His expression shifted—but he said nothing.
The crew reassembled on the ship.
Smoker had watched the entire battle from beginning to end.
He had only one word to describe it:
"Toying."
Marco hadn't even been treated like a real opponent.
Shen Yuan exhaled as he climbed back aboard.
"Dashiqi, ready that Dongpo Pork?"
"Next stop: Drum Kingdom!"
Smoker manned the helm.
Rayleigh hoisted the sails.
The ship began its slow departure—toward Drum Kingdom.
"Warrior!" the giant warriors Dongli and Brogy waved from shore.
"Farewell!" Shen Yuan waved back.
He felt no animosity toward them.
He'd shown restraint in their duel. They were not weaklings to him—but warriors who had fought for over a hundred years.
That kind of resolve earned his respect.
Brogy cupped his hands and shouted:
"When you finish circling the Grand Line, come back and drink with us again!"
Dongli followed:
"Thanks for your secret Haki method! Next time, I'll teach you all my sword techniques!"
The two giants stood like mountains, watching until the ship shrank into a black dot on the horizon.
Shen Yuan stood silently at the bow, gazing at the distant Little Garden.
Rayleigh smirked.
"What, got a soft spot for giants now?"
Shen Yuan gave a sideways glance.
"Old man, go lie down and stop reading into things."
Rayleigh flopped down on the reclining chair.
"Throw me your compass."
Shen Yuan's tone was casual—but commanding.
Rayleigh grunted and tossed it over.
Shen Yuan caught the navigational log.
A small, delicate pointer sat inside.
"Finally... we've got a watch now. Something felt missing without one."
Rayleigh: "…"
He almost fell out of the recliner.