One Piece: The Strongest Creature

**"Arrow of Indra!"**

As Hancock condensed her energy into blazing purple lightning arrows, she unleashed them with terrifying force toward the Red Hair Pirates.

*Boom!*

The arrows cut through the air with astonishing speed, crackling with raw power that could make anyone feel despair. Just as the electrified arrow, "Indra," shot forward, a gunshot rang out from the Red Hair Pirates.

A single black bullet, encased in dark red lightning, ripped through the air and collided with Hancock's arrow, its sheer speed and intensity distorting the space around it.

*Boom!*

The collision was deafening, but instead of a massive explosion, there was only a tremendous shockwave—like the clash of Conqueror's Haki. The air itself trembled, cyclones spinning out from the point of impact, covering the lower half of Tianzheng Island.

**"This guy..."**

Seeing her Indra arrow blocked so effectively, Hancock's gaze narrowed, drawn to Benn Beckman, who held his smoking gun steady.

For the first time, Hancock felt compelled to take Shanks' second-in-command seriously. Her Observation Haki pulsed with insight, and her deep blue eyes narrowed. *"So that's it…"* she thought.

*No wonder Master sent a stronger lineup than for the Onigashima raid. It turns out the Red Hair Pirates, like the 'Cross Family,' possess two wielders of supreme power.*

Benn Beckman, oblivious to Hancock's internal realization, called out, his voice low and commanding, "Don't underestimate us... Blocking your attack was no small feat, but that's what our 'Captain' can do. So let your 'Captain' step forward."

**"...As you wish."**

Just as Benn Beckman finished speaking, a calm male voice echoed around the Red Hair Pirates.

A figure emerged—one whose presence immediately commanded respect. The man, Kahn, had shed the white coat he'd worn for a century, now standing in a crisp white suit and blue tie. He appeared beside Hancock and her comrades, casting a serene smile toward the Red Hair Pirates.

**"Master!"**

Seeing Kahn arrive, Hancock and the others felt their spirits soar, their fighting resolve reinvigorated.

"Nojiko, take Perona's body into the alternate space," Kahn instructed, "so she's safe from the coming clash."

Then, turning to Monet, she continued, "Protect Mary with a barrier. The rest of you—choose your opponents."

With a final look at the Red Hair Pirates, Kahn's eyes gleamed as he spoke, "This sky island is as good a place as any to bury you."

*Shhhhhhh*

Not giving Shanks a moment to respond, Kahn enveloped himself in a powerful blue aura, its intensity covering his entire body.

Stones around Kahn began to float as if gravity itself had been momentarily suspended.

With a simple forward motion, Kahn sent a dozen stones, each cloaked in a blue aura, slicing through the air with a piercing, high-pitched sound. These stones, faster than any sniper bullet, hurtled straight toward the Red Hair Pirates.

*Swish!*

The stones were incredibly fast—and there were too many of them. Even Yasopp, the flotilla's renowned sharpshooter, couldn't match their speed to intercept them all.

Realizing this, Shanks, as the "Captain" Beckman had spoken of, raised his legendary sword, Gryphon. He swung it with a massive blue slash to pulverize the incoming stones, hoping to shield his crew. But Kahn was a step ahead, a subtle smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth as he moved his fingers once more.

*"It's not good… Everyone, scatter!"* 

Benn Beckman and Shanks, sensing the danger with their advanced Observation Haki, shouted warnings. But it was already too late.

*Puchi-puchi-puchi!*

From the ground, hundreds of blue light beams erupted, faster than bullets, tearing upward. Pirates, caught off guard or unable to dodge fast enough, found themselves struck down by these deadly lights. The weaker members of Shanks' crew were riddled with holes, their bodies collapsing with barely a sound amidst cries of pain. In an instant, another third of the Red Hair Pirates had fallen.

Between Kahn's ruthless assault and the efforts of Monet and Sonia, only a third of Shanks' crew remained—the strongest, elite members, known as the "iron wall" of the New World.

**"Unforgivable… Unforgivable!"**

Shanks' eyes blazed with fury as he watched Kahn and his companions slain by what he saw as cowardly tactics. Dark red lightning crackled around him as his killing intent surged, the air itself seeming to shake under his rage. Shanks had never felt such hatred.

Kahn looked on, his expression bemused. **"Why so angry?"** he asked. **"If I recall correctly, you were a pirate long before me. You sailed the Grand Line with the Roger Pirates while I was still a thug in West Blue."**

Kahn's tone dripped with scorn. **"As a senior pirate, you must have taken countless lives. Why the outrage now? You initiated the assault on Dressrosa and, by doing so, shattered the balance among the Five Emperors. War isn't a game; death is inevitable."**

His mocking gaze cut into Shanks. **"So tell me—who are you putting on this show for?"**

Shanks didn't respond with words. He moved, transforming into a red blur as he charged at Kahn with deadly intent.

This time, the rest of the Red Hair Pirates surged forward with him, no one willing to let their captain face the Cross Family alone. Their expressions betrayed a singular resolve: they wouldn't hold back, regardless of who stood before them. Driven by vengeance, they were ready to strike down Hancock and her allies without mercy.

Hancock and her allies sprang into action. Nojiko opened an air door, taking her soul out of her body and whisking Perona to safety in an alternate dimension. Monet deployed a protective barrier around Mary, shielding her completely.

Meanwhile, Hancock, Yamato, Kuina, and the rest of the Cross Family—including the perfected Pacifista and Seraphim—charged into battle. 

At last, the war among emperors of the One Piece world had broken out in full force.

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