One Piece: The Strongest Creature

"Not bad strength! Try to catch me again!"

Seeing Benn Beckman and Monster take her strike head-on, Yamato's face broke into a grin filled with fighting spirit.

In an instant, her appearance began to shift visibly. Yamato, initially sporting only two horns, transformed into her hybrid form, exuding a biting, icy air as she took on the form of the Mythical Beast, the Great Daikoku True Form.

"A Mythical Zoan?!"

Sensing the sudden surge of cold air, Benn Beckman and Monster—both possessing sharp intelligence—widened their eyes in shock.

"Ice Slash!"

Now fully transformed, Yamato infused her Conqueror's Haki into her club, layering it with a freezing aura that seemed to chill everything it touched before swinging it down on Benn Beckman and Monster.

**Boom!**

Although Benn Beckman and Monster, still reeling from the shock, managed to counter quickly by unleashing advanced Armament Haki to defend themselves, Yamato's blow sent them flying backwards. Cold air invaded their bodies, encasing them in ice.

The icy imprisonment didn't last long, however; Benn Beckman and Monster shattered the ice with bursts of Armament Haki. Yet, the cold had already left visible frostbite on their bodies, weakening their strength.

Having landed a successful strike, Yamato pressed on, swinging her club again, relentlessly attacking her opponents. Despite their two-on-one advantage, Benn Beckman and Monster found themselves at a clear disadvantage.

Elsewhere, the other elites of the Red-Haired Pirates had their hands full, unable to assist. After Monet and Kahn wiped out over two-thirds of the Red-Haired crew, the "Cross Guild" had flipped the fight from being outnumbered to having the upper hand.

Especially in terms of top-tier combat power, the Red-Haired Pirates were struggling.

On Shanks' crew, only Shanks and Benn Beckman held true superpower status. However, on the "Cross Guild" side, in addition to Kahn and Hancock, two of the strongest warriors, they had Yamato—a powerhouse comparable to Kaido and Admiral Green Bull.

If measured by pure strength, the "Cross Guild" boasted three true heavyweights: two at the highest level and one at an advanced or intermediate level.

Against such power, even Red-Haired Pirates' top officers couldn't hold up.

From the moment Yamato set her sights on Benn Beckman and Monster, their defeat was all but assured.

The rest of Shanks' crew fared no better.

Monet and Kuina, having undergone genetic enhancements, had physiques akin to human monsters. Each wielded extraordinary abilities, with Monet possessing the Snow-Snow Fruit and Kuina the Float-Float Fruit. Additionally, both had honed their skills in advanced Armament and Observation Haki, placing them on the level of the elite.

Even so, Monet and Kuina stood as the strongest among the top ranks of the "Cross Guild."

The Haki specialists among the Red-Haired Pirates, despite their skills, found themselves outmatched against opponents who possessed such exceptional abilities and Devil Fruits.

In addition to Monet and Kuina, the "Cross Guild" had two other formidable allies providing support: Perona and Orochi. Their powers combined the perfected abilities of scientific innovation and Seraphim-level strength—monsters of the New World in their own right.

As the battle raged on, a one-sided picture began to emerge, with the Red-Haired Pirates gradually overwhelmed. Only one fight remained balanced: the intense clash between Benn Beckman and Boa Hancock.

A true superpower represents the peak of mind, skill, and physical prowess. When one has reached the pinnacle of will, flaws are nearly nonexistent.

In battles at this level, finding a weakness in an opponent becomes nearly impossible. Victory depends on skilful wear-down tactics, forcing flaws to surface through prolonged engagement. This is why fights between superpowers often stretch on endlessly.

Of course, Luffy and Kaido's battle doesn't fit the norm. By the time Kaido fought Luffy one-on-one, he had already endured numerous battles and was carrying an entire island, both of which drained him of significant energy. Even then, Luffy had to summon every ounce of strength he had to finally topple Kaido.

Without allies, a superpower confrontation becomes a war of attrition—just like the one between Hancock and Benn Beckman, who tested each other's strengths while relying on their battle IQ to create an edge.

To avoid accidental damage to nearby allies, Benn Beckman and Hancock tacitly withdrew from the main battlefield. There, they engaged in ranged attacks, sending bullets and lightning crackling with high-level Armament Haki and clashing with different-dimensional forces.

Sometimes, they closed the distance, engaging in close combat while both continuously foresaw each other's moves, consuming Conqueror's Haki in intense bursts.

But whether at range or close quarters, neither could exploit a flaw in the other's defence, making it a battle of equals. However, Hancock still held a subtle advantage.

Hancock's Devil Fruit granted her an edge over Benn Beckman. With just one slip in Benn's Haki defences, she could strike with over half a billion volts of energy, potentially devastating his cells and cutting his strength in half.

Meanwhile, Benn Beckman struggled to break through Hancock's near-limitless mobility and ability to evade. Though her advantage wasn't yet decisive, it was there.

On the other hand, the fight between Shanks and Kahn showed a clearer contrast in power.

**Clang—Boom!**

On a battlefield deliberately cleared by both the Red-Haired Pirates and the "Cross Guild," the clash of metal rang out. But this wasn't the sound of weapons merely meeting; it was the sound of something indestructible absorbing the strike of a legendary blade.

The scene rewinds a few seconds to reveal Shanks, who had refocused his energy, swinging his sword with a single arm toward Kahn. Griffin, one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Blades, crackled with a terrifying Haki as it cut through the air, aiming for Kahn, whose presence emanated an oppressive aura that even distant swordsmen could feel.

If Shanks missed, his slash would tear through the air, creating a massive blue arc that could slice the island clean through mountains and all.

But Kahn didn't respond with a punch. Instead, he casually kept his hands in his pockets, remaining rooted to the spot.

Just as Griffin closed within a mere ten centimetres of Kahn, a transparent blue barrier materialized in front of him. This energy shield, akin to Barrier-Barrier Fruit ability, stopped Shanks' strike dead in its tracks and even reflected it back.

The combined force of Shanks' Haki and the ricocheted air pressure blasted the battlefield, momentarily sending Shanks himself backwards.

"Is that all you've got?" Kahn sneered, a slight smirk curling at the corner of his mouth. Inside his barrier, he looked utterly unfazed. "It's just mediocre!"

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