One Piece: The Strongest Creature

"How… how can this be?!"

Lucky Roux, the stout and formidable chef of the Red-Haired Pirates, stared in shock as Kahn effortlessly blocked his full-force blow with a mere lift of his foot. Eyes wide, he shouted in disbelief, the impossibility of the situation reflected on his face.

"I didn't expect a fat guy like you to move so fast. Looks can be deceiving, it seems," Kahn replied, a trace of genuine surprise in his voice.

Despite his imposing frame, Lucky Roux had incredible speed. As one of the Red-Haired Pirates' top fighters, he could go toe-to-toe with Sonia, one of Kahn's fastest lieutenants. The fact that Lucky Roux had managed to break free from Sonia and arrive in time to try to save Shanks was a testament to his skill, something even Kahn could respect.

Kahn raised a hand to halt Sonia, who looked ready to intercept Lucky Roux again, wanting to settle this matter himself.

Just then—

"Stop!!" 

A hoarse shout rang out. Shanks, with blood trickling from his mouth, strained against his injuries, trying to summon all his remaining Haki to stop Kahn's next move. His future sight had shown him something, something dire, but he was too slow.

**Boom!**

Kahn vanished with such speed that even Lucky Roux, skilled as he was, could barely register it. One moment, Kahn's foot blocked his charge; the next, Kahn had disappeared as if into thin air. Before Lucky Roux could use Observation Haki to track him, a sharp, overwhelming pain bloomed in his stomach. 

His vision tilted, and in an instant, he was rocketing upwards. He soared past the battlefield, past the floating island itself. In his final moments of awareness, Lucky Roux's sight was filled with a dizzying image of the entire island below him, connected by a glimmering, translucent white beam of light.

It took only ten seconds.

From the moment Kahn struck to the instant Lucky Roux's consciousness faded, the sequence unfolded with terrifying speed. The force that had launched him—the **Hero's Cannon**, a devastating kick unleashed from Kahn's foot—had hurled Lucky Roux from the island to the skies, much like a legendary swordsman's devastating slash.

Over a decade ago, Kahn had often fought in his full-dragon form, launching such attacks regardless of his opponent's strength. Today, that brutal power had sent Lucky Roux soaring out of sight, ending his consciousness in mere moments. 

Shanks, helpless and out of reach, could only watch as the weight of Kahn's assault left another comrade fallen.

When Kahn transformed into his dragon form, his physical power surged to terrifying levels. However, since defeating Kaido, he had seldom taken on this form over the past decade.

With Carina now wielding the Teleport-Teleport Fruit, Kahn no longer needed his dragon form for swift travel across the seas.

More than a strategic asset, Kahn's dragon form had become a legendary trump card. Known as a "Natural Destroyer," his unique physique was as rare as the mightiest Zoan Devil Fruits. Now, with his powers at their peak, his dragon form no longer brought the massive boosts it once did; any increase was marginal, his strength largely maxed out.

As Kahn's abilities matured, his fighting style shifted.

No longer relying solely on raw power, he now embodied a masterful and refined style, resembling a Paramecia or even an ordinary martial artist in appearance, yet devastatingly potent. This evolution marked his ultimate mastery—striking with the simplicity of a true champion.

Just as Mihawk's effortless slashes carried monumental force, Kahn's minimal yet perfected movements spoke of his complete mastery.

Against Lucky Roux, a top cadre of the Red-Haired Pirates, Kahn's punch had been as lethal as Kaido's initial Thunder Bagua strike against Luffy.

Shanks, too, despite his mastery of Haki, had been nearly incapacitated by a single blow from Kahn. Shanks relied on unparalleled Haki and swordsmanship to elevate himself among the world's greatest, yet even his strength and resilience had limits when faced with Kahn's unique combination of natural strength and powerful abilities.

**Clang—BOOM!!!**

Despite this staggering difference in power, Shanks didn't waver. Instead, he lifted Gryphon, infused with Conqueror's Haki, and swung his sword at Kahn with all the fury and resolve he could muster.

Although his Haki managed to obscure Kahn's ability to see into the future, Shanks' emotions were laid bare in Kahn's sharp Observation of Haki.

Kahn, sensing Shanks' intent, turned and calmly raised his hand. His blue aura shifted into a transparent shield that absorbed the force of Shanks' attack. Dark red lightning from Conqueror's Haki crackled as Kahn unleashed his own, clashing against Shanks' in a battle of sheer willpower.

The two potent forces met, forming an invisible substance between them, thick with tangible intensity.

Gritting his teeth, Shanks pushed his Conqueror's Haki further, trying to destabilize Kahn's mind shield and unleash a dimensional shockwave.

But Kahn's own Conqueror's Haki was just as potent, if not greater. He smirked, sensing Shanks' desperation, and responded by amplifying his own Haki, flooding the clash with his own indomitable will.

**Boom!**

The collision of their Haki caused the invisible substance to swell, building pressure like an overinflated balloon until—**CRACK!**—it erupted, shaking the entire battlefield.

Spider-web fractures ripped through the ground, spreading out in all directions across half the island. Rubble shot up from the cracks, and the reverberations forced everyone, Red-Haired Pirates and Cross Guild alike, to halt their battle.

All eyes turned skyward as a powerful shockwave cleared the clouds, scattering the darkness to reveal a brilliant, clear sky.

While it didn't split the heavens outright, the impact of this clash had altered the weather—a testament to the power of two Haki wielders at the peak of their abilities.

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