"Are these Xuanwu Navy soldiers this powerful?"
"Almost every one of them possesses combat strength comparable to a captain, and some are even more terrifying than a ship's captain."
"Damn it, why is the Xuanwu Navy targeting us?"
"Quick, retreat! We are no match for them."
"Don't run! Fire, fire! We must stop their advance and buy time for the main force to encircle and annihilate them."
...
On an island in the West Sea.
A reasonably strong pirate crew was stationed here, and they were currently under attack by the Xuanwu Navy.
The pirates on the island were resisting fiercely, but at the same time, some were fleeing in fear.
Similar to this pirate crew, incidents were also occurring in the South Sea and the North Sea.
Some pirate crews, confident in their strength, began to form alliances, launching strategic ambushes, long-range bombardments, and so on.
Due to the Xuanwu Navy's invasiveness and aggressiveness, there was constant fighting in the South Sea, North Sea, and West Sea for a time.
Meanwhile, after descending from the Sky Island, Buggy, who had secretly led his squadron into the West Sea, learned that treasures were hidden on the Ice Continent. He directly entered the border of the Flower Country, intending to obtain specific treasure information from the Eight Treasures Navy. Unexpectedly, he encountered the Red-Haired Pirates.
At this time, the Red-Haired Pirates had recently fought with Chinjao, the leader of the Eight Treasures Navy of the Flower Country, and were currently holding a banquet on the island.
"Boss, we're in trouble."
"It's a Xuanwu Navy warship, approaching us."
In the flickering light of the bonfire under the night sky, Yasopp's eyes pierced through the layers of darkness and looked at the approaching warship in the distance, saying.
Upon hearing Yasopp's words, everyone at the banquet fell silent.
Shanks, upon hearing this, grabbed his hat, put it on, and smiled slightly, saying, "Brothers, the Navy has come at the wrong time. Our banquet must be interrupted."
Benn Beckman, Lucky Roo, and others chuckled, then packed their belongings and quickly boarded the ship with Shanks, preparing for battle.
Concurrently, Buggy, who was docking, received reports from his subordinates.
"Red-Haired Pirates?"
"Is it that scoundrel Shanks?"
"Move out! I want to capture him."
Buggy did not expect to encounter Red-Haired Shanks here.
Although their relationship was quite good.
However, he now held a Navy identity.
Secondly, with the improvement of his strength and the development of his Devil Fruit abilities, Buggy was now extremely confident that he could defeat Shanks.
If he could capture Shanks, it would be an incredibly exciting prospect.
"Shanks, you are surrounded! Raise your hands and surrender."
"Alas, what did that fellow Benedict say... 'Prosperity to those who follow me, annihilation to those who oppose me'."
Buggy's voice drifted from afar. Shanks on the Red-Haired Pirates' ship couldn't help but freeze, then a smile appeared on his face, saying, "It's an old friend."
"But I am a pirate now, and he is the Navy."
Lucky Roo, holding a large piece of meat, heard this and laughed, "Boss, why don't we play with the Navy?"
"They only have one warship," Yasopp said, polishing his rifle with a smile.
"Is that so? Then let's play."
Several minutes later.
On the island.
Except for a few individuals who remained on the ship, both sides had landed.
"Hahaha."
"Shanks, we meet again."
"Just be obedient and let me defeat you."
Buggy looked at Shanks opposite him, hands on his hips, and shouted excitedly.
Shanks showed no displeasure at Buggy's attitude and behavior. Instead, he burst into laughter.
"Buggy, you're still the same, you haven't changed at all."
"However, you cannot defeat me yet, and my brothers will not let you capture me."
Shanks smiled, gripping his sword in his right hand.
Benn Beckman, Yasopp, Lucky Roo, and other crew members of the Red-Haired Pirates let out low chuckles, their faces radiating confidence.
"Tch, my soldiers are very powerful."
Behind Buggy stood sixty Xuanwu Navy soldiers, each with considerable strength. They stood silently behind Buggy, ready to fight at any moment.
Benn Beckman's gaze carefully assessed the Xuanwu Navy soldiers and he couldn't help but praise, "They are indeed elite warriors."
"With such strength, they can basically walk sideways across the sea."
Yasopp, Lucky Roo, and the others nodded subconsciously.
Although their current bounties were not high, their strength and judgment were indeed very sharp.
"Shanks, let's duel."
"I will defeat you."
Buggy yelled and charged towards Shanks.
Shanks scratched his straw hat, chuckled, and also drew his sword and charged forward.
As Buggy and Shanks engaged in a fierce battle, on the other side, the Xuanwu Navy soldiers did not retreat and engaged Benn Beckman and the others.
The battle raged until midnight. All the Xuanwu Navy soldiers were wounded and defeated, with a few casualties.
The members of the Red-Haired Pirates, except for a few elites, were also mostly injured.
At this moment, these people stood aside, the bonfire had been rekindled, and the banquet would continue.
As for the defeated Xuanwu Navy soldiers, they were tied up.
The only ones still fighting were Buggy and Shanks.
Buggy's strength had increased significantly, but Shanks' strength had experienced explosive growth. His formidable power and the Haki of the Conqueror displayed were no less.
For this reason, despite having become much stronger, Buggy was still unable to defeat Shanks.
"Buggy, you've become much stronger."
Shanks forced Buggy back with a sword and said with relief, "It seems you are doing quite well in the Xuanwu Navy."
Buggy was panting heavily, with several sword wounds on his body, but none were fatal. Shanks and Buggy's fight was without killing intent, thus it was a pure duel.
Buggy glanced at the unconscious Xuanwu Navy soldiers and then at Benn Beckman and the others not far away. He lost his previous ferocity and said with a dejected expression, "Even though I've become so strong, why can't I still defeat you?"
Shanks sheathed his rapier and burst into laughter.
"It means you are not strong enough yet."
"It's alright. Come challenge me again when you become even stronger."
"This time, I'll let you go."
Feeling pity from Shanks, Buggy became somewhat displeased and quickly shouted, "What are you kidding about? I can still fight."
Shanks stepped forward, put an arm around Buggy's neck, and laughed heartily, "Alright, alright, let's have a banquet."
"You'll definitely like it."
Buggy was still displeased, but his body honestly followed, "I don't like... Alright, I haven't had a banquet in a long time."
New World.
While fierce battles were raging in other seas, Benedict, aboard a Xuanwu warship, accompanied by two Navy warships, swaggered out of the East Sea and into the New World, attracting considerable attention.
Many pirate forces appeared along the way, but upon learning that Benedict was on board, not a single force dared to launch a sneak attack.
Benedict's power had already instilled fear in too many people.