บท 15: Light Spar
Shanks grinned as the ship in front of them became closer and closer. There was someone on the ship that he hadn't seen in a long time, someone that was able to fight on the same level as him.
"Shanks, is that who I think it is?" Lucky asked as he walked to the side of him.
"Yep, it's definitely her. No doubt about it." Shanks said. "No one in the world wouldn't be able to forget her even if they tried."
"Are we going to fight her?" Ben asked. "It's a good day today, but I wouldn't mind seeing some blood."
"Let's just wait and see." Shanks said.
…
"Nico, maybe just for this battle. I'm going to have to sit you out." Imai said. "The Red Hair Pirates. These guys are on a different level."
Nico understood Imai's point. The Red Hair Pirate's captain, Shanks. Memories of the Summit War of Marineford entered her mind. When Shanks had entered the battle, the atmosphere had shifted, and his presence alone had entered alone. The air around him was different, she could tell that he was something she wouldn't stand a chance against.
Finally, their ships had become close enough to which they could talk to each other freely. Nico stood back and didn't bother involving herself with the other crew.
"Empress of the Blade, it's good to see you again." Shanks said with a grin. "It's been a while."
"Red Haired Shanks, it's good to see you too." Imai said as she peeked behind him. "I could see your crew has been well too, but why does Ben Beckman have a gun pointed at me?"
Imai's dull eyes and smile gave chills to the other crew members. The person in front of them was too unpredictable, they had the right to be cautious.
"Put the gun down, Ben." Shanks said as Ben lowered his gun. "Come aboard, let's talk."
Imai glanced at Nico and said, "I'll be right back!"
As Imai walked onto the Red Hair Pirate's ship, all eyes were on her. She could tell that they were all wary of her judging by the look of their eyes.
"It seems like I'm not very welcomed here." Imai said. "Do we have a grudge or a bad past between us, Shanks?"
"Ahahaha! It's nothing like that." Shanks said. "My guys are just a bit cautious of you."
"And you have no intention of stopping them if they do attack me." Imai said. "You thought I couldn't tell? All of your members are strong and you Shanks, is especially strong. But do you guys have the strength to take me down?"
The atmosphere on the ship had become tense. Imai had basically indirectly declared she would battle them, but she wouldn't be the one to make the first move.
"Then I'll do it…"
"Wait!"
*BOOM*
Ben had fired a shot towards her. Imai had a crazy smile on her face, her past self that had the burning desire to fight had once again resurfaced.
Imai tilted her head and easily dodged the bullet. With a single step, she readied her katana towards Ben. But before it could land, a sword had blocked her.
"Your member fired first and you couldn't let me answer a single hit on him?" Imai asked with a smile.
"A single hit from you would've made him die." Shanks replied. "And what type of captain would I be if I didn't prevent them from dying?"
"Is that so? But he wouldn't have died." Imai said as she held up her katana. "My blade is sheathed, it wouldn't have killed him."
Ben Beckman looked down at his hands that were shivering. He gripped tightly and formed fists hoping it would go away, but it didn't help at all. Never had he felt so close to death. He saw the burning desire of killing in Imai's eyes and it felt like he saw the devil itself.
*VROOM*
Shanks flared his Conqueror's Haki towards Imai.
"You really think you can compete against me?"
In return, Imai flared her Conqueror's Haki back. Sharp streaks of purple and red clashed against each other. This alone caused massive torrents of wind from every direction and the ship had become rocky due to the waves.
Shanks knew Imai was strong, but to think she was at this level despite being in seclusion for three years. He felt chills just thinking about it. Raising his sword, he dashed towards Imai with the intention to kill.
*CLANG*
The two blades clashed against each other causing the wind to become even stronger than before. The members of Shank's crew had passed out due to the strength of Imai's haki.
"You should think twice before you come at me with the intention of killing me." Imai said with a blank expression. "After all, if I do fight seriously, the ship would be in pieces right now."
Shanks widened his eyes and immediately backed up. Both of their Conqueror's Haki were still clashing against each other. He was frustrated at how Imai looked like she wasn't even trying.
"You're strong to the point where only a handful of people could only stand up to you. Your abilities and battle prowess are beyond comprehension too." Imai said.
"Don't shower me in praise. Just get straight to the point."
"What I'm trying to say is that I'm the one person who would be able to kill you if there was truly a battle between us. So don't try it." Imai said.
Both of them released their Conqueror's Haki as the atmosphere around them had started to become calm again.
Imai sheathed her blade and let out a deep sigh.
"It was good to see you again, Shanks." Imai said with an unreadable smile. "Don't take this as a threat. If anything, I'd rather have a neutral alliance with you. After all, I've traveled with Luffy."
"Alright then." Shanks said with a chuckle. "Also, if you ever find my daughter, tell her to stop causing so much trouble."
Imai was surprised.
"You…have a daughter?"
"Yes, her name is Uta. She has an unique appearance and ability. You'll know when you see her."
"Alright, then till we meet again."
By this point, the Red Haired Pirates had woken up and could see the blurry figure of Imai going back to her ship.
"God damn it…"
"I got knocked out…"
Shanks smiled at them.
"Well now you guys know just how strong she is."
When Imai returned to her ship, she was greeted by a very worried Nico.
"Are you okay? What happened?" Nico asked as she shook Imai's shoulders frantically. "There was this huge wave of power I felt then everything got shaky like there was a huge storm and-"
"Calm down, Nico. Everything is fine now, I just had a light spar with their captain. That's it. I have no injuries too."
Nico let out a sigh of relief.
"So? Did anything interesting happen?"
"Well, Shanks has a daughter."
"Are we supposed to find her?"
"Nope, we're supposed to tell her to stop causing trouble if we do see her. Now let's continue on with our journey!"
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