Super Card System - Chapter 485
Chapter 485: Shanks Takes the Initiative
At the port of St. Poplar, Enel was currently standing with his golden staff, tilting his head to watch a ship that had appeared not far away on the sea.
It was a ship with its sides and bow painted red, with nothing particularly special about the hull itself. However, the figurehead on the bow resembled the head of a dragon.
Enel found this ship a bit peculiar. At his feet, there were several pirates twitching on the ground. These pirates, as Ian had mentioned, were audacious individuals who thought that Ian had come ashore and left his ship unguarded. They took this opportunity to try and steal the golden ship. However, they were unfortunate enough to encounter Enel and were struck down by a bolt of lightning.
Enel’s curiosity stemmed from this situation. The pirates who had just rushed forward to seize the ship were more than just a few. Even though Enel had just electrocuted the group, these individuals showed no signs of retreating. However, to his surprise, when this ship of dark red color appeared on the sea, the remaining pirates changed their expressions drastically and scattered like a swarm, fleeing!
As they ran, they muttered phrases that Eneel struggled to comprehend: “Red Force,” “Yonko,” and “Red-Haired.”
What was a Yonko? A name for a pirate crew, perhaps?
Enel continued to tilt his head, watching the dragon-headed ship gradually approaching. Then… he saw a man with three scars across his eye standing on the ship’s rail. The man had red hair and was staring wide-eyed at the Ark Maxim.
“Oh, oh, oh!” the red-haired man exclaimed, his eyes full of amazement. He shouted loudly at Enel, “Hey, hey, hey! My friend, your ship is truly extravagant! Can I come aboard and take a look?”
“No!” Enel tapped his golden staff and said, “Approaching this ship is prohibited!”
“Is that so? Well, then forget it!” The red-haired man scratched his head, chuckled, and didn’t seem to mind.
However, just at that moment, a stout man with a pipe in his mouth walked over to the red-haired man. He whispered a few words to him, and then Enel saw the red-haired man raise his head and look at the mast of the Ark Maxim.
“Haha! It really is!” The red-haired man exclaimed with a laugh, unable to contain his amusement after seeing the pirate flag flying atop the mast. He slapped his thigh with his right hand, bursting into laughter.
Only then did Enel notice that the left hand of this red-haired man was curiously amputated.
In that split second of distraction, Enel realized that the red-haired man had suddenly vanished. Then, there was a soft thump behind him. Startled, Enel turned around to find that the man had somehow, without his notice, leaped onto the Ark Maxim.
This man before him sported a Western-style sword at his waist and wore patterned beach shorts that exposed his long hairy legs. He also had flip-flops on his feet. Despite his somewhat scruffy appearance, Enel inexplicably became nervous and tightened his grip on the golden staff, assuming a defensive stance.
“Ahaha! No need to be tense, my friend!” The red-haired man laughed heartily and addressed Enel, “You’re part of the Dragon Hunter Pirates, right? I was actually looking for you guys!”
With that, he couldn’t resist extending his hand and touching the cabin crafted from pure gold, remarking, “I heard your captain possesses the Coin-Coin Fruit ability. You must be quite wealthy! This is actually the first time I’ve seen a ship made entirely of gold…”
Even though the Ark Maxim had been commandeered by Ian, Enel still regarded it as his own, as Ian had stated that after the arrangement was complete, Enel could go wherever he pleased. he even harbored hopes of reclaiming the ship and returning to his homeland. Therefore, he was fiercely protective of the vessel. Seeing this inexplicable red-haired man daring to touch the gold on his ship, Enel couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Don’t touch it!” Enel yelled at the red-haired man, simultaneously launching his right fist in a lightning-charged strike toward him.
Even though the man had invoked the name of the Dragon Hunter Pirate Crew, Enel didn’t know whether this man was friend or foe. Intuition also hinted that this red-haired man wasn’t someone to be trifled with. So, erring on the side of caution, Enel attacked.
“Why so serious!”
Confronted with Enel’s lightning strike, Shanks chuckled. He swiftly drew the Western-style sword from his waist and casually swiped it through the air with a sharp crackling sound, astonishingly dispersing Enel’s lightning attack.
Enel’s eyes widened. While his previous attack had carried an element of testing, he had never anticipated that it would be so casually nullified by his opponent.
“Impressive strength! A Logia Devil Fruit user, I presume?” The red-haired man swung the sword in his hand, then returned it to his waist. He asked curiously, “Yet, I don’t recall the Dragon Hunter Pirate Crew boasting a member such as yourself.”
However, Enel didn’t respond to his words. Instead, he twirled the golden staff in his hand and tapped his Thunder Drum on his back twice: Thud! Thud!
“30 million volts! Thunder Beast!”
A Thunder Beast, formed from lightning, materialized instantaneously. Resembling a massive wolf, it roared and lunged at the red-haired man. Its gaping maw aimed to consume him.
At the very moment the Thunder Beast lunged, a voice also erupted from behind, exclaiming, “Enel, halt!!”
Although Eneel had suffered a brutal beating from Ian during their time on Skypiea, he had always believed that Ian had held back due to his own control over lightning.
However, faced with the red-haired man before him, Enel couldn’t discern any lightning-controlling ability. Even though the man had effortlessly dispersed his lightning with a sword swing, he remained unconvinced.
Thus, even upon hearing the voice from behind being that of Ian, Enel didn’t cease his assault.
Unfortunately, Enel’s luck was lacking in this instance. The Grand Line, unlike Skypiea, teemed with incredibly powerful individuals. And it so happened that Enel had stumbled upon one of the mightiest figures among them!
The red-haired man was none other than one of the Four Emperors, Shanks. Confronting the unleashed Thunder Beast, he furrowed his brow slightly, suddenly coiled his body, and instantaneously drew his sword forward in a piercing thrust!
His strike directly pierced the gaping maw of the Thunder Beast, causing the surge of lightning’s energy to rush towards his blade.
Yet, before this lightning could reach Shanks’ hand, he abruptly shook his body. The blade of his Western-style sword quivered intensely, dispersing the lightning with a resounding snap.
Needless to say, this was a demonstration of the importance of Haki. If Ian had witnessed it, he might have found it somewhat familiar. It resembled the sensation of one’s Nen quivering. However, Shanks achieved this through the vibration of his sword.
As for Enel, he was utterly perplexed by these workings. Witnessing this scene, he was left dumbfounded. It marked the second time his lightning attack had failed.
“How… How are you doing this!?” Enel couldn’t help but blurt out.
However, before Shanks could respond, a figure darted toward them at astonishing speed. With a resounding thud, a fist struck the back of Enel’s head.
Enel lowered his head, clutching it. The familiar sensation of that punch made him instantly recognize that the one who had struck him was Ian.
Ian had rushed over from the tavern. His original intention had been to catch a glimpse of Shanks, but upon arriving at the harbor, he unexpectedly witnessed the rotund figure of Enel launching an attack on Shanks…
Oh, damn it! Ian felt a sudden flutter of unease. He really hoped Enel wouldn’t stir up any trouble for him!
Hence, Ian promptly employed his iron fist against Enel. Surprisingly, Ian’s current headbutt technique bore a strong resemblance to Vice Admiral Garp’s “Fist of Love”…
After quelling Enel, Ian breathed a sigh of relief. He raised his head and fixed his gaze on Shanks across from him.
“Aha!” Shanks seemed to find the recent spectacle amusing. He burst into laughter and addressed Ian, “You’re Black Dragon Ian, right? Finally, we meet!”
“Huh?” This time, Ian was the one baffled. He queried with puzzlement, “You know me?”
“Of course I do!” Shanks sheathed his sword and continued, “I’ve come out this time specifically to find you and Ace!”
“To find me and Ace!?” Ian’s quick-wittedness kicked in, and he blurted out, “Is it about Blackbeard?”
Shanks nodded, confirming, “Exactly.”
With that, he sauntered over to the table on the deck and took a seat. He patted the chair beside him and gestured to Ian, “Come, have a seat, young man! Despite your position as a Warlord, there’s no enmity between us. After all, I’m good friends with Hawk-Eye Mihawk!”
Ian didn’t decline the offer. He walked over and settled into the offered chair. At the same time, Reiju and Robin had arrived on the ship. Confronted by one of the Four Emperors, they felt a touch of unease but still headed to the cabin to fetch some beverages from Matthew.
As they took their seats, it finally dawned on Ian. He realized that after his encounter with Mihawk, his mentor had most likely gone to seek out Shanks!
