Beckman had a very clever plan, and he was furious, but as the ship's first mate, advisor, and strategist, he had to remain calm because his own captain had gone astray.

Shanks has no regard for anything else; even the sampan has been destroyed. He's fighting for that final blow. Now, Beckman's job is to ensure that Shanks's sword hits its mark.

Without any foresight, because Observation Haki has no effect on Kuro in his current state, what he needs to do is use his experience to block Kuro's escape routes.

This shot was extremely tricky, almost touching Kuro. If he didn't move, the shot wouldn't hit him, but if he moved even slightly, given the speed of the bullet, it would definitely hit his swaying body the instant he made the movement, leaving him no room to dodge.

This opening was created by Shanks' reckless attack, and also by the deaths of six of his fellow officers.

He didn't even intend to kill Kuro with this shot, because he knew he couldn't. Although he was missing those ribbons, Beckman didn't think the shot would have any effect. He didn't even expect Shanks to kill Kuro with one strike, but it was possible to seriously injure him.

After being seriously injured, Shanks will fall into the sea. To prevent Kuro from activating his power, he will stay here to cover their retreat. Kuro, relying on this only sampan to harass them, will have to give up using his power to deal with them. Moreover, Shanks is not a power user; he can jump out of the sea.

While that level of vortex was troublesome, as long as it didn't last long, it wouldn't exhaust Shanks' stamina alone. Moreover, with him present, the two of them together were enough to escape.

After they leave, the entire Red-Haired Pirates crew will definitely fight the Navy to commemorate their fallen comrades!

As long as Shanks's sure-fire sword strike lands!

A ribbon blocked the surging white lightning; the ribbon vanished, along with the bullet.

At the same time, the downward slashing sword was suddenly blocked by a ribbon that reappeared. The full power of the 'Divine Evasion' was unleashed, but it caused the ribbon to disappear directly. With the ribbon gone, the downward slashing sword was still descending, but its power was significantly reduced, and its speed was also much slower.

Just then, a familiar voice sounded from behind Shanks, "Tsk...you're in such a hurry to die, aren't you?"

Kuro's body, which was in front of Shanks, vanished like a ripple on water. He turned his head sharply and saw that the hateful person appear behind him. The ribbons around him started to flutter again. The ribbons at the base of his thighs had disappeared, but four ribbons were still wrapped around his shoulders and waist.

"By the way, it seems you've never seen me in this form before, so you've made a misjudgment?"

Kuro chuckled softly, "Who said I only have six?"

Only six?

He released two out of only six!

Given his personality, how could he only have six?

Sure enough, hiding your true nature has its advantages. In their anger, the one-armed man and Beckman only saw the surface of their own situation.

I won!

Shanks only had time to glance back at him before a ribbon swept past his back. Before the deadly 'Empty Void Kill' could even fully make contact, Shanks sensed danger. His flight force from the sea hadn't dissipated, and he instinctively twisted his body, raising his hand to defend with his sword. But just then, because of Shanks' turn, the ribbon lost its direction and instead brushed against his elbow.

brush!

With a single swipe, the Conqueror's Haki covering Shanks' arm shattered like glass, his entire right arm severed at the root, blood spurting out. The severed right hand, along with the Griffin sword, fell directly into the sea. Kuro reacted quickly, raising his hand and summoning the famous sword 'Griffin' Griffin, which detached from the severed hand and flew upwards.

Shanks let out a muffled groan, having completely lost his ability to stay airborne. His body plummeted into the sea, leaving only half of his body above the surface, with blood spreading across the water from his severed arm.

"If you don't take precautions, it might not hurt as much, and the blood won't burst open in time."

Kuro grinned maliciously, and with a single clench of his hand, a massive whirlpool appeared on the sea where Shanks was, causing the surrounding waters to surge and engulf him.

His last hand was severed!

Although we didn't kill them outright, it was still a worthwhile trade!

He's a swordsman!

Without hands, combat power is reduced by a large margin!

A whirlpool was stirred up, but soon Shanks jumped out of the seawater and kicked Kuro with gritted teeth.

"Even your aura has diminished considerably. To be honest, I wouldn't be afraid if you still had your sword. Your attack isn't as powerful as it was before." Kuro completely disregarded the kick that was still covered in Conqueror's Haki.

Shanks is also skilled in physical combat, but even with his sword, his attack wouldn't be as powerful as before.

A full-force attack isn't about exerting maximum strength to deliver the strongest possible blow; it's about unleashing momentum and complete concentration.

Kuro understood this very well. Even for him, if he unleashed the Vermilion Bird Cry with all his might, the power of his subsequent attacks would weaken. He wouldn't be able to unleash the same level of power until his energy and spirit returned to their peak.

Otherwise, how could it be called an ultimate move?

Even the Straw Hats, whom Clow looks down upon, fight in the same way: they hold back their ultimate moves, then wear down the enemy until they've worn them down enough to finish them off, and then unleash their ultimate move.

However, Shanks's leg, now missing an arm, couldn't hit Kuro at all.

Because his body is flying backwards!

Kuro leaned back and headed straight for Beckman behind him.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Kuro tilted his head back, looked up at Beckman, and laughed loudly, "You've completely lost!"

Once inside the sea, without arms, Shanks is just his puppet and no longer a threat!

This is already a great achievement!

But he can have something even bigger!

Sure enough, as Shanks jumped, his hang time disappeared, and he was about to fall back into the vortex.

Shanks decisively slashed downwards with his foot, unleashing a massive strike that split the whirlpool below in two. However, almost simultaneously with the splitting of the whirlpool, a large amount of seawater surged back in, stirring it up once more. After the strike, Shanks was completely submerged in the seawater, entangled by a twisting force powerful enough to shred steel.

Above, rain was still washing over Shanks, eroding the Haki covering his body.

The effects of the Float-Float Fruit's power have always been there, never ceasing; Kuro was simply unleashing its full potential this time.

He had wanted to do this for a long time, but back then, Shanks, who still had a support point to rely on, could completely suppress the turbulence of the sea. But now, after being hit by the ribbon, he lacked a lot of combat power and could now unleash his abilities without any worries!

Just by enduring the heat, this armless man could be strangled to death in the sea!