Chapter 485: Shanks Comes Knocking
At the port of Saint White Poplar, Enel was leaning on his golden staff, tilting his head as he stared at a ship appearing on the sea not far away.
It was a vessel with its gunwale and bow painted red. The hull itself was nothing special, but the figurehead at the bow was carved in the shape of a dragon’s head.
Enel found this ship a bit strange. At his feet lay several pirates twitching all over—the bold fools Ian had mentioned. Thinking Ian was ashore and the ship was unguarded, they had seized the chance to try stealing this golden vessel. Unfortunately for them, they ran into Enel, who took them down with a single bolt of lightning.
Enel’s confusion stemmed from this: just moments ago, far more pirates had charged in to seize the ship. Even after he electrocuted a group, the rest showed no sign of backing down. But then, when this dark-red ship appeared on the sea, the remaining pirates’ faces changed drastically, and they fled in a panic.
As they ran, they muttered things like “Red Force,” “Emperor,” and “Red Hair.” Enel couldn’t quite understand.
What was an Emperor? The name of a pirate crew?
Enel tilted his head, watching the dragon-headed ship draw closer. Then… he saw a red-haired man with three scars over his left eye standing by the gunwale, staring wide-eyed at his Ark Maxim.
“Ohhh!” The red-haired man let out an exclamation and shouted to Enel, “Hey, buddy! Your ship is ridiculously luxurious! Can I come aboard and take a look?”
“No!” Enel thumped his golden staff on the deck. “This ship is off-limits!”
“Is that so? Then forget it!” The red-haired man scratched his head with a chuckle, unbothered.
But just then, a man with a pipe in his mouth walked over to the red-haired man and whispered something to him. Enel then saw the red-haired man look up toward the mast of the Ark Maxim.
“Ha! It really is!” After spotting the pirate flag fluttering at the mast’s top, the red-haired man slapped his thigh with his right hand and burst into laughter.
Only then did Enel notice that the red-haired man’s left sleeve was empty.
In that moment of distraction, Enel found the red-haired man had suddenly vanished. A *thud* sounded behind him. Enel spun around in alarm and saw the man had somehow jumped onto the Ark Maxim.
This man wore a Western sword at his hip, a pair of patterned beach shorts, revealing long leg hair on his calves, and flip-flops on his feet. He looked like a scruffy middle-aged man, but for some reason, Enel immediately tensed up, gripping his golden staff tightly as he assumed a fighting stance.
“Aha! Don’t be nervous, don’t be nervous!” The red-haired man laughed loudly, saying to Enel, “You’re the Dragon Hunter Pirates, right? I’ve actually been looking for you!”
With that, he couldn’t help reaching out to touch the golden cabin, adding, “I heard your captain is a Pay-to-Win Fruit user. No wonder you’re so rich! This is the first time I’ve seen a ship made of gold…”
Though the Ark Maxim had been requisitioned by Ian, Enel still considered it his own. Ian had said that once their agreement was fulfilled, Enel could go wherever he pleased. Enel even hoped to reclaim the ship and return to his homeland one day, so he guarded it fiercely. Now, seeing this inexplicable red-haired man dare to touch his ship’s gold, he couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Don’t touch it!” Enel shouted at the red-haired man, thrusting his right fist forward, transforming it into a bolt of lightning aimed at him.
Even though the man had named the Dragon Hunter Pirates, Enel didn’t know if he was friend or foe. His instincts told him this red-haired man was no pushover, so out of caution, Enel struck.
“That’s not good.”
Facing Enel’s lightning, the red-haired man chuckled, drew his Western sword with his right hand, and swung it casually. With a *crackle*, he directly dispersed Enel’s lightning!
Enel’s eyes widened. Though his attack had been somewhat probing, he never expected it to be so effortlessly neutralized.
“Not bad! A Logia Devil Fruit user?” The red-haired man flicked his sword, sheathed it, and asked curiously, “I don’t recall the Dragon Hunter Pirates having someone like you.”
But Enel didn’t answer. Instead, he spun his golden staff and struck the Thunder Drums on his back twice. *Thump! Thump!*
“30 Million Volts: Thunder Beast!”
A beast of lightning, shaped like a giant wolf, materialized and charged at the red-haired man with a roar, its jaws wide open as if to devour him.
Just as the Thunder Beast was about to strike, a voice rang out from behind: “Enel, stop!”
Back on Skypiea, Enel had been beaten badly by Ian, but he always believed it was because Ian could also control lightning that he was countered.
But this red-haired man—Enel couldn’t see any ability to manipulate lightning. Even though the man had dispersed his lightning with a single sword swing, Enel refused to accept it.
So, even hearing Ian’s voice from behind, Enel didn’t stop.
Unfortunately for Enel, his luck was terrible. The Blue Sea was nothing like Skypiea; there were many powerful people here, and he had just run into one of the strongest.
This red-haired man was, of course, Shanks, one of the Four Emperors. Facing Enel’s Thunder Beast, he frowned slightly, then crouched, drawing his sword and thrusting forward in one motion.
That single thrust pierced the Thunder Beast’s open maw, and the lightning surged along his blade.
But before the lightning could reach Shanks’ hand, he gave a slight twist of his body, and the sword vibrated sharply. With a *pop*, the lightning was shaken off.
Needless to say, this was an application of Haki. If Ian had seen it, he might have found it familiar—it felt similar to his own Psychic Power tremor, though Shanks achieved it through the sword’s oscillation.
As for Enel, he didn’t understand the intricacies. Seeing this, he was dumbfounded. This was the second time his lightning attack had failed.
“You… how did you do that!?” Enel couldn’t help asking.
Before Shanks could answer, a figure rushed over, and with a *thud*, Enel’s head was struck.
Enel crouched, clutching his head. The familiar feeling of being punched told him it was Ian.
Ian had rushed over from the tavern. He had originally come to see Red-Haired Shanks, but when he reached the port, he found the audacious Enel attacking Shanks.
*Damn it!* Ian’s eyelids twitched. He hoped Enel hadn’t caused any trouble.
So Ian delivered an iron-fist punishment. His head strike had already taken on the style of Vice Admiral Garp’s “Fist of Love.”
After stopping Enel, Ian sighed in relief and looked up at Shanks across from him.
“Haha!” Shanks seemed to find the scene amusing, laughing heartily. He said to Ian, “You’re Black Dragon Ian, right? Finally, I get to meet you!”
“Huh?” Ian was confused. “You know me?”
“Of course!” Shanks sheathed his sword. “I came out this time specifically to find you and Ace!”
“To find me and Ace!?” A flash of insight struck Ian, and he blurted out, “Is this about Blackbeard?”
Shanks nodded. “That’s right.”
With that, he walked over to a table on the deck, sat down, and patted the chair beside him. “Come, sit, young man. Though you’re a Warlord, we have no enmity. Hawk-Eye is a good friend of mine.”
Ian didn’t refuse. He walked over and sat down. Reiju and Robin also came aboard, a bit nervous in the presence of a Four Emperor, but they went to the cabin to find Matthew and ask him to prepare some drinks.
As he sat, Ian realized: after their last encounter, Hawk-Eye must have gone to find Shanks.