Red Haired Supremacy

Chapter 187 187: Ch-187 The Final Trump Card.

Returning to the battle between Raikage and Shanks, the fight had become a blur.

Both were masters of close-combat, and to anyone watching, their movements were nearly invisible—just flashes of lightning, steel, and explosive shockwaves every time they collided.

The Raikage was wrapped in his Lightning Chakra Mode, his body hardened and supercharged with raw speed.

Shanks matched him with his own technique—Lightning Release: Thunder Sword God Mode—an aura strikingly similar to the Raikage's cloak, except concentrated through his blade. The technique sharpened his sword's edge to the extreme while boosting his speed and defensive power.

Because of that, Shanks was still untouched—no wounds, not even a scratch.

Only a few wrinkles on his clothes showed that he was in a battle at all.

The Raikage however wasn't nearly as fortunate.

His body was covered in cuts and bleeding wounds, and there were several reasons why.

First—every one of Shanks' sword strikes carried Armament Haki with internal destruction, each hit damaging from the inside.

Second—his blade was coated in Advanced Conqueror's Haki.

Whenever the sword came close, the Raikage's lightning cloak flickered and faltered as if being forcefully suppressed, the chakra pulled apart by the Haki's pressure.

With the chakra shield disrupted, the blade drove straight into flesh—again and again.

And with each cut, Shanks' blade delivered more than simple steel.

His sword was wrapped in Armament Haki with internal destruction, meaning every strike tore into the Raikage from the outside and rattled him from within. Every direct hit left a deep, burning wound.

If not for the Raikage's monstrous physique—his near-impenetrable muscle density—and the natural durability he was known for, he would already have fallen.

Even now, his Lightning Chakra Mode was working overtime, stimulating his cells and accelerating recovery, sealing fresh wounds almost as fast as they opened.

So yes, the Third Raikage was being pushed back, clearly at a disadvantage.

But even wounded, he continued to drive forward relentlessly, refusing to give ground and matching Shanks blow for blow.

Meanwhile, Shanks' Observation Haki, sharpened into Future Sight, gave him a constant edge. He saw every move the Raikage planned seconds before it happened.

And unlike most users—who could see danger yet lacked the speed to react—Shanks didn't have that limitation. He was almost as fast, if not faster than the Raikage.

If he saw it coming, he could respond instantly.

So when Shanks finally spotted the perfect opening—stepping in to unleash a fully empowered Divine Departure, a strike that could have ended the battle—

the ocean moved.

The waters beneath and around them churned violently as if something deeper had awakened.

Multiple water sharks erupted from the sea again, swirling in a spiralling vortex formation. They forced themselves between the two fighters, tearing a massive wedge of space apart.

Shanks and the Raikage were suddenly separated—flung far away from each other by the sheer force of the whirlpool attack.

As Shanks was already midway into preparing his Divine Departure, he didn't stop just because the Raikage was forced away.

He launched himself into the air and swung downward with full force.

A massive black flying sword slash tore through the battlefield, crashing into the spiralling whirlpool and obliterating every water shark in its path.

The sea exploded outward, churning violently as the technique cleaved the wave formation apart.

Shanks landed with fury burning in his eyes.

He sheathed his sword with a sharp snap and shouted toward the Mizukage:

"YOU BASTARD! STOP INTERFERING!"

Without wasting another second, he flicked his right arm outward.

Dozens of kunai shot from beneath his overcoat—each one humming with lightning chakra.

Even with only one arm left and without the advantage of a second throwing hand, Shanks' accuracy and speed were flawless. The kunai cut through the air like thunderbolts toward both Kage.

The Mizukage barely shifted his body, letting the blades whistle past him harmlessly.

He clicked his tongue and muttered,

"Pointless rage—"

But his words died halfway.

By the time the last syllable left his mouth, Shanks was already behind him.

His sword flashed free from its sheath—a streak of steel.

A clean, effortless slice.

The Mizukage's head separated from his shoulders before he even registered the attack.

His body stood frozen for few seconds, then collapsed as the severed head arced through the air and splashed into the sea below.

Whereas Shanks vanished the instant the Mizukage's head separated—disappearing before the man's head even touched the surface of the sea.

With only his right hand free, he quickly formed a single hand seal while still gripping his sword.

In the next blink, he reappeared directly behind the Raikage.

His blade thrust forward without the slightest hesitation—sliding cleanly through the Raikage's back and out of his left chest in one smooth motion.

The Third Raikage froze, eyes wide.

He stared down at the sword jutting from his chest, blood spilling from his mouth as shock finally overtook fury. Even then, he fought to stay upright—his will refusing to crumble. With a struggling motion, he jumped forward off the blade, yanking himself free despite the damage.

He spun around just in time to see two things:

Shanks standing calm and steady…

and the Mizukage's severed head slowly falling into the water behind him—lifeless, silent.

Only then did the Raikage understand.

He gritted his teeth, voice trembling with pain and grudging respect.

"Flying Thunder God Technique… You mastered the same jutsu as the Second Hokage. I never anticipated this. It wasn't—khh—in any of our reports…"

This was a trump card Shanks had saved specifically for this battle.

He had spent years training to master the Flying Thunder God Technique and—together with Erza—had even developed a variant: Human Summoning, or more accurately, Automatic Human Summoning.

It served as a lifeline for the Uzumaki siblings—either to pull themselves out of danger or instantly summon Shanks to whichever battlefield needed him most.

But Shanks hadn't stopped there.

He had witnessed Guy, Benimaru, and the others using space–teleportation abilities again and again, and he understood immediately that the Flying Thunder God was the best technique he could add to his arsenal—especially now, with only one functioning hand.

Speed, positioning, unpredictability—Flying Thunder God gave him all three.

He perfected the technique a year ago, but never once used it publicly.

Not in training, not in skirmishes, not even by accident.

He had kept it hidden—waiting for the perfect moment to use it.

And the Mizukage, fast, slippery, and constantly interfering, was the ideal target to reveal it against.

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