Chapter 78: Awakening
"Ahahahah!!!..." Ashen laughed maniacally, his lips curling into a sinister smile that stretched across his face. Blueish-purple flames engulfed his entire body, transforming his hair into a flickering mass of wild flames that danced around his head like a fiery crown. His eyebrows were also transformed, now flickering with wild purple flames above his piercing gaze. Fixing his eyes upon Shanks, he spoke with a sinister tone, the flames of his aura flickering with a dangerous intensity "I can't believe this, who would have thought that I would awaken my fruit against you out of all people…Shanks, you're fucked"
[--Awakening--]
"What in the world is that?!" Shanks' expression turned to one of disbelief as he laid eyes on Ashen, now enveloped in a blazing inferno of deep indigo. The rest of the battlefield shared the same reaction, bewildered by the sudden transformation of Ashen. Even his own crew looked on in bewilderment, completely unaware of what was happening to their captain "Is that his awakening?".
…
On the other side of the battlefield, Calvin and Benn Beckman battle was getting more intense as the two fighters were almost evenly matched in the power, as both were advanced Haki users, but Calvin had the edge with his Rokushiki and Hasshoken mastery.
"I don't know what's going on, but it seems that he got a new powerup" From a distance, Calvin glanced at his captain and then turned his attention back to Beckman. In a swift motion, Beckman fired a barrage of Haki-coated bullets from his rifle, all of which Calvin easily dodged. Without missing a beat, Calvin countered with a series of his own Haki-coated wind bullets, utilizing his mastery of Shigan "Who needs a rifle when you have a finger?"
After that, Calvin hardened his body using Tekkai, focusing more on his right arm and hand. And then he channeled Hasshoken energy into his thumb, focusing all his energy into a single point and then he used Shigan to further concentrate the energy into the tip of his finger, creating a piercing point of immense power before he finally released his energy in a single devastating burst, using his finger to flick the air at a high speed and unleashed a blast of energy that can obliterate anything in its path
<Finger Flick>
"Damn it Shanks…" Beckman uttered to himself worrying about his captain's well-being, before the blast of energy sent him hurtling backwards through the air, though he still managed to use his Haki to shield himself from harm.
"Worry about yourself!" Calvin said, before he proceeded to dash at Beckman using Soru combined with a shockwave from his feet to close the distance between them. While doing so, he ignited his arms using friction and rained down Beckman with punches.
*BAAM*-*BAAM*-*BAAM*-*BAAM* Every punch generated a massive shockwave using the Hasshoken Martial Arts while flames burned intensely in his arms, one mistake from Beckman and he will be burned off.
Beckman used his Observation Haki along with his Armament Haki to block the attacks, but not before Calvin stepped back for a second closing his eyes and quickly having his Haki flow into his fists. The former tried to take the opportunity to shoot Calvin using his rifle, but the latter was very calm and composing, tilting his head and avoiding the bullets with ease.
"Don't think we've been playing around for the past seven years…We were constantly tested in life and death battles…" Calvin calmly stated while slowly opening his eyes "Until we achieve our goals we won't rest up or slack off, nor will we lose to the likes of you" Calvin said launching himself into the air before, and them flying down at Beckman dealing a devastating attack.
Upon contact he released a massive shockwave from his knuckles while the flames hit Beckman as he was pushed back, signs of pain on his face.
…
Back at Ashen and Shanks battlefield,
"I fought six emperor officers and killed two of them, bringing the wrath of an emperor of the sea in the process, I was chased by that crazy old hag and had to force my crew to go into the hide, I had to sail back to Paradise alone in a small boat and come back in a fucking raft to make an alliance with the giants, while luring Big Mom to come to Elbaf, so I could have the upper hand in fighting her, and prepared a fleet of 20 ships and 3000 men to do that…And you here sitting around, having a blast and enjoying your time expect me to give the Road Poneglyph to you just like that?" Ashen declared while his bulging became more visible from anger "You worthless shit, if you don't have the guts to go get it yourself, then you don't have the right to own it"
Shanks looked at Ashen nervously, not knowing what to expect from his new power up, but his thoughts were interrupted when a sudden, massive pillar of fire was shot from underneath his feet, sending him flying upwards in shock "Is this his new ability?! Controlling the environment around him!!" But what Shanks didn't expect is his skin burning off from the intense heat of Ashen's indigo flames just from being near them, when he realized that, he quickly covered his whole body in haki while trying to leap back, but not before Ashen stunned him with his attack again, as massive flame pillars shot from the ground that he was supposed to land on as well.
*BOOOOM*-*BOOOOM* Shanks attention was quickly shifted away trying to dodge the constant attacks coming from unexpected direction, before Ashen finally turned the whole battlefield they were standing on into blue hot flames, before he got ready for his attack.
<Celestial Flame>
Ashen leaped into the air turning his left arm into a giant blue flame fist, infusing it with Haki as he punched down Shanks. Normally fire can't be coated with Armament Haki since it's not a solid substance unlike magma or ice, but Advanced Armament Haki and Advanced Conqueror's Haki can flow around it if the flames are dense enough, so that fixes the problem.
Ashen came crushing down at Shanks pushing him downwards, while the flames on the ground where dancing intensely beneath him, when Shanks saw the situation, he quickly used all his might in order to push Ashen's fist away, though he failed doing so and he was sent flying a few meters away, luckily for him he didn't fall on the flame ground, but he still acquired burns across his body from the clash.
"This is bad, I think I underestimated him way too much…I can't allow myself to be defeat like this" Shanks uttered to himself while trying to think of a way to stop him "How far are you taking this? You'll be destroying the whole place at this rate"
"Shut your mouth, I've waited for this for years. You really didn't think that I forgot about how you nearly killed me and my comrade in our last fight? You even had the audacity to try and take my Poneglyph" Ashen declared as got ready for his attack.
'This is going to be my strongest move so far. I don't know if can do it, and even if I do it will drain my stamina very quickly, I will only be able to hold it for a few minutes' maximum but…I will crush this bastard in the next move!!' Ashen though in his head as he started amassing dense flames around his body, slowly raising them into the air before he finally shaped them into a gigantic, humanoid avatar made of blue flames that surrounded him, it carried a gigantic flame sword shaped as Shusui and on top of that Ashen proceeded to channel his Haki to covered it, giving it an insane offense and defense.
<Susanoo>
"W-Want in the world is that?" Everyone in the battlefield witnessed the sight of the massive Susanoo in horror.
…
"How is that even possible?!!" Lucky Roux exclaimed while nervously watching his captain, but not before a massive beam of electricity was shot towards him.
"El Thor!!" Enel proceeded to overwhelm Lucky Roux with attacks from a distance, not giving him any chance to shift his attention away from their battle.
Lucky Roux then proceeded to curl himself into a ball and rolled himself into Enel.
"What kind of attack is that?" Enel looked at him not knowing if he should laugh or take it seriously, but he decided to do the latter since the opponent isn't some nobody.
…
"…"
"Be crushed and be gone!" Ashen said arrogantly as he swung his sword downwards while still standing in his place as the giant humanoid did the same thing, crushing his massive sword at Shanks who looked at the scene in shock, he only managed to regain his composure at the last second.
"Kamusari!!!" Shanks quickly unleashed his most destructive move in hope of blocking it, but it was useless as the Susanoo was not only made of the hottest flames, making it even hotter than magma itself since flames don't have a set of maximum temperature unlike the former, but he was infused with Ashen's Advanced Armament Haki and Advanced Conqueror's Haki making it far more destructive. (Luffy's last punch against Kaido was as big as an island and was infused with haki so it's not impossible to coat your haki into huge things if you're skilled enough)
*BOOOOOM* The simple downward swing from the Susanoo was enough to split the ground open and melt it, while the flames from his massive sword were sent crashing across the ground, splitting anything in their way.
Shanks only held for a few seconds before he was overwhelmed and got crushed underneath it, with every bone in his body broken, his skin suffered serious burns as he was lying on the ground unconscious.
"Huff…Huff…T-That's what you get if you mess with the Ashen Pirates…" Ashen said with a smile as the Susanoo disappeared along with his blue flames, though the ground and the environment around him was still ignited with it. Ashen was also panting heavily as he was barely standing on his feet, the new awakening power and the move that he performed earlier took a huge toll on his stamina.
Ashen stood there for a second before he turned to Dorry and Brogy and spoke "Dorry, Brogy, can you guys destroy the Red Hair Pirates ship?"
"You got it brother!!" Dorry said, as he and Brogy approached the shore ready to perform their combination attack.
"If you point your weapon at our ally, then be prepared for the same thing to happen to you!!" Brogy declared wide a wide grin on his face as him and Dorry used a combination attack to send a devastating flying slash towards the Red Hair Pirates ship.
"Wait! You bastards!!" Beckman shouted in in shock and anger at the same time, before he tried to move and stop them, but not before Calvin took the opportunity of his distraction, and grabbed him by the head and kneecapped him, causing the former to fall back "Calvin! Out of my way!"
"Don't try anything funny, calmly watch from your place" Calvin said in a menacing tone of voice while pointing his index finger at Beckman ready to fire a Haki-coated Shigan.
*BOOOOOM* As Dorry and Brogy attack hit the Red Hair Pirates ship, it was decimated and sunk into the sea, while they were helplessly watching that happen.
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(I'm going to be honest, i have no idea what I should do with Shanks now, if you guys have any suggestions leave them, also would you prefer to see the fight between the rest of the Red Hair Pirates and Ashen Pirates?)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone