Castle Balcony.
"The Straw Hat crew is in dire straits," Daz Bones leaned against the wall, watching Roronoa Zoro battle Oars from a distance. His usually stern face showed rare emotion.
"If you're interested," Ryan stood tall by the balcony railing, not turning his head as he responded to Daz Bones' words, "you could go down and join the fun."
"Not interested." Daz Bones' gaze remained fixed on the struggling Roronoa Zoro, his voice still flat.
Ryan said nothing more. The people on his ship were never subordinates who needed constant supervision. As long as they did their jobs and didn't delay the voyage, they were free to do as they pleased. He never intended to keep them bound to his side, micromanaging their every move.
"Captain." Mikita tiptoed to peer at the battlefield before turning to Ryan's back, her tone carrying a hint of something unspoken. "Aren't you close with those two women from the Straw Hat crew? Aren't you going to help?"
Regardless of the rest of the Straw Hat crew, those two women had an inseparable connection with their captain. She couldn't believe he would stand by and watch them be defeated by Moria and turned into hideous zombies.
At the very least, their captain wasn't one to waste resources!
"What's the rush? It's still early." Ryan frowned slightly, exhaling a suppressed breath. His voice was strained as he spoke, "Can't... can't you see I'm busy right now?"
He certainly couldn't leave Nami and Nico Robin to their fates, but the Straw Hat crew wasn't made of weaklings either. They were at a disadvantage now, but once that idiot Luffy—who was being toyed with by Moria—snapped back into action, the tide could still turn!
Besides, if the Straw Hat Kid really couldn't cut it, he could always step in then. Completing the World Government's mission while also cornering those two women into owing him an unpayable debt—now that sounded like fun!
Mikita smirked inwardly. The captain's words were an indirect admission of his relationship with those two women. She glanced down at Perona, who was kneeling before Ryan, pursed her lips, but said nothing.
Perona, meanwhile, was miserable. Her cheeks were flushed, her mouth full, tears welling in the corners of her eyes but stubbornly refusing to fall. She was utterly disgusted but had no choice but to obey.
If she didn't, she'd be killed!
Right now, Perona could only pray desperately for Moria to finish off the Straw Hat crew quickly. Then she could tell Moria-sama about this man's intentions and have him teach this disgusting man a lesson, rescuing her in the process.
When that happened, she would make sure this vile man tasted true despair!
"Straw Hat Kid!" Rob Lucci's cold expression faltered as he spotted Luffy's sudden appearance. His gaze locked onto the transformed figure at the center of the battlefield, his tone uncharacteristically grave. "What is that form?"
Luffy's body had swollen to several times its usual size, his clothes straining against bulging muscles, skin taking on an unnatural dark purple hue. The whites of his eyes were visible, his pupils shrunk to tiny black dots—a veritable "purple giant."
"That's Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit ability," Ryan glanced down, unimpressed. "It doesn't just insert shadows into zombies. He can also stuff the shadows of living people directly into other living bodies. Once fused, the recipient temporarily gains the shadow owner's strength and speed. The more shadows he stuffs in, the greater the explosive power."
"There's an ability like that?" Mikita's eyes lit up as she leaned over the railing, her voice full of amazement. "Then if you kept stuffing shadows endlessly, wouldn't you become invincible?"
"It's not that simple." Ryan scoffed. "The recipient's willpower has to be extremely strong. An ordinary person would lose their mind after two or three shadows, turning into a mindless monster. Even Moria doesn't dare stuff too many. Only the Straw Hat Kid would gamble like this."
"It's because of his Rubber-Rubber Fruit," Rob Lucci interjected sharply, his gaze like a blade fixed on the "mutated" Luffy. "The rubber body can cushion the impact of shadow fusion. He might last a bit longer."
"The Rubber-Rubber Fruit isn't that capable." Ryan's tone dripped with sarcasm as he turned to Lucci, smirking. "You fought him at Enies Lobby. Didn't you notice something off? His vitality is even more exaggerated than yours, a Zoan user."
Lucci's pupils constricted sharply, his fists clenching unconsciously.
Ryan's words were like a key, unlocking the doubts he had suppressed. During their battle at Enies Lobby, he had knocked the Straw Hat Kid down multiple times, even piercing his body with Six King Gun. Yet the kid kept getting back up—that "unkillable" tenacity defied logic, surpassing even the regenerative abilities of Zoan types.
His defeat back then wasn't so much a loss in strength as it was being worn down by Luffy's abnormal vitality.
"What exactly are you implying?" Lucci's voice turned colder, his eyes probing. "What's the deal with the Straw Hat Kid's vitality?"
"Figure it out yourself." Ryan's tone was playful as he regarded Rob Lucci. "Some secrets lose their charm when spelled out."
The Straw Hat Kid's vitality was legendary, earning him the nickname "unkillable cockroach." At first, Ryan had assumed it was due to Garp's brutal training. But after learning about the Nika Fruit, it all made sense—that was no ordinary Rubber-Rubber Fruit. It was the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan type, Model: Nika.
Zoan types were already known for their resilience, and Mythical Zoans were the pinnacle. As the "God of Liberation," Nika's inherent "immortality" and "tenacity" were the real reasons Luffy could cheat death time and again.
As a Mythical Zoan user himself, Ryan understood this better than anyone.
"Hmph..." Lucci snorted, tacitly agreeing to drop the subject, his gaze returning to Luffy at the battlefield's center.
Ryan paid no mind to Lucci's displeasure. Instead, he reached out to tug playfully at Perona's pink braid, about to tease his "captive" for her nervousness—when his body suddenly stiffened. His amused expression darkened instantly as he turned his head toward the entrance, eyes narrowing, his playful gaze replaced by wariness.
"What's wrong?" Kalifa was the first to notice his shift, her hand pausing mid-adjustment of her glasses, her voice tinged with caution.
"A powerful presence is approaching." Ryan's eyes remained fixed on the shadows of the entrance corridor, his tone icy. "An uninvited guest has arrived."
No sooner had he spoken than Rob Lucci's half-lidded eyes snapped open, his sharp gaze shooting toward the entrance like a hawk's. The air around him tensed abruptly. On the other side, Daz Bones straightened from his slouch against the wall, his expression turning grave.
If Ryan described someone as "powerful," they were no small fry.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The footsteps from the corridor grew louder, each step like a heavy weight slamming against stone, shaking dust loose from the ceiling. The very air seemed to vibrate with the rhythm, as if a colossal beast were approaching.
Then, in the next instant, a massive figure appeared at the entrance. Towering and broad-shouldered, the man wore a spotted hat, his face marked with unique patterns. His demeanor was cold and imposing, draped in a black coat adorned with white circular designs, light-colored pants dotted with black spots, and black shoes. He stood like a moving mountain, his mere presence exuding overwhelming pressure.
"Bartholomew Kuma?!" Kalifa's voice was laced with disbelief.
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