"Wait, where is Ryuuto's real body?" A thought flashed through Burgess's mind...
But it was too late. Just as Burgess collided with the Thunder Phantom, the slash from behind reached him.
BOOM!!
Burgess's Wave Motion Elbow struck the Thunder Phantom with tremendous force. The clash between his Armament Haki and the phantom's lightning power produced a deafening sizzle. Sparks of electricity flew everywhere as the phantom's lightning sword shattered, followed by the entire construct beginning to buckle under the strain.
It was clear that Ryuuto's Thunder Phantom was no match for Burgess. Then again, the phantom only possessed a fraction of the original's strength. It was only because Ryuuto's mastery of his Thunder Art had reached the proficient level that the phantom could even use techniques like its creator. He recalled the first time he used it against Garp, where it couldn't even withstand a single punch.
Ryuuto was quite satisfied with this progress. As his mastery of the Thunder Art grew, he estimated the Thunder Phantom might one day reach the full strength of his real body.
As for his own combat power? Wielding the Black Blade Yuki-hashiri, its blade crackling with lightning, Ryuuto had already appeared behind Burgess.
"Slash!"
With a sharp cry, he unleashed a torrent of lightning. The Black Blade Yuki-hashiri descended heavily, striking Burgess's Haki-coated back. A massive, thunder-clad slash erupted in an instant...
Only then did Burgess realize where Ryuuto's true body was. As the Thunder Phantom dissipated, a cry of alarm escaped his lips as the devastating slash slammed him into the ground.
BANG!!
The large man was sent flying, crashing through several houses along the way.
Thud! CRASH!!
Burgess's body finally skidded to a halt after plowing through the last building.
"Cough..."
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his Armament Haki no longer cloaking his body. Burgess struggled to sit up, but a flash of white light appeared before him.
SHING!!
Ryuuto already had Yuki-hashiri pressed against his neck.
Jesus Burgess was defeated.
Despite his immense strength, Burgess's lack of Observation Haki and his slow speed made him no match for Ryuuto. He had been taken down in just a few moves.
"I lose," Burgess said, his head bowed. He stared at the black blade at his throat with a look of pure frustration.
Ryuuto had defeated Burgess just as quickly as Hancock and Nami had taken down Doc Q. The two women were now making their way toward him.
"Since you've lost, you must pay the price for your actions," Ryuuto said softly. A dark aura flowed over Yuki-hashiri as he brought the blade down on Burgess.
"Am I going to die here?!" Burgess thought in terror, his eyes wide as he stared up at Ryuuto.
BANG!!
Suddenly, a bullet shot out from a distance, slamming hard against Yuki-hashiri. The immense impact knocked the sword's trajectory aside. The blade, originally aimed for Burgess's neck, veered off course and sliced down onto his left arm instead.
SWISH!!
With a sound of tearing air, Burgess's arm was cleanly severed, falling to the ground with a wet thud.
"Hm?" While Ryuuto was still processing what had happened, a figure appeared and vanished in the same instant, taking the grounded Burgess with them.
It was Van Augur. He had just used the power of his Warp-Warp Fruit to teleport the bullet and save Burgess from Ryuuto's blade. However, Burgess's left arm was left behind permanently.
"Interesting..." Ryuuto mused, rubbing his chin as he looked at the severed arm on the ground. "So this is the Warp-Warp Fruit?"
He thought to himself, "I have to admit, Van Augur's ability is pretty damn annoying."
Of course, Van Augur only succeeded because Ryuuto's Observation Haki wasn't strong enough. If his Haki had reached the level of future sight, he would have detected Van Augur long before he got close.
"Ryuuto, what just happened?" Nami asked as she ran up, having witnessed the sudden turn of events.
Hancock also turned her gaze to him, both women waiting for an answer.
Ryuuto's gaze shifted to the roof of a two-story building in the distance. Burgess was there, glaring at him with hatred, while Van Augur stood beside him, rifle aimed directly at Ryuuto. The two sides faced off from afar.
Ryuuto didn't answer, but his stare said everything. Hancock and Nami followed his line of sight and instantly understood the situation.
BANG!!
A gunshot rang out. A bullet fired from Van Augur's sniper rifle leaped across a vast distance, appearing instantly in front of Ryuuto.
But Ryuuto was prepared. With a light slash of the Black Blade Yuki-hashiri, a wave of energy shot forth to meet the incoming projectile. A sharp clang echoed as the Armament Haki-coated bullet and the slash collided in mid-air, erupting with immense force.
BOOM!!
After a two-second stalemate, both energies were spent. The slash dissipated, and the bullet clattered harmlessly to the ground.
Van Augur's test had achieved its purpose. Seeing the hostile expressions on Ryuuto and his companions, Van Augur's face darkened. He lowered his rifle, placed his right hand on Burgess's shoulder, and with a soft pop, the two of them vanished again.
Ryuuto and the others could do nothing but watch. It would be nearly impossible to stop him.
Ryuuto sighed, his gaze falling back to Burgess's severed arm. "Don't tell me you're trying to be like Shanks, betting your arm on the new era," he thought wryly. "Betting that Blackbeard Teach will become the Pirate King?"
The three of them had no choice but to turn their attention back to the great battle between Blackbeard Teach and Ace. Their fight had moved from the town out into the wilderness, a deliberate move by Blackbeard. After seeing Doc Q and Burgess defeated so decisively, he had begun luring Ace further away while continuing to fight.
By the looks of it, Ace was truly outmatched. Blackbeard seemed to be fighting with ease.
"If I weren't here, Blackbeard probably wouldn't even be putting on this show. He would have ended this fight cleanly and quickly," Ryuuto thought, watching the battle with his hand on his sword.
After all, while the Dark-Dark Fruit had the side effect of doubling the user's pain, it was the natural enemy of Logia-type fruits. This was especially true for Ace, whose Haki was not strong enough, forcing him to rely too much on his Devil Fruit ability.
"Ryuuto, should we help?" Hancock asked, glancing at the distant fight. She didn't particularly want to get involved, but Blackbeard's repulsive appearance was truly unbearable to watch.
"Let's wait a little longer," Ryuuto said in a low voice. He was hesitant to act right now. With Van Augur's location unknown, his top priority was protecting Nami. A single, sudden bullet could threaten her life.