The thick vines shot toward the Ark Maxim, swiftly closing the thousand-meter distance. Upon their verdant surfaces, flower buds of varying sizes shimmered with an eerie luster.
"He certainly doesn't waste any time, does he?" Ryuuto remarked softly, a cold, disdainful smile playing on his lips as he watched the scene unfold.
Behind him, Hancock and the others remained perfectly composed. It had been a long time since they'd seen such a straightforward Devil Fruit attack.
"Divine Punishment!"
With a sharp cry, Ryuuto swept his right hand down through the air.
In that instant, a bolt of blindingly brilliant lightning crashed down from the heavens. The intense flash robbed everyone of their sight for a moment, then slammed into the massive vines with terrifying power.
Boom!
Upon contact, the immense energy carried by the lightning tore the vines apart, sending shattered fragments raining down into the sea. The extreme heat instantly vaporized the moisture within the plants, causing them to burst into flames.
Then, as if their life force had been extinguished, the burning vines collapsed onto the ocean's surface, throwing up a colossal wave that reached for the sky.
"So strong!"
Watching from below, Bartolomeo's eyes nearly popped out of his head, his face a mask of utter astonishment.
"Boss, that... that looks like Ryuuto!" Gambia, standing beside him, had finally gotten a clear look at the man's face. He became incredibly excited, his voice stammering as he shouted to Bartolomeo.
"What? Ryuuto-senpai!"
The name struck Bartolomeo like a physical blow. He froze for a second before his eyes began to sparkle like stars. "Ryuuto-senpai!" he screamed, jumping up and down, trying desperately to get a better view of the people on the Ark Maxim.
As a former gang leader in Loguetown, Bartolomeo had witnessed Ryuuto's heroic feat of single-handedly saving Monkey D. Luffy. Inspired by that display of power and valor, he had set out to sea with his crew, determined to follow in Ryuuto's footsteps.
However, Ryuuto's power had grown at an astronomical rate. Before Bartolomeo had even made it to the Grand Line, Ryuuto had already become one of the Four Emperors.
And so, Ryuuto had transformed from a goal into an idol.
"Bamboo Stream Lance!"
Seeing his vine attack so easily destroyed, Green Bull's expression darkened. With a roar, he summoned a forest of razor-sharp bamboo spikes from the ground and his own body, launching them like a volley of spears toward the Going Luffy-senpai.
This was because after repelling the massive vine attack, Ryuuto and Nami had leaped from their ship and landed on Bartolomeo's deck. Crocus, meanwhile, was piloting the Ark Maxim back to its perch ten thousand meters in the sky.
"Ryuuto-senpai, leave it to me!" Seeing Green Bull's attack coming, Bartolomeo was eager to prove his worth. He rushed to the bow of the ship and yelled to Ryuuto. In the stern, Nami was in an emotional embrace with Nojiko, the long-separated sisters having endless things to say to each other.
"Barrier!"
Bartolomeo crossed his fingers in his signature gesture and shouted. A translucent green barrier instantly materialized before the ship.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The sharp, metallic-sheened bamboo spikes hammered relentlessly against the barrier. The force of the impacts drove Bartolomeo back step by step.
"Hold the line!" Bartolomeo roared, planting his feet firmly on the deck. He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned forward with all his might, finally managing to withstand the full onslaught. He let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't afford to look weak in front of his idol.
"The Barrier-Barrier Fruit is truly impressive, to be able to block an attack from a Marine Admiral," Ryuuto commented, nodding in satisfaction.
"Way to go, boss!" Bartolomeo's crew erupted in cheers.
But then, the bamboo pieces that had fallen onto the deck began to move under Green Bull's control. As if coming to life, they started burrowing through the wooden planks. In the blink of an eye, they transformed into writhing vines, pulsing with a powerful energy.
"Is Green Bull trying to sink this ship and drown everyone?" Ryuuto's eyes narrowed. After a quick glance at Nami and Nojiko, a brilliant sphere of lightning formed in his right hand, which he then slammed onto the deck.
Crackle!
Countless tendrils of lightning hissed and spread across the ship, surging toward the vines that were devouring the Going Luffy-senpai. In the same motion, Ryuuto launched himself forward, becoming a blur as he closed the distance to Green Bull.
An explosion of black and red lightning erupted around him as a powerful wave of Conqueror's Haki swept over the Marine warship.
Boom!
In an instant, the soldiers on the warship felt as if their minds had been struck by a sledgehammer. It was like facing an ancient, monstrous beast, an overwhelming presence that crushed any thought of resistance. Under the terrifying pressure of his will, their eyes rolled back in their heads, and they collapsed, unconscious.
"So this is the power of an Emperor? It really gets the blood pumping! I suppose I'll have to get serious, too," Green Bull said in a low voice, his fists clenched tight as he felt the crushing Haki and watched his men fall around him.
"Forest of Malice!"
With a tremendous roar, countless plants and vines sprouted from Green Bull's body, growing at an explosive rate until his human form was completely consumed. In his place stood a towering figure over eighty meters tall, a colossus composed of tangled plants, thick vines, and blooming flowers. Powerful arcs of black lightning crackled around its massive frame.
This was Green Bull's ultimate technique.
The Marine warship now sheltered behind him. A giant flower bud on its bow bloomed, and incredibly, the entire vessel began to rise slowly into the air.
"Giant Wood Fist!" Green Bull bellowed, seeing Ryuuto approach. His massive, wooden right arm, coated in Armament Haki, turned a glossy black like obsidian and swung forward, trailing arcs of black lightning.
"Lightning Fist!"
Ryuuto clenched his hand in mid-air, and countless golden sparks of lightning converged, forming a colossal fist of pure electricity around his own.
Boom!
The two fists collided with earth-shattering force. A deafening roar echoed across the sea as a powerful shockwave radiated outwards, churning the very sky with its volatile energy.
"This is Ryuuto-senpai's power!" Bartolomeo was thrown to the deck by the gale-force winds, his nose ring tapping against his lips. He stared, mesmerized by the sheer destructive power wielded by both Ryuuto and Green Bull.
"As expected of Ryuuto-senpai! When will I ever be that strong?" Bartolomeo wondered, his heart filled with awe.
Not far away, Genzo was studying Nami. In the year or so since he had last seen her, she seemed to have undergone a profound transformation. The resilient girl he knew had blossomed into a stronger, more mature woman.
"I'm so happy for Nami," Genzo murmured, his eyes filled with pride.
"Nojiko, come with us!" Nami was earnestly trying to persuade her sister. Since Cocoyasi Village was no longer habitable, Nami wanted Nojiko and Genzo to leave with them. As for where they would go, Nami wasn't sure yet. But whether they lived on the Ark Maxim or found a new island, she knew it wouldn't be a problem.
Nojiko glanced at the spot where their tangerine grove had disappeared beneath the waves, a flicker of sadness in her eyes. Then, she carefully pulled a small, delicate tangerine sapling from her coat.
"Nami, let's go together." Nojiko turned to her sister, forcing the brightest smile she could muster. In her heart, she knew this sapling would be her hope for the future.
Seeing the sapling, Nami froze. A single tear traced a path down her cheek before she threw her arms around Nojiko once more.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto was a flashing specter, relentlessly clashing with Green Bull. Each impact sent out another powerful shockwave.
"Green Bull, the Navy's newest Admiral. Is this all you've got?" Ryuuto laughed, his blade, Kuilong, descending again and again, unleashing powerful golden slashes that crashed against Green Bull's body.
Boom!
With each slash, Green Bull's colossal form fractured, sending chunks of plants and vines plummeting into the sea. But the Woods-Woods Fruit granted him incredible regenerative abilities. Each time, he grew back, his energy seemingly undiminished.
"Are all the Emperors this strong? Then what am I? Just a punching bag?" Green Bull's mind was on the verge of breaking. Every one of Ryuuto's attacks carried a devastating, destructive aura that was a perfect counter to his nature-based powers. His wooden arms couldn't withstand the assault for long.
"In that case, I only have one option left! Go!"
With a sharp cry from Green Bull, a flower bud behind him launched into the air, where it began to absorb energy from the sun above. The bud bloomed into a massive flower over twenty meters wide, radiating an intense heat as it bathed in the sunlight.
This was Green Bull's second ultimate technique.
Solar Beam!
But the move required a long preparation phase—or rather, a charging phase.
In truth, Green Bull had already tried to use his third ultimate technique, Grove of Ten Thousand Things, which allowed him to drain the moisture and nutrients from anyone he touched. Unfortunately, he couldn't get near Ryuuto, rendering the ability useless. So, he had to rely on Solar Beam.
Ryuuto didn't know exactly what Green Bull was planning, but the giant flower in the sky gave him a strange sense of déjà vu, like he was watching an episode of Pokémon.
"Venusaur? Solar Beam?" Ryuuto mused.
He also noticed that Green Bull's regeneration was fueled by drawing nutrients from the seawater. An idea instantly sparked in his mind.
"Thunder God's Purgatory!" Ryuuto's eyes hardened. With a roar, he leaped down to the ocean's surface and plunged Kuilong into the water.
Rumble!
In an instant, the sea transformed. Countless currents of golden lightning-plasma erupted, turning the surface into a roiling, churning inferno that surged toward Green Bull's giant form.
"What the hell is this? A Logia-type Devil Fruit? Why isn't he affected by seawater!?" Green Bull's mind reeled with questions. He couldn't comprehend how Ryuuto was doing this. It defied everything he knew.
But before he could ponder the mystery, the tide of destructive lightning was upon him.
"Dancing Vine Frenzy!"
Green Bull roared, unleashing a tsunami of massive vines from his body that surged forward, consuming everything in their path.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The clash was titanic. The vines, crackling with black lightning, collided with the lightning-plasma on the sea, triggering a series of deafening explosions. Broken vines were sent flying like shrapnel, and golden plasma splashed in every direction. The ocean itself had become a battlefield. But in the end, it was Green Bull's vines that were being destroyed on a massive scale.
"Thousand Birds Thunderfall!" But Ryuuto wasn't finished. With another command, the lightning-plasma on the surface churned and reshaped itself, forming countless spears of lightning that shot toward Green Bull's giant body.
Green Bull was now in a full-blown panic. The lightning tide was consuming the seawater, cutting off his source of nutrients. He could feel himself weakening. To make matters worse, a terrifying volley of lightning spears was racing toward him while his Solar Beam was still slowly charging.
"Too slow! It's too slow!" he screamed inwardly.
"Wood Golem!"
Out of options and unwilling to face Ryuuto's next attack head-on, Green Bull desperately tried to buy more time. He began to separate his true body from his giant form.
Bang!
With a final, thunderous impact, Green Bull's giant form was blown to smithereens. The shattered remnants, some pieces a dozen meters wide, were launched far into the distance, splashing down into the sea with tremendous force.
At that very moment, Green Bull's real body appeared right in front of Ryuuto.
"Leech Seed!"
As the words left his lips, Green Bull's body dissolved into dozens of verdant green seeds that shot toward Ryuuto. Before they even reached him, each seed sprouted an impossibly thin vine.
In a fraction of a second, dozens of vines shot out from every conceivable angle, cutting off all of Ryuuto's escape routes. The vines then rapidly contracted...
And just like that, Ryuuto was bound.
These were no ordinary vines. They crackled with black lightning and emanated a faint, dark Haki-infused glow.
"Success!"
Green Bull's form reappeared on the deck of the Marine warship. A smile of profound relief spread across his face as he watched his trapped opponent.