And so, a massive black sphere, two meters in diameter, hung in the air...
In Ryokugyū's mind, his Parasitic Vines were coated in high-level Armament Haki. It should have been impossible for Ryuuto to use his elemental form to escape.
But reality did not unfold as Ryokugyū had imagined...
Rumble!
With a deafening roar of thunder, Ryuuto's body dissolved into streams of golden lightning plasma, and a powerful aura swept out in all directions. The golden plasma then began to expand, shooting outwards and relentlessly bombarding the Parasitic Vines.
Under the impact of the golden lightning, the vines began to warp and deform. The once-impenetrable prison soon began to flash with a brilliant golden light.
The light grew brighter and more intense.
Unable to withstand the strain, the Parasitic Vines were stretched to a diameter of over ten meters, emitting a sound like a cord stretched to its absolute limit.
"How is this possible!"
"Could it be... that's really not a Devil Fruit power!"
Seeing this, Ryokugyū sensed that things were turning against him. He quickly flicked a stream of life force toward the flower bud floating in the air.
"Absorb it, faster!" Ryokugyū roared. Under the influence of his life force, the flower bud swelled, its color deepening as its ability to absorb sunlight grew even stronger.
Voom! Voom! Voom!
Suddenly, the flower bud trembled violently. Its petals slowly closed, sealing all the light within.
An incredibly powerful presence began to emanate from above.
"Hahahahahaha, it's finally ready!"
Ryokugyū let out a burst of triumphant laughter, his face twisting into his signature distorted grin.
Bang!
At that same moment, Ryuuto finally broke free from the Parasitic Vines.
The vines snapped into countless pieces, raining down to the ground below.
"Conqueror's Thunder Strike!"
Ryuuto hovered in the air, his expression grim as he glared at Ryokugyū. With a great shout, the Kui Dragon in his hand transformed into a colossal blade of lightning more than ten meters wide, which he swung straight down at the Admiral.
Sizzle!
The violent golden lightning crackled, causing even the space around it to faintly tremble.
On Ryokugyū's side, he had already adjusted the flower bud's aim.
"Solar Beam!"
With a sharp cry, the energy compressed to its absolute limit within the flower bud was unleashed, firing as a beam of light that shot toward Ryuuto with terrifying power.
The brilliant golden slash and the orange-yellow energy beam collided with a deafening roar.
Boom!
A powerful shockwave erupted from the point of impact, and the resulting gale blew The Mob Senpai back dozens of meters.
"What an incredible attack!"
"A clash of this magnitude... even my barriers would be completely useless against it!"
Bartolomeo shielded his eyes with his hands, bracing against the fierce wind. His nose ring clattered wildly as utter shock filled his heart.
One second!
Two seconds!
After holding for two seconds, the golden lightning shattered with a loud crack, pierced through by the Solar Beam.
As expected of a Marine Admiral, Ryokugyū's strength was undeniable. In a situation like this, Ryuuto had no choice but to use his full power.
Sigh...
Ryuuto let out a faint sigh before whispering, "Thunder Domain!"
In that instant, a powerful field of energy materialized. Countless bolts of violet lightning surged through the space around him as Ryuuto's body transformed into pure purple energy, violet lightning sigils swirling around him.
The Thunder Domain was complete!
All of this happened in a flash, and his figure swelled to more than ten times its original size.
Facing the oncoming energy beam, Ryuuto once again demonstrated his incredibly imaginative fighting style. With a sharp tug, he pulled a mass of purple lightning from the air into his hands. He then clapped his hands together, shaping the lightning into a solid purple mirror.
Just then, the energy beam arrived.
Boom!
With a thunderous crash, the beam struck the purple mirror head-on.
And then, the impossible happened.
The energy beam was reflected by the mirror, shooting off into the distance until it vanished over the horizon.
"Ah..."
Ryokugyū's jaw dropped in disbelief. He had never seen such a technique before.
It completely defied all common sense!
But there was no time for him to remain stunned.
"Supreme Giant Leg!" Ryuuto shouted. His right leg instantly swelled, becoming enormous as it swept toward Ryokugyū at incredible speed.
Sizzle!
Countless purple bolts of lightning erupted from the leg, making the very air vibrate.
Before Ryokugyū could even react, the massive, hairy leg slammed into his waist.
Pfft!
The moment of impact sent a spray of blood from Ryokugyū's mouth, and his aura instantly withered. But it wasn't over. As the Supreme Giant Leg continued its momentum, it collided with the Marine warship, smashing it into countless fragments.
Then, Ryokugyū was sent flying.
The power of that one kick was terrifying!
"Ryuuto-senpai! You're so cool!" Bartolomeo had instantly transformed into Ryuuto's biggest fanboy, his expression shifting from shock to pure excitement as he yelled up at the sky.
"Nami, is this Ryuuto's true power?" Nojiko asked, her voice filled with unconcealed shock as she clutched Nami's sleeve.
She knew Ryuuto was strong! She knew the Four Emperors were strong!
But she never imagined this level of strength. A massive warship, shattered in an instant. She even suspected that if Cocoyasi Village hadn't been submerged, it wouldn't have been able to withstand a single blow from him.
"This is nothing. We've even fought demons before. This is just a Marine!" Nami replied, looking up at Ryuuto with pride. Her voice caught Genzo's attention.
"Demons? Aren't those just things from legends?" Genzo asked, confused.
At that moment, Nami had no idea that the Marine fighting Ryuuto was Ryokugyū, the man who had just been promoted to Admiral through the World Military Draft.
As Ryokugyū flew backward, he managed to catch his breath and quickly grew a flower bud behind him.
The flower bud opened, its petals spinning rapidly, finally negating the immense force of Ryuuto's kick and allowing him to come to a hovering stop.
"His fighting style is just too bizarre! Huh... where's Ryuuto?" Ryokugyū clutched his waist, which was still throbbing with pain, and frantically scanned the area for his opponent.
"Are you looking for me?"
Suddenly, a massive face appeared right in front of Ryokugyū. The head, formed entirely of purple lightning, spoke with the rumble of thunder. Ryokugyū froze in terror, sweat pouring down his forehead like a waterfall.
Then, Ryuuto bit down.
Crunch!
Before Ryokugyū could react, he was swallowed whole.
As darkness enveloped him, Ryokugyū forced himself to stay conscious and quickly grew round, explosive flower buds all over his body.
"Exploding Flowers!" he roared.
The flowers detonated inside Ryuuto's mouth with a thunderous boom. Wisps of smoke began to curl out from between Ryuuto's teeth and from his nostrils.
"Ouch, ouch, that hurts!" Ryuuto yelled, clutching his mouth to prevent Ryokugyū from escaping. In truth, an attack of this level did negligible damage to him.
"Giant Wood Fist!"
Seeing his attack had little effect, Ryokugyū immediately used his Woods-Woods Fruit ability, causing countless plants and vines to sprout and converge around his right hand. It seemed he intended to blast his way out with a colossal fist.
However...
Ryuuto was already prepared.
You've been wondering if I'm a Logia Devil Fruit user, haven't you?
Well, let me show you the answer! Ryuuto thought to himself.
Whoosh!
Feeling his mouth fill with all sorts of strange plants as a powerful force built up inside, Ryuuto whipped his giant head around, creating a sonic boom as he plunged it deep into the sea.
Splash!
Ryuuto's head hit the water like a cannonball, sending a monstrous wave into the air.
Boom!
At that moment, Ryokugyū's Giant Wood Fist was complete. Accompanied by flashes of black lightning, the punch shot forward, blowing Ryuuto's head into countless motes of purple light.
"Light! I see light!"
"I'm finally getting out!"
"Wait..."
A ray of light appeared, and a look of joy spread across Ryokugyū's face. But his joy quickly turned to despair as he found himself staring at an endless expanse of pale blue. His heart sank to the bottom of his stomach.
"The ocean?"
Ryokugyū instantly understood his predicament.
Then, an overwhelming feeling of suffocation washed over him. He felt his strength draining away at an alarming rate—the telltale reaction of a Devil Fruit user in seawater.
"This is bad!"
A wave of panic seized Ryokugyū, and he began to swim frantically toward the surface.
Driven by a powerful will to survive, he thrashed wildly.
But as the seconds ticked by, his movements grew slower and slower. In the boundless ocean, Ryokugyū knew that no matter how hard he swam, he would never escape.
"I'm going to die here!"
The thought echoed in his mind.
Then, as if all the air had been let out of him, he stopped struggling. Seawater flooded into his mouth, and his body grew heavier and heavier. As his consciousness faded, he thought that if only he hadn't come to the East Blue.
But life offered no second chances.
With one last, blurry look at the sun through the water's surface, Ryokugyū's arms went limp. He completely gave up the struggle, lost consciousness, and began his slow descent into the abyss.
Thump!
Just then, a sound of impact broke the silence as a purple figure, wreathed in cataclysmic lightning, plunged into the sea.
...
"Captain, you're saying he's a Marine Admiral?"
Aboard the Ark Maxim, Vivi stared in disbelief at the disheveled man lying unconscious on the deck, then turned to Ryuuto for confirmation.
"Marine Admiral Ryokugyū," Ryuuto said slowly, lounging in a wicker chair with his legs crossed. He took a sip of tea before continuing, "User of the Woods-Woods Fruit."
Beside him, Bartolomeo was obsequiously bent over, refilling Ryuuto's teacup. The sight infuriated Baby-5, whose right hand instantly transformed into a pistol.
Bang!
Baby-5 never hesitated. She fired a shot immediately.
Fortunately, Bartolomeo reacted quickly, throwing up a barrier in front of himself to block the bullet.
"Crazy woman!" Bartolomeo flinched, his eyes wide with shock, muttering the curse under his breath.
"Baby-5, could you go to the kitchen and get us something to eat?" Ryuuto said with a light chuckle.
"Of course!"
Hearing Ryuuto's request, Baby-5's face flushed red. In that moment, she felt needed again. With a soft reply, she eagerly dashed toward the kitchen.
"Huh?"
Bartolomeo was completely baffled. Baby-5's sudden change in demeanor was just too drastic.
All this took place after the battle between Ryuuto and Ryokugyyū. Ryuuto had brought Nojiko, Genzo, and the others aboard the Ark Maxim. Following Genzo's suggestion, he planned to take them to a sky island where they could live peacefully. After all, no matter how high the sea level rose, it would never affect a sky island.
But first, they had a stop to make: Drum Island.
It had been a long time since Ryuuto had left Drum Island, and this was a perfect opportunity to go back and visit.
The massive Ark Maxim floated high in the air. Below it, on the surface of the sea, was The Mob Senpai. Besides Bartolomeo and Gambia, the rest of the Barto Club was still on board.
"Bartolomeo, would you like to join us?"
Seeing the look of eager anticipation in Bartolomeo's eyes, Ryuuto finally said the words he had been waiting to hear—an invitation to join him.
To become an affiliated crew of the Soaring Dragon Pirates.
"Ryuuto-senpai!"
"I will!!"
Hearing this, Bartolomeo felt his head spin. His cheeks flushed with pure, unadulterated excitement.
And who could blame him? How could anyone resist an invitation from their own idol?
"Hahahahahaha... Then join us! Let's go turn this world upside down!" Ryuuto declared, leaping to his feet with a passionate roar.
"Ryuuto-senpai!!"
Those words were the final straw. Overwhelmed with emotion, Bartolomeo fainted on the spot. He had never been so happy in his life!
"Boss!" Gambia cried out, rushing to his side.
Hancock and the others couldn't help but laugh at the scene. They had to admit, Bartolomeo's personality was quite endearing.
After Bartolomeo came to, they parted ways, agreeing to meet again in the New World.
Ryuuto hoped that the next time they met, they would be even stronger.
He then steered the Ark Maxim higher, ascending until they surpassed the height of the Red Line, and set a course for the Grand Line.
...