One could only say that Rocks had not inherited Blackbeard's memories, otherwise he would have known that Ryuuto was not afraid of seawater. But this was to be expected. After all, Blackbeard was Rocks's dear son; even after scheming for so many years, he couldn't bring himself to directly consume Blackbeard, instead preserving the integrity of his soul.
In an instant, he fled, the other pursued. There was no escape.
Two figures shot through the gloomy depths of the sea. The one in the lead was enveloped in black energy, weaving between coral reefs, while Ryuuto, in hot pursuit, was far more direct. Berserk lightning obliterated any obstacle in his path.
As a result, Ryuuto was closing the distance to Rocks. This made Rocks increasingly nervous, and he began flinging objects stored in his Black Hole out at Ryuuto, attempting to slow him down.
Back on Fish-Man Island, Hancock and Nami exchanged a look, still trying to process what had just happened as they watched Ryuuto vanish from their sight.
"Where did the captain go?" Nami asked softly.
"Rocks is gone too!" Vivi added, taking a step forward.
Hancock blinked, the answer forming in her mind. She guessed that Ryuuto had gone after Rocks. But their first priority now was to check on Princess Shirahoshi. With that thought, she strode toward Shirahoshi in her high heels.
A quick examination revealed that Shirahoshi was sound asleep, her breathing steady and peaceful.
"Shirahoshi must be tired. Let's let her rest," Hancock announced, turning to the others. "She should be fine when she wakes up."
"That's wonderful news!" Neptune sighed in relief.
Jean Bart, meanwhile, was replaying the "Drum of Destruction" in his mind. Having awakened his devil form and grasped a law of power, he could faintly sense what Ryuuto had done, even if he hadn't fully recovered. It was only now that Jean Bart realized the true extent of his captain's strength. He had mastered some forbidden technique that manipulated space and time. He knew with certainty that against such a skill, he would have absolutely no chance of escape.
Seeing that Shirahoshi was safe, the group left Fish-Man Island and returned to the Noah.
Not long after, the Barto Club returned aboard the Ark Maxim. The moment they landed, Bartolomeo began searching frantically for Ryuuto, shouting to the others, "Nami-senpai! Empress-senpai! Where is Ryuuto-senpai?"
"What a magnificent city!" Gambia exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with countless tiny hearts as he took in the sights on the deck. "And it's built on a giant ship! This is so cool!"
Indeed, thanks to the Ark Maxim, Bartolomeo's crew, which should have been the slowest, had arrived even before World and the others.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto was locked in a prolonged battle. Deep beneath the sea, Rocks, possessing the authority of the "God of the Sea," held a geographical advantage. Seeing that his attempts to obstruct Ryuuto were failing, he went on the offensive. Waves of black seawater, imbued with terrifying power, surged toward Ryuuto.
Fortunately, Ryuuto was largely unaffected by the sea, able to unleash his full strength. The two clashed violently in the ocean's depths. Powerful energies collided, creating vacuum pockets, and the immense pressure sent colossal waves erupting across the sea's surface.
"There's no wind, so why are the waves so violent?" a man wearing a crown asked in astonishment. He stood on the deck of a massive ship carrying thousands of people, his demeanor regal and authoritative. He was the king of a small nation.
"Your Majesty, I've heard the climate of the New World is notoriously unpredictable," a voice replied from beside him. From their conversation, it was clear they had only recently set sail.
The figures of Rocks and Ryuuto flashed past in the depths below, quickly moving far away from the area at an incredible speed.
Time ticked by.
"Hm? I sense several powerful auras." Suddenly, Rocks, still fleeing, detected strong presences on an island ahead. His mind was made up in an instant.
Swoosh!
An even more intense墨-green energy erupted from Rocks's body as he shot toward the surface. He was heading for that island.
"The only way to escape is to muddy the waters!" Rocks thought. He had been pursued by Ryuuto for hours, and his stamina was nearly depleted. He decided to gamble on this opportunity; things couldn't get any worse.
"Oh? Is he planning a final showdown?" Ryuuto murmured, a hint of confusion in his voice. The seawater muffled his senses, so he was not as aware of the island above as Rocks was. He had no idea what Rocks was planning. Still, Ryuuto followed. He was curious to see what Rocks had up his sleeve.
The distance of several thousand meters was covered in moments. As they neared the surface, Ryuuto also sensed that something was amiss on the island above. A small island actually housed two Emperors.
A wide grin spread across Rocks's face. He had seen Big Mom.
"Linlin!"
Rocks, nearly at the end of his rope, clung to this lifeline. The moment he broke the surface, he bellowed her name. His expression was a mixture of reunion joy and, more potently, a desperate will to survive.
Big Mom and Luffy, who had been in the middle of a battle, instinctively stopped and turned toward the sound. Sengoku, Shanks, Perospero, and the others did the same.
"Rocks?" Linlin's blood-red eyes seemed to regain a sliver of clarity as she heard the name, a name that felt like it came from a distant past.
Sengoku, Shanks, and the others instantly grew grim. They looked at the pathetic figure and, with a jolt of shock, connected him to the former king of the seas.
Luffy was just confused, having no idea what was happening.
The moment he was out of the water, Rocks shot past Big Mom and Luffy, heading for the other side of the island. As he passed Big Mom, he roared, "Linlin, stop him for me!"
In Rocks's eyes, Big Mom was nothing more than a pawn.
But for Big Mom, who had spent a happy period of her life on the Rocks Pirates, the familiar voice brought a growing clarity to her chaotic eyes. She raised Napoleon and looked out over the sea. Luffy, equally curious, looked over as well.
Bang!
A moment later, with a tremendous crash, a purple figure erupted from the ocean, appearing before everyone.
"What?! Ryuuto!"
Shanks, Sengoku, and Luffy all cried out in unison. None of them had expected that the one chasing Rocks was Ryuuto, who had been out of sight for some time. Several of them held deep grudges against him.
Luffy, for one, clenched his fists the moment he saw Ryuuto. Veins bulged on his skin as he gritted his teeth, his face a mask of pure rage. Sengoku had a similar expression. He had set out to sea specifically to find Ryuuto and get his revenge. Now, with his enemy right in front of him, his mustache bristled, and with a powerful stomp, he launched himself toward Ryuuto.
"Elbaf Spear: Ikoku!"
But none of them were as fast as Big Mom. The instant they cried out, she let out a furious roar, and Napoleon swung down with terrifying might. A massive slash tore through the air, heading straight for Ryuuto.
"Looks like Rocks is going to get away again," Ryuuto said with a resigned sigh. Then, his voice sharpened. "Domain of Thunder!"
In an instant, countless purple bolts of lightning erupted from his body. It all happened in a flash. By the time Big Mom's slash reached him, Ryuuto's domain was already complete. His body split cleanly in two, dodging the Ikoku, and then the two halves morphed into giant swords that chopped down at her.
Boom! Boom!
Two explosions rang out. First, Big Mom's Ikoku struck the sea far in the distance, sending up a colossal wave. Then, Sengoku, now in his giant golden Buddha form, aimed a powerful shockwave at Ryuuto's position. But Ryuuto had already moved to engage Big Mom, causing Sengoku's attack to miss entirely. A massive crater was blasted into the ground where he had been.
"I finally found you! Don't think you can escape!" Sengoku roared, his figure flashing as he gave chase again.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto's two purple greatswords, radiating an intense aura of destruction, slammed into Big Mom. Countless purple sparks and black-red lightning bolts shot into the sky. The deafening collision sent a shockwave sweeping across the area, churning the heavens and turning the sky a murky gray. This was a clash of Emperor-level power.
No one noticed that the hand Big Mom used to hold Napoleon was trembling. At that moment, she was completely lucid.
"This power is terrifying! No wonder he could push Rocks to this state," Big Mom thought.
Far away, Rocks sensed the chaos erupting behind him and breathed a sigh of relief. He never expected to find so many of Ryuuto's enemies gathered on this one island. There was no hesitation; if he didn't run now, when would he? He clutched his chest, desperately needing to find a place to recover from his injuries.
An hour later, the Thriller Bark, which had been floating silently on the sea, was suddenly engulfed by a vast expanse of black seawater, much to the astonishment of Hancock, Nami, and the others.
But none of this concerned Ryuuto, who was still locked in battle. The countless purple sparks of lightning converged, and his figure reappeared. His right leg transformed into a battle-axe, glowing with a terrifying aura of destruction, and he swung it viciously at Big Mom's chest.
It happened in the blink of an eye. Big Mom had no time to react before a colossal force slammed into her. She coughed up a mouthful of blood and was sent flying backward, crashing into a small mountain. A cloud of dust rose, and then there was silence.
"Steel Balloon? I admit it's tough, but my World-Ending Divine Lightning is all armor penetration!" Ryuuto thought to himself, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Mama! Mama!" Perospero and the others screamed, frantically rushing toward the place where she had fallen, their faces filled with anxiety.
"He's too strong! He took out Mama in two hits!" Katakuri glanced at Ryuuto, his eyes filled with gravity. He knew just how formidable Big Mom's "Steel Balloon" was. But today, it had seemed so fragile.
Then, the attacks from Sengoku and Luffy arrived. One swung a giant golden palm, while the other launched a white rocket, both putting their full power into the assault.
"Shanks, what do we do?" Benn Beckman asked, looking at the scene with a troubled expression.
"Let's wait a little longer," Shanks said before falling silent. He stared intently at the battlefield, his brow deeply furrowed, his composure clearly shaken. His mind was in turmoil.
"Luffy! Beat him!" Usopp, unable to gauge Ryuuto's true strength, shouted encouragement to Luffy the moment he appeared. He desperately hoped Luffy could defeat him right then and there.
"Go, Luffy! Super!" Franky added his own cheer.
Zoro and Sanji watched with grim expressions. To their Observation Haki, Ryuuto was like a colossal god of thunder straddling heaven and earth. Just sensing his presence caused sweat to pour down their foreheads; it was like facing something utterly invincible.
Aokiji frowned, feeling as though the world had gone mad.
"Aren't Admirals and Emperors supposed to be in the same league? You call this the same league? Is this even in the realm of human possibility?" he cursed internally.
Soon enough, Sengoku and Luffy would learn what true, insurmountable divine power felt like.
"Rushing Thunder Fist!" Ryuuto barked. His fist instantly swelled to an immense size, covered in ancient, intricate patterns and pulsing with an incredibly destructive aura.
And with that, Ryuuto threw a single punch to meet both of their attacks.