An unknown amount of time passed before Ryuuto finally, slowly regained consciousness. The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was the interior of a wooden hut, its walls hung with all sorts of dried fish.
"Ugh... where is this?" Ryuuto asked aloud, rubbing his throbbing head.
"Uncle Iron-Arm, he's... he's awake!" A lively voice reached Ryuuto's ears. Alana, who had been sitting by the door, saw that he was awake and immediately scrambled out, shouting as she ran.
"Ngh... I can't move. The pain is too much. I need a Super Recovery Potion, now." Ryuuto tried to struggle into a sitting position but felt a chaotic mess inside his body. He guessed he had several broken ribs and internal bleeding.
With a soft murmur, a potion vial materialized in his hand. Wincing, he tilted his head back and drank the Super Recovery Potion in one go.
"These injuries are pretty severe," Ryuuto mused grimly. "Imu, it was you again. I hadn't even come looking for you, yet you decided to ambush me. Very well. If that's how you want to play, then it's time I paid you a visit."
After he drank the potion, his wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Crack! Crack!
Ryuuto rolled his neck, producing a series of sharp popping sounds, and slowly stood up. By now, his injuries were almost completely healed.
"You're awake?" The wooden door was pushed open, and the man with the thick beard walked in. He met Ryuuto's gaze and spoke, this man they called 'Uncle Iron-Arm'.
"Hello. I assume you're the ones who saved me?" Ryuuto replied at once, adding his thanks. "Thank you so much!"
"It's nothing. Life isn't easy for anyone out on the sea. Meeting like this is a kind of fate, so we have to help each other out," Uncle Iron-Arm said softly, shaking his head. "After all, no one knows when they'll need someone else's help." Alana then peeked out from behind him, her small frame completely hidden by his massive one.
"Actually, I wasn't the one who saved you. Alana did," Uncle Iron-Arm said, pulling Alana out from behind him and placing her between them.
The sudden move caught Alana off guard. Her big eyes blinked as she sized up Ryuuto, as if trying to get a clear look at the person she had rescued.
"So you're my savior. I am truly grateful." Seeing her, Ryuuto slowly walked over, gently patting her on the head. "I owe you my life," he said with a serious expression. "If there is anything you desire, I can make it happen."
"Ah... really?" Alana's face was full of curiosity. Her freckles danced as sunlight streamed in from outside, and she tilted her head up to look at him.
"Of course," Ryuuto affirmed with a nod.
This exchange made Uncle Iron-Arm curious about Ryuuto's identity. So young, yet so confident. What could he be?
"Then... can you make the sea give us our home back?" Alana asked after a moment of thought, her expression earnest.
Uncle Iron-Arm then filled in the details. Ryuuto learned that they had once lived peacefully on a small island, leading simple lives. But then the sea level rose, submerging their island. Left with no choice, they had worked together to build this house-boat to survive where their home used to be.
"That shouldn't be a problem. Let me go take a look outside," Ryuuto replied with a nod, accepting her request.
...
"Stay back, I'm about to begin!" Ryuuto announced, standing in mid-air under Alana's expectant gaze. He slowly drew the blade at his waist, Wyrmfang. His task was to raise the submerged island from beneath the waves.
"Horizontal Flash!"
With a low shout, Ryuuto unleashed a golden slash. Countless arcs of lightning erupted as the crescent-shaped wave of energy shot down into the sea. Its speed and power were immense. The entire sea level, along with the island below, was instantly cleaved in two. Then, under the influence of some unseen force, the island itself was lifted into the air.
In that moment, the buildings on the island reappeared before their eyes. Alana's home was once again within her sight.
"That's amazing!" Alana cheered, jumping up and down. "That's our home!"
They never could have imagined that a single person could slice an entire island free and lift it from the sea.
"Who in the world did we save?" Uncle Iron-Arm wondered. Having spent his entire life as a fisherman, he had heard tales of powerful pirates, but he had no real concept of what that power looked like. Today, for the first time, he had a tangible understanding of 'powerful'. It was a strength beyond all comprehension.
Alana felt as if she were in a dream. It was too incredible. The entire island, a landmass dozens of kilometers wide and home to a town of several hundred people, was just... flying.
The other townspeople could only stare, their mouths hanging open. "Is he even human?" they all thought.
"Huhu... huhu..." The nearby creatures, which resembled porpoises, also seemed startled by the commotion and began darting rapidly across the surface of the sea. They were the Huhu, indispensable partners to Uncle Iron-Arm and the others. They could herd schools of fish, gathering them together so that the fishermen could catch them all in one net. It was thanks to the Huhu that they never went hungry on the open sea. The massive disturbance had startled these beautiful creatures, sending their graceful bodies leaping through the air.
But for Ryuuto, the job was only half done.
Zzzzt!
With a crackle of purple lightning, he vanished and reappeared directly beneath the floating island.
BOOM! BOOM!
The island slammed down with a tremendous crash, showering debris into the water. With his left arm raised as if to hold up the sky, Ryuuto caught the entire landmass. At the same time, the two walls of seawater he had parted came crashing down, throwing spray everywhere and obscuring him from view.
Alana craned her neck, her eyes filled with anticipation, eager to see him succeed. It was strange—she had an unshakeable faith in the mysterious aura that surrounded Ryuuto. She just knew he would succeed. She didn't realize that this aura was a combination of his hard-won captain's dignity and his own powerful self-confidence, which together forged the image of a man whose word was his bond.
"This isn't over yet," Ryuuto muttered. He thrust his right hand out toward the surface of the sea. "Waterspout!"
At his command, powerful whirlwinds began to churn the ocean. Countless smaller waterspouts formed, spiraling upward from the churning waves. This was his Stormcaller ability. The waterspouts quickly rose to his height.
CRASH!
Ryuuto flashed out of the way, allowing the columns of water to firmly catch the island he supported. The immense weight caused a powerful tremor, and the island shuddered violently against its new pillars. But this instability didn't last long. After thirty seconds, Ryuuto had stabilized all the waterspouts. They spun at a uniform height and in the same direction, securely holding up the massive island. He had effectively given the island a two-meter lift, performing a topographical surgery with his own power.
This was the extent of Ryuuto's strength. There was nothing he couldn't do; it was only a matter of whether you asked. If you didn't ask, you got nothing. If you did, he would give his all to achieve the goal. This was the code he lived by.
"Is that... is that still a man?" The townspeople were beyond shocked. Who could have ever imagined that a mere mortal could stand equal to a god?
"He did it!" Alana was ecstatic. In her heart, she felt this was all possible because of her. And in a way, it was true. Without her request, Uncle Iron-Arm would never have dreamed that their submerged home could be reclaimed in such a way. It was a solution no ordinary person could even conceive of, yet Ryuuto had made it a reality. It was simply unbelievable.
Uncle Iron-Arm stared first at Ryuuto, then back at Alana, dumbfounded. "Did you just rescue a deity?" he thought to himself.
"I keep my promises. Look, Alana. That is your home," Ryuuto said softly. He flickered, reappearing beside her in a flash of lightning.
"Mhm!" Alana nodded emphatically.
With a wave of his right hand, Ryuuto sent a gust of wind that gently lifted Alana, Uncle Iron-Arm, and the others onto the island.
"I never thought I'd stand here again," Uncle Iron-Arm thought, his heart pounding with emotion as his feet touched his native soil. Alana, her two pigtails bouncing, ran excitedly toward her old house. It was a small, single-story home, old and worn, but it held all her childhood memories. Her nose tingled, and she nearly shed a tear, but as Ryuuto believed, this was what she deserved.
Kind people must be rewarded. Even if the so-called "gods" on high would not help them, someone else, somewhere, would.
Ryuuto watched the scene with a satisfied smile.
Not far from Huhu Island, a pirate ship that had clearly weathered countless hardships finally arrived. Onboard were old acquaintances of Ryuuto's: his former subordinates from Alabasta, led by Dalora. Since setting sail, they had been tirelessly following in Ryuuto's footsteps. But their relative weakness had made their journey through the New World an arduous one. They had faced death several times, but they held onto the belief that one day, they would meet Ryuuto again on the high seas. When that day came, they were determined to show him how much they had grown.
They were no longer the ordinary men who had relied on Earthen Soldiers. They had learned to use Haki, and their average bounty had risen to around 70 million Berries. They could now be considered formidable pirates in their own right. The Crocodile of old would be no match for them now; their Armament Haki alone would completely neutralize him.
They were unaware that they were now less than 100 kilometers away from Ryuuto. Neither of them knew of the other's proximity.
After accepting the heartfelt hospitality of Uncle Iron-Arm and the others, Ryuuto prepared to leave the island. It was time for him to return home; he had been away for too long. But the trip had been incredibly fruitful.
First, he had annihilated the entirety of the Red-Haired Pirates and the Straw Hat Pirates. This eliminated an enemy that was constantly looming in the background. He had to be cautious; this wasn't just any foe, but the vessel of Nika. If he had been allowed to grow to his full potential, he would have become terrifying. Fortunately, that possibility no longer existed. Nika was now history. It was a truly joyous thought.
Ryuuto couldn't help but smile. He had always found the sea-faring "adventures" of these privileged heirs rather distasteful. As for Shanks, the grand schemer and master of long-term investments, he too had become a thing of the past along with Nika.
Ryuuto even had the chance to wipe out the Big Mom Pirates, but he saw no need. Big Mom was just a pitiable soul, lost in her own world. Her efforts to build Totto Land and protect her citizens were, in the world of pirates, remarkably noble. Her methods may have been extreme, but one couldn't fault a sick person. After all, her eating disorder was a genuine illness.
Ryuuto even suspected that Big Mom's dream of creating Totto Land might have been inspired by some ancient mural she saw in her youth, one depicting people of all races boarding a colossal ship to escape a dying world. Besides, her method of protecting her citizens was quite gentle. She took a portion of their lifespan while they slept, causing them no pain. For ordinary people living in this world, such peace was a rare blessing.
Meanwhile, Hancock and the others were anxiously awaiting Ryuuto's return. It had been so long since they had last seen him. If not for his Vivre Card, they would have started to fear the worst. But it was still intact, so all they could do was wait.
...