In an instant, towering waves erupted across the sea, the sharp crack of splintering wood mixing with the deafening collisions.
The Red Force was blasted to pieces.
Shattered planks littered the surface of the ocean, a scene of utter devastation.
The moment the lightning spears descended, Benn Beckman and his crew had used every means at their disposal to resist. As non-Devil Fruit users, they had no fear of the sea. Even after falling into the water, they could use their physical prowess to withstand the Thunder of Annihilation.
And so—
Streaks of crimson and black lightning burst forth, clashing violently with the violet thunder.
One impact after another rang out, sending shockwaves sweeping across the churning sea.
But King Luffy was not so fortunate. As a standard landlubber, he sank the moment he hit the water. After swallowing several mouthfuls of seawater, he lost consciousness completely, plummeting toward the seabed.
Seeing this, Zoro immediately dove after him, intending to save his captain.
However, he seemed to have forgotten about the overwhelming number of violet lightning spears still descending from above. Just as Zoro grabbed hold of Luffy's body, several bolts of lightning pierced through them both.
In a flash, blood sprayed from their wounds. The intense electrical energy scorched them black, leaving them critically injured in an instant.
And just like that—
Zoro and Luffy both lost consciousness, their bodies beginning an uncontrolled descent into the abyss.
The star of the future, the fated Nika, was about to be swallowed forever by the sea. Before his death, Shanks had fantasized that Luffy would one day grow strong enough to avenge him.
It seemed that hope was lost.
Sanji, Usopp, and the others, lacking the strength to resist, were also gravely wounded by a single bolt of lightning and began to sink. Franky fared even worse; as a cyborg, his body was laden with metal, causing him to sink with terrifying speed.
The only one who seemed at ease was Brook.
As a user of the Paramecia-type Revive-Revive Fruit, he was nothing but a skeleton. This gave him a unique advantage: he was incredibly light. Brook floated on the surface of the water, not sinking at all. He could even sprint across the waves.
And that is precisely what he was doing now.
Moving at incredible speed, Brook had already put a great distance between himself and the battle, so much so that the Thunder of Annihilation overhead struggled to keep up.
This was Brook's true power.
He unconsciously recalled his former might, unleashing a level of strength that belied his usual demeanor.
The other senior members of the Red Hair Pirates met with different fates. Their mastery of Haki varied, and after enduring the full force of the "Thousand Birds Thunderfall," some were wounded and sank into the sea, others clung to the surface despite their injuries, and a few seemed almost unaffected.
Benn Beckman was in the best condition of them all. His strength was comparable to that of Shanks without his Primordial Dragon's Power, and he was often called the true captain of the Red Hair Pirates. But Deegan and Building Snake had already become food for the fishes. When the assault ended, Beckman stared blankly at the carnage. His brothers in arms were dead.
But it was not over. Ryuuto was always one to eliminate his enemies completely.
His eyes narrowed as he spotted the surviving members of the Red Hair Pirates still on the surface, and he instantly launched a second attack.
"Abyss Surge: Celestial Burst!"
With Ryuuto's roar, the sea began to churn violently. Massive spiral vortexes formed, their diameters reaching an astonishing ten kilometers, encompassing nearly the entire sea around the island.
"What... what is happening?"
Lucky Roux, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, watched in shock. No sooner had the words left his lips than he was sucked into one of the massive whirlpools, his body pulled uncontrollably beneath the waves. An immense crushing pressure made his bones creak and his internal organs feel as if they were being squeezed flat.
Pfft!
Another spray of blood erupted from Lucky Roux's mouth.
"I can't take it!"
A wave of terror washed over him. Staring at the horrifying display of power, he felt the cold grip of death closer than ever before.
Yasopp, Monster, and the others were in the same predicament. They opened their mouths to scream, but it was useless. Seawater forced its way down their throats, and the crushing pressure hammered against their heads, stripping them of their ability to resist.
They could feel a terrifying energy building within the churning water.
Benn Beckman struggled free, bursting from the sea and launching himself through the air, charging straight for Ryuuto.
His eyes were blood-red. He had lost all reason.
The deaths of his comrades, one after another, had unleashed an uncontrollable rage. All he wanted now was to gamble everything on a single strike. If he succeeded, he would avenge Shanks. If he failed, he would bid farewell to this world.
An intense surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from his right fist, the menacing crimson and black lightning crackling with raw power.
Bang!
But at that moment, the whirlpools on the sea's surface reached their peak concentration and then exploded upward into the sky. Violent waterspouts slammed into Lucky Roux and the others, worsening their injuries.
They soon lost consciousness.
The sky and the sea changed color, reflecting the chaos.
At the same time, a gigantic, purple five-pointed star materialized in the sky above the island. Eerie light pulsed from it as immense energy gathered. This was the attack from Uranus. After such a long time charging, its blast was meant to destroy everything—including any useless reports.
"Well, now. What's Imu's game?"
"Kicking a man when he's down?"
Ryuuto watched this unfold with extreme annoyance. The timing was too perfect. Just as he had exhausted a massive amount of his stamina, Imu launched an island-destroying attack.
A beam of energy, as wide as half the island itself, took shape, looming over the land with terrifying power.
In that same moment, Ryuuto desperately squeezed out the last dregs of his stamina, forming a thin shield of lightning around his body.
He was running on empty.
This was his final defense.
Having done all he could, Ryuuto closed his eyes, as if accepting what was to come.
"Uranus?"
"Why? Why is Uranus attacking now?"
Benn Beckman's eyes widened, his expression grim. But it was too late to change course. No matter what, he had to kill Ryuuto first.
He made his decision in an instant.
"Fist of Desperate Collapse!"
With a furious roar, Beckman's attack arrived. He aimed straight for Ryuuto's head and threw his punch.
Simultaneously, the beam from Uranus descended. The colossal shaft of light, as wide as half the island, slammed into both Ryuuto and Benn Beckman.
BOOM!
A cataclysmic impact shook the heavens.
The deafening roar filled the world.
Ryuuto felt a force of ten thousand tons crash into him. He couldn't tell if it was Beckman's fist that had connected first or the beam from Uranus.
But it no longer mattered.
His body froze for a split second before he was shot downward at an incredible speed, a spray of blood erupting from his mouth. For the first time, Ryuuto suffered a devastating blow. The sound of his bones grinding together was audible as several of them snapped at once.
And that was only the initial impact from Uranus.
BANG!
As Ryuuto crashed into the ground, his lightning shield shattered instantly.
His body was brutally slammed into the earth by the celestial beam. The ground cracked, sending countless shards of rock flying. Then, the island itself broke in two. Seawater rushed into the new chasm, and this nameless island was about to be wiped off the map.
Ryuuto was blasted straight into the ocean.
He fell into a deep coma, completely unconscious.
He had already used up most of his stamina, and the immense mental strain from using the Eye of the Thunder God had rendered even a Super Recovery Potion ineffective.
No—
That wasn't entirely true. Without the Super Recovery Potion he had drunk mid-battle, Ryuuto wouldn't have even been able to unleash his second attack, "Abyss Surge: Celestial Burst."
But none of that mattered to him now.
His body smashed through every layer of rock and was driven deep into the sea. He sank for an unknown distance, utterly unresponsive.
*I'll remember this, Imu,* Ryuuto thought in the last vestiges of his consciousness. *One day, we will settle this debt.*
Benn Beckman suffered the same fate. His body was torn apart, reduced to a bloody mess. Under the relentless assault of Uranus, he died instantly.
It was common knowledge that no one could survive a direct hit from Uranus.
On the sea's surface, the waterspouts, now without a master, dissipated. The bodies of Yasopp and the others fell from the sky.
As corpse after corpse splashed into the sea, the annihilation of the Red Hair Pirates was complete.
This was the consequence of making an enemy of Ryuuto.
"Unless you can escape, it's a fight to the death. I'm betting you won't survive the same attack I can."
That had always been Ryuuto's principle.
But he wouldn't see this outcome. His grievously wounded body was lost in the depths of the sea, without a flicker of consciousness.
Fortunately, the Thunder of Annihilation acted on its own to protect its master, forming a lightning mask over his face.
It continuously supplied him with oxygen.
It was just enough to keep Ryuuto from dying immediately.
"Gahahahahaha! I finally got rid of you!" In Mary Geoise, Imu felt what had happened and was overcome with excitement. Unable to contain it any longer, He burst into triumphant laughter.
"This is the power of an Ancient Weapon!" Imu declared with smug satisfaction.
By controlling Uranus, Imu had gained the power to bombard any location in the world with overwhelming force. Uranus was, without a doubt, the chief of the three Ancient Weapons, far surpassing Pluton and Poseidon.
Pluton could unleash destructive attacks, but it couldn't erase islands across the globe.
Its attacks could be easily blocked by obstacles in their path.
Unless the target was on the Red Line, completely unobstructed.
"Ultimate: Lunar Tide!"
Suddenly, a dark voice echoed out. It was Rocks, who had escaped his confinement. He had appeared near the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, seeking revenge for the murder of his wife.
His goal was to slaughter the Celestial Dragons in Pangaea Castle.
But for some reason, Imu was standing at the very peak of Mary Geoise today. This allowed Rocks to immediately unleash the "Power of the Seas" he had just acquired.
After launching his attack, he transformed into a mass of black seawater and slipped into Pangaea Castle.
As Rocks's words faded, the oceans of the world began to surge. Dark currents churned in the depths, not in one region, but across the entire planet. This was the full might of the Power of the Seas.
Soon, the roiling black water coalesced into a colossal tidal wave that crashed toward the Red Line.
BOOM!!!
A moment later, a tremendous tremor shook the Red Line. The entire continent shuddered, seeming as if it could not withstand the force of the wave.
It was a truly terrifying power.
The God of the Seas!
Meanwhile, the moon had drawn imperceptibly closer, a process that had been accelerating for years.
The moon's proximity further amplified the dark tides.
It had become a positive feedback loop.
As the underwater currents surged, Ryuuto's motionless body began to drift, carried away by the flow. No one knew where he would end up.
The God of the Seas?
"Davy Jones, is that you?"
"How nostalgic!"
"Damn that Davy clan!"
A look of reminiscence crossed Imu's face. Then, as He witnessed the terrifying tidal wave, His expression twisted into a snarl, and His voice became shrill.
"Come forth!"
"Mother Tree!"
With Imu's roar, the image of a giant tree began to solidify behind Him. The tree stood tens of thousands of meters tall, radiating an aura of ancient power and majesty. This was the authority of the "God of the Forest" that He had seized.
As the Mother Tree appeared, thick, gnarled roots grew from its form, slithering at incredible speed toward the towering Red Line.
The menacing roots looked unimaginably old.
They didn't just appear in one place; the roots of the Mother Tree manifested all over the world, wrapping themselves around the Red Line. It was a global defense mechanism.
VMMMM!
As countless roots constricted around the Red Line, the continent vibrated and began to glow with an emerald light.
BOOM!!!
Only then did the super-tide finally strike, crashing against the Red Line with a sound so immense it could be heard across the entire world.
But reinforced by the Mother Tree, the Red Line held firm, withstanding the full power of the God of the Seas.
Meanwhile, Rocks, taking advantage of Imu's distraction, had already begun his rampage within Pangaea Castle.
...