A bubble of compressed air enveloped the two figures who had just arrived. It was Bartholomew Kuma and Jewelry Bonney, propelled across mountains and seas from the Sorbet Kingdom by the Paw-Paw Fruit.
In the next instant, Kuma's body shot forward like a cannonball, appearing directly before Saint Topman Warcury.
"Bartholomew Kuma?"
Warcury, standing at the forefront, stared in disbelief at Kuma's sudden appearance. He distinctly remembered Kizaru reporting that Kuma and his entire line of Pacifista experiments had been destroyed at the Sabaody Archipelago.
But there was no time for hesitation.
In a flash, a fist infused with the weight of friendship and the bitterness of the past shot forward. Amid a shower of black lightning, it smashed viciously into the chin of Warcury's Houki form.
The punch was impossibly heavy…
It carried the weight of their friendship, and all the hatred of what had come to pass!
With a sickening thud and a spray of crimson, Warcury coughed up a mouthful of blood. One of his massive boar tusks snapped in half as his entire body was sent flying backward from the force of Kuma's blow.
"Kuma!"
Ivankov was the most overjoyed to see him. They weren't just friends of several decades; they were inseparable comrades-in-arms.
"Mr. Kuma! You're here!"
Inazuma's usually stoic face broke into a wide, happy smile at Kuma's arrival. As Ivankov's second-in-command, Inazuma knew better than anyone the burdens Kuma had shouldered. Seeing him now, free once more, brought Inazuma a profound sense of joy for him.
The four army commanders also looked toward Kuma with ardent gazes, as if welcoming him back into the fold.
Warcury flew backward until he slammed hard against the ship's railing, looking heavily injured. However, thanks to the immortal body granted by Imu, his wounds would recover in a short time, including the broken tusk. Thus, the humiliation Kuma had inflicted was far greater than the physical damage.
"Damned slave! Die!"
Witnessing this, Saint Marcus Mars roared in fury. Cursing Kuma, he beat his enormous wings and dove, his claws crackling with black and red lightning as he lunged.
In Mars's eyes, Kuma's status had never changed. He was, and always would be, a former slave of the Celestial Dragons.
"You damn bird!"
"Eat my blade!"
Bonney, standing beside Kuma, exploded in rage at the insult and launched an attack of her own. She had been itching for a fight. After months of being stuck in the Sorbet Kingdom with no one to bully but her own subordinates, she had grown terribly bored.
The appearance of the Five Elders was a godsend.
"Blade of the Thunder God!"
With a shout, Bonney drew Sandai Kitetsu from her hip and swung. A brilliant purple bolt of lightning instantly condensed, forming a slash of heavenly might that shot toward Mars.
The lightning crackled with an aura of absolute destruction.
Its power was astonishing, a thunder god's attack that Bonney had manifested through her Power of Sheer Belief, inspired by Ryuuto.
As expected of an overpowered Devil Fruit, its logic was simply absurd.
The familiar sight left Belo Betty stunned. Staring at the pink-haired girl before her, she could almost see Ryuuto's shadow overlaying Bonney's form.
"What in the world is going on?"
Betty's mind was filled with confusion.
Mars's claws, crackling with Conqueror's Haki, clashed violently with the purple slash. In an instant, a powerful shockwave of energy erupted, splitting the sky in two. One side was filled with writhing black and red lightning, the other with crackling, chaotic purple bolts.
A strange feeling!
Mars felt a deep sense of unease. If he remembered correctly, this person was the Supernova, "Big Eater" Bonney, and also Kuma's daughter. But when had she become this strong? And why did the technique she was using make the devil within him tremble with fear?
Mars was filled with countless questions.
From his perspective, Bonney had appeared out of nowhere, suddenly possessing this incredible power.
"Bonney is this strong?"
Ivankov was floored. He had been completely unable to stand against Mars, yet Bonney, the little girl he once knew, could fight the Elder to a standstill.
How could he not be shocked?
"Bonney?"
Sabo suddenly recalled who she was, but the image in his mind didn't match.
Wasn't she just a little girl?
"Hahahahahaha, as expected of Captain Ryuuto! This power is incredible!"
Bonney's sudden declaration was a bolt of lightning for Belo Betty. Everything clicked into place. It really was Ryuuto's technique.
"Don't get too happy!"
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, in his giant sandworm form, opened his cavernous maw and lunged toward the group on the deck. The sheer scale of his attack was terrifying.
At that moment, everyone on the ground had lost the ability to fight.
Roar!
The fully recovered Warcury also charged straight for Kuma.
It seemed that the four army commanders, Sabo, and the others were about to be buried in the sandworm's stomach…
In an instant, their hearts were filled with despair.
"So this is it. It looks like we're going to die!"
A sliver of regret rose in Sabo's heart. There were still people he wanted to see, yet he couldn't even recall their faces clearly anymore. His emotions churned into a complex storm.
Belo Betty and the other commanders were filled with utter defiance.
One by one, they struggled to rise, preparing to use every last ounce of their strength to resist.
Morley's Push-Push Fruit, Lindbergh's various high-tech weapons, Karasu's Crow-Crow Fruit, even Ivankov's Horm-Horm Fruit.
They unleashed everything they had.
But they were grievously wounded, their stamina all but gone.
Facing the overwhelming Conqueror's Haki of Ju Peter, their resistance seemed frail and insignificant. The thought began to crystalize in their minds: this was the end.
"I wonder how Mr. Dragon is doing!"
In their final moments…
Their thoughts were still with the cause that Dragon was fighting for.
"O-hahahahaha, now die!"
Ju Peter let out a wild laugh. His massive sandworm mouth was now less than a dozen meters away.
…
But fate would not let them fail.
Bang!
A violent collision echoed as a figure burst straight through the deck from below.
"Pfft!"
"Ryuuto, I'll never forgive you!"
Saint Somaz screamed, spitting out a large mouthful of blood even as he flew through the air. Despite his defiance, he was a pathetic sight. Blood streamed from the corner of his mouth, his left arm was gone, and his once-immaculate hair was a disheveled mess.
But that wasn't all…
Saint Somaz's airborne body was aimed with uncanny precision right at Ju Peter's chest.
"Damn it!"
"Somaz, what are you doing!"
Seeing the figure hurtling toward him, Ju Peter froze mid-attack. If he continued, his own assault would inflict massive damage on his ally.
"I'm here to drag you to hell with me!"
Suddenly, a voice emanated from a blind spot. A golden figure then burst through the broken deck and appeared before Ju Peter.
It was Ryuuto!
"Captain Ryuuto!"
Belo Betty was the most ecstatic of all. She and Ryuuto were close comrades, having shared many a bath together.
Thump!
Saint Somaz's body finally collided with Ju Peter's chest.
A shockwave rippled out…
Fortunately, Ju Peter had already retracted most of his power. It was less of a collision and more of Ju Peter catching him securely.
Both of their faces grew incredibly grim as they stared at Ryuuto.
In their eyes, Ryuuto was immensely powerful and possessed strange abilities that forced them to be cautious.
"Betty, it's been a while!"
"And Sabo!"
Ryuuto gave a quick greeting to his comrades before locking his gaze tightly on Ju Peter and Saint Somaz.
"What is going on?"
Ju Peter stared at Somaz. It had been some time, yet the wounds on his body showed no signs of healing. This was deeply alarming.
It meant Ryuuto knew their weakness.
The thought sent a chill down Ju Peter's spine.
Their greatest pride was their immortal body. Without it, they were left with nothing but endless insecurity. Though they held the title of Five Elders, their individual strength wasn't absolute; their arrogance was propped up by their invulnerability.
"It's an incredibly tyrannical, destructive aura!"
"That aura is constantly eroding my life force!"
Seeing the question in Ju Peter's eyes, Somaz understood and offered an explanation.
His words only served to heighten Ju Peter's panic.
He looked at the three-meter-tall golden giant before him. The golden plasma of lightning flowing over Ryuuto's body pulsed with an endless, overwhelming aura of destruction.
Doesn't that mean every single one of Ryuuto's attacks is a hard counter to us?
A quick analysis in his mind led Ju Peter to that terrifying conclusion.
Bang!
The purple lightning released by Bonney finally dissipated. Mars, in his Itsumade form, swiped with his claws, sending Bonney flying. A shockwave blasted across the deck, kicking up a fierce wind.
Though Bonney had mastered the World-Annihilating Lightning, she was only at the elementary purple stage.
It lacked the piercing power and explosive force of its more advanced forms, so her defeat against Mars was expected. Nevertheless, her progress was undeniable.
Crackle!
A golden bolt of lightning flashed, enveloping Bonney's body.
And then…
She was pulled by the golden light, reappearing right next to Ryuuto.
This was partly to save her, but also to let her observe his newest form up close, to better fuel her Power of Sheer Belief. As long as Bonney's imagination was strong enough, her potential was limitless.
The one who acted was, of course, Ryuuto.
"Captain Ryuuto!"
Bonney cheered, seeing him right before her eyes.
Over on the other side of the deck, Kuma had gone on a rampage that defied all expectations. He and Warcury were locked in a furious exchange of blows, with Kuma shockingly gaining the upper hand, beating Warcury until he was coughing up blood again and again.
Is this the power of friendship?
Even Ryuuto was completely taken aback.
Surveying the deck—three of the Five Elders and one Holy Knight—Ryuuto made his decision. It was time to use his ultimate killing move.
It was the quickest way to save Belo Betty and the others.
Thump!
A heartbeat, audible only to Ryuuto, echoed in his chest. Endless golden lightning erupted from his body, surging straight into the heavens.
In an instant, the entire sky was dyed gold.
Crackle!
As thunder roared, an extremely powerful aura began to spread across the world, stirring unpleasant memories for the Five Elders. They remembered standing like helpless minions on Mary Geoise as the sky had churned with that very same golden lightning.
Thump! Thump-thump!
The sound of Ryuuto's heartbeat grew louder, soon becoming like a war drum echoing between heaven and earth.
The sound grew stronger and stronger…
And the golden lightning in the sky converged and condensed with each beat.
An ancient, golden war drum materialized in the sky above them all.
All of this happened in a fraction of a second.
DOOM!
With one final, colossal drumbeat, innumerable golden bolts of lightning exploded from the drum's surface, their forms twisting into the shapes of dragons and serpents…
A powerful shockwave instantly swept outwards—
And time itself froze!
The clouds ceased their drift, and every person was locked in place, their figures suspended in mid-motion.
The faces of Ju Peter, Warcury, and the others were masks of pure terror.
Ryuuto immediately fixed his sights on Ju Peter and Saint Somaz, who were standing together. Time was short; he had to eliminate as many enemies as possible within three seconds.
And Saint Somaz was already injured.
As the saying goes: strike while the enemy is weak!
Three seconds!
"Blade of the Thunder God!"
With a soft cry, a blade of pure golden light extended from his Kuilong Zan. Ryuuto's foot pushed off the ground.
Two seconds!
Crackle—
With a clap of thunder, Ryuuto's figure instantly appeared before Ju Peter and Somaz. He swung his blade down, unleashing a torrent of golden lightning!
One second!
Boom!
As the impact sounded, the Kuilong Zan sliced through them. Ryuuto's figure reappeared behind the two.
Blood exploded from their bodies!
Time's up!
The air began to flow again. The frozen world returned to motion. The senses of Ju Peter and Saint Somaz flooded back to them.
But for them, it was an awakening to pure agony.
In the next moment—
They felt a cold line across their necks, which quickly turned warm. Then, an immense pain flooded their minds.
They watched as blood poured from their bodies in an unstoppable torrent.
More and more!
Then… the specter of death loomed over them.
They could feel their life force draining away.
They were terrified!
They were horrified!
They desperately tried to activate their immortal bodies, but to their utter terror, it had no effect.
They were going to die