Chapter 591: The Pressure from Ryuunosuke!
Ryuunosuke was not surprised by the Guardian team's appearance.
Now that Roger had personally brought everyone here, it only confirmed what Ryuunosuke had said earlier, back when he forced Roger to open that door.
This whole Aragami experiment really was tied to the work of gods.
"I've already formed a partnership with Mr. Vegapunk," Ryuunosuke said, his eyes sliding to Roy.
"So what right do people who betrayed me have to stand here and point fingers?"
His smile carried a clear edge of mockery.
Back then, even though Ryuunosuke had never fully trusted Roy, he still treated him like a partner.
He had even genuinely considered helping Roy by making a move against Lilith.
Of course, the biggest reason was simple.
Ryuunosuke's target was Lilith too.
But Roy had betrayed him at a crucial moment.
Not only that, the Guardians had turned their blades on him immediately after.
So hearing Roy talk about loyalty now was almost funny.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, I didn't betray you," Roy answered quickly, not backing down.
"I came to your side with a purpose from the very beginning."
"I don't think you're unfamiliar with that kind of thing. Your move against the World Government back then was no different."
"And what's happening here has nothing to do with personal grudges."
Roy's gaze sharpened.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, are you truly unaware of what Vegapunk is planning to do?"
He could not afford to let Ryuunosuke completely lose trust in the Guardian team over what he saw as a small move.
If he wanted to keep any influence here, he had to speak now.
"I know," Ryuunosuke replied calmly.
"It's just creating a god."
"Whatever his motives are, I can handle it."
"Mere deities."
The confidence in his voice was not forced.
It was the kind of certainty that made the air heavy.
The moment those words landed, both the Guardians and Vegapunk felt a chill crawl up their spines.
Ryuunosuke did not look like someone pretending to be fearless.
If he could say it so casually, it meant he truly believed he had the strength to back it up.
As for how, or why he was so sure, that was not a question they needed to answer.
It was simply a fact they had to accept.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, thank you for your trust," Vegapunk said at once, stepping closer.
"Don't worry. Our goals do not conflict."
"I believe we can cooperate."
Then his tone sharpened into something colder.
"The seed of godhood in this world must be eradicated."
"Only then can she live."
"And only then can this world live."
Vegapunk appeared right beside Ryuunosuke, and he even brought Nirvash with him.
It was not just a show of confidence.
It was proof of sincerity.
He was placing his experiment, his core chip, right on the table.
"The seed of godhood?" Ryuunosuke repeated, his brow lifting slightly.
That phrase triggered a memory.
The First Generation had mentioned something strange before, when he was recounting his experience.
But the First Generation had vanished before finishing.
Why his original body was destroyed, and why the world had become what it was, Ryuunosuke still did not know.
"The Seed of God is…" Vegapunk began.
"Vegapunk." Roger's voice cut through him like a blade.
At the same time, Roger's aura erupted.
The warning was unmistakable.
If Vegapunk kept talking, Roger would move immediately.
There was something here they did not want said out loud.
Something important.
Ryuunosuke's smile widened instead.
The more they tried to bury it, the more interesting it became.
Maybe once he got the truth here, he could directly break through the limitations of this world.
The location of the Gate of Eternity had already been found.
What remained was the so called restriction.
Yet with Ryuunosuke's current strength, he could fly straight to the Infinite Continent, the Moon, and smash it into dust if he felt like it.
So what did breaking limitations even mean?
Whatever Roger was hiding might be the key.
"If the only way to get information is through battle," Ryuunosuke said softly, "then let's begin."
He raised his hand.
The Roar of the Evil Dragon appeared instantly in his grip.
At the same time, countless energies and rules gathered around him.
They intertwined, layered, and locked together.
In the blink of an eye, an unbreakable domain formed around Ryuunosuke's body.
It was not armor.
It was a domain.
Imperial Arms were inherently alive.
And under the constant baptism of Ryuunosuke's monstrous energy, they grew stronger every day.
Even back when Adam, Roger, and Roy were present, Ryuunosuke had not used his strongest power.
Revealing everything before meeting the final enemy was never wise.
Roy felt the pressure rolling off Ryuunosuke and his face twisted in disbelief.
"Damn it… how did this guy get stronger again?"
When Roy had been aboard Ryuunosuke's ship, he had watched the Dragon Hunter Pirates train and fight.
Even when the so called ordinary crew members displayed ridiculous combat strength, Roy had accepted it.
But Ryuunosuke himself rarely joined those drills.
In his own words, he simply did not want to bully people.
At the time, Roy had thought that excuse was arrogance, or maybe fear.
Maybe Ryuunosuke was afraid of losing control during training, or even being defeated.
Now Roy finally understood.
Ryuunosuke had not been lying.
With power like this, even the captains of those squads would likely be no match for him.
A voice drifted in Roy's ears.
"Hey. Are you daydreaming?"
"The enemy in front of you is me."
"You really underestimated me."
In the same instant, Ryuunosuke appeared behind Roy.
Pff.
The long sword in his hand pierced straight through Roy's body.
"Roy!" someone shouted.
A furious roar followed.
Imu transformed immediately into his Uranus form and charged at Ryuunosuke.
Ryuunosuke turned his head slightly, almost annoyed.
"Hm?"
"You're just a so called Heavenly King."
"Since when did it become your place to roar at me?"
His Conqueror's Haki erupted.
The pressure slammed into the soul itself and spread outward like a tidal wave.
Imu, who had been rushing forward, stopped mid charge.
It was not a matter of will.
Her body and soul were both terrified of him to the extreme.
Someone at her level fought with instinct.
That instinct screamed one message.
Danger.
Combined with Conqueror's Haki crushing down on the spirit, Imu froze in the air, suspended like she had been nailed in place.
Right then, Roger moved.
Clang.
Roger swung Ace with terrifying force.
Ryuunosuke raised his Blade and blocked it head on.
The collision of two supreme Conqueror's Haki blasts made the surrounding A T force field shudder violently.
The space itself wavered.
"Uncle Roger, seriously," Ryuunosuke said, his voice calm even as the pressure cracked the air.
"You must have your reasons for doing this, right?"
"If what you're hiding is something I can accept, I'm still willing to cooperate with you."
"But if your only motivation is Lilith…"
"Then I might not be able to cooperate."
As he spoke, darkness surged outward in a wide wave.
It rolled across the battlefield like ink poured into the sea.
"The Jar of Darkness."
The black gas spread fast, swallowing the area.
Roger did not want to test unknown tactics head on.
He withdrew quickly and decisively.
Meanwhile, Roy struggled, but it was useless.
No matter how violently he fought, he could not escape the Pact of the Underworld.
"Attack together!" Roger shouted. "Ryuunosuke, I'm sorry!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he called for the remaining Guardians to strike as one.
But in the same moment, Vegapunk made his move too.
"Do you think I came here to watch a show?" Vegapunk snapped.
He leaped backward, his body flowing into Nirvash as if merging into a machine and a beast at once.
Nirvash's enormous arm slammed down toward Wades and his teammates.
Only then did everyone truly realize the problem.
Ryuunosuke was not the only enemy here.
Vegapunk was not standing on the sidelines either.
The moment Vegapunk attacked, it turned into a situation where two threats existed at the same time.
Before the battle could even fully erupt, it was forced into containment.
Roger and his people were not fools.
Facing a situation where there was almost no chance of winning, there was no way they could keep pressing forward like mindless gamblers.
Sometimes, the smartest retreat was the one you made before the sea swallowed you whole.
<><><><><>
[Check Out My Patreon For +50 Advance Chapters On All My Fanfics!]
[[email protected]/FanficLord03]
[Every 100 Power Stones = +1 Bonus Chapter]
[Join Our Discord Community For Updates & Events]
[https://discord.gg/MntqcdpRZ9]