Five more claps of thunder boomed, carving several deep ravines into the desert sand.
And then, the storm finally ceased.
The Apocalypse Thunder technique consisted of nine strikes in its most basic form. As Ryuuto's Dragon Thunder Arts improved, he would be able to summon even more terrifying lightning.
Having redirected the force of those thunderbolts into the desert, Ryuuto felt his own lightning power completely drained and his stamina plummeting. He was gasping for breath, clearly pushed to his physical limit.
Meanwhile, Garp honored his promise, leading the assembled Marines out of Alubarna. He walked at the head of the column, his expression unreadable. Behind him, Hina's face was grim. At her side, several soldiers carried a stretcher bearing Smoker's unconscious form.
Beside them walked Tashigi, her expression vacant. She looked like a soulless doll, lost in a daze.
Bringing up the rear were the rest of the soldiers, their spirits crushed. Many gritted their teeth, their faces etched with unconcealed fury. To be forced into such a retreat was a humiliation they could not easily accept.
"Pull yourselves together! There's no shame in losing once! What's important is that you learn from this failure and become stronger for it!" Garp, unable to bear the sight of his demoralized troops, slowly turned around. He clenched his fist and roared at them.
"I expect you all to be stronger after this!"
"There are countless powerful pirates out on the seas waiting for you to bring them to justice!"
The soldiers' spirits began to lift as they heard his words. One by one, they raised their heads, their eyes fixing on their impassioned leader.
One soldier took the lead, shouting, "Get stronger!"
Instantly, a chorus of voices echoed through the ranks, growing louder and more unified with each repetition.
"Get stronger! Get stronger!"
Garp watched them, a look of gratification on his face as he nodded in approval.
Still, he couldn't help but think about Ryuuto. How long had that kid been out at sea? To have already become so powerful… his mastery of lightning alone was on par with a Marine Vice Admiral. And that wasn't even accounting for that terrifying purple lightning.
Garp mused silently to himself, glancing back one last time at the royal palace. In a voice only he could hear, he whispered, "We'll meet again."
Ryuuto had already returned to the ruins of the palace.
"Captain, are the Marines gone?" Nami and Vivi rushed to his side, their voices filled with concern. Nami was uninjured, but Vivi had suffered some minor internal injuries from the shockwaves of the Apocalypse Thunder, though nothing serious.
"Yeah, they're gone." Ryuuto glanced at the retreating figures of Garp and his men before turning back to them.
"We should leave as soon as possible before something else happens," Ryuuto said to the two of them.
He had no idea what the Marines were planning. Once news of this incident spread, they might return with an even more overwhelming force. Vice Admiral Garp, at least, had shown some concern for the lives of his soldiers and the civilians. If someone like Akainu had been sent here, Ryuuto and his crew would have been annihilated. He was not so arrogant as to think he could escape from Akainu unscathed.
Nearby, Crocus was busy tending to the seriously injured civilians. Some had been wounded by the shockwaves, while others were trapped under the rubble of collapsed walls. As a doctor, treating these kinds of external injuries was his true specialty. With a few precise presses of his fingers on their pressure points, he staunched the bleeding in an instant. He then applied a topical medicine he carried with him, and the civilians' conditions immediately stabilized.
"Thank you, doctor!"
The rescued civilians offered their heartfelt gratitude to Crocus.
"Alright, just focus on resting now." Crocus waved a hand and moved on to the next injured person. It had been a long time since he'd had to use his medical skills like this. He'd almost forgotten he was once a ship's doctor, he thought with a private sigh.
The Royal Guards were also helping with the rescue efforts. They had been forced to stand by helplessly while Smoker and Hina surrounded the palace, and the pent-up frustration now fueled their desperate work to save their people.
"Hey, Crocus! It's time to say our goodbyes!" Ryuuto shouted, signaling that they needed to leave.
"Coming!"
Hearing the call, Crocus quickened his pace, his movements a fluid sequence of applying pressure and dressing wounds. He then shuffled over to Ryuuto in his signature giant flip-flops.
Ryuuto was now standing with Nami and Vivi, facing King Cobra, Igaram, and Pell.
"King Cobra, it's time for us to set sail. We'll take our leave now," Ryuuto said with formal gravity. "Vivi will be coming with us. I will take good care of her."
Cobra nodded, his eyes filled with approval as he looked at his daughter. It was time for the young princess to see the outside world.
Igaram, however, was having a much harder time with the farewell.
"Princess Vivi… sniff… you have to take care of yourself!" Igaram said, wiping tears from his eyes. He had looked after Vivi since she was a child. He had even followed her when she infiltrated Baroque Works. This would be the first time he was truly separated from her, and he was both reluctant and deeply worried.
"Don't worry, Igaram! Captain Ryuuto will be there. I'm going to get strong, so strong that you won't even recognize me the next time I come back!" Vivi's eyes sparkled with anticipation as she described her future to him. The young woman's heart yearned for freedom, eager to spread its wings on the vast ocean.
But seeing Igaram's heartbroken expression, she couldn't hold back her own emotions and rushed forward to give him a hug.
"Waaah…"
"Honestly," Nami muttered, turning her head away from the scene. The father-daughter dynamic between them reminded her of many things… of a certain pinwheel in Cocoyasi Village…
"Alright, it's time to go," Ryuuto said softly, placing a hand on Vivi's shoulder.
"Okay…" Vivi wiped the tears from her eyes and returned to Ryuuto's side.
"Princess Vivi, Captain Ryuuto," Pell spoke up. "We've prepared Super Spot-Billed Ducks for you."
Quack! Quack!
As Pell made the introduction, four ducks quacked excitedly at Ryuuto's group.
"So these are your Super Spot-Billed Ducks? They certainly look spirited. Befitting of the king's personal transport," Ryuuto said with satisfaction, looking at the confident creatures.
"Our ducks are the fastest there are," Pell continued. "They're perfect for you. They'll return on their own once you reach the coast. Also, this is a Log Pose I acquired many years ago. It's yours."
He tossed the Log Pose to Nami.
With a light leap, Ryuuto mounted one of the ducks. Nami, Vivi, and Crocus followed his example, each taking their own.
"Go!"
With a single command from the four riders, the ducks took off, their feet pounding against the ground as they raced away.