Crack, crack, crack...
Wielding his giant war hammers, World pressed down with immense force, unleashing countless black lightning bolts. A surge of even greater power slammed toward Rayleigh.
Rayleigh immediately felt the pressure intensify.
"What a powerful Devil Fruit ability!"
A glint of light flashed across Rayleigh's glasses as he made the silent observation.
BOOM!
Rayleigh's eyes narrowed. In an instant, crimson-black lightning erupted around his right foot. He delivered a powerful kick, sending World and his two massive hammers flying.
"Rayleigh, you're as strong as ever!"
Soaring through the air, World caught the two hammers, which had now shrunk back to a smaller size. His entire body transformed into an obsidian-like state as he spun around and charged back toward Rayleigh.
"Hundredfold Boost!"
With a sharp cry from World, his speed and power simultaneously increased a hundred times over. He became a blur, a phantom image that repeatedly lunged at Rayleigh.
Bang! Bang, bang!
The two men flickered in and out of sight across the sky, clashing relentlessly. Immense waves of Conqueror's and Armament Haki collided, sending shockwaves that cracked the ice and toppled the surrounding trees.
By now, Ryuuto had already knocked Nightin unconscious with a single punch. He then walked slowly toward the scientist and Byojack.
"Now, it's your turn."
Ryuuto stepped past Porchey, who was once again trapped inside a massive cube, and spoke to the two men with a light smile.
ROAR!
The giant white elephant thrashed about within the transparent cube, but it could not break free. Seeing Ryuuto approach the scientist and Byojack, Porchey grew quiet and reverted to her human form.
"I... I remember now! You're that rookie pirate who caused such a stir recently—Ryuuto!" the scientist suddenly exclaimed, recalling where he had seen Ryuuto's bounty poster.
"Rookie? I'm a Yonko now."
Hearing this, Ryuuto could only sigh at how outdated their information was. He curled his lip in disdain.
"What? A Yonko?"
The scientist was stunned. Being so cut off from the world, he had no way of knowing if Ryuuto was telling the truth.
"Lord World is a great pirate on par with the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger! He will defeat you!" the scientist shouted, forcing himself to sound confident.
"Cough... cough!"
Byojack coughed twice, casting a worried glance toward World's battle. While he didn't recognize Ryuuto, he was no stranger to Rayleigh. This was the first mate of the Pirate King, a man of terrifying strength.
"Cube Explosion!"
Seeing Ryuuto draw closer, the scientist instantly flung out a row of cubes. With a loud yell, the blocks detonated, engulfing Ryuuto in the blast.
"According to my scientific calculations, no one can withstand an explosion at such close range!" The scientist thought he saw Ryuuto blown to pieces and couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.
Meanwhile, Shiro had already swatted the drill-wielding Sebastian unconscious.
Nami, continuously releasing thunderclouds, reinforced her Sorcery Clima-Tact with Armament Haki and clashed fiercely with Gairam.
"Luck Drain!"
"Thunderfall!"
Leaping back, Nami landed on a large tree and shouted. A stream of white energy, visible only to her, flowed from Gairam's body into her own. At the same time, the thunderclouds in the sky condensed and unleashed a massive bolt of lightning toward the ground.
BOOM!
Gairam tried to dodge, but his body seemed to defy his will, moving in the opposite direction. The lightning struck in an instant, hitting him dead on.
"What's happening? I should have been able to avoid that!" Gairam cried out from within the blinding flash of electricity, his voice filled with disbelief.
"Hehehe, let's see how unlucky you are now!"
Nami watched with satisfaction. Stomping her foot, she clutched a lucky coin and shot forward like a phantom, appearing right beside Gairam.
"Luck Exchange!"
As Nami slammed her palm into Gairam's body, the lucky coin in her hand vanished into him.
Gairam had no time to react as Nami's combo sent him flying. More than that, he felt as if something essential had just been stolen from him.
Pfft...
He spat out a mouthful of blood, a terrible premonition washing over him.
"Thirsty, so thirsty!" An overwhelming thought dominated his mind. It felt as if he hadn't had a drop of water in days. His lips were chapped, and his entire being radiated an intense, desperate need.
Gairam crashed to the ground, sliding across the ice and shattering it as he went.
"Thirsty! I need water!" His chest throbbed with pain and his body burned, but Gairam no longer cared. Only one thought remained.
To Nami's astonishment, Gairam scrambled to his hands and knees and began frantically shoving broken pieces of ice into his mouth.
"Did he lose his body's moisture?" Nami wondered as she watched the bizarre scene unfold.
The battle between Rayleigh and World continued, moving from the shoreline deep into the island's interior. The only signs of their fierce struggle were the constant tremors and the sound of falling trees.
On the ground, golden plasma slowly gathered, coalesced, and finally reformed into a golden figure. Ryuuto reappeared before the scientist's eyes.
"No way! A Logia-type user?"
Seeing Ryuuto completely unharmed, the scientist's hand trembled in panic.
"Surrender. You have no chance of winning," Ryuuto said calmly. Flashing with golden lightning, he vanished from his spot.
Crackle...
With a peal of thunder, Ryuuto instantly reappeared beside the scientist. He formed two lances of lightning plasma in his right hand, pointing them directly at the scientist and Byojack.
"I surrender!"
Without a second of hesitation, the scientist immediately raised his hands. Between the battle he'd witnessed earlier and the power Ryuuto was displaying now, he knew he was hopelessly outmatched.
"And you?"
Ryuuto nodded in satisfaction and turned his gaze to Byojack.
Byojack started to speak, but the scientist moved faster, clamping a hand over his mouth and forcing his arms up.
"I..."
Byojack glared at Ryuuto with fury in his eyes.
Smack! Smack!
Wasting no more words, Ryuuto chopped both of them on the back of the neck, knocking them unconscious. The large cube imprisoning Porchey instantly dissipated. Now, only Nami and Rayleigh were still fighting.
"What did you do to me?"
After swallowing several handfuls of ice, Gairam finally felt a bit of relief. The feeling of dying from thirst had been terrifying.
THUD!
Shiro bounded over, lowering its massive head toward Nami.
Nami understood Shiro's intent. She leaped gracefully onto its back.
ROAR!
Shiro raised its huge tiger head and let out a deafening roar at Gairam.
"Just a little equivalent exchange," Nami said from her perch on Shiro's back, pointing her Sorcery Clima-Tact at Gairam. "Thunderfall!"
As she spoke, another bolt of lightning crashed down. Unsurprisingly, it struck Gairam again.
"How am I supposed to fight this?" the scorched and blackened Gairam wondered. "This woman not only uses Armament and Observation Haki, but she must also have some kind of Devil Fruit that can make people unlucky, dehydrated, and who knows what else..."
"Hah... I give up, I give up!"
"I surrender too!" Gairam coughed out a puff of black smoke and dropped to his knees, bowing his head toward Nami.
"Captain, this..."
Nami had never encountered a situation like this before. She looked uncertainly toward Ryuuto.
"Give me a break," Ryuuto muttered. He flashed over to Gairam in a streak of lightning and delivered a knockout punch of his own.
POW!
Watching the fist grow larger in his vision, Gairam was instantly knocked out cold.
"Captain, wasn't I amazing?"
With everything settled, Nami approached Ryuuto, a cheerful smile on her face.
"Nami, you're getting more and more incredible. Your skills work together perfectly now," Ryuuto praised her with a nod of approval.
"Hehehe, that's me!" Nami was lost in a dopey grin after hearing his words.
CRASH!
Just then, a figure was sent flying from the distance, smashing violently into the ice. Ryuuto looked closer and was shocked to see it was Rayleigh.
"Rayleigh, are you alright?"
Hancock grew anxious and immediately rushed to Rayleigh's side, helping him up.
"No good. I'm getting old. I can't beat that madman anymore," Rayleigh said, half-sitting on the ground. He shook his head, his voice filled with a sense of dejection, before turning his gaze to Ryuuto.
"Looks like it's up to me," Ryuuto said, slowly drawing the Kuilong Blade as he stared into the depths of the forest.
BOOM!
Sure enough, a moment later, a ferocious figure shot out of the woods at blinding speed. World's mouth was bleeding, his helmet was shattered, revealing the scarred top of his head, and his eyes burned with a crazed light.
"Hmm? Why does he look more injured than you?" Ryuuto asked, glancing back at Rayleigh.
"Hancock, quick, help me up. These old bones of mine are about to give out!" Rayleigh said, pretending not to hear Ryuuto's question as he turned to Hancock.
Evidently, he had underestimated Hancock's lovesick brain. Hearing Ryuuto's comment, she eyed Rayleigh with suspicion and promptly dropped him back on the ground.
"How cruel!"
Rayleigh dusted himself off and stood up, looking completely unharmed.
This drew suspicious glares from Nami and Porchey as well.
"What have you done to my brother and my crew?" World roared, his eyes red with fury. He had just emerged to see Byojack and the others lying unconscious on the ground.
"Hundredfold Speed, Hundredfold Giant Fist!"
A blue wave of energy pulsed from World's body. His right fist swelled to an enormous size, and he shot toward Ryuuto's group like a cannonball.
"Let me be your opponent!"
Ryuuto's right arm transformed into golden lightning plasma, which coated the Kuilong Blade in his hand, causing it to radiate a powerful, destructive aura.
"Thunder God's Slash!"
With a sharp cry, Ryuuto swung his blade.
The tangible golden slash, imbued with the destructive power of lightning, collided head-on with World's massively enhanced iron fist.
A powerful shockwave erupted from the impact.
Countless golden lightning bolts exploded outward, while black lightning crackled wildly from the giant fist.
The sky began to change color.
A terrifying aura spread out, instantly turning the nearby trees to dust. The ground couldn't withstand the pressure and caved in, forming a deep crater.
"Impossible! How can you block my strongest attack?" World muttered, his expression grave. Worse, he could feel a destructive energy piercing through his fist and surging into his body, causing him immense discomfort.
"Is that all you've got, World?"
"Lightning Abyss: Thousand Thorn Spears!" Ryuuto roared, plunging the Kuilong Blade into the earth. Instantly, countless veins of golden lightning spread across the ground, forming a terrifying sea of crackling energy.
Then, the lightning on the ground morphed into innumerable spears of plasma that shot toward World.
"This is bad! If I can't dodge this, I might die here!"
"Boost... Hundredfold Speed!"
The overwhelming sense of danger left World with no choice but to evade. A blue aura flared around him, pushing his speed to its absolute limit. He dodged to the side, allowing Ryuuto's Thunder God's Slash to slam into the ground.
The powerful golden plasma carved a ravine dozens of meters deep in the distance.
BOOM!
But as fast as World was, the lightning spears were faster. The moment he reappeared in the air, he was instantly engulfed by the golden projectiles.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Countless lightning spears slammed into World's body.
The immense destructive force hammered against him. Although World had enhanced his body, the spears carried a piercing power that bypassed his defenses.
He was instantly and severely wounded.
PFFT!
He coughed up several mouthfuls of blood, a wretched sight.
Ryuuto gave him no chance to recover. With a flash of lightning, he appeared right beside World.
"Rushing Thunder Fist!"
With a sharp cry, a massive fist of lightning plasma formed around his hand and smashed down on World.
POW!
World was driven into the ground like a meteor.
The incredible force made him spit up another mouthful of blood as he was slammed through the earth, leaving a man-shaped crater.
After all was said and done, Ryuuto walked slowly to World's side and placed the Kuilong Blade against his neck.
"Surrender, or die?" Ryuuto asked the heavily injured man in a low voice.
"No wonder the Captain's bounty is already at 3 billion. He feels so much stronger," Nami thought to herself, watching Ryuuto's display of power.
Porchey stared blankly at the scene.
It was too fast!
In what felt like a single instant, World had been defeated.