"Captain, no!"
Nami screamed toward Ryuuto, her Clima-Tact held defensively before her chest. Across from her, the giant Morley swung his trident down with vicious intent.
Van Augur warped continuously, but a swarm of countless crows followed him like a shadow, diving at him the moment he stopped. The sniper's heart was in turmoil as he watched the scene unfolding around Ryuuto.
Meanwhile, Jesus Burgess was trading blows with the transformed, demonic Kuma, his fists clashing against the cyborg's with thunderous impact. Countless arcs of black lightning crackled between them. Burgess kept glancing toward Ryuuto. Then, with a surge of immense strength, he shoved Kuma back, stomped hard on the ground, and began sprinting toward his captain.
In that moment, everyone had but one thought: they had to save Ryuuto.
As for Ryuuto himself, amidst the roaring inferno, he saw flashes of his life since arriving in this world. He saw himself awakening in the bitter cold of winter, starving and freezing. He relived every life-threatening crisis, every desperate struggle he had somehow survived.
His consciousness began to fade.
A voice seemed to whisper to him, telling him not to fight, to just stop. To stop would bring peace.
But a defiant unwillingness surged in his heart.
He would not accept this!
He refused to die here.
"I haven't even seen the view from the top of this world yet! I still have so many people to protect!"
"No! I can't die here!"
Suddenly, Ryuuto's spirit jolted. His consciousness snapped back into his mind, and his heart gave a powerful beat.
THUMP!
A heartbeat like a clap of thunder echoed out.
The sound seemed to reverberate from the dawn of time. Ryuuto's eyes flew open, a brilliant violet light flaring within them. In his mind's eye, a towering, majestic figure stood before him, meeting his gaze. In this vision, Ryuuto was that figure—a being who stood between heaven and earth, who had witnessed the rise and fall of all creation. A being who cleansed the world of its filth and granted it the vitality to be reborn.
Destruction is rebirth!
A profound realization bloomed in Ryuuto's mind.
CRACK!
A sound like a shattering chain echoed within him. An incredible sense of liberation washed over Ryuuto's entire body as a torrent of dazzling purple light poured into his mind.
His world became an endless expanse of violet.
"I am the executioner of Heaven, the arbiter of light and shadow. I shatter all darkness and purge the world of evil!"
"For Thunder is the Master of All!"
BOOM!
As the profound, ancient voice faded from his ears, the endless violet light swept outward. An overwhelmingly powerful and tyrannical aura erupted from Ryuuto's body.
A Domain of Thunder had formed.
[Lightning Arts: Perfection!]
At the same time, Ryuuto's system panel updated. His Lightning Arts had finally broken through the last stage, reaching Grandmastery.
The dragon-demon was immediately struck by this new aura. Under the force of this intensely destructive presence, its form began to flicker and destabilize. Then, countless streams of purple lightning burst forth, sweeping out in every direction with Ryuuto at the epicenter.
"Now, it's my turn to fight back!" Ryuuto roared. He grabbed the dragon-demon's claw with his right hand and, ignoring the terrifying flames, forced himself to his feet.
His appearance had undergone a radical transformation. His body was now composed of the purest violet energy, flickering between solid and ethereal. Arcs of purple lightning, like runic tattoos, hovered around him.
As he spoke, his body swelled to over ten times its original size, towering even larger than the dragon-demon. He clenched his left fist in the air, and a long, purple katana radiating an aura of pure destruction materialized in his grasp. With a single motion, Ryuuto brought the blade down on the dragon-demon.
BANG!
A deafening crash rang out as innumerable bolts of Annihilation Lightning erupted from the point of impact. The terrifying lightning blade sliced clean through one of the dragon-demon's wings, severing it completely.
ROAR!
The demon shrieked in pain and lunged forward, its massive jaws snapping at Ryuuto.
CRACKLE!
But Ryuuto was no longer an opponent the beast could so easily handle. With a peal of thunder, he broke free from the demon's grip and vanished in a flash of purple lightning.
When he reappeared, a colossal purple fist was already plummeting from the sky toward the dragon-demon. This was the power Ryuuto gained upon achieving Lightning Arts: Perfection. He could create a Domain of Thunder, and within it, he was the absolute ruler.
Within this domain, he was God.
As the purple fist grew larger in its eyes, the runes of lightning swirling around it pulsed with power. The demon's pupils constricted in terror. Sensing the horrifying energy contained within the attack, its only instinct was to flee.
"What is this?"
"Why did he suddenly become so strong?"
Countless questions flooded the dragon-demon's mind.
But it soon discovered it couldn't move.
Having entered Ryuuto's domain, its body was no longer its own to command.
ROAR!
Realizing its predicament, the dragon-demon thrashed in panic, clawing at the air and trying desperately to evade the attack.
But it was too late. The massive fist arrived in an instant, smashing directly into its face.
BOOM!
With a monumental impact, the dragon-demon's head snapped to the side. It was sent flying, a fang knocked loose from its jaw as a wave of agony washed over it.
"What happened?" Hancock asked, stunned, as she kicked Lindbergh away.
"Looks like he doesn't need my help after all," Burgess muttered, his charge coming to an abrupt halt. He scratched his head, speaking with uncertainty. Just then, Kuma slammed a Paw Pad Blast into his back. Fortunately, Burgess had eaten the Neko Neko no Mi, Mythical Zoan: Behemoth Model, transforming him into the ultimate tank. Such an attack was far from fatal.
"This isn't over yet!" Ryuuto declared coolly. His form twisted, dissolving into countless streaks of purple lightning before reforming in an instant as a single, immense leg that swung toward the dragon-demon.
It all happened in a fraction of a second.
The dragon-demon was still reeling backward when the kick connected.
BAM!
Another clean, brutal strike. The impact forced a spray of blood from the demon's mouth.
The seamless combo left the dragon-demon completely stunned. Its eyes were vacant, its mind unable to process what was happening as it was battered into disorientation.
But Ryuuto's assault was relentless. The purple lightning coalesced into a storm of different weapons, all hurtling toward the dragon-demon. A giant spiked club. A pair of nunchaku. A great halberd.
Each weapon, unique in form, struck with terrifying force, leaving the dragon-demon covered in wounds. Its body, formed of shadow, grew increasingly transparent and unstable. One of its horns had been snapped off. It was a miserable sight.
Just as Imu burst into the fifth chamber, he felt the dragon-demon's dire state through their mental link. Faced with a choice between Dragon beneath the volcano and the newly empowered Ryuuto, Imu hesitated. Both were grave threats to him.
WHOOSH!
With a sharp whistle of air, Imu dove straight down into the volcano. Ultimately, he chose to eliminate Dragon first. In his eyes, the threat of Pluton was far greater. It was, after all, an Ancient Weapon—something he feared deeply.
While Imu rushed toward Pluton's control core, Ryuuto was busy demolishing the dragon-demon. His attacks, born from pure imagination, never once lessened in intensity.
Soon, the dragon-demon's form grew fainter and fainter.
BOOM!
Before the shocked eyes of everyone present, Ryuuto's body dissolved into countless slabs of violet lightning that slammed down upon the dragon-demon.
Under the cascade of purple thunder, the creature could hold on no longer. With a final, agonized wail, it was crushed into wisps of black smoke, which were then utterly annihilated by the lightning, leaving nothing behind.
With that, the mighty dragon-demon was defeated.
Ryuuto turned and walked calmly toward Hancock and the others, ready to help them deal with the other demons Imu had created.
Meanwhile, Imu was deep beneath the volcano. His arrow-tipped tail, coated in advanced Armament Haki and crackling with black lightning, lashed out at Dragon. The power behind the strikes was staggering.
The instant Ryuuto destroyed the dragon-demon, Imu's body shuddered, and a trickle of blood escaped the corner of his mouth. He, too, had been wounded.
"Ryuuto, it seems you've grown stronger again," Imu thought, the red light in his eyes flickering. His assessment of Ryuuto's threat level had just risen once more. The boy had become exceptionally dangerous, capable of defeating even the Primeval Demon he had summoned. The last person to display such power had been Rocks.
The thought of Rocks only soured his mood further. He had recently sensed Rocks's aura in the world again, and it was mixed with a scent he utterly despised.
The scent of the sea.
Dragon now stood before a massive pillar of magma. A space lay empty between it and two other pillars, undoubtedly where the weapon's power source once sat. Behind him, a barrier crafted from his Devil Fruit ability stood firm. A wall of incredibly dense wind was deflecting Imu's barrage of arrow-like tail strikes.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The wind wall shuddered violently with each impact, yet it held for a surprisingly long time. It was undeniable proof that Dragon's power was on par with the Four Emperors; his mastery over his Devil Fruit was absolute.
Seeing this, Saint Garling made his move. With a powerful leap, he shot toward the barrier and unleashed a devastating sword strike, sending a wave of black-and-red lightning crashing into it.
BOOM!
The collision was immense.
Dragon ignored the commotion behind him completely. He swiftly drew the "Mother Flame" from his belt, leaped into the air, and landed atop the three magma pillars.
CRACK!
At that same moment, Dragon's wind wall finally shattered. Imu and Garling instantly charged toward him.
But Dragon had already completed his task. He had placed the Mother Flame upon the central stone pillar.
WHOOM!
As the Mother Flame settled into place, a powerful wave of energy surged forth. Flames from the three magma pillars flowed into the core. A moment later, a powerful shockwave erupted, blasting Dragon, Imu, and Garling back in succession.
The entire volcanic chamber was instantly bathed in light.
Pluton was now active.
Seeing this, Imu screamed, his voice filled with urgency and panic, "Quick, stop him!"
They unleashed a volley of attacks, blasting waves of Haki toward Dragon, but it was too late. Dragon placed his right palm flat against the central magma pillar. The strange energy fluctuation from the core instantly connected with his hand, and at a visible rate, his palm began to glow a fiery red.
"It worked," Dragon murmured, a rare smile gracing his typically stern face.
Just then, the attacks from Imu and Garling arrived. But to their astonishment, Dragon simply looked at them and smiled—a smile that mocked them for being a step too late.
And he was right.
The moment their attacks were about to land, the Mother Flame erupted in a brilliant golden light. The three magma pillars, now supercharged with its energy, glowed an intense red and pulsed with power. In an instant, a red energy shield materialized, enveloping the Mother Flame and Dragon completely.
It was a defensive measure built into Pluton's original design.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The storm of black lightning slammed against the red energy shield, creating a cacophony of violent impacts, but the thin barrier refused to break.
Such was the power of the ancient civilization.
"Just as I thought," Dragon mused, his earlier theory now confirmed. He couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction.
His opponents, however, were far from pleased. Grave expressions settled on the faces of Imu and Garling. Imu, in particular, was so consumed by emotion that the shadows comprising his form began to writhe and distort violently, as if countless demons were trying to break free.
"Haaaah..." Imu took a deep breath, and the shadows around him calmed. He fixed his gaze on Dragon and spoke. "Dragon, your subordinates' lives are still in my hands. Hand over the Mother Flame."