If the opponent had been any other Marine Admiral, Kazuha might have shown more ruthlessness. However, Fujitora carried his own sense of justice. Sparing him wasn't just mercy; it was a tactical seed planted for the future of the world's power structure. With one Admiral removed from the board, the pressure on the Teyvat team eased significantly.
High above, Kaido looked down at the ocean where Fujitora had disappeared. He spat a glob of blood, his expression full of contempt. "Useless... the Marines are as pathetic as ever."
He had hoped the "Blind Man" would at least provide enough of a distraction to allow him to reorganize his forces. Instead, the battlefield was descending into a chaotic purge. The explosions from the Jade Chamber had already vaporized the likes of Orochi and Kanjuro—erasing them so thoroughly not even ash remained.
While Zoro and the others engaged the remaining Lead Performers, Xiangling was locked in a grim struggle against Admiral Ryokugyu.
"Little girl, I'll admit your fire is impressive," Ryokugyu sneered, standing amidst a sea of blooming flowers and thick vines. "But my fruit doesn't fear heat. I am the forest itself—and a forest that consumes life is an eternal one!"
Around Ryokugyu, dozens of pirates and samurai were pinned by sharp roots. The Admiral wasn't just fighting; he was feeding. He drained the life force of everyone around him to instantly regrow the branches Xiangling burned away.
"In this environment, you're just a snack," he laughed. "A beautiful one, but a snack nonetheless."
[The Chef's Wrath]
Xiangling's face turned cold. She watched as the Admiral discarded the withered husks of the people he had "consumed."
"You treat humans as nutrients?" she whispered, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and fury. "There is plenty of food in this world... yet you choose to eat people. Do you even consider yourself human anymore?"
"Justice is the only thing that matters," Ryokugyu replied, his arm transforming into a massive, jagged wood-drill. "And the strongest define justice. Become my fuel!"
The forest erupted. Thousands of vines, coated in toxins and hardened by Haki, surged toward Xiangling. She tried to use her Elemental Burst, but Ryokugyu had cleverer tricks. He triggered the tropical plants in his forest to release massive amounts of water and paralyzing spores.
Xiangling dodged, her body flickering into flames, but the air was becoming a trap. Within five minutes, she was forced to the edge of the clearing, her breathing heavy and her skin tinged with a faint, poisonous purple.
"It's over, girl," Ryokugyu walked toward her, his fingers elongating into thorns. "After I absorb you, I'll take that swordsman who beat Fujitora. You're all just high-quality compost for my growth."
He lunged, the thorns mere millimeters from her skin.
Clack.
The Admiral's movement suddenly seized. A CP0 agent standing nearby blinked in confusion. "Admiral? What are you waiting for?"
Ryokugyu didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on a small, round creature sitting on a scorched tree stump nearby. The creature was calmly munching on a chili pepper, looking remarkably unimpressed.
"It's just a... a strange animal, Admiral," the agent scoffed, reaching for his pistol. "I'll kill it for you."
The creature jumped down, its eyes glowing with an ancient, terrifying wisdom. It looked at Ryokugyu and spoke a single, heavy sentence:
"You are not allowed... to hurt Xiangling."
[The God of the Hearth]
Ryokugyu felt a primal terror he couldn't explain. In a desperate surge of power, he unleashed every vine and root in his arsenal toward the small bear. "I don't care what you are! DIE!"
The thorns struck, but they didn't pierce. They ignited.
The small creature began to grow, its silhouette expanding into a massive, four-armed shadow that towered over the forest. The air didn't just get hot; it became holy.
"Mortal... your power is noteworthy among your kind," the voice echoed, vibrating through the literal tectonic plates of Wano. "But it is merely that. I am Marchosius."
He raised a single paw and delivered a concentrated punch toward the center of the forest.
Platinum Flame: Sovereign Hearth.
K-BOOM!
A shockwave of white-gold fire erupted. The entire rainforest Ryokugyu had created didn't just burn—it was erased. The Admiral didn't even have time to scream before the sheer density of the divine flame vaporized his forest-form and sent his true body skipping across the horizon like a pebble.
The strike didn't stop there. The fire tore through the jagged mountains of Wano, leveling the terrain for miles. The jagged "teeth" of the country were smoothed out into a flat, glassy plain.
Miles away, Kaido felt the air turn to lead. A chill of absolute mortality ran down his spine. He looked toward the source and saw, for a fleeting second, the eyes of a Demon God staring back at him across the distance.
In that moment, the "Strongest Creature" realized that if that being decided to strike again, he would die. No Haki, no scales, and no fruit would save him.
On the Jade Chamber, Nami and the others were on their knees, staring at the reshaped map of Wano.
"What... what kind of weapon was that, Lady Ningguang?" Nami stammered.
"That wasn't a weapon," Ningguang said softly, her eyes reflecting the fading gold of the horizon. "One of Liyue's Gods decided to stop playing. That is all."
100+ chapters are available now and daily updates! @patreon.com/Zefyrus