"Conqueror's Coating!!"
Crocus saw this and was completely stunned.
"What's going on? In just two months, that kid Ryuuto has awakened his Conqueror's Haki?! And not only that, he's even learned to use Conqueror's Coating!" Crocus gave Ryuuto a long, hard look. "Doesn't that mean he possesses the qualities of a king?"
Ryuuto was just standing there in a loose T-shirt and a pair of Supreme Grade slippers, his clothes splattered with paint. He looked just like the boy next door.
"This... he doesn't look the part at all!"
Crocus couldn't help but size him up.
But regardless, Crocus was happy. Ryuuto was progressing much faster than he had imagined, which meant less for him to worry about. He was getting old, after all. Fighting was a job for the younger generation.
"I've seen many geniuses in my time, but never one as monstrously talented as Ryuuto."
The more Crocus thought about it, the wider his smile grew.
"After all, even Kaido himself admitted that learning to use Conqueror's Coating is what truly places you among the world's top-tier fighters."
Ryuuto knew, however, that his Conqueror's Coating was still extremely crude. He had only stumbled upon it by accident, thanks to his Annihilation Lightning. According to the usual progression in the world of pirates, one was supposed to master Ryuo first.
Both Ryuo and Conqueror's Coating were forms of extreme power control. Ryuo was the ultimate application of Armament Haki, allowing it to destroy things from the inside out. Conqueror's Coating, on the other hand, involved condensing the immense intimidating force of Conqueror's Haki, focusing it onto a single point to unleash devastating power in an instant.
As for Ryuuto right now... he could only make his Conqueror's Haki flow out from his right hand. He couldn't condense or compress it at all. In other words, what he called Conqueror's Coating was just an empty shell—it had the signature black and red lightning, but none of the overwhelming destructive force.
Then again, Ryuuto had his Annihilation Lightning. When he transformed into a thunder god, the power he displayed was in no way inferior to true Conqueror's Coating.
"Congratulations, Captain!" Crocus said, looking at Ryuuto with a satisfied smile.
"Hahahahaha! Old man Crocus, I've got even stronger moves than this! I'll show you sometime!" Ryuuto was in high spirits after showing off a little.
"Is that so? I look forward to it, then!"
Crocus was intrigued. It seemed Ryuuto had truly grown a lot during this time.
"Captain!" Suddenly, Vivi, who had been standing nearby, called out to him.
Her voice had a newfound cheerfulness to it.
"Vivi, you seem a little different than before!" Ryuuto turned his gaze to her, noticing the change in her demeanor.
"Oh, it's nothing!"
Seeing Ryuuto look at her, Vivi grew a little shy, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Hahaha, now that's the Vivi I know!" Seeing her reaction, Ryuuto felt things were back to normal and laughed heartily.
"Captain, take a look at my strength now!"
Suddenly, a triumphant smile appeared on Vivi's face. She abruptly tossed the gourd of Monkey Wine from her back into the air. A milky-white stream of liquor shot out, forming a liquid dragon that lunged straight for Ryuuto.
"You've got to be kidding me. Does everyone on my crew like using me to test their Devil Fruit powers?!" Ryuuto exclaimed.
He then stood his ground, curious to see what Vivi would do next.
"Sake Dragon Bind!"
Vivi shouted, and the liquor dragon shot toward Ryuuto, coiling around him layer by layer, binding him tightly.
Ryuuto felt the pressure the liquor dragon exerted on him.
"You've definitely improved a lot!"
Ryuuto couldn't help but praise her. He remembered that the first time Vivi used her Sake-Sake Fruit, she couldn't control the liquor to attack at all.
"But this is nowhere near enough!"
Ryuuto coated his hands in Armament Haki, turning them iron-black. He grabbed the liquor dragon and ripped it apart with a powerful tear. With a great splash, the liquid burst into a fine, mist-like spray in the air.
Vivi was prepared for this.
"Ignite!"
She flipped one hand and spun in the air. As her other hand moved, the smell of alcohol in the air grew stronger. Then, with a loud shout from Vivi...
BOOM! BOOM!!
Vivi struck a spark from her waist and tossed it into the air. The countless droplets of aerosolized liquor instantly ignited in a massive explosion.
A sky full of flames completely engulfed Ryuuto.
"Vivi's gotten so strong!"
Nami, watching from the side, was amazed at Vivi's progress.
Anyone else would have been in a world of hurt after that combo.
But when the flames dissipated, Ryuuto stood completely unharmed, his entire body coated in Armament Haki, looking like he was carved from obsidian.
"As expected of the Captain. But I still have one more move!"
Vivi had expected Ryuuto to be unharmed; everything up to this point was just a setup for her final attack.
"Drunken Haze!"
The corners of Vivi's mouth lifted into a smile. She shot Ryuuto a smug look and then clenched her right fist.
As Vivi's words fell...
Zzt... Zzzt...
A few sparks of lightning flashed across Ryuuto's body, forcing a small glob of liquor out of his pores. It condensed in the palm of his hand.
"Vivi, were you looking for this?"
Ryuuto crushed the glob of intensely alcoholic liquid in his hand.
Now the air was completely saturated with the smell of alcohol.
"Captain, how could you do that?"
Seeing her carefully planned combo fail to even make Ryuuto take a single step back, Vivi couldn't help but feel a wave of frustration. A dejected look appeared on her face.
"Vivi, don't be sad! You're already amazing! Any normal pirate would have been completely helpless against you."
Nami quickly stepped in to comfort her.
She had understood the plan from the sidelines. Vivi's final move was to get high-concentration alcohol into Ryuuto's body to incapacitate him. Under the cover of the explosion, the potent alcohol had seeped into his system unnoticed.
"That's right, Vivi, you're already very strong! You just can't compare yourself to the Captain. He's a freak of nature."
Crocus quickly added his own words of comfort.
"You're right! This is all the Captain's fault!" Hearing Nami and Crocus's encouragement, Vivi felt a bit better and shot a glare at Ryuuto.
"Me? What did I do?!"
Ryuuto was speechless. Wasn't Vivi the one who attacked first?
But as a good captain, Ryuuto knew he should still praise her.
"Vivi, I can't believe how much you've improved in just two months!"
"At this point, any pirate with a bounty under 100 million Berries would be no match for you!"
Ryuuto gave Vivi a warm, approving smile.