Buggy stared at the scene, having completely forgotten his terror.
"Looks like the auction is off again!" Buggy muttered to himself. Beside him, Cabaji and the others turned to look at him…
Captain Buggy, you seem to have changed! At a time like this, you should be running for your life! A Marine Admiral is going to show up any second! Cabaji, Mohji, and Alvida couldn't help but think.
Rollo, however, looked at Ryuuto with pure adoration.
"As expected of my captain!" Vivi's beautiful eyes were fixed on Ryuuto, and she couldn't help but squeeze her thighs together. Still, a hint of worry crept into her gaze.
"Nicely done!" Bonney shouted excitedly, her hands on her hips.
Ryuuto is totally my kind of guy! Bonney thought, her eyes glued to him.
Umit and Glad exchanged a smile. It had been a long time since they had seen a pirate like Ryuuto. "How exhilarating!"
Bepo, meanwhile, was pulling on Law's arm with increasing force...
But Law's feet seemed to be glued to the floor.
"Captain, we have to go!" Bepo yelled, his expression extremely tense.
By now, Ryuuto had already walked up to Jean Bart.
"Hello, Jean Bart! You can call me Captain Ryuuto," Ryuuto introduced himself.
Jean Bart stared intently at Ryuuto, unsure of his intentions.
Then he saw Ryuuto place a single hand on his slave collar.
"N-No! Don't! It will explode!" Jean Bart's eyes were wide with terror and pleading. He had seen too many slaves try to break their collars, only to be blown to bits.
Ryuuto shot him a reassuring look.
*Crackle!*
A flash of lightning sparked, followed by a sharp cracking sound from within the collar. Then, with a simple squeeze, Ryuuto crushed it to pieces.
"Ah..." Jean Bart was stunned. Was that it? Was he free, just like that?
It didn't explode!
Jean Bart stared in shock at the fragments of the collar on the ground.
"Jean Bart, join us!" Ryuuto said, looking at him with a serious expression as he formally extended the invitation.
Jean Bart had no reason to refuse.
"Captain Ryuuto, you've given me a second life... I'll follow your every command!" Jean Bart said, a sincere smile breaking through his shock.
"Hahahahaha... Excellent, excellent!" Looking at Jean Bart's powerful physique, Ryuuto was delighted. After all, two years from now, Jean Bart would be strong enough to block bullets with his bare body.
My crew finally has a warrior! Ryuuto nodded in satisfaction.
He then turned around and noticed that Law, surprisingly, hadn't left yet.
"Hello! Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart Pirates!" Ryuuto had no choice but to walk over and greet him.
"Well done, Captain Ryuuto! If you make it out of this alive, I'll buy you a drink!" Law said, flashing Ryuuto a smile of appreciation.
So that's why he stuck around—just to say that.
"Hahahahaha, then you can count on buying me that drink!" Ryuuto laughed heartily, stroking his chin as he watched Bepo drag Law away at high speed. He then looked up at the sky and chuckled. "The people up there must be starting to shake now! This is where it gets interesting!"
"Let's raise some hell!" Ryuuto roared, his voice booming like rolling thunder, spreading out in all directions.
The others were infected by his brazen spirit, and they all turned to look at him with smiles on their faces.
"This is the romance of being a pirate," Vivi murmured, twirling a lock of hair as her eyes rested quietly on Ryuuto.
"Wagyagyagyagya... Let's turn this place upside down!" Buggy yelled, floating in the air with his arms spread wide, his voice a low cackle.
Below him, Cabaji, Mohji, Alvida, Rollo, and Richie the Lion all struck a pose, their expressions grimly set as they stared ahead.
Foxy and the others had also rushed out after hearing the commotion.
Foxy first froze at the sight of the Celestial Dragon's dismembered body on the ground, then he looked over at Buggy.
Is the captain declaring war on the World Government?
In that case, let's go all out! Foxy declared solemnly, standing with his arms crossed and his head held high. Behind him, Hamburg stood with a serious expression. Foxy had changed a great deal recently; he felt like he had been enlightened.
Jean Bart stood obediently by Ryuuto's side, showing a remarkable sense of duty.
Bonney ran over and asked Ryuuto loudly, "Does this mean I'll get to see my father soon?"
This plan was something Ryuuto had discussed with her. For Bonney, the imminent arrival of a Marine Admiral was completely irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was that she was about to see Kuma.
Crocus, who had been quiet until now, stroked his beard and chuckled as he watched the energetic youths. "This kid is even more lawless than Roger was!"
"Well, since things have come to this, I suppose this old bag of bones will have to join in the chaos!"
Seeing that the auction was a bust, Umit took out five hundred million Berries and traded it with Ryuuto for the Float-Float Fruit. Ryuuto naturally had no objections.
"Stay alive! Our partnership continues," Umit said gravely, clapping Ryuuto on the shoulder before leaving with Glad.
In the distance, Marine soldiers were blowing their whistles frantically. More and more Marines were gathering nearby, but they were too intimidated by Ryuuto's power to advance. They kept a close eye on his movements, constantly reporting back while trying to prevent his escape.
Further away, a Marine officer was holding a Den Den Mushi, reporting to someone.
"Yes! It's Ryuuto! He killed Saint Rosward, Saint Shalria, and Saint Charlos!" the officer exclaimed, his face a mask of shock.
"What... Say that again!" The Den Den Mushi on the other end practically jumped, spitting saliva as it yelled back in a deafening voice.
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters... Marineford!
"Ryuuto again!" Sengoku slammed one hand on his desk while gripping a Den Den Mushi in the other.
Across from him sat... Admiral Kizaru, with his legs crossed.
"This involves the Celestial Dragons? I suppose I'll take a trip," Kizaru said, dusting off his uniform as he stood up. "Besides, I was planning on visiting an old friend anyway."
Kizaru's small glasses glinted as he walked out, thinking to himself, I wonder if that little girl from back then has grown up?
"Having Borsalino go is for the best," Sengoku said, finally feeling a sense of relief as he sat back down.
On his desk was Ryuuto's wanted poster. The defiant face seemed to be staring right through the paper at him.
"This menace must be stamped out as soon as possible. He poses an extreme threat to the World Government!" Sengoku muttered, taking a pencil and drawing a large 'X' over Ryuuto's picture.
"What a headache," he sighed.
"And we need to deal with the matter of Ace soon, too!" Several deep wrinkles formed on Sengoku's forehead. He was truly troubled.