A torrent of lightning erupted from his body, his heart pounding like a war drum.
Ryuuto was now in a state of frenzied excitement!
"Let's see what an Admiral is really made of!"
Boundless violet lightning gathered in Ryuuto's right hand.
Clang!
Ryuuto drew Yubashiri in a flash. The violet lightning swirled around the blade, instantly forming a ten-meter-long Ruinous Thunder Blade.
Boom!
With a heavy stomp, Ryuuto launched himself into the air, directly in the path of Kizaru, who was transforming into a streak of light to charge him.
"Overlord's Thunderstrike!"
Ryuuto locked onto the flash of light, raised his thunder blade high, and brought it down in a devastating arc. In that instant, the surrounding space seemed to freeze. Under the terrifying pressure of the Ruinous Divine Thunder, the majestic,霸道 power of the lightning, awash in endless violet, cleaved down as if to sever the very sky.
"Is... is this Captain Ryuuto's true power?" Bonney whispered from below, her eyes wide with shock.
This is so much stronger than the slash he showed me before! she thought, instinctively comparing this attack to the one Ryuuto had demonstrated for her.
"Ooh, now that looks scary!"
The streak of light suddenly halted, and Kizaru's form materialized, his voice dripping with his usual mockery. Feeling the overwhelming pressure bearing down on him, Kizaru prepared to turn his body to light and evade, but a flicker of unease sparked in his heart. Instead, he brought his hands together to form a square. "Yata no Kagami..."
A path of light bent and refracted through the air.
The slash was getting closer! It was only a few meters away from Kizaru now! The violet blade descended with an immense pressure that seemed to lock the very space around him.
"Hm? My Logia power failed?"
Just as Kizaru was about to turn into light and escape along the path created by his Yata no Kagami, he was stunned to find that he couldn't.
Is it because of that pressure? Kizaru wondered. His movements, however, remained swift. He crossed his arms before his chest, and a shield of light materialized instantly.
"Shield of Light!"
Ryuuto's attack arrived a moment later.
The violet thunder blade slammed into the golden-yellow shield. Two immense energies collided, the shockwave erupting into the sky. But in the end, the violet half proved to be superior.
Crack!
With a sharp snap, the shield Kizaru had hastily formed shattered. The violet thunder blade crashed directly into his body.
BOOM!
Kizaru was instantly engulfed in violet lightning.
"He hit him!" Bonney cried out, watching in disbelief.
"Old man, you can't be this weak, can you?" Sentomaru muttered from the deck of his ship, a strange look in his eyes.
"Admiral Kizaru... he was hit!"
"No way!"
The other Marines on the warship were equally stunned.
Ryuuto, however, didn't believe for a second that this attack had done any significant damage. His "Overlord's Thunderstrike" had only worked because Kizaru had underestimated him.
"Ooh, that almost hurt me! Have all the 500 million bounty rookies gotten this strong?"
Countless particles of light reassembled, and Kizaru reappeared before Ryuuto. The only difference was a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.
"That last slash was genuinely frightening," Kizaru said, a slight smirk on his face as he looked at Ryuuto.
Then, his expression suddenly turned serious. "However," he said in a low voice, "your ability is quite interesting." He was referring to his inability to use his Logia intangibility.
"Ama no Murakumo!" With that, Kizaru swiped his left hand downward, and a sword made of pure light formed in his right.
"Enough talk, Kizaru. Show me the real power of an Admiral!" Ryuuto shouted, pointing Yubashiri straight at him.
"My, my... what an arrogant little boy!"
Only Kizaru's taunting voice lingered in the air.
Clang! Clang-clang!
In an instant, both Ryuuto and Kizaru vanished. Only the sound of clashing blades echoed through the sky, punctuated by powerful waves of energy as the two engaged in a high-speed battle. The force of their impacts created violent tremors that could be felt even by those on the ground.
BANG!
After blocking another one of Kizaru's slashes, Ryuuto tried to catch his breath, only to see a foot glowing with brilliant light kick out toward his side.
"Have you ever been kicked at the speed of light? Speed is weight!"
Kizaru's infuriatingly casual voice echoed in Ryuuto's ear, and then he felt a tremendous force slam into his waist.
BANG!
Damn it, he's too fast! I can't even block it!
Ryuuto spat out a mouthful of blood, cursing inwardly as he was sent flying.
I can't let this continue!
BOOM!
Ryuuto's body was slammed violently into the ground below.
"Captain Ryuuto, are you alright?" Bonney cried, immediately running to his side.
Ryuuto shook his head and pushed himself to his feet.
A flash of light reformed nearby, and Kizaru appeared. That was the most infuriating thing about the Logia-type Glint-Glint Fruit—its unparalleled speed. No one could ever pin him down.
"Bonney? Kids sure grow up fast these days," Kizaru remarked, stroking his chin as he looked at her.
"Hmph! A dog of the Celestial Dragons!" Bonney, who clearly didn't share any fond memories of Kizaru, stood protectively in front of Ryuuto and glared at the Admiral.
"I can't stand to see old acquaintances part ways, but it seems you two won't be leaving today," Kizaru said with a light chuckle, adjusting his glasses.
"This is far from over!"
Ryuuto slammed his right hand onto the ground, and Ruinous Divine Thunder surged out of him as if it were free. His heart began to pound like a great drum. A sky full of violet lightning poured out, gathering around him and rapidly condensing into the form of a massive Thunder God Avatar.
Ryuuto floated into the air without a breeze, a bare-chested avatar with long, flowing hair materializing behind him.
Voom...
As the Thunder God Avatar took shape, an immense pressure radiated outwards.
"Ooh, now this is terrifying. Have the new generation of pirates already reached this level?" Kizaru shielded his eyes with his hand, bracing against the shockwave of pure pressure.
"And I'm not done yet!" Ryuuto roared. He clenched his fists, tilted his head back, and a column of lightning shot into the sky.
BOOM!
The heavens rumbled as dark clouds, like black dragons, roiled and crashed into one another, unleashing terrifying peals of thunder.
All of this happened in a matter of seconds. Kizaru didn't attack again, perhaps because Bonney was still there.
At that moment, Sentomaru's warship reached the port.
"Old man!" Sentomaru shouted to Kizaru from the shore, flanked by four Pacifista.
Unnoticed by the others, one of the Pacifista lifted its head and its gaze fell upon Bonney for a brief moment.
So Kuma is among them!
Ryuuto's eyes narrowed as he looked at Sentomaru and the Pacifista beside him. He grabbed Bonney, tossed her far away to safety, then fixed his gaze on the Admiral.
"Come on, Kizaru!" he roared.