"Surge Elbow!"
Jesus Burgess roared, pouring all his strength into his elbow. It instantly hardened into an obsidian form, crackling with black lightning as he charged straight at Caribou.
"Not good! Swamp Shield!" Caribou panicked, watching the massive black elbow grow larger in his vision. He hastily layered several swampy barriers in front of his chest.
As a Logia-type Swamp-Swamp Fruit user, Caribou was overly reliant on his Devil Fruit powers, which meant his physical combat skills were abysmal. Whenever he encountered a powerful opponent who could use Armament Haki, he was immediately put on the defensive if they got close.
The long-tongued man watching from a high vantage point understood this perfectly.
He cursed under his breath, and starting from his feet, his body slowly began to merge with the yellow building beneath him.
A strange ripple of power spread out instantly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Just as Burgess shattered several of Caribou's swamp shields, the ground beneath him suddenly collapsed. Burgess, who had been mere inches from Caribou, plummeted downward.
"What's happening?" Burgess yelled in alarm at the sudden turn of events.
But it wasn't over. The collapsed ground began to constrict as if it were alive, attempting to crush Burgess within the earth.
Fortunately, Burgess reacted quickly. With a powerful stomp, he launched himself out of the pit.
Elsewhere, Coribou had been sent flying by a punch from Jean Bart, crashing through countless buildings. But just as he was about to hit another one, a fluid wall materialized behind him, catching him gently.
"What's going on?"
Nami, Jean Bart, and the others watched in astonishment, unable to comprehend what was happening.
It seems that by dealing with the juniors, we've summoned their elder, Ryuuto thought to himself. His gaze pierced through the buildings, locking onto a massive head formed from countless rocks in the distance.
After releasing his lightning, his perception could now cover more than half the island.
"Father!"
Seeing this, Caribou shouted in delight toward the location of Wang Zhi. Coribou, not being the sharpest, followed his brother's lead and let out a guttural cry as well.
Just then, the giant stone head in the distance began to descend, crumbling into a pile of rubble and vanishing. In the next moment, an identical colossal head rose from the ground right in front of Ryuuto and his crew.
"You wastes! Get back, now!" the giant head boomed, first at Caribou and Coribou, before turning its grave expression toward Ryuuto.
The stone head was unnervingly lifelike, its long, quartz tongue flicking through the air.
This was Wang Zhi, a great pirate whose name once shook the world, a former member of the Rocks Pirates, and the user of the Paramecia-type Island-Island Fruit.
He was also the father of Caribou and Coribou.
"Captain Wang Zhi!"
With Wang Zhi's appearance, countless powerful pirates began to emerge from the island's center, roaring as they charged toward them.
These were Wang Zhi's subordinates.
"Hehehehehehe, Ryuuto, that three billion Beri bounty of yours is mine!" Caribou was ecstatic. He threw his head back and laughed maniacally. With Wang Zhi himself here, what difficulty could there be in killing Ryuuto?
He couldn't find any of Ryuuto's past battle records, as the detailed reports from the Summit War had been suppressed by the Marines.
This led Caribou to believe that Ryuuto's bounty was completely mismatched with his actual strength.
Another reason was that Ryuuto had only been at sea for less than a year.
Of course, Wang Zhi did not share this view.
Through his Observation Haki, he could sense that two of the individuals across from him possessed terrifying auras: Ryuuto and Hancock.
"Silence!" he bellowed upon hearing Caribou's arrogant outburst.
"Who dares show me such disrespect!"
Suddenly, an unexpected voice rang out from another direction. It was Buggy, now a giant figure, floating slowly toward them. Behind him stood a cold-faced Cabaji, a ferocious Mohji and his lion Richie, and Alvida, who was being fawned over by all.
"Captain Buggy!"
Behind them, a staggering number of fierce pirates raised their arms and chanted Buggy's name.
At the same time, Wang Zhi's powerful subordinates arrived, weapons in hand.
The two groups instantly faced off.
The atmosphere grew tense, thick with the promise of an imminent battle.
Buggy struck a dramatic pose, fixing his most indifferent expression on the scar-faced man wielding two hammers across from him. This was Kot, Wang Zhi's strongest subordinate.
Kot was a user of the Paramecia-type Chain-Chain Fruit.
He could generate incredibly durable iron chains out of thin air, making him versatile in both offense and defense. He could extend the chains to attack and bind enemies or form a protective barrier in front of himself.
Moreover, Kot was a master of physical combat, proficient in both Armament and Observation Haki.
His bounty was an impressive 430 million Beri.
Beside Kot stood another man, bare-chested, named Lin Sheng. He was a great swordsman with a bounty of 320 million Beri. He wielded a flat, straight blade and radiated an aura of sharpness.
The sword was Heaven's Edge, one of the Great Grade Swords, famous for its blindingly fast strikes.
Cabaji's aura clashed with his, and sparks seemed to fly between them.
"Kot, today you'll witness the might of the great Captain Buggy!" Buggy shouted with a laugh, as if victory was already in his grasp.
"Captain Buggy!"
His crew roared in response, their voices echoing with unwavering support.
Their morale was immense.
Jesus Burgess had returned to Ryuuto's side, watching the two newly arrived forces with curiosity, a familiar eagerness stirring within him.
It was the thrum of a warrior's heart.
Kot, meanwhile, was mentally calculating the bounties on the opposing side. To his horror, he realized they were astronomical. Ryuuto and Hancock alone accounted for five billion Beri. And that didn't even include Jean Bart, Van Augur, and the others.
Beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"It seems everyone who was meant to be here has arrived," Wang Zhi said in a strange, grating voice. His sharp eyes darted between Ryuuto and Buggy.
Ryuuto and his crew were unfazed, having faced such scenes many times before.
They were actually more interested in Buggy's performance. In just a few short months, Buggy and his crew had undergone a complete transformation.
Buggy is growing so fast! Truly a man favored by fortune. Just put him in the right environment, and he'll shine, Ryuuto noted with satisfaction.
At that moment, Buggy was secretly glancing at Ryuuto.
It was up to the great Captain Buggy to save Captain Ryuuto from this crisis! With this, I'll definitely replace Foxy as the captain's number one subordinate!
Buggy's heart swelled with smug delight.
If Foxy, who was far out at sea, could hear this, he would undoubtedly get so angry he'd sail back immediately to fight Buggy.
Foxy was in the middle of an important delivery mission. The king of a small nation had hired the Foxy Pirates for 100 million Beri to escort his princess to Mary Geoise to negotiate joining the World Government.
The small kingdom, plagued by pirates, hoped to gain the protection of the Marines.
However, the king had clearly not done his research. While joining the World Government would grant them Marine protection, it came with the steep price of the Heavenly Tribute. Given the kingdom's resources, they likely wouldn't be able to afford it for long and would soon find themselves plundered by the very Marines meant to protect them.
At this rate, the nation's downfall was not far off.
"Then you can all leave your lives here!"
Finally, Wang Zhi lost his patience. With a great roar, he raised his right hand. A giant hand composed of countless rocks rose from the ground and slammed down toward Ryuuto's group.
The rock hand, towering dozens of meters high, was then reinforced with Armament Haki, quickly turning it into an obsidian form.
Black lightning crackled across its surface, and an overwhelming pressure washed over them.
Ryuuto's eyes narrowed, the sound of thunder rumbling around him.
But just then, Vivi slapped her hip, and a thick torrent of liquid erupted into the air. Coated in Armament Haki, it formed a massive black fist that shot upward to meet Wang Zhi's attack.
This was the signal to begin the battle.
In that instant, Kot and Buggy's forces charged, clashing in a chaotic melee.
BOOM!
In mid-air, Wang Zhi's black palm and Vivi's liquid fist collided violently. Countless strands of black lightning crashed against each other, unleashing a powerful shockwave.
Neither gave an inch.
"She's that strong?"
This was the first time Burgess had seen Vivi fight at full strength, and he was astonished. As expected of the "Wine Maiden" with a 500 million Beri bounty, her power was not to be underestimated.
Burgess's gaze eventually drifted back to Ryuuto, and he sighed with admiration. As expected of Ryuuto, there are no weaklings in his crew.
"You managed to block it? But my power is far from its limit!" Wang Zhi suddenly roared, unleashing an even greater force from his hand.
CRACK!
As the new wave of power surged forth, the black palm pressed down, forcing Vivi's fist back.
Sweat poured down Vivi's forehead.
"As expected of a pirate of his renown!"
Van Augur commented calmly before taking aim at Wang Zhi's head and firing a single shot.
This was Burgess's cue to attack.
He leaped onto Wang Zhi's massive stone arm and sprinted up its length, heading straight for the giant head.
The one-on-one had instantly become a three-on-one.
The pressure on Vivi lessened dramatically.
Seeing this, Ryuuto found a rock and sat down. He decided not to intervene this time, leaving everything to Van Augur, Vivi, and the others.
Hancock gracefully walked over and stood beside him.
Jean Bart, seeing no opportunity for him to join the fight, also moved to stand quietly behind Ryuuto. This was typical of the silent giant; he followed Ryuuto's orders without question.
As for Nami, she leaped into the fray where the Buggy Pirates and Kot's forces were clashing.
Her figure darted through the battlefield, unseen streams of luck being harvested with every move she made.
BANG!
Van Augur's bullet warped through space, appearing instantly in front of Wang Zhi's face and striking with immense force.
But as a veteran pirate, Wang Zhi's Armament Haki was exceptionally strong. With a sharp crack, the blackened bullet fell harmlessly to the ground.
By then, however, Burgess had reached attack range.
He planted his feet, raised his left arm, and fired a cannonball straight at Wang Zhi's eye.
Wang Zhi's Island-Island Fruit powers, while granting him immense strength and defense, had significantly reduced his speed.
Therefore...
Burgess's cannonball exploded right in front of Wang Zhi's eye.
A brilliant flash of fire and smoke erupted.
While an attack of this level couldn't injure Wang Zhi, it served as a distraction. The pressure on Vivi vanished, and she seized the opportunity. Under her control, the liquid fist transformed into a massive liquid dragon that coiled around Wang Zhi's right arm, binding it tightly.
"Let's see you attack now!" Vivi said with a triumphant smirk, pleased that her strategy had worked.
"Bastards! All of you deserve to die!" Wang Zhi roared, trying to wrench his arm free, but it was held fast. The relentless barrage of attacks was leaving him no room to breathe.
Amid the chaos, Caribou transformed into a puddle of swamp and began slinking through the shadows toward Ryuuto.
He moved with extreme caution.
For some reason, he still hadn't given up. He actually thought he could take down the three billion Beri man, Ryuuto, with a sneak attack.
"Take this! Piercing Elbow!"
Burgess, seeing that Vivi had neutralized Wang Zhi's right arm, grinned and shouted as he drove his elbow toward Wang Zhi's eye socket.
Van Augur was not idle either.
Using his Warp-Warp Fruit, he reappeared in a new position, his sniper rifle already firing another shot aimed at Wang Zhi's other eye.
The bullet crossed the several hundred-meter distance in an instant.
Both attacks landed simultaneously.
BOOM! BOOM!
But Wang Zhi's combat experience was vast. A giant left hand shot up, blocking his face. With two resounding impacts, both attacks were stopped.
"Geothermal Blaze!"
Wang Zhi's massive form shuddered. A strange power pulsed deep into the ground, and an intense heat surged upward.
He was drawing magma from beneath the island.
Countless minerals were pulled from the earth, fusing with his colossal body and giving it the hardness of steel without the need for Armament Haki. Furthermore, fueled by the magma, his entire body was now wreathed in roaring flames.
This was the terrifying power of the Island-Island Fruit.
Everything on the island was his to command.