While Ryuuto and his crew were chatting, a ship flying the flag of the Beasts Pirates was cutting through the waves just off the coast of Dressrosa, charging toward the island.
It was a colossal galleon.
At its bow was the massive head of a mammoth, its long tusks visible from a great distance. This was none other than the personal ship of Jack the Drought, one of the three All-Stars of the Beasts Pirates.
Coincidentally, from another direction, a second pirate ship was also closing in. This vessel was even more peculiar; its exterior looked like a mobile fortress armored with biscuits, resembling a giant, thousand-layer cracker from afar.
The iconic flag of the Big Mom Pirates flew from its tall mast, and a huge, menacing biscuit warrior figurehead adorned its bow.
This was the ship of the Biscuit Minister, Charlotte Cracker.
For reasons unknown, the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates had appeared off the coast of Dressrosa at the very same time.
Ryuuto and the others were still oblivious to all of this.
"Well then, King Gancho, we'll be taking our leave."
Having informed the Tontatta Tribe of Dressrosa's liberation and said all that needed to be said, Ryuuto and his group stood up to depart.
They believed that under King Riku's rule, Dressrosa would soon return to normal, and the Tontatta Tribe would once again have a friendly neighbor.
The only slight drawback was the significant reduction in Dressrosa's population.
Ryuuto and his crew then began making their way toward the port. Along the way, news that Vice Admiral Onigumo and his men had been completely annihilated spread, and people began to boldly walk the streets again.
The Corrida Colosseum and Lovers' Lane started to bustle with activity once more.
It seemed that life was slowly returning to normal.
Such is the resilience of the common people. They could endure hardship, but once hope and light were restored, they would quickly fill every corner of the kingdom.
With their hardworking spirit!
"Captain Ryuuto, we finally caught up to you!"
Suddenly, a voice called out from behind them. When Ryuuto and the others turned, they saw Rebecca leading a large crowd of citizens, all carrying bags and parcels of various sizes as they ran toward them.
"Hah... hah..."
"Captain Ryuuto, please take these with you! They're just a small token of our appreciation!" Rebecca said excitedly after bending over to catch her breath. She had changed out of her battle attire and was now wearing a long, orange dress.
Ryuuto almost didn't recognize her.
"Yes, Captain Ryuuto, please accept them!"
"It's just a little something from all of us!"
"Thank you for saving our country!"
"Please, take it!"
After Rebecca finished speaking, the crowd of citizens behind her all shouted their encouragement to Ryuuto's crew. Having learned of everything they had done, the people had spontaneously come to offer them food and other supplies.
"Everyone is so generous!" Nami said, scratching her head, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Hancock smiled, her eyes crinkling with pure joy.
Vivi just stood there, grinning foolishly.
It was the first time Van Augur and Burgess had witnessed such a scene. For some reason, they found themselves deeply moved.
"Thank you, everyone, for your kindness," Ryuuto said with a broad smile, his voice booming toward Rebecca and the crowd. "In that case, we'll gladly accept!"
At his words, his crew members stepped forward.
In an instant, they were buried under an avalanche of gifts.
"Their enthusiasm is truly overwhelming!" Ryuuto's smile never left his face, though it was a bit rough on Jean Bart and the others, who were now completely obscured by a small mountain of packages.
"This feels really good!" even Baby-5 murmured, a small smile gracing her lips. She felt a higher sense of being needed, a feeling she'd never known before.
"Hahahaha... Let's set sail with everyone's goodwill!" Ryuuto declared, thrusting his right hand into the air.
The young pirates walked slowly toward the port, a gentle breeze at their backs.
"Captain Ryuuto, we wish you a safe journey!"
Behind them echoed the sincere blessings of the people of Dressrosa.
The heartfelt farewell lifted the spirits of everyone in Ryuuto's crew.
"Captain, it looks like we won't have to worry about supplies for our next journey," Crocus said with a light laugh, his hands clasped behind his back.
"I doubt the Ark Maxim can even hold all of this!" Vivi added, catching up with a large bag of her own.
"Hahahahaha..."
The gentle breeze carried the sound of their laughter far and wide.
"The Big Mom Pirates? Men, ram them!" Now only a few hundred meters from the port of Dressrosa, Jack spotted a ship flying Big Mom's jolly roger through his spyglass. This he could not tolerate. The man known as the Ship-Ramming King gave the order without a second thought.
What did it matter?
Be it a Yonko or the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, Jack would ram them all the same.
"Hahahaha... Isn't that Jack the Drought? Ignore him. Thousand-Layer Biscuit, go around him. We need to land first."
On the other ship, Cracker was lounging casually on the observation deck, clapping his hands to issue commands to his vessel.
The ship itself was a product of his Devil Fruit ability.
Cracker, a user of the Paramecia-type Biscuit-Biscuit Fruit, could produce a variety of biscuits with different properties, such as tough Biscuit Soldiers or special biscuits that could sail on the sea.
He had come here to claim Doflamingo's former territory in Dressrosa.
Jack was here for the same reason.
After all, with Doflamingo's death, his vast smuggling empire and the coveted SMILE Fruits were up for grabs.
But neither of them expected this.
There was nothing left on Dressrosa now; the Donquixote Family was a thing of the past.
Seeing Jack mindlessly charging at him, Cracker found it amusing. His only goal was to land first. Once on shore, he would have the advantage.
Thus, he commanded his ship, the Thousand-Layer Biscuit, to accelerate, veering away from Jack and making a dash for the port.
"Trying to run? Not a chance! Men, fire the cannons!"
Jack's expression soured as he watched the enemy ship evade battle. With a wave of his hand, he barked an order to his crew.
"Yes, Lord Jack!" came the roaring replies from the deck.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A dozen cannons on both sides of his ship opened fire simultaneously, sending a barrage of cannonballs arcing toward Cracker's Thousand-Layer Biscuit.
Clap, clap, clap!
Cracker clapped his hands repeatedly, and in an instant, armored biscuit soldiers with long mustaches and pretzel swords materialized. They leaped onto the ship's railing.
"Pretzel Thrust!"
With a sharp command from Cracker, the pretzel swords of the eight Biscuit Soldiers crackled with black lightning as they thrust toward the incoming cannonballs.
Flashes of sword light erupted.
With a series of loud bangs, the cannonballs exploded over the sea, long before they could reach the Thousand-Layer Biscuit, creating puffs of smoke like fireworks.
Bang!
Having deflected Jack's attack, the Thousand-Layer Biscuit reached the port. The bottom of the ship slammed heavily against the wooden docks, and just as he'd planned, Cracker was the first to land.
"Well, what a coincidence, Cracker!"
Just as a smug look began to form on Cracker's face, a mocking voice reached his ears.
It was Ryuuto and his crew.
The scene was bizarrely frozen. The smile on Cracker's face was stuck in place, and behind him, the Ryuutou Pirates were spread out in a line, waiting.
"You're not getting away, Cracker!"
Meanwhile, seeing that Cracker had landed, Jack urged his men to bring their ship to the port with all speed. He stood at the bow, shouting at his rival.
"And Jack, too? This is getting interesting," Ryuuto remarked, a faint smile playing on his lips as he noticed the other ship approaching from the sea.
"Ryuuto, what are you doing here?"
After a moment of shock, Cracker slowly turned around, trying to sound as calm as possible. As he spoke, he was secretly clapping his hands by his sides.
On the deck of the Thousand-Layer Biscuit, more armored Biscuit Soldiers armed with pretzel swords were being created.
Ryuuto watched this with a light chuckle but did nothing to stop him.
"Tusk Lunge!"
Just as Jack's ship was about to reach the shore, he roared from the bow. He transformed into his half-beast form, his long tusks growing to an immense size. Coated in Armament Haki, they turned obsidian black and crackled with terrifying black lightning, radiating incredible power.
"What a brainless brute!" Cracker cursed internally.
"Kaido and Mom are on good terms, yet he's fighting me over a little territory. And more importantly, our common enemy should be Ryuuto right now! He's a Yonko with a 3-billion-beli bounty!"
Cracker was utterly exasperated. He really wanted to know what was going on inside Jack's head.
He glanced at Ryuuto, who remained still. Faced with the massive black tusks lunging toward him, Cracker saw his chance.
"Now!"
Seizing the moment, Cracker shouted and rolled violently to the side, causing Jack's attack to be redirected straight at Ryuuto.
Crackle!
In that same instant, a terrifying golden lightning erupted from Ryuuto's body. The Kui Dragon Zan at his waist was drawn in a flash, and as countless bolts of lightning converged upon it, he instantly transformed into a ten-meter-tall Thunder God.
"Conqueror's Thunder Slash!"
As Ryuuto's voice fell, he swung the Kui Dragon Zan. A blindingly brilliant golden slash shot directly toward Jack.
Crackle!
The lightning flared, roaring like thunder, as if it would tear through space itself.
"What? What is this attack? Ryuuto!" Jack finally noticed Ryuuto's presence. He cried out in alarm, beads of sweat pouring down his forehead, but it was too late.
His massive tusks collided with Ryuuto's slash with a deafening boom.
The entire sky was split into two colors. On the left was Ryuuto's golden slash, and on the right was the black lightning from Jack's Armament Haki.
This was the signal for the battle to begin.
Hancock stomped her foot, her pink cheongsam fluttering. Her right leg, crackling with black and red lightning, shot toward Cracker.
Boom!
The shockwave from Ryuuto and Jack's clash sent the smaller boats at the docks tumbling over one another.
Jack's pirate ship had now reached the port.
The rest of the crew—Nami, Van Augur, Baby-5, and the others—charged forward immediately.
In a single instant, a full-blown war erupted.
"Black Dragon Ryuuto, why are you here!?" Jack roared. With a mighty heave of his long tusks, he deflected Ryuuto's slash into the sky. He then reverted to his human form, landing on the docks with a dark expression.
As a user of the Ancient Zoan Mammoth-Mammoth Fruit, Jack was famous for his thick hide, immense stamina, and overwhelming strength.
"As a young pirate, it's perfectly reasonable for me to be out here grinding for experience, isn't it?" Ryuuto replied with a light laugh.
"Grinding for experience?"
"Whatever! Let me test your strength for myself! We'll see if your Yonko title is just an empty name!"
Though sweat continued to stream down his forehead—he could feel Ryuuto's power—Jack let out a furious roar. His body began to swell, and in moments, he transformed into a colossal, eighteen-meter-tall mammoth.
An aura of primal ferocity washed over them.
Elsewhere, Hancock was relentlessly assailing Cracker with her Perfume Femur kicks.
Each kick, infused with Conqueror's Coating, shattered Cracker's incredibly hard Biscuit Soldiers into a pile of dust.
This was the power of the Pirate Empress.
Cracker was struggling to keep up, forced to constantly summon more and more Biscuit Soldiers to counter her. He was too afraid of pain to dare fight her himself.
"This is terrible!"
"The Pirate Empress is this strong? My poor Biscuit Soldiers!"
Hiding inside one of his biscuit armors, Cracker, the man who feared pain more than anyone, felt his heart bleed as he watched his creations fall one after another.
Meanwhile, Nami, Van Augur, and the others cut through the fodder pirates on Jack's ship as if they were cutting through butter.
Having dealt with the small fry, they turned their attention to Cracker and Jack.
"Drunken Fist Impact!"
Vivi, unable to hold back any longer, was the first to act. The liquor from the gourd at her waist surged forth, forming a massive fist of liquid that she launched at Jack.
Coated in powerful Armament Haki, the liquid fist turned obsidian black and slammed directly into Jack's body.
With his massive size, Jack had no way to dodge and took the hit head-on.
Boom!
Two bursts of black lightning erupted.
But Vivi quickly discovered that her Armament-infused fist was no match for Jack.
The two forces were locked in a stalemate.
This guy's hide was just too tough