Having done all this, Little Oars Jr. stomped hard on the ground, held his longsword horizontally before him, and shot forward like a blur.
"Slash!!"
Following his sharp cry, the longsword unleashed a blue shockwave that slashed directly into the giant stone statue!
BOOM!!
A deafening roar echoed as Pica's colossal body was instantly split in two. However, thanks to the Stone-Stone Fruit, Pica could assimilate with any rock he touched, allowing him to hide within the stone to evade attacks. Thus, the slash failed to harm his true body.
Pica's figure flickered past inside the massive stone form.
"Life Return!!"
Suddenly, a soft cry rang out. It was Onigumo, appearing like a phantom. His long hair flew behind him, lashing out like nimble arms as he lunged forward.
Onigumo's speed was incredible—
CLICK!!
Before Pica could even react, he found his left wrist clamped in a pair of pure black cuffs.
"Sea-Prism Stone!?"
Pica cried out in alarm, his mind going blank for a moment. He then felt his strength rapidly draining away. Having come into contact with the Sea-Prism Stone, Pica lost all ability to fight and began to plummet toward the ground.
"A perfect chance!!"
Seeing this, Little Oars Jr. let out a piercing roar and swung his longsword viciously down at the falling Pica.
The blue flames in Onigumo's eyes flared brightly as he watched the scene with smug satisfaction. Behind him, the injured Diamante and Lao G lay defeated on the ground.
Little Oars Jr.'s attack arrived in an instant!!
BOOM!!
A splash of fresh blood erupted as Pica's body was sent flying backward. In that short exchange, Pica, too, was rendered unable to fight.
Shiliew of the Rain, a cigar dangling from his lips, stared coldly at the headless body of Gladius on the ground.
At this point, all the Donquixote Family officers, save for Baby 5, had been wiped out.
And Baby 5 herself was struggling, surrounded by a growing horde of the undead. Panting for breath, she held her right arm, transformed into a cannon, aloft. She watched the horde before her—navy soldiers and pirate grunts who felt no fear of death and fought on with ferocious intensity even with missing limbs.
"I'm going to die here!"
Baby 5 glanced across the battlefield, letting out a desolate sigh. Not only had the officers fallen, but their subordinates were also being cut down at an alarming rate. After all, how could ordinary people of flesh and blood hope to defeat the fearless dead?
"We're finished! Dressrosa is finished!"
As Baby 5 watched the ever-growing mob of the dead close in, a wave of helplessness washed over her, extinguishing her will to fight in an instant. Resigned to her fate, she let her arm fall to her side and slowly closed her eyes.
The injured Pica, Diamante, Lao G, and Machvise did the same, all closing their eyes to await the final moment.
Meanwhile, Rebecca, having finally recovered after another hour of sleep, ignored the discomfort in her body and leaped up, rushing toward the King's Plateau. She had sensed that a battle was taking place there.
"I wonder if the King's Plateau has been breached... I wonder if Captain Ryuuto has managed to save everyone?" The night breeze rustled Rebecca's pink hair as she bounded swiftly from one building to the next, her thoughts already at the King's Plateau.
It was now five in the morning, and the darkness of night was slowly receding. As Rebecca leaped across the rooftops, the first orange rays of light from the horizon began to spread across the ravaged island of Dressrosa. The sun, not yet fully risen, was already bringing its light and hope to all.
For some reason, Rebecca's heart suddenly began to pound with excitement!!
"What a brutal battle!"
"Truly moving!!"
Just as Vice Admiral Onigumo, Shiliew, and Little Oars Jr. were about to finish off Pica and the others, a deep voice suddenly cut through the air. The sound made them all freeze in their tracks.
"Who's there?"
Shiliew instantly whipped his head around—and his eyes met Ryuuto's.
"So familiar... It's! It's Ryuuto!!"
Unpleasant memories flooded his mind, striking him like a physical blow. The cigar dropped from his lips, and he cried out in a hoarse, terrified voice. It was a purely instinctual reaction.
Immediately after, Onigumo also turned to look.
CLANG!!
Onigumo's reaction was even worse. He was overcome with such terror that his Meito slipped from his grasp and clattered to the ground. An imposing figure had appeared in his mind's eye. The memories of what had happened right before their deaths assaulted them relentlessly, causing the blue flames in their eyes to flicker and nearly die out.
Little Oars Jr., however, remained impassive. He racked his brain but couldn't recall who this person was. After all, during the Summit War, Little Oars Jr. had been killed by Akainu. Ryuuto had effectively been his ally, so it was only natural that he wouldn't remember him after being resurrected.
These undead followed Blackbeard's commands. They couldn't recall their past memories, but the events leading up to their deaths were seared deep into their souls.
At Ryuuto's appearance, the Donquixote Family officers opened their eyes as if they had just seen their savior, their gazes fixed on him. By now, the sky was faintly lit, and the golden morning glow illuminated the scene.
"An Emperor!! Black Dragon Ryuuto!!"
"Why is he here?"
Pica, Diamante, and the others were filled with confusion. They had learned through certain channels that it was Ryuuto who had cut down Doflamingo during the Summit War. This was the main reason why Law had not accompanied Ryuuto to Dressrosa. Law knew that Ryuuto had killed his nemesis, Doflamingo. This had robbed him of his life's goal, so he now only wanted to secure a position as one of the Seven Warlords under the World Government, to live a peaceful life free from navy pursuit. After all, Law had no grand ambitions—the only reason he had set sail was to get revenge on Doflamingo.
"Heavenly Thunder Blade Barrage!!"
Ryuuto roared, holding his Kuiryuu Zan vertically in mid-air. With a flash of golden lightning, countless slashes shot toward the heavens. A powerful wave of energy erupted from the Kuiryuu Zan.
An overwhelming pressure instantly spread out!! The air filled with an aura of absolute destruction!!
Vice Admiral Onigumo, Shiliew, and Little Oars Jr. felt this immense power and immediately looked to the sky.
BANG! BANG! BANG!!
As a series of rumbles echoed from above, the massive golden slashes began to rain down like a fiery deluge.
"This is bad!!"
Vice Admiral Onigumo cried out, his figure flashing several hundred meters away in an instant. The moment he moved, a blade of lightning carrying divine might slammed into the ground where he had just stood. The earth exploded, sending dirt and rock flying. A powerful shockwave blasted out from the point of impact, leaving a deep crater in its wake.
And that was just a single slash from the sky. Countless more golden blades still hung overhead.
Baby 5's expression hardened, her heart beginning to pound with renewed vigor. She transformed both her hands into sharp blades and slashed fiercely at the navy grunts rushing her. As limbs and heads went flying, Baby 5 rolled across the ground to create some distance.
"Is this the power of an Emperor?"
Machvise was utterly shocked, staring in amazement at the massive lightning blades in the sky. Seeing that Onigumo and the others had no time to spare for him, he saw a glimmer of hope. He immediately tried to use his Devil Fruit ability to sink into the ground. But, as if cursed by bad luck, one of the lightning blades shot straight for him.
"Erm... my Devil Fruit power??"
As the golden slash, formed of world-ending divine thunder, descended in an instant, Machvise cried out, sweat pouring down his forehead. He had discovered that his Devil Fruit ability was being suppressed by some other power. The ground, which should have been fluid as water for him, no longer allowed him to move through it freely.
BOOM!!
The next moment, the lightning blade struck, instantly engulfing Machvise. In the span of a single breath, Machvise was dead beyond a doubt. He had already been severely injured, after all. He stood no chance of withstanding such a blow!
Countless massive slashes continued to bombard the ground, forcing Onigumo, Shiliew, and Little Oars Jr. to frantically dodge.
Shiliew, with his superior speed, managed to evade the attacks. But Little Oars Jr.'s massive size made it impossible for him to dodge the blades of lightning raining from the sky. His only option was to swing his longsword, which crackled with black lightning, to block Ryuuto's assault.
CLANG!!
The immense force of the impacts, combined with a piercing power that coursed through his hands, continuously damaged Little Oars Jr. from the inside. Normally, this wouldn't have mattered. Having been resurrected from death, they couldn't feel any physical pain. However, the relentless aura of destruction was like a natural predator, directly attacking their very souls. It caused the blue flames in Little Oars Jr.'s eyes to dim, and his strength began to wane. The effect was truly terrifying!!
"Interesting," Ryuuto mused, observing the effect with a chuckle and a playful smirk. "Perhaps it's a coincidence, but my apocalyptic thunder seems to be unexpectedly effective against these undead."
What Ryuuto didn't know was that as the sky brightened, Hancock, Van Augur, and the others had noticed his absence. They had quickly gathered and were now racing toward the King's Plateau.
Under Ryuuto's "Heavenly Thunder Blade Barrage," the tattered bodies of the undead navy and pirate grunts were shattered, never to rise again. In a short time, their numbers, once in the tens of thousands, were cut in half.
"Captain Ryuuto!!"
Just then, Rebecca finally arrived, her chest heaving and her armor clanking as she panted for breath and called out to him.
"Leave this to me!" Ryuuto shouted back, signaling for her to come no closer. "Just stay there and watch the show!"
After Rebecca slowly nodded, Ryuuto glanced at the expanse of her fair skin and felt a sudden sense of destiny. "I suppose this counts as fulfilling my promise," he thought to himself.
CRACKLE!!
With a surge of lightning, Ryuuto's entire body transformed into a form of golden plasma. He then shot toward Shiliew like a golden thread.
CLASH!!
Ryuuto's speed was blinding. In an instant, he was upon Shiliew, swinging the Kuiryuu Zan. Golden lightning met black lightning as their weapons clashed violently, unleashing a powerful shockwave. The fierce collision seemed to disturb the very sky itself.
CRACKLE!!
But it was clear that Ryuuto was far stronger. The Kuiryuu Zan erupted with an even more brilliant flash of lightning that instantly overwhelmed Shiliew. A massive wave of energy followed, sending Shiliew flying.
"So strong! I can't beat him!"
This was the only thought in Shiliew's mind as he hurtled backward, the blue flames in his eyes dimming significantly.
"Ryuuto!!"
At that moment, Hancock and the others arrived. Seeing the battle, Hancock immediately called out to Ryuuto, leaped onto a nearby building, and drew her hands back in the air, forming a pink bow and arrow.
"Slave Arrow!!"
With Hancock's sharp cry, countless pink arrows shot forth. The air filled with the sound of arrows slicing through it. A veritable storm of projectiles descended from the sky, engulfing tens of thousands of the tattered undead. In an instant, the navy and pirate grunts were turned into stone statues. Hancock's power was like that of Medusa!
Van Augur didn't remain idle, either. Seizing an opportunity, he pulled the trigger and fired at Vice Admiral Onigumo. A bullet crackling with intense black lightning warped through space, appearing instantly before Onigumo and slamming into him. Two powerful bursts of black lightning erupted on impact.
"Thunder God Purgatory!!"
Having dealt with Shiliew, Ryuuto leaped down, landed hard on the ground, and with a great roar, plunged the Kuiryuu Zan into the earth. Countless streams of golden lightning plasma erupted from the ground, which began to assimilate, surging toward Little Oars Jr. in massive waves.
BOOM!!
Little Oars Jr.'s speed was far too slow to evade the attack. He was quickly submerged in the golden plasma. A piercing force coursed through his body, and his presence weakened drastically before he collapsed to the ground with a tremendous crash.
"And now, you're the only one left!"
Ryuuto surveyed the scene with satisfaction before turning his gaze to Vice Admiral Onigumo. The Vice Admiral was now using his Eight-Sword Style, warily scanning his surroundings. Van Augur's bullet, it seemed, had failed to injure him.