A blinding golden light erupted from Sengoku's body.
His form expanded, transformed
Human-Human Fruit · Mythical Zoan · Buddha Form!
In an instant, he became a towering golden Buddha.
Radiant. Majestic. Immovable.
Standing at the prow of the warship like a divine being.
He made no unnecessary movement.
Only raised one massive, glowing palm aimed at Riberra Sami in the distance.
"Buddha Shockwave."
No sound—
yet it felt as if a sacred chant echoed across sea and sky.
A golden shockwave erupted tearing across the ocean racing straight toward Riberra Sami.
On the waver, Riberra Sami's entire body reacted.
His Observation Haki screamed.
Danger.
Overwhelming.
Like a natural disaster closing in.
He turned and froze.
Behind him a radiant golden Buddha and a shockwave so vast it seemed capable of purifying everything.
"THAT—?!"
A Mythical Zoan…
For the first time—
Riberra Sami truly understood.
This… is beyond a Devil Fruit.
This is… myth made real.
At the last possible moment he pushed his Observation Haki to its limit—
and diverted every ounce of Jet Dial power into a single burst.
The waver made an impossible right-angle turn.
BOOOOOOM—!!!
The golden shockwave grazed past him missing by inches and struck the distant sea.
No explosion but the ocean itself collapsed inward forming a massive crater before erupting into a towering tsunami.
The aftershock hit.
Waves.
Wind.
Chaos.
Riberra Sami's waver was thrown violently—
SPLASH!
It crashed into the sea below.
He stabilized himself riding the violent swells then turned to look back.
The golden Buddha was already fading—
Sengoku returning to human form.
Riberra Sami's gaze turned heavy.
"Marine Headquarters… 'Strategist' Sengoku…"
"That attack… I won't forget it."
"…Until next time."
Without hesitation he accelerated.
The waver shot forward disappearing into fog and the brightening dawn.
On the Warship
Sengoku stood silently at the bow.
"How is Vice Admiral Hack's ship?"
A subordinate reported:
"Still investigating… likely no survivors."
"…What happened?"
"Riberra Riberra Sami covered most of the ship in poison before leaving. We're clearing it now."
"…Speed it up. Save anyone still alive."
Elsewhere — The Lark
On deck—
restlessness.
"Why isn't the captain back yet?"
Aldo stared into the fog again.
"He didn't… get lost, right?"
"He went alone against a warship… maybe that was—"
"Shut up!"
Voices clashed.
"That's a whole warship!"
"The captain's strong, but he's never fought a real Marine general before!"
"Enough!"
Aldo cut them off.
"…We're still too weak."
Silence followed.
"…But the captain—he'll be fine."
"When have you ever seen him go all out?"
"Even I don't know his limits."
Still his tapping foot betrayed his anxiety.
Then... a sound.
A familiar hum.
"Wait… you hear that?!"
"That's a Jet Dial!"
Hans looked up first, eyes lighting up.
"Captain—he's back!"
Through the fog a figure emerged riding the waver cutting through waves and mist.
"CAPTAIN!!"
Aldo rushed forward half climbing over the railing.
"You okay?! What happened to the warship?! That Vice Admiral?!"
Riberra Sami landed lightly on deck.
Clothes slightly disheveled... expression calm.
Surrounded by his crew, he briefly explained everything.
Boarding the ship.
Fighting Hack.
Awakening Observation Haki.
The Seastone ambush.
The victory.
And finally that golden Buddha.
That overwhelming strike.
Silence for a heartbeat.
Then eruption.
"THE CAPTAIN SOLOED A WARSHIP?!"
"THAT'S INSANE!"
"OBSERVATION HAKI?! YOU REALLY AWAKENED IT?!"
"I KNEW IT! THAT VICE ADMIRAL WAS NOTHING!"
Amid the cheers—
Marcus stroked his chin.
"…Two Marine generals sent after us."
Feich frowned.
"That means they see us as a real threat now."
Hans adjusted his glasses.
"After this… your bounty is definitely going to skyrocket."
"And trouble's only going to increase."
"And that Sengoku…"
"…he predicted we'd be at Hein Cape?"
"That's terrifying."
Riberra Sami shook his head.
"I don't know exactly how."
"But someone called a 'strategist'…"
"is never simple."
He looked back—
the fog slowly clearing behind them.
"Maybe they already knew we were heading to the sky island."
"Then calculated the most likely return points… and set traps."
A chill ran through the crew.
If true that meant terrifying intelligence and patience.
"…Either way," Riberra Sami said.
"He's not someone to take lightly."
He turned looking at his crew.
"This ends here—for now."
"The Marines took a heavy loss. They won't let it go."
"But we move forward."
His voice steadied.
"Stay alert."
"Until we regroup with the main force—no mistakes."
He looked at Hans.
"Set course."
"To Water 7."
"AYE, CAPTAIN!"
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