"Ugh!"
A muffled groan escaped Garp as the sound of cracking bones rang through the battlefield.
His body trembled violently before Ryūjin's punch sent him staggering backward several steps.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The ground beneath Garp's feet shattered as he forcefully planted himself to stop the momentum, long cracks spreading across the surface. The sheer destruction alone showed how much force Ryūjin's strike carried.
"What?! Demon Eye Ryūjin actually punched Vice Admiral Garp back!"
"He exchanged blows with Vice Admiral Garp and forced him backward!"
The Marines watching the scene stared in complete disbelief, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
Vice Admiral Garp's iron fists were legendary throughout Marine Headquarters. From the infamous Rocks Pirates to the Pirate King Roger himself, countless monsters of the sea had fallen beneath those fists.
Yet now, Demon Eye Ryūjin had forced Garp backward with a single punch.
"How is this possible?"
After steadying himself, even Garp looked stunned.
Not only had he lost that exchange, but the bones in his right hand had shattered from the impact.
Just how terrifying was Demon Eye Ryūjin's taijutsu?
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Admirals Kizaru, Aokiji, and Akainu all felt their expressions stiffen.
They already knew Ryūjin was powerful, but none of them had expected his close combat ability to be this overwhelming.
"Damn you! I'll kill you!"
Another furious roar exploded through the area.
Akainu, who had been kicked aside earlier, surged forward once again, magma erupting violently from his body as he charged at Ryūjin.
Swish!
A figure flashed forward.
Sengoku blocked Akainu's path directly.
"That's enough, Sakazuki!"
"But Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"I said that's enough!"
Faced with Sengoku's firm intervention, Akainu reluctantly stopped, though the hatred and killing intent in his eyes remained as intense as ever.
Sengoku then turned toward Ryūjin, his expression serious.
"Alright, Demon Eye Ryūjin. Let's go inside and talk."
Ryūjin shrugged casually.
"Yeah, sure."
The group followed Sengoku into the temporary Marine base.
Once everyone was seated, Ryūjin wasted no time.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, where are the Devil Fruits I asked for?"
Sengoku gave a simple order.
"Bring them."
Soon, a subordinate arrived carrying a large box and placed it before Ryūjin.
The lid was opened.
Inside sat a collection of strangely shaped Devil Fruits.
Ryūjin glanced over them briefly before confirming that the Marines had kept their word.
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I'll admit, I didn't expect you to actually make an honest trade."
Sengoku remained expressionless.
He adjusted his glasses before speaking calmly.
"I've shown my sincerity. Now it's your turn, Demon Eye Ryūjin."
"I don't know exactly what you did to Kūzan and the others, but it's obvious you placed some kind of restriction on their abilities."
"As long as you remove it, these Devil Fruits are yours."
Ryūjin leaned back lazily.
"You're pretty straightforward."
Without wasting another second, he directly released the Eight Trigrams Seal placed on the three Admirals.
Instantly, Kizaru, Aokiji, and Akainu felt their Devil Fruit abilities return.
The smoothness of everything caught even Sengoku off guard.
He had expected difficult negotiations, maybe even threats, before Ryūjin agreed to release the restrictions.
After all, once the Admirals regained their abilities, Marine Headquarters would immediately regain three Admiral level fighters.
Combined with Sengoku and Garp, the Marines would possess a force powerful enough to rival any Emperor crew.
Anyone in Ryūjin's position should have hesitated.
But Ryūjin released them without concern.
That meant only one thing.
He was confident.
Confident enough to face three Admirals, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and Hero of the Marines Garp at the same time.
Akainu suddenly sneered.
"Heh."
His face twisted with ruthless malice as magma erupted from his body again.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin, you just signed your own death warrant."
Kizaru and Aokiji subtly shifted as well.
Back on Skypiea, all three Admirals had been defeated by Ryūjin, but things were different now.
At the time, Aokiji had relied mostly on Rokushiki, and they had not fought at full strength.
Now Sengoku and Garp were here too.
This time, they might actually stand a chance.
Even Sengoku remained silent.
If they could kill Demon Eye Ryūjin here, there would be no need for the Buster Call.
After all, the reputation of the Buster Call was hardly clean.
As tension thickened inside the room, the pressure became suffocating.
Nami and Nico Robin both felt their breathing grow heavier.
Yet Ryūjin remained relaxed.
Still sitting lazily with crossed legs, he looked completely unbothered.
"Just a reminder."
His voice remained calm, but something terrifying hid beneath it.
"The reason I didn't kill anyone before was because keeping people alive brought more benefits."
He slowly looked at everyone present.
"But don't misunderstand."
"Just because I spared people before doesn't mean I won't kill anyone."
"I'm Ryūjin Uchiha, not some saint."
The room instantly turned cold.
Even Sengoku unconsciously felt a chill crawl up his spine.
The pressure radiating from Ryūjin was overwhelming.
Despite speaking casually, he completely dominated the atmosphere.
Sengoku realized he had underestimated this man yet again.
Ryūjin was even more dangerous than he had imagined.
The little schemes Sengoku originally entertained vanished immediately.
The pressure Ryūjin gave off was simply too much.
Three Admirals had already lost to him.
Garp had just been forced backward in a direct clash.
Sengoku ultimately decided caution was necessary.
According to the original plan, once the trade concluded, the Marines would withdraw and activate a Buster Call to erase the island entirely.
No matter how strong Ryūjin was, surviving relentless bombardment in the middle of the sea would be nearly impossible.
Even if he escaped the explosions, drowning remained a certainty.
Unfortunately, one person had no intention of staying patient.
"What a joke!"
Akainu roared furiously.
"How can Marine justice tolerate someone like you?!"
Magma exploded from his fists.
"Great Eruption!"
A massive torrent of blazing magma shot toward Ryūjin.
"Sakazuki, stop!"
Sengoku's expression changed instantly.
A dangerous feeling surged through him.
But it was already too late.
Slap!
Ryūjin pressed his palms together.
"Wood Release."
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Massive wooden branches erupted violently from the ground, forming an incredibly thick defensive wall in front of him.
Akainu's magma slammed into it and stopped completely.
Not a single spark reached Nami or Nico Robin behind him.
Then Ryūjin disappeared.
His figure blurred like a ghost.
In the next moment, he stood directly before Akainu.
Buzz!
The Sharingan spun inside his eyes.
Akainu froze.
His movements stopped completely.
A genjutsu had already seized control of him.
Ryūjin calmly pulled out a kunai.
With one smooth motion, he slashed.
Slash!
Scorching blood sprayed through the air.
Under the genjutsu's control, Akainu stood there motionless, unable to react.
Thud.
His head separated cleanly from his neck and crashed onto the floor.
A moment later, his headless body collapsed after it.
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Everyone stood frozen.
Sengoku.
Garp.
Kizaru.
Aokiji.
Nami.
Robin.
Every single person looked at Akainu's corpse as if reality itself had shattered.
Marine Admiral Akainu…
Dead?
Killed in a single exchange?
How was that even possible?
Akainu was a Logia user.
He should have been untouchable unless struck with Haki.
Why didn't he transform?
Why didn't he dodge?
Nobody could understand it.
"Sakazuki!"
Several seconds later, Sengoku's horrified roar finally echoed through the base.
He rushed over immediately and checked Akainu himself.
The result only made his expression darker.
Akainu was truly dead.
Kizaru stared blankly.
"Sakazuki… died?"
Even Aokiji looked completely shaken.
"Bastard! What did you do?!"
Garp roared and charged toward Ryūjin again.
His fist came crashing forward without hesitation.
"Garp, don't be reckless!"
Sengoku shouted in alarm.
Akainu's death was too strange.
Far too strange.
For the first time in years, Sengoku genuinely feared someone.
He could not afford to lose Garp too.
"Chidori Current."
Ryūjin didn't move.
He simply thought it.
Crackle!
A terrifying web of lightning descended from above and struck Garp directly.
No matter how monstrous Garp's physical ability was, dodging something like that at point blank range was impossible.
Boom!
Electricity exploded around him.
Moments later, Garp collapsed onto the ground.
"Garp!"
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
Sengoku, Kizaru, and Aokiji rushed over immediately.
Thankfully, after checking him, they realized Garp had only been temporarily paralyzed and scorched.
He was still alive.
The group finally breathed out in relief.
Ryūjin looked down at Garp casually.
"Garp, I know Luffy and Ace."
"For your grandsons' sake, I won't kill you."
Garp gritted his teeth furiously.
"Luffy? Ace?"
"How the hell do brats like them know a monster like you?!"
Ryūjin ignored him.
His gaze swept lazily across Sengoku, Kizaru, and Aokiji.
"You three aren't as lucky."
"No good grandsons to save you."
"If you really want to die, go ahead."
"I don't mind."
Sengoku's fists clenched so tightly that blood nearly seeped from his palms.
His face twisted with fury.
Nobody had ever humiliated him like this.
Kizaru and Aokiji looked no better.
Their eyes burned with anger, yet neither dared move recklessly.
Ryūjin had killed Akainu instantly.
He knocked down Garp casually.
His strength was completely beyond expectations.
Even Sengoku understood one thing clearly.
If they fought here, there was a real chance none of them would leave this island alive.
"What kind of monster is this guy…?"
Sengoku cursed inwardly.
"When did someone like Demon Eye Ryūjin even appear on the seas?"
Kizaru quietly leaned closer.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, we shouldn't fight him right now."
Aokiji nodded.
"We came unprepared."
"We should retreat first."
Sengoku's expression shifted repeatedly.
Green.
Red.
Then dark.
In the end, swallowing endless humiliation, he gritted his teeth.
"We're leaving."
Kizaru supported Garp's paralyzed body while Aokiji carried Akainu's corpse.
Without another word, they followed Sengoku out.
Behind them, Ryūjin's voice sounded calmly.
"Smart decision."
Sengoku nearly turned around.
For a moment, he genuinely wanted to fight to the death.
But he endured it.
Without looking back, the Marines left.
As if none of it mattered, Ryūjin casually walked toward the box of Devil Fruits.
Looking inside, a faint smile formed on his face.
"Not bad."
"The haul's pretty decent."
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