A colossal Thunder God Avatar stood between heaven and earth, a roiling thundercloud crackling above its head. An oppressive pressure descended upon the entirety of Grove 66.
Watching from a hundred meters away, Bonney clenched and unclenched her right fist, her heart a storm of turmoil.
With a furious roar from Ryuuto, the avatar's blade, dozens of meters long, pointed directly at Kizaru.
"Ooh, now this is a bit different from what I imagined," Kizaru said, his expression turning serious. He had a feeling he wouldn't be getting out of this without a real fight.
"Lightning Blade: Torrent of a Thousand Thorns!"
Ryuuto launched the first attack. He made a light fist with his left hand, and countless bolts of Annihilation Lightning condensed before him, forming into a volley of Chidori Spears.
The moment the words left his lips, the spears shot forward.
They tore through the air with terrifying power, moving at a speed that seemed to warp space itself as they streaked toward Kizaru and the stationary Sentomaru.
"This is bad! Get out of the way!" Sentomaru yelled, commanding the four "Kuma"-type robots to scatter.
Kizaru had already dissolved into particles of light and vanished.
But Ryuuto had done the same.
A mysterious silver pattern flashed across the massive Thunder God Avatar, and its eyes flared with a silver light. In the next instant, Ryuuto was gone.
"Slow, too slow!" Kizaru's voice echoed as he reappeared in mid-air. His right leg instantly blackened, shimmering with points of light as he drove a kick toward an empty spot in the sky.
It was a kick imbued with Armament Haki, delivered with the devastating force of his light-speed movement.
A thunderous boom resounded as the kick connected squarely with Ryuuto, who had just materialized from thin air.
"Damn it, my Observation Haki was completely overwhelmed!" Ryuuto's eyes narrowed in shock. He dropped his sword, Yubashiri, and crossed his Haki-coated arms in front of his chest to block.
An immense force pierced through the outer layer of the Thunder God Avatar, slamming directly into Ryuuto's chest.
The power behind that kick, honed over decades…
It was more than Ryuuto could possibly withstand.
"Pfft…" He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body sent flying backward.
At that same moment on the ground, Ryuuto's Torrent of a Thousand Thorns reached its targets. The lightning moved so fast that Sentomaru barely managed to dive and roll out of the way, narrowly escaping the barrage.
The four "Kuma"-type robots, however, were not so lucky.
They were instantly engulfed and obliterated by the countless Chidori Spears.
"Damn it. So much for the field test," Sentomaru muttered, kneeling on the ground and watching the destruction with a pained expression.
In the air…
Still reeling from Kizaru's kick, Ryuuto's expression turned vicious. The arms that had been defending his chest suddenly shot forward, wrapping around Kizaru's long leg and locking him in place.
"But... you fell right into my trap, Kizaru!" Ryuuto said, a pained but triumphant smile spreading across his face.
"What?!"
Kizaru's look of complete control faltered.
"What kind of insane fighting style is this?!" Kizaru instantly understood Ryuuto's plan. The boy had intentionally taken the hit just to get close, forcing a trade of injuries.
To make matters worse, this strange purple lightning seemed to suppress his Logia elementalization.
Kizaru's mood soured instantly.
"Looks like I can't slack off after all! It's been so long since I had to use my taijutsu as an Admiral. What a terrible feeling!"
"Chidori Stream!"
"Call Lightning!"
Ryuuto roared twice, and an immense surge of purple lightning erupted from his body like an exploding thunderbird, crashing directly into Kizaru. Most of the Annihilation Lightning struck the Admiral, while a portion of it shot upward into the storm cloud overhead.
A deafening peal of thunder shook the sky.
At the same time Kizaru was engulfed by the Chidori Stream, black and red lightning flared around his leg. Another kick slammed into Ryuuto's chest, and the impact was devastating.
He felt several ribs shatter, and his internal organs felt like they'd been pulped together.
A fresh wave of blood rose in his throat, but Ryuuto forced it down, causing it to trickle from the corners of his mouth instead.
Thankfully, he had been prepared.
He had already placed a small healing charm under his tongue. Swallowing the blood along with the charm, he felt a wave of relief as it dissolved, sending streams of energy through his body to mend the damage.
The lightning dissipated…
Kizaru hadn't escaped unscathed.
In the face of the Annihilation Lightning's Chidori Stream, even his high-level Armament Haki couldn't completely negate its destructive, penetrating nature.
His hair was a mess, blood trickled from his lip, and his signature yellow sunglasses were gone. He looked utterly disheveled, clearly having sustained some injury.
"You went this far, kid, just to trade blows with me?" Kizaru's gaze was fixed on Ryuuto, his tone laced with a sense of pity for the boy's battered state.
In Kizaru's mind, after taking a direct hit from a kick infused with both advanced Armament Haki and Conqueror's Coating, Ryuuto should have been at the end of his rope.
He had clearly underestimated his opponent's hidden advantages.
Another clap of thunder echoed from above.
"Maybe it's because I'm certain I'll win," Ryuuto chuckled. As he fell through the sky, he slowly turned his gaze upward.
Instantly, a bolt of divine lightning carrying world-ending power descended from the thundercloud, streaking straight for him.
"Oh no! Let go of me!" Kizaru followed Ryuuto's gaze, and a profound sense of mortal danger washed over him. He shouted in alarm, his other leg already glowing with light as he prepared another kick, desperate to break free.
"Hahahahahaha... It's too late, Kizaru!" Ryuuto let out a victorious, vengeful laugh, his eyes locked on the panicked Admiral.
"You bastard!"
Two powerful impacts struck almost simultaneously.
The first was Kizaru's furious kick, which slammed into Ryuuto's body once more.
That single blow was enough to re-shatter Ryuuto's freshly mended bones. His grip on the Admiral's leg finally loosened.
Kizaru felt the release and instantly tried to move.
But it was far too late.
The Annihilation Lightning from above had arrived.
"Recharge!" Ryuuto yelled, using the last of his strength.
As the word left his lips, the eyes of the colossal Thunder God Avatar behind him snapped open, its body glowing with intricate purple patterns.
And then…
The bolt of Annihilation Lightning consumed them both.