"Ryuuto, Ace will be publicly executed at Marine Headquarters—Marineford—in five days!"
"We've already received our orders! We are to assist the Marines against the Whitebeard Pirates!"
Hancock stated all of this calmly. She wasn't particularly concerned about whether Ace lived or died; she was simply telling Ryuuto because she thought he would want to know.
After all, being hopelessly in love… Hancock cared only for what Ryuuto thought.
Ryuuto was speechless when he heard the news.
"How did Blackbeard still manage to capture Ace after all this?"
"Ace… Ace is going to be…!!" Vivi cried out in shock.
"What?!" Crocus couldn't hold back his own exclamation.
"Captain, we have to go save Ace!" Crocus said to Ryuuto urgently. He had already guessed that Ace was Roger's son, which was why he was so desperate.
Jean Bart's eyes burned with intensity as he looked at Ryuuto, his own heart pounding with excitement.
"The Yonko, the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Jean Bart felt like he had been living in a dream lately, experiencing one major incident after another. Not long ago, he was nothing more than a slave to a Celestial Dragon.
"This is really a mess," Ryuuto said softly, rubbing his chin in thought.
"In that case… let's join the party!" Ryuuto declared with a light laugh, his expression filled with exhilaration.
Vivi and Crocus's faces instantly brightened, their eyes sparkling with brilliant light.
"Hancock, we should be seeing each other soon!" Ryuuto said softly into the Den Den Mushi.
"Ah… I am so overjoyed!"
Hearing his words, Hancock began to swoon on the other end of the line, completely lost in her infatuation. On her right hand, the diamond ring, a symbol of eternity, glittered brightly.
After chatting with Hancock for a little longer, Ryuuto ended the call.
"Vivi, Crocus, Jean Bart, before we head to Marineford… let's first go and strike down the 'god' of this place!" Ryuuto shouted, his spirits soaring.
"Ah…" Conis was inwardly stunned.
So the outsiders really did come to start a fight! But can they actually beat a god? she thought.
Conis was terrified of Enel's power and had submitted to his violent rule. Because of this, Ryuuto's arrival filled her with both fear and a sliver of hope.
Pagaya, however, was already contemplating whether he should report this to the Priests. As an ordinary middle-aged man, he had grown accustomed to Enel's rule and was reluctant to see anyone disrupt the status quo. To those who were content, the unknown was a terrifying thing.
"The 'god' here?" Vivi first looked at Ryuuto with curiosity, then turned her gaze to Conis.
Does 'god' just mean king of Skypiea? That seems like a rather arrogant title, she thought to herself.
"God? Gan Fall?"
As an old-timer, Crocus remembered that the 'God' of this place had been Gan Fall the last time he was here.
"Miss Conis, take us to Enel," Ryuuto said, not giving Conis or Pagaya much time to think.
"Ah! A-Are you really going?" Conis's voice was barely a whisper as she sought confirmation one last time.
"Lead the way," Ryuuto said with a gentle smile, not wanting to pressure the young woman.
Meanwhile, on the God's Shrine in Upper Yard, Enel had already heard the entire conversation between Ryuuto and Conis with his Mantra.
"Someone is speaking ill of God again," Enel said with a look of utter disdain, lounging lazily on his throne.
"Begin the Ordeal of God! Some more foolish Blue Sea dwellers have arrived!" Enel commanded the Tone Dial in front of him, blue sparks of electricity crackling around his body.
"Puhahaha… Of course, Lord Enel!"
Standing on a path leading to the shrine, a round, white-clothed man with red hair laughed in response. Similar replies echoed from several other locations. These were Enel's four Priests, the ones responsible for administering the Ordeal of God.
There was Satori, who oversaw the Ordeal of Balls, using surprise balls made of Island Clouds to create explosions and visual illusions.
There was Shura, who oversaw the Ordeal of String, weaving traps of String Clouds in the air and attacking with a heat lance.
There was Ohm, who oversaw the Ordeal of Iron, wielding a stretchable sword of Iron Clouds and fighting alongside his giant dog, Holy.
And there was Gedatsu, who oversaw the Ordeal of Swamp, using Swamp Clouds to trap his enemies.
Led by Conis, Ryuuto's group soon arrived at the site of the Ordeal of Balls, where Satori was waiting. The area was filled with lush trees, and between them, numerous spherical Island Clouds moved along a set track.
Satori, who looked like a ball himself, stood atop one of the clouds, his expression one of manic excitement.
"Puhahahaha… You've arrived, insignificant Blue Sea dwellers? By Lord Enel's command, I am here to annihilate you!" Satori shrieked madly upon seeing Ryuuto and his crew.
"Hmmm… Small fry number one. It's been a while since I've had to deal with the low-tier stuff," Ryuuto said, cracking his knuckles, a look of eager anticipation on his face. He really was itching for a fight.
Vivi couldn't help but let out a small laugh at Ryuuto's words.
Crocus looked at Satori with an unreadable expression.
Jean Bart stared at Satori, his face a blank mask.
Conis, on the other hand, looked worried.
"Blade Path: Straight Flash!" Ryuuto's right hand rested on the hilt of his sword, Kuiryuuzan. With a soft cry, a silver light flashed in an instant.
A sharp hiss cut through the air.
With a crackle of lightning, Ryuuto reappeared behind Satori. Standing on the Island Cloud, he sheathed his sword. A head shot into the sky, spraying blood everywhere. The arrogant expression on Satori's face was frozen in place as his life came to an end.
"Ah! He's dead! It was an instant kill!"
Conis covered her mouth, unable to believe what she had just seen.
Perhaps it was from this moment on that she would truly begin to comprehend the power of Ryuuto, a great pirate with a bounty of one billion.
Crocus and the other two remained perfectly calm, as if this was exactly what they had expected.
"What? How is that possible?!" Enel, who was monitoring the situation with his Mantra, was completely stunned by what he witnessed.
"I can't stand arrogant people like that," Ryuuto said with a contemptuous smile as he fully sheathed Kuiryuuzan.
"This is too much trouble. I'll just go straight for Enel," Ryuuto said to Crocus and the others. Then, his body erupted in lightning, and he vanished from sight.
Szzzzt…
Only the lingering crackle of electricity remained in the air.