"Demon Eye Ryūjin?"
"Hiss!"
The moment someone called out Ryūjin's name, a wave of sharp gasps spread through the area.
The man who had defeated the World's Greatest Swordsman, Dracule Mihawk, with a single strike. The same man who had crushed and captured three Marine Admirals. A monster with a bounty ranging between four and seven billion Belly.
Even though Demon Eye Ryūjin traveled alone and had never established a pirate crew, his reputation among pirates rivaled, or even surpassed, that of the Four Emperors.
He stood at the peak of the pirate world, someone countless people could only look up to.
With such a terrifying figure suddenly appearing before them, who could possibly remain composed?
"Is... is he really the legendary Demon Eye Ryūjin?"
"Why would Demon Eye Ryūjin appear here?"
Compared to his crew, Blackbeard handled the shock much better, though his expression still stiffened.
Meanwhile, his subordinates were drenched in sweat, their voices trembling as fear took hold.
Even Fire Fist Ace, lying on the ground in miserable condition, stared in disbelief.
Facing someone like Demon Eye Ryūjin, even he found it difficult to stay composed.
Still, Ace could not hide his confusion.
Why had Ryūjin come for him?
As far as he remembered, they had never crossed paths before. What exactly was this man after?
"Demon Eye Ryūjin? Zehahaha!"
The tense silence was suddenly broken by loud laughter.
After his initial shock faded, Blackbeard burst into wild laughter.
"To think I'd actually meet a legend like you! I've always wanted to know what kind of power you possess!"
Teach narrowed his eyes as he stared at Ryūjin.
These were his genuine thoughts.
Blackbeard was no ordinary pirate. He was a patient schemer, one of the most calculating men on the seas.
From a nameless member aboard the Whitebeard Pirates, to building his own crew, becoming a Warlord of the Sea, and eventually rising toward the position of Emperor, every step of his climb had been carefully planned.
Nothing he did lacked purpose.
Obtaining the Dark-Dark Fruit had been his first major step.
Seizing Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit would be the next.
Everything Blackbeard was doing now was paving the way for that goal.
The reason was simple.
The Tremor-Tremor Fruit was widely considered the strongest Devil Fruit in existence.
Whitebeard had become the World's Strongest Man largely because of its destructive power.
But ever since Demon Eye Ryūjin appeared, Blackbeard's certainty had begun to waver.
Ryūjin's accomplishments were absurd.
Even Whitebeard had never defeated three Marine Admirals.
That was why Teach wanted answers.
Was Demon Eye Ryūjin a Devil Fruit user?
And if he was, what kind of Devil Fruit could create such a monster?
If Ryūjin's ability proved stronger than the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Blackbeard would abandon his original plan without hesitation.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin, honestly, I have no intention of fighting you right now," Blackbeard said.
Given his cautious personality, he would never provoke someone like Ryūjin recklessly.
Even if he wanted information about Ryūjin's powers, he would prefer gathering it from the shadows.
Unfortunately, Ryūjin had come demanding someone from his hands.
That changed things.
"But if you expect me to hand Ace over with a single sentence, then I'll have to disappoint you."
Teach turned his head slightly.
"Keep a close watch on Ace."
"Understood, Captain!"
Van Augur and Burgess immediately stepped forward.
Clap!
Ryūjin suddenly brought his hands together.
"Wood Release."
Crack! Snap!
Countless wooden branches burst from the ground.
Like venomous snakes, they shot toward the Blackbeard Pirates at terrifying speed.
Including Teach.
At this point, none of Blackbeard's crew possessed bounties exceeding 100 million Belly.
Against Ryūjin, they were insignificant.
Before anyone could properly react, the branches wrapped tightly around them, pinning them to the ground.
"His ability controls wood?"
Blackbeard's interest dropped slightly.
Compared to Whitebeard's Tremor-Tremor Fruit, this did not seem nearly as impressive.
A sneer spread across his face.
"Dark Vortex!"
Thick black darkness erupted around him, spreading like a miniature black hole.
The wooden branches reaching for him were instantly swallowed.
Still, in only moments, every one of his crew members had already been subdued.
Only Blackbeard remained standing.
At the same time, Ryūjin controlled another branch to pull Ace toward him.
Teach's expression darkened.
Watching his crew get wiped out so effortlessly was humiliating.
"Dark Water!"
He suddenly thrust out his hand.
A swirling black force gathered in his palm.
"Be careful!" Ace warned immediately. "That suction is dangerous!"
He had personally suffered from this ability during his fight against Teach.
Not only could it drag people in, but it could temporarily suppress a Devil Fruit user's power.
Yet something strange happened.
"Dark Water!"
"Dark Water!"
Teach used the move repeatedly.
Nothing happened.
Ryūjin did not move an inch.
He stood there completely unmoved, as though the ability simply did not exist.
Blackbeard's face froze.
Impossible.
Had his power failed?
Of course not.
The truth was much simpler.
Teach's pull was nowhere near strong enough to affect Ryūjin.
Then, Ryūjin's eyes shifted.
The ripple-patterned Rinnegan emerged.
"Universal Pull."
Boom!
An overwhelming suction force exploded outward.
Far stronger than Dark Water.
"Nani?!"
Blackbeard's eyes widened in disbelief.
What kind of ability was this?
Was Ryūjin not a wood user?
Even Ace stood frozen.
The move looked almost identical to Blackbeard's, yet far more terrifying.
In an instant, Blackbeard was dragged directly in front of Ryūjin.
"Dark Vortex!"
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Teach's eyes.
Darkness exploded outward again, trying to swallow Ryūjin whole.
"Chidori Current."
Crackle!
Blue lightning erupted violently.
Electricity surged through Blackbeard's body before his darkness could fully spread.
His body convulsed violently.
Then everything went still.
Blackbeard collapsed unconscious.
Even after losing consciousness, momentum carried him forward.
Ryūjin casually kicked him aside.
Bang!
Teach crashed into the ground like discarded trash.
Silence.
The battlefield became deathly quiet.
"Captain!"
"Captain!"
After several seconds, Blackbeard's crew finally shouted in panic.
Their captain had been defeated.
So easily.
Fear flooded their faces.
Demon Eye Ryūjin truly lived up to his terrifying reputation.
Even Ace felt a chill.
He had fought Blackbeard personally and understood exactly how dangerous Teach was.
Yet in front of Ryūjin, Blackbeard had looked helpless.
Ryūjin's strength was absurd.
"Why did you save me?" Ace asked cautiously. "What do you want?"
He refused to believe someone like Ryūjin would interfere without reason.
"You don't need to be so guarded," Ryūjin replied with a shrug. "I'm not your enemy. Didn't Luffy mention me?"
"Luffy?"
Ace blinked.
So this had something to do with his little brother?
"You know Luffy?"
"Of course," Ryūjin said. "He's one of the few people I actually consider a friend."
Ace's expression softened slightly.
"How's that idiot doing?"
"He formed his own pirate crew," Ryūjin answered. "Found companions too. Right now, he's chasing his dream of becoming Pirate King."
"He should still be sailing nearby."
Ace's eyes lit up immediately.
"That brat is nearby?"
A grin unconsciously spread across his face.
"I want to see him."
Unfortunately, Ace still had responsibilities to handle.
Blackbeard needed to be brought back to the Whitebeard Pirates.
After all, Teach had murdered a crewmate.
He needed to give Whitebeard an explanation.
When Ace explained this, Ryūjin agreed without hesitation.
"No problem."
The Blackbeard Pirates immediately turned pale.
They knew exactly what Whitebeard would do to someone who killed his family.
"Ace," Ryūjin said casually, "I'm heading to see Whitebeard too. Why not ride with me?"
Ace looked surprised.
"You're meeting Pops?"
"Yeah," Ryūjin said with a faint smirk. "I'm planning to challenge Whitebeard."
Ace laughed.
"Pops won't go down that easily."
"Yeah right," Ryūjin replied casually. "We'll see."
Then he glanced at Ace.
"Before that, how about a fight? I like testing people."
Ace grinned.
"That works for me. Before you challenge Pops, let me see if you're worth it."
"Hold on," Ryūjin said. "You're still injured."
He placed a hand on Ace's shoulder.
Yin-Yang Release activated.
In an instant, Ace felt every injury disappear.
His eyes widened.
"What the hell?"
The pain was gone.
Every wound had healed completely.
"That's insane," Ace muttered. "Even Marco's healing isn't this ridiculous."
Ryūjin only shrugged.
"Enough talking," he said. "Let's fight, then head back."
Ace immediately charged forward.
Flames erupted around his body.
The fight began.
And ended.
In less than a minute.
Ace lay on the ground, breathing heavily, completely stunned.
"So this is Demon Eye Ryūjin's strength…"
He had known Ryūjin was powerful.
But experiencing it personally was completely different.
Even Whitebeard could not put him down this quickly.
No matter what, Ace was still a Logia user.
Ace genuinely wondered something.
Could Pops actually lose?
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