"The Demonic Eye, Ryūjin, truly lives up to his reputation."
Ace pushed himself up from the ground, breathing heavily as admiration filled his eyes.
After exchanging blows with Ryūjin personally, he understood just how ridiculous the gap between them really was.
Now, he found himself even more impressed with Luffy.
That idiot somehow managed to become friends with a monster like Ryūjin. Luck really was on another level for that guy.
"So, Ace," Ryūjin said casually, dusting off his sleeves, "ready to head out?"
Ace walked over and slung the unconscious Blackbeard over his shoulder like dead weight.
"Yeah, let's go."
"I'll handle Blackbeard," Ryūjin said.
Even though Blackbeard was still weak at this stage, Ryūjin had no intention of lowering his guard.
He raised a hand and immediately activated the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style, locking away Blackbeard's Devil Fruit abilities.
Only then did his Mangekyō Sharingan begin to spin.
A spatial vortex twisted into existence.
In an instant, Blackbeard disappeared into the Kamui dimension.
"The captain!"
"The captain got sucked into Ryūjin's eye!"
Van Augur and the rest of the Blackbeard Pirates stared in horror, their scalps tingling.
Every method Ryūjin displayed felt impossible.
What kind of power even was this?
Ace narrowed his eyes in surprise.
"Your eyes can absorb people too?"
Before he could process things further, Ryūjin looked over.
"Don't resist."
Ace barely had time to react before Ryūjin grabbed his shoulder.
The familiar spatial distortion swallowed them both.
The world blurred.
Then suddenly...
The island was gone.
Ace found himself standing aboard a ship sailing across the open sea.
His eyes widened.
"What the hell?"
Even for someone who had seen countless bizarre Devil Fruits, this felt absurd.
Instant movement across such distance?
That was beyond unreasonable.
"Ryūjin-san!"
"You're back!"
Two voices rang out almost immediately.
Ace turned and saw a cheerful orange-haired girl waving excitedly.
Beside her stood an elegant black-haired woman, calmly folding the newspaper she had been reading.
Nami.
Nico Robin.
Ace recognized them instantly.
Then his gaze shifted again.
His expression froze.
That scarred face, the arrogant posture...
"Crocodile?"
Ace almost thought he was hallucinating.
One of the former Seven Warlords of the Sea was casually standing on Ryūjin's ship like it was completely normal.
"Oh right," Ryūjin said casually, as if remembering something minor. "Still got two more."
His Sharingan spun again.
The space twisted.
Two more figures appeared.
"Kizaru."
"Aokiji."
Ace's pupils shrank violently.
Marine Admirals.
Actual Marine Admirals.
The rumors were real.
Ryūjin had truly captured them.
Ace had assumed the stories were exaggerated, at least to some extent.
But now?
The proof was standing right in front of him.
Even stranger, neither admiral seemed restrained.
No Sea Prism Stone.
No chains.
Nothing.
They were just... there.
Relaxed.
Drinking.
Ace suddenly found Ryūjin even harder to understand.
This guy was too unpredictable.
Too dangerous.
"Whitebeard Pirates Commander, Fire Fist Ace?"
Kizaru lazily glanced over, raising an eyebrow.
"Ryūjin, did you steal Whitebeard's man too?"
"Fire Fist Ace?"
Nami looked shocked.
Robin's eyes widened slightly.
A Whitebeard Commander was no ordinary figure.
Someone of Ace's status shook the entire sea.
"Correction," Ryūjin said with a shrug, "it's an invitation."
He glanced at Ace.
"He'll be sailing with us for now."
Nami suddenly felt reality getting stranger by the second.
Marine Admirals.
A former Warlord.
A Whitebeard Commander.
And somehow, none of them were fighting.
No one in the world had a crew this ridiculous.
"You guys make yourselves comfortable," Ryūjin said. "I'll be back in a bit."
Without waiting for a response, his body disappeared into Kamui.
Inside the vast Kamui dimension, Ryūjin appeared far away from where Blackbeard and Akainu were being held.
The place was massive.
Nothing happening elsewhere inside could affect him.
The moment he arrived, he stopped wasting time.
With a flick of his wrist, the Mera Mera no Mi appeared in his hand.
The Flame-Flame Fruit he obtained after defeating Ace.
Without hesitation, Ryūjin consumed it.
The moment its power merged into his body, his fire-attributed chakra underwent another transformation.
The increase was immediate.
After testing it briefly, Ryūjin concluded that the power of his Fire Release techniques had increased nearly eightfold.
That level of amplification was honestly ridiculous.
His Earth, Water, and Lightning Release had also improved significantly, reaching roughly five times their original power.
As for other abilities with weaker compatibility, their increase remained under double.
"Not bad."
Ryūjin tossed aside the remains of the fruit casually.
"Now for the next one."
The Yami Yami no Mi.
Blackbeard's Darkness Fruit.
Curiosity flickered through his eyes.
After absorbing its energy, Ryūjin immediately sensed the change.
His Yin Release had received a noticeable boost.
That surprised him slightly.
Still, he did not bother dwelling on it.
If it made him stronger, that was enough.
The details could wait.
With another thought, Ryūjin stepped back out of Kamui.
The journey afterward continued in an atmosphere that could only be described as bizarre.
Anyone who witnessed the ship would probably think they had gone insane.
Two Marine Admirals.
A former Warlord.
A Whitebeard Commander.
All traveling together peacefully aboard the same ship.
Half a month later...
"Ryūjin-san!"
Nami suddenly called out from the front of the ship.
"It's the Marines!"
She sounded more annoyed than nervous.
"These Marines are weirdly brave this time. Usually they run the second they recognize your ship."
In the past, Nami had worried whenever Marine ships appeared nearby.
Then she learned something hilarious.
The moment Marines recognized Ryūjin's ship, they usually fled immediately.
Sometimes they changed routes entirely just to avoid crossing paths.
As for pirates?
That was even worse.
Most fled before Ryūjin's ship could even get close.
Nami had finally experienced what true intimidation looked like.
Kizaru and Aokiji exchanged silent looks.
Their expressions darkened slightly.
As Admirals, watching Marines avoid conflict out of sheer fear was embarrassing.
Still, they understood why.
The Marines had already received direct orders.
If Ryūjin appeared, avoid unnecessary confrontation.
No one wanted another disaster.
"Vice Admiral Onigumo," Ryūjin said after glancing ahead with Observation Haki.
He turned toward Crocodile.
"Go see what they want."
"Understood, Lord Ryūjin."
Crocodile responded expressionlessly.
Soon, the ships stopped opposite each other.
Vice Admiral Onigumo stared toward Ryūjin's vessel.
Then froze.
"Kizaru... Aokiji?"
He looked utterly confused.
Weren't they prisoners?
Why were they sitting there drinking casually?
What kind of prison looked like this?
Then his gaze shifted.
A young man stepped forward.
The pressure alone made Onigumo instinctively tense.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin."
Cold sweat formed instantly.
"Vice Admiral," Ryūjin said casually, "state your business."
Onigumo swallowed.
"I came under Fleet Admiral Sengoku's orders."
His voice remained serious despite the pressure.
"The Marines have agreed to your proposed trade. However, the exchange location will be decided by the Marines."
"Fine."
Ryūjin agreed immediately.
Onigumo paused for half a second, clearly not expecting things to go this smoothly.
He quickly threw over a marked map.
Ryūjin caught it easily.
After opening it, he noticed the designated exchange point sat between Paradise and the New World.
Not ideal.
After meeting Whitebeard, he would have to double back.
Still, with Sea Kings pulling the ship, speed was hardly an issue.
"Tell Sengoku I'll show up," Ryūjin said.
Onigumo silently sighed in relief.
Task complete.
Now he just wanted to leave.
Staying near Ryūjin felt suffocating.
"Wait."
The single word instantly froze everyone.
Onigumo stiffened.
His entire crew went silent.
Even breathing seemed dangerous.
Onigumo slowly turned around.
"Is there... anything else?"
Ryūjin's gaze remained indifferent.
"Sengoku already tried playing games once."
His tone stayed casual, but the pressure behind it was unmistakable.
"I'm not dealing with that bullshit twice."
"Tell him to remember that."
Cold sweat dripped down several Marines' faces.
This was basically an open threat toward Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Yet no one dared react.
Because the person saying it was Ryūjin.
"I'll relay your message," Onigumo answered stiffly.
Then he left immediately.
Fast.
Ace watched the retreating Marine ship thoughtfully.
The level of fear Ryūjin inspired in the Marines...
It honestly felt greater than Whitebeard's.
That only made Ace more excited.
Soon enough, Ryūjin would challenge Whitebeard.
And Ace genuinely wanted to see who would come out on top.
Not long after Onigumo departed, a large vulture descended from the sky.
Friday.
Baroque Works' messenger.
She carried fresh intelligence from across the seas.
"Ryūjin-san," Nami called after taking the report.
"The New World's gotten completely unstable."
Robin continued reading.
"Ever since news spread about the captured Admirals, pirate activity has exploded."
"Marine branches are being attacked constantly."
"The New World is becoming chaotic."
Then came the bigger news.
"Kaido and Big Mom have both begun moving toward the World Government."
"Even the Red Hair Pirates have become active."
"Small-scale clashes have already broken out."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
No one had expected things to spiral this badly.
One Emperor moving was dangerous enough.
Three?
That was unprecedented.
Without realizing it, everyone's eyes shifted toward Ryūjin.
After all...
This entire mess had started because of him.
Kizaru sighed.
"The sea's become chaos."
He looked toward Ryūjin.
"Was this what you wanted?"
Ryūjin leaned back casually.
"The Marines started this."
His voice stayed flat.
"They came after me first."
"They pulled shady nonsense behind the scenes too."
He shrugged.
"If someone deserves that question, go ask Sengoku."
Nami and Robin exchanged glances.
Even the Four Emperors had begun moving.
The world really was spiraling.
Still...
Standing beside Ryūjin somehow made it hard to feel afraid.
As long as he was there, even chaos on a global scale felt strangely manageable.