"Can Demon Eye Ryūjin block this punch from Whitebeard?"
As they watched Whitebeard unleash a world-shaking punch, the same thought flashed through the minds of Aokiji and Kizaru.
There was no denying that Demon Eye Ryūjin possessed terrifying strength. After all, he had already defeated all Three Admirals of the Navy with overwhelming ease.
Still, Whitebeard was different.
The destructive power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit far surpassed the abilities of the Admirals. Compared to Whitebeard's raw force, even the Admirals' attacks seemed insignificant.
Yet almost immediately, both Kizaru and Aokiji dismissed their doubts.
Someone as mysterious and absurdly powerful as Demon Eye Ryūjin could not possibly lose so easily.
The battle had already gone on for this long, yet Ryūjin had only relied on taijutsu against Whitebeard. None of his other terrifying abilities had even been revealed.
More importantly, his ability to blur the line between illusion and reality alone made him nearly impossible to defeat.
What exactly could Whitebeard use to overcome someone like him?
Marco, Fire Fist Ace, and the other commanders stared at the battlefield without blinking.
Whitebeard's punch represented one of the greatest destructive forces on the seas. Very few people alive could take it head-on. Even monsters like Kaido would think twice before facing it directly.
The only question was whether Demon Eye Ryūjin could withstand it.
Boom!
The violent sea waves exploded once again.
Suddenly, another shockwave burst from the center of Whitebeard's attack.
A figure shot out like a missile, charging straight toward Whitebeard.
Boom!
Whitebeard's massive body trembled violently.
Then, just like before, he was forced several steps backward.
The battlefield fell silent.
"Even Pops' strongest punch couldn't hurt him?"
"Demon Eye Ryūjin really deserves a bounty of seven billion Berries!"
"Pops... actually got pushed back again!"
Disbelief filled the faces of everyone present.
Whitebeard's devastating strike, powerful enough to shatter the world, had been blocked head-on without leaving even a scratch on Ryūjin.
Not only that, Ryūjin had pushed Whitebeard back once again.
At this point, it no longer felt like a fight between humans.
It was a clash between monsters.
Although Whitebeard had not fully lost yet, the result was becoming obvious.
From the beginning, Ryūjin had pressured Whitebeard nonstop. Meanwhile, Whitebeard's attacks had failed to leave any meaningful damage.
Anyone watching could see the difference.
Ryūjin was stronger.
"Gurarara!"
Whitebeard burst into loud laughter after steadying himself.
"I never imagined someone like you would appear in this era!"
His eyes locked onto Ryūjin.
"Even Rocks back then wasn't your equal, Demon Eye Ryūjin!"
As a former member of the Rocks Pirates, Whitebeard understood better than most how terrifying Rocks D. Xebec had been.
Yet in his eyes, even Rocks could not compare to Ryūjin.
Ryūjin sighed.
"This still isn't satisfying, Whitebeard."
His tone carried a hint of boredom.
Then his gaze shifted toward the commanders aboard Whitebeard's ship.
Without warning, he raised his hand.
Universal Pull!
A terrifying force instantly dragged Marco, Jozu, Vista, Ace, and the rest toward Whitebeard.
"You and your sons can come at me together."
Ryūjin spoke casually, as though discussing something insignificant.
After all, besides Whitebeard, Marco and the other commanders were also among his targets.
Especially Marco.
Rather than dealing with them one by one later, it was easier to finish everything now.
Besides, challenging Whitebeard's commanders after already defeating Whitebeard would just feel strange.
The commanders were briefly shocked before excitement appeared on their faces.
Normally, people of their level would never have the chance to fight someone like Ryūjin.
Now that opportunity had landed right in front of them.
"Pops?"
Everyone instinctively looked toward Whitebeard.
"Gurarara!"
Whitebeard laughed loudly.
"Fighting alongside my sons? That sounds exciting!"
He gripped Murakumogiri tightly.
"Sons, show Ryūjin what the Whitebeard Pirates are made of!"
The moment his words fell, Whitebeard charged forward.
More than a dozen commanders rushed after him.
"Demon Eye Ryūjin plans to fight the entire Whitebeard Pirates by himself?"
"Has he really reached that level?"
Kizaru and Aokiji looked stunned.
Even the Navy avoided direct confrontation with a Yonko crew whenever possible.
Not even Fleet Admiral Sengoku or the Admirals had confidence in defeating an entire Yonko crew alone.
Yet Ryūjin stood there without the slightest hesitation.
Facing an Emperor's crew alone.
Whoosh!
A streak of blue flames cut through the air.
Marco, transformed into his phoenix form, arrived in front of Ryūjin first.
His flaming kick came crashing down.
Marco's strength was no joke.
In phoenix form, he could briefly clash with Admirals and had even kicked Kizaru flying during the Marineford War.
But against Ryūjin?
Bang!
Ryūjin casually threw a punch.
The moment his fist collided with Marco's leg, Marco was blasted away like a cannonball.
Crack!
His leg shattered instantly.
Yet blue phoenix flames quickly restored it.
Before Ryūjin could move again, Vista arrived.
His swords slashed downward mercilessly.
Bang! Bang!
From afar, Izo fired two Haki-infused bullets.
At the same moment, Ace raised his burning fist.
"Fire Fist!"
A massive pillar of flames surged toward Ryūjin.
Attacks from every direction surrounded him.
Above all of them stood Whitebeard's devastating Tremor-Tremor Fruit punch.
"Shinra Tensei."
Ryūjin's eyes shifted into the Rinnegan.
A terrifying repulsive force exploded outward.
Boom!
Vista was blown away before his swords could even touch Ryūjin.
The bullets fired by Izo reversed direction at terrifying speed.
"What?!"
Izo's expression changed instantly as he scrambled to dodge.
Ace's flames were blown backward along with his body.
The remaining commanders suffered the same fate.
Everyone was sent flying.
Only Whitebeard managed to resist.
His massive frame trembled, but he forced himself forward.
Unfortunately, the force disrupted his aim.
Boom!
His fist slammed into the ice instead of Ryūjin.
Ryūjin did not even blink.
"Chidori Current."
Crackle!
Lightning exploded outward like a giant electric web, spreading across hundreds of meters.
The commanders who had been blown away found themselves completely engulfed.
"Argh!"
"Damn it!"
Painful cries rang out everywhere.
One after another, the commanders collapsed.
Aside from Marco, who had been launched farther away, and Izo, who stood at a distance, the rest were struck directly.
Their bodies convulsed violently.
None of them could even stand.
Fear filled their faces.
Against Demon Eye Ryūjin, they felt utterly powerless.
Like ants trying to challenge a storm.
Whitebeard reacted quickly.
Using Murakumogiri, he raised massive chunks of ice as shields.
The lightning shattered them instantly.
Even so, most of the attack was weakened.
Only a small amount struck Whitebeard.
Though he remained standing, numbness spread through his body.
"Whitebeard."
Ryūjin stepped forward.
"Watch yourself."
His fist shot toward Whitebeard.
Whoosh!
Marco suddenly reappeared in phoenix form, kicking toward Ryūjin again.
"Not bad, Marco."
Ryūjin reached out casually and grabbed Marco's leg.
With a slight tug, Marco lost balance.
Before he could react...
Bang!
Ryūjin slammed a fist into the back of Marco's head.
Marco instantly collapsed.
Unconscious.
His phoenix flames disappeared immediately.
No matter how powerful his regeneration was, it could not heal unconsciousness.
Against Ryūjin's taijutsu, Marco simply stood no chance.
The difference between them was too overwhelming.
Bang! Bang!
Izo fired more shots from a distance.
Ryūjin dodged effortlessly.
Then he clapped his hands.
"Wind Release, Typhoon Pass!"
A violent hurricane erupted.
The remaining commanders were swept away instantly.
In mere moments, every commander of the Whitebeard Pirates had fallen.
Crack... Crack...
Space trembled again.
Whitebeard unleashed another Tremor-Tremor punch.
Ryūjin met it head-on with taijutsu.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Whitebeard retreated again and again.
Completely overpowered.
Finally, he lowered Murakumogiri and laughed bitterly.
"Gurarara... let's stop here."
He exhaled heavily.
"Your strength far surpasses mine."
"I can't beat you."
At that moment, the Whitebeard Pirates had officially been defeated.
Ryūjin had crushed Whitebeard and all his commanders alone.
"Ryūjin-san defeated Whitebeard and all his commanders by himself!"
Nami's eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Ryūjin-san is incredible!"
Robin stared quietly at Ryūjin.
Meanwhile, Kizaru and Aokiji wore ugly expressions.
Even Whitebeard and his commanders together had been defeated so decisively.
If even a Yonko crew could not stop Demon Eye Ryūjin...
How was the Navy supposed to deal with him?
At that moment, the familiar voice of the Sign-in System rang in Ryūjin's mind.
Ding! Host has defeated Whitebeard, Edward Newgate. Select one reward:
1. Tremor-Tremor Fruit
2. Conqueror's Haki
3. Observation Haki
4. Armament Haki
Ryūjin chose Observation Haki.
The moment it merged with the Observation Haki he had gained from Dracule Mihawk, his perception improved drastically.
His senses expanded to terrifying levels.
Even across hundreds of kilometers, he could detect movement with ease.
Although still not at Fujitora's absurd level of sensing objects from space, it was already among the very best in the world.
After finishing with Whitebeard, Ryūjin naturally turned his attention to Marco.
The reward he wanted from Marco was obvious.
The Phoenix Fruit.
As for the remaining commanders, their rewards mattered little.
Compared to Whitebeard and Marco, they simply were not worth mentioning.
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