"What kind of power is this...?"
"This power is enough to destroy the world!"
...
Nami and Nico Robin stood frozen on the pirate ship, their expressions filled with disbelief as they watched Ryūjin shatter dozens of kilometers of ice with a single attack.
Neither of them could process what they had just witnessed.
They already knew Ryūjin was terrifyingly strong, but this level of power completely surpassed their understanding.
It felt like watching Whitebeard split Marineford apart during the Summit War, the kind of overwhelming force that crushed common sense itself.
"So this is Lord Ryūjin's power..." Crocodile muttered, nearly dropping the cigar from his mouth.
His pupils trembled violently.
If Ryūjin had used that attack against him back then, he would have died instantly without even the chance to resist.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
After the frozen sea shattered apart, gigantic waves hundreds of meters high surged outward in every direction.
The massive pirate ship looked pitifully small before the disaster-level tsunami.
Even someone as strong as Crocodile would be swallowed instantly if he faced those waves head-on.
At that moment, Ryūjin appeared beside Crocodile in a flash, grabbed his shoulder casually, and lifted him into the sky.
The giant waves roared beneath them like furious beasts.
Meanwhile, the pirate ship rocked violently, looking ready to capsize at any second.
Swish!
Ryūjin descended above the ship faster than the waves could spread. He tossed Crocodile back onto the deck, then activated Universal Pull once more.
The entire pirate ship rose into the air.
Robin stared blankly at Ryūjin floating above the sea,
She truly could not imagine how someone in this world could wield such absurd abilities.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
That still was not the end of it.
While maintaining the ship in midair through gravity manipulation, Ryūjin stretched one hand toward the ocean below. Thick wooden branches shot deep into the seawater.
Moments later, the branches returned.
Wrapped within them was an unconscious figure.
Admiral Aokiji.
Ryūjin threw him onto the deck carelessly, like tossing aside trash.
Aokiji's body was covered in blood. After taking the full force of Ryūjin's Super Shinra Tensei, he looked more dead than alive.
Nami and Robin both felt chills crawl down their spines.
A Navy Admiral represented the peak combat power of the Marines.
Even the Emperors could not casually claim they could defeat one.
Yet Aokiji had been beaten into this state.
"Ryūjin..." Nami swallowed nervously. "Is Admiral Aokiji dead?"
Ryūjin laughed.
"Are you stupid from shock? If he was dead, why would I bother saving him?"
Nami instantly went speechless.
That actually made perfect sense.
"Then... what are you planning to do with him?" she asked cautiously.
For some reason, she had a terrible feeling Ryūjin was about to do something outrageous again.
Ryūjin rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"That's a good question."
"A Navy Admiral attacked me for no reason. If I let that slide, people are going to think I'm easy to mess with."
Sweat appeared on both Nami and Robin's foreheads.
Easy to mess with?
A man who defeated four Warlords and crushed a Navy Admiral?
Who in the world would think that?
Then Ryūjin suddenly snapped his fingers.
"Got it."
"I actually like Aokiji. Killing him would be a waste, and I'm not some bloodthirsty lunatic."
"But since he attacked me first, this can't just end quietly."
"So I'll compromise."
"We'll keep him hostage and have the Marines trade Devil Fruits for him."
Ryūjin paused briefly before nodding to himself.
"Considering his status, ten Devil Fruits sounds reasonable."
Then he looked at Nami and Robin seriously.
"What do you think?"
Nami: "..."
Robin: "..."
The two women nearly broke into cold sweat.
Holding a Navy Admiral hostage to extort the Marines?
Only Ryūjin would dare think of something this insane.
Even the Four Emperors would not openly provoke the Navy like this.
This was practically a declaration of war against Marine Headquarters.
"You think it's a good idea too? Perfect, then it's settled."
Ryūjin clapped his hands in satisfaction.
...
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
After an unknown amount of time, Aokiji slowly regained consciousness.
The sound of waves crashing against the ship entered his ears.
His blurry vision gradually became clear.
A sharp pain spread throughout his body, making him groan softly.
Suddenly, his expression changed.
He sat up instantly and realized he was aboard a ship.
"Hehehe!"
The sound of women laughing reached him.
Aokiji turned his head subconsciously and saw Nami and Robin sitting beneath a sun umbrella while chatting casually.
His expression stiffened.
He recognized both of them immediately.
One was the navigator of Ryūjin's crew.
The other was Nico Robin, the Devil Child.
Sensing another presence nearby, Aokiji turned again and saw Crocodile standing at the bow while smoking a cigar.
"This is Ryūjin's ship..."
Aokiji frowned deeply.
Before losing consciousness, he had already accepted death.
As a Devil Fruit user, sinking into the sea meant certain death.
Yet somehow, Ryūjin had saved him.
"Admiral Aokiji, you're awake?"
Nami stood up nervously.
"I'll go inform Ryūjin."
"No need. I already know."
Ryūjin's voice sounded from nearby as he walked onto the deck.
"Nami, prepare some juice. Aokiji's been unconscious for two days. He's probably thirsty."
"Aye!"
Nami and Robin quickly left.
"You saved me?" Aokiji asked while staring at Ryūjin.
"Obviously." Ryūjin shrugged casually. "Come sit down."
Aokiji hesitated briefly before walking over and sitting opposite him.
After a moment of silence, he asked, "Why are you targeting the Warlords?"
Ryūjin smiled faintly.
"You're better off not knowing."
His goal was defeating strong people across the world.
Nobody would believe that answer anyway.
"Then why save me?" Aokiji asked again.
Ryūjin looked at him lazily.
"You ask too many questions. Isn't surviving good enough? Do you really want me to kill you instead?"
Aokiji remained silent for a moment before standing up.
"Since you're not killing me, I'll be leaving now."
He walked toward the edge of the deck, preparing to leap into the sea.
Ryūjin calmly sipped his juice without stopping him.
However, the instant Aokiji tried to use his Devil Fruit power, his expression changed drastically.
His ability would not respond.
"What the hell...?"
"The juice is pretty good," Ryūjin said leisurely behind him. "Cocoyasi Village specialty. You sure you don't want some?"
Aokiji turned sharply toward him, shock filling his face.
"What did you do to me?"
Ryūjin rested one arm against the chair.
"I sealed your powers."
"It's called the Eight Trigrams Sealing Style."
Naturally, the seal Ryūjin used had been modified specifically for this world.
The original version from the ninja world could not be copied directly into One Piece.
Still, Ryūjin could not be bothered creating a new name for it.
Aokiji frowned deeply.
He understood every word individually, but together they made absolutely no sense to him.
"Ryūjin..." Aokiji stared at him seriously. "What exactly do you want from me?"
Ryūjin looked amused.
"Do you think asking that changes anything?"
Aokiji fell silent.
Without his Devil Fruit powers, he could not even beat Crocodile right now, much less Ryūjin.
Buruburu... Buruburu...
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi on Aokiji's body suddenly rang.
He immediately took it out.
It was the direct communication line used for Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Clearly, Marine Headquarters had become impatient after losing contact for so long.
Before Aokiji could answer, Ryūjin raised his hand casually.
The Den Den Mushi instantly flew out of Aokiji's grasp and landed in Ryūjin's palm.
Aokiji's expression changed.
Just as he tried moving forward, thick wooden branches wrapped around his arms and legs, pinning him in place.
Ryūjin answered the call.
"Aokiji, what's your situation? Did you capture Ryūjin of the Demonic Eye?"
Sengoku's deep voice echoed from the Den Den Mushi.
Ryūjin laughed.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, do you really think one Admiral is enough to capture me? That's insulting."
Marine Headquarters.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku's expression changed instantly as he shot to his feet.
"Ryūjin of the Demonic Eye?! Where is Aokiji?!"
"He's right here beside me," Ryūjin replied casually.
Sengoku subconsciously relaxed slightly.
Then Ryūjin added another sentence.
"Tied up, by the way."
Sengoku's face darkened immediately.
"To prove I'm not lying, go ahead, Aokiji. Say hello."
Ryūjin placed the Den Den Mushi near Aokiji.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku... I'm alive," Aokiji said with an ugly expression.
Before he could continue, Ryūjin took the Den Den Mushi back.
"You heard him. Feeling relieved now?"
Sengoku's voice became heavy.
"You contacted me personally, which means you have conditions. Speak."
"As expected of the Fleet Admiral." Ryūjin grinned. "Straight to the point."
"Aokiji is my prisoner now."
"I'll give the Marines half a month."
"Bring me ten Devil Fruits in exchange for him."
"Otherwise, you can collect his corpse."
"You dare threaten the Navy?" Sengoku roared furiously.
Ryūjin laughed coldly.
"Yes, I'm threatening you."
"So tell me, Sengoku."
"What matters more, your Navy's pride... or Aokiji's life?"
Without waiting for an answer, Ryūjin ended the call immediately.
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