The next moment, Akainu felt his vision blur, and the scenery around him shifted instantly.
One second, he was still standing on the ocean's surface. The next, he had abruptly appeared on Sky Island, standing directly opposite Ryūjin.
"This is... a space-travel ability?"
A solemn look crossed Akainu's face.
The intelligence reports had never mentioned that Demonic Eye Ryūjin possessed the power to manipulate space.
Just how many abilities did this man have?
Glancing to the side, Akainu spotted Kizaru standing not far away, his expression unusually grim. Akainu's face darkened slightly.
From the looks of it, Demonic Eye Ryūjin intended to take on both him and Kizaru at the same time.
Was this bastard really looking down on Marine Admirals to such an extent?
"Akainu, do you see those barriers surrounding us? I already tried attacking them, but nothing works," Kizaru said from the side, his tone unusually serious. "I'm guessing the result will be the same for you."
That was right.
Ryūjin had activated Yomotsu Hirasaka from inside the Four Red Yang Formation, directly teleporting both Akainu and Aokiji into the sealed area.
This meant neither Akainu nor Kizaru could escape.
"Hmph!"
Akainu only snorted coldly, refusing to waste words.
He slowly raised both hands and unleashed an overwhelming barrage of magma fists in every direction.
However, just as Kizaru had warned, every attack was effortlessly blocked by the Four Red Yang Formation.
Not a single strike left even the slightest mark.
Akainu's expression finally turned serious.
Putting everything else aside, Demonic Eye Ryūjin was already a terrifying existence based on this ability alone.
He was practically the natural enemy of Logia users.
Swish!
Just as Akainu began testing the barrier's limits, Ryūjin suddenly vanished from where he stood.
"Be careful!"
Kizaru's sharp warning rang out instantly.
Bang!
Before Akainu could even react, an overwhelming force slammed directly into him.
He was sent flying backward without resistance.
His body crashed violently into the barrier of the Four Red Yang Formation before dropping heavily onto the ground.
A streak of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
"Such speed..."
Shock flashed across Akainu's face.
Even with Observation Haki, he had failed to react.
Demonic Eye Ryūjin's strength was far beyond expectations.
Still, Akainu's pride refused to bend.
Being knocked back once did not mean defeat.
In battle, offense, defense, and miscalculations were all normal. Getting caught off guard did not prove superiority.
He still refused to believe he could lose to Ryūjin.
"Alright," Ryūjin said casually, stretching his shoulders as if warming up. "Can we finally start fighting?"
He looked at Akainu with a relaxed expression.
"Show me what Marine Admirals are capable of."
"Demonic Eye Ryūjin," Akainu sneered, magma bubbling from his fists, "you'll soon understand exactly how terrifying Marine Admirals truly are."
Without hesitation, his shoulder shook violently.
"Meigo!"
A massive arm of magma surged forward, stretching dozens of meters and charging toward Ryūjin with terrifying force.
The power behind Meigo was immense.
It lacked flashy visuals, but in battle, this was the same devastating attack that had blown apart half of Whitebeard's face.
The moment Akainu attacked, Kizaru moved as well.
Having already fought Ryūjin once, he understood exactly what kind of monster stood before them.
One Admiral alone was simply not enough.
"Ama no Murakumo!"
Golden light condensed into a radiant blade.
Kizaru swung it instantly.
A massive golden slash erupted across the battlefield, tearing through the sky and ground as it rushed toward Ryūjin from another angle.
At the same moment, Aokiji made his move.
Among everyone present, he understood Ryūjin's strength best.
Even with Akainu and Kizaru attacking together, he still couldn't relax.
Soru!
Using one of the Six Powers, Aokiji vanished from his position.
In an instant, he appeared directly in front of Ryūjin and launched a Finger Pistol strike.
At that moment, all Three Marine Admirals attacked Ryūjin simultaneously.
Akainu frowned.
Originally, he had intended to face Demonic Eye Ryūjin alone.
He never expected things to turn into a three-on-one battle.
Frankly, it irritated him.
Did Kizaru and Aokiji really think that highly of Ryūjin?
Wasn't this overdoing it?
Still, the attack had already begun.
No matter how displeased he felt, there was no backing down now.
"The Three Marine Admirals are actually fighting Ryūjin-san together!"
Nami's pupils contracted sharply.
"If someone said this normally, nobody would believe it," Robin muttered, her expression equally serious.
Worry inevitably appeared on both women's faces.
No matter what, these were the Three Marine Admirals.
Could Ryūjin-san really handle all of them at once?
Meanwhile, Ryūjin didn't dodge.
He didn't even move.
The Rinnegan in his eyes rotated slowly.
"Shinra Tensei."
Boom!
An overwhelming repulsive force exploded outward in every direction.
Aokiji suffered the worst.
Having already lost his Devil Fruit ability, he could no longer elementalize.
He was blasted backward immediately, crashing into the Four Red Yang Formation like a cannonball.
At the same time, Akainu's magma fist and Kizaru's golden slash shattered instantly under the crushing force.
Akainu's pupils shrank.
Genuine seriousness appeared in his eyes.
Their combined attack had been crushed with nothing but a casual wave of Ryūjin's hand.
This was completely different from being caught off guard earlier.
That had only been close combat.
But now?
Their coordinated assault had been destroyed head-on.
No tricks.
No advantages.
Just overwhelming strength.
No wonder Aokiji and Kizaru had treated this man with such caution.
"Inugami Guren!"
Akainu immediately discarded every trace of underestimation.
Magma surged through his arm, forming the head of a monstrous hound.
Dragging a trail of molten destruction, it lunged toward Ryūjin.
Clap!
Ryūjin brought his hands together.
Wood Release activated instantly.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Massive wooden branches erupted violently from the ground.
Akainu's magma hound shattered immediately.
But it didn't stop there.
Wooden spikes surged from every direction toward Akainu himself.
Without elementalization, there was no way he could withstand this level of attack.
Large holes instantly tore through his body.
Half his face disappeared.
At this point, Akainu barely resembled a human.
He looked more like a mass of magma vaguely shaped into one.
Gurgle!
The magma around the wounds shifted rapidly, attempting to restore his body.
But before recovery could begin...
Crack! Crack! Crack!
More branches pierced straight through him.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Akainu remained trapped in an endless cycle of destruction and regeneration.
No matter what attack he attempted, Ryūjin effortlessly crushed it.
Aside from his opening move, Akainu was completely overwhelmed.
He didn't even have room to breathe.
"Admiral Akainu is getting beaten badly," Nami muttered, unable to hide her disbelief.
Robin gave a quiet sigh.
Among the Admirals, Akainu was infamous for his ruthless authority.
Yet now, against Ryūjin, he was being completely suppressed.
Seeing Akainu cornered, Aokiji moved immediately.
Without hesitation, he relied on physical combat and rushed in to help block the incoming wooden branches.
"Aokiji," Ryūjin said casually, "aren't you a little overconfident?"
With a simple thought, more branches split apart and surged toward him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Aokiji destroyed several with brute force.
Then suddenly, the remaining branches wrapped around him like venomous snakes.
In moments, he was completely restrained.
Ryūjin tossed him aside like trash.
Without his Devil Fruit, Aokiji simply posed no threat.
Kizaru clicked his tongue.
"This is giving me a real headache."
Aokiji had fallen instantly.
Akainu was getting crushed.
Originally, Kizaru thought bringing multiple Admirals against Ryūjin was overkill.
Now?
Even all three together seemed insufficient.
Still, retreat wasn't an option.
Golden light flashed.
Kizaru appeared before Ryūjin and swung his radiant blade.
Despite controlling Wood Release against Akainu, Ryūjin remained completely unbothered.
Neither Akainu nor Kizaru forced him to exert much effort.
"As expected," Ryūjin said casually, glancing toward Kizaru, "you're still the most annoying one among them."
Compared to magma or ice, Kizaru's Glint-Glint Fruit was far harder to suppress with Wood Release.
After all, wood could strike magma.
It could strike ice.
But light?
That was another matter.
Clap!
Another Wood Clone split from Ryūjin's body.
In an instant, it moved to intercept Kizaru.
"Stay still."
Ryūjin spoke casually.
Suddenly, Kizaru froze mid-motion.
His body stopped completely.
"Na... nani?!"
Shock spread across his face.
"My body won't move!"
He had only seen Ryūjin's clone clap its hands.
Nothing else.
What exactly had happened?
Kizaru felt genuine danger crawl across his spine.
Powers like lightning, wood manipulation, or space travel could at least be understood.
But this?
Being immobilized without explanation?
How was he supposed to counter something he couldn't even comprehend?
Had he looked closely, he would have noticed something strange.
His shadow was connected directly to the shadow of Ryūjin's Wood Clone.
The Shadow Imitation Technique.
A support jutsu of the Nara Clan.
Ordinary in someone else's hands.
Terrifying in Ryūjin's.
"Alright," Ryūjin said, sounding almost bored. "This fight's getting dull."
In an instant, he vanished.
Appearing beside Akainu like a ghost, Ryūjin placed an Eight Trigrams Sealing Style directly onto him.
Immediately, Akainu's magma form collapsed.
His body returned to normal.
A look of disbelief appeared on his face.
"My Devil Fruit ability... I can't use it anymore!"
Ryūjin ignored him completely.
Instead, he walked leisurely toward the immobilized Kizaru.
Akainu's expression turned ugly.
Aokiji had been restrained.
Kizaru was frozen.
And now, even his own Devil Fruit had been sealed.
The Three Marine Admirals...
Were actually about to lose?
Absolutely not.
Marine justice could not be humiliated like this.
Grinding his teeth, Akainu charged toward Ryūjin using pure physical force.
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