"Names Edgar D. Benjamin," Ben continued, letting his hand drop back to his side. "Might have heard of me. Kind of a magician."
Ryokugyu stopped walking. The Admiral tilted his head, chewing on a piece of stem. He took a moment to look Ben up and down, unimpressed.
"Aah yes," Ryokugyu said. "So you are the magician. Someone was saying you were kinda dangerous, but I was bored after the first few sentences, so I don't know much about you."
Ben smiled. "You should have learned about me. If you had, you wouldn't be talking like that right now."
Ryokugyu pushed his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. He let out a long breath. "Well, what can I say? I am lazy."
"And that," Ben said, his tone flat, "is going to be your downfall."
A wide grin spread across Ryokugyu's face. The Admiral showed his teeth. "And I would like to see that."
Ben cracked his knuckles. The sharp pops echoed clearly in the quiet air. "I will be glad to do it."
Ben dropped his hands. He took a strange stance. His shoulders slumped. His arms hung loose. His feet stayed shoulder-width apart. He began to bounce slightly on the balls of his feet. This was the basic rhythm of Ssamsu Taekkyeon. It looked casual, like a man waiting for a bus.
Ryokugyu moved first. The Admiral did not step forward. He simply raised a finger.
The ground beneath Ben exploded. Five thick wooden roots shot upward from the dirt. The roots were the size of tree trunks. The wood carried immense weight and speed. The attack aimed to pierce Ben from five different directions.
The roots rushed toward Ben. The sharp wooden tips aimed for his chest, his head, and his legs. The wood closed the distance.
But the wood never hit.
The roots stopped moving forward. The wooden tips halted one inch away from Ben's clothes.
Ryokugyu frowned. The Admiral pushed his power harder. The roots groaned. The bark cracked under the pressure of the forward push. The wood strained, trying to cross that final inch.
The roots could not cross the gap. Ben was using the Limitless. He created a barrier of endless space between himself and the attack. The distance between the wood and Ben was divided constantly. The roots were always moving, but the space stretched forever. The attack would never reach the target.
"Interesting trick," Ryokugyu said. The Admiral snapped his fingers.
The large roots shattered into dust. In their place, a dozen thin vines whipped out from the surrounding trees. The green vines lashed through the air like whips, aiming at Ben.
Ben moved. He used the fluid footwork of Ssamsu Taekkyeon. He stepped forward, sliding his lead foot in a smooth half-circle. The movement carried his body out of the path of the first vine. The green whip snapped past his ear.
Ben shifted his weight. He brought his back foot up and spun his hips. He threw a high crescent kick. His foot moved with blinding speed. His heel smashed into the side of the next incoming vine. The thick cord snapped in half from the force of the strike.
Ryokugyu sent more vines. Ben kept his hands down. He relied on the rhythm of his steps. He stepped left. He ducked right. He swayed his torso backward. The vines slashed empty air. Ben moved like water. The attacks could not touch him.
"Stop dancing," Ryokugyu said.
The Admiral pushed both hands forward. A wall of thick wood grew from the dirt. The wood rushed forward like a tidal wave. The wall threatened to crush Ben.
Ben stopped his bouncing rhythm. He held out his right hand. He pointed his index finger at the incoming wave of wood.
Blue
A point of immense pulling force appeared in the air in front of the wood. The surrounding air rushed inward. The pulling force acted like a massive drain.
The wooden wave hit the pulling force. The solid trunks were yanked violently toward the center point. The wood twisted and snapped. The wave crushed itself into a tight ball of broken bark and splinters. The pull of Blue destroyed the attack instantly.
Ryokugyu's eyes widened. "What kind of Devil Fruit is that?"
"Not a Devil Fruit," Ben said.
Ben stepped forward. The Taekkyeon footwork allowed him to cover the distance instantly. He slid across the dirt road in a single breath. He entered striking range.
Ryokugyu reacted quickly. The Admiral turned his right arm into solid, dense bark. He threw a sweeping punch at Ben's head.
Ben did not block the heavy arm. Instead, he used the pulling force of Blue again. He placed a small point of pull just above Ryokugyu's wrist. The sudden tug yanked the Admiral's punch upward. The heavy wooden fist sailed harmlessly over Ben's hair.
The missed punch left Ryokugyu open.
Ben struck. He planted his left foot firmly in the dirt. He snapped his right leg upward. He threw a brutal front kick. His foot slammed into Ryokugyu's stomach.
The impact sounded like a cannon shot. The strike carried the refined power of Park Ilpyo's martial arts. Ryokugyu coughed. The Admiral was lifted off his feet. The heavy kick sent him skidding backward through the dirt road.
Ryokugyu dug his boots into the ground to stop his slide. The Admiral wiped his mouth. The lazy demeanor faded.
"You hit hard," Ryokugyu said.
Ben went back to his bouncing rhythm. "I am just getting started."
Ryokugyu raised both arms high into the air. The forest responded. The surrounding trees groaned. Thick roots burst from the ground in every direction. The wood twisted together, growing upward and inward.
The roots created a massive dome of solid wood. The dome enclosed both fighters. The light vanished. The only light inside the wooden cage came from glowing green sap dripping from the walls.
"Let us see you dodge in here," Ryokugyu said.
The inner walls of the wooden dome changed. Thousands of sharp wooden spikes sprouted from the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. The spikes shot toward Ben all at once. It was a storm of solid wood.
Ben stayed calm. He did not use the barrier of limitless space. He wanted to use his hands and feet.
Ben moved through the storm. He used the continuous steps of Taekkyeon to weave through the spikes. He pivoted on his heels. He spun his shoulders. When a spike came too close, he used short, sharp strikes to break the wood. He snapped his shin against a spike aiming for his ribs. The wood shattered. He used a low sweep to break a spike coming from the floor. He kept his hands close to his chest. He used his elbows to smash the spikes aiming for his face.
Ryokugyu watched closely. The Admiral noticed the movements. Ben did not waste a single breath. Every step and every strike used the exact amount of energy needed. The defense was perfect.
Ben saw a gap in the wooden storm. He focused on the space in front of him.
Red
Ben pushed his open palm forward. A wave of repelling force erupted from his hand. The invisible push hit the incoming wooden spikes. The spikes turned to dust instantly. The repelling force continued forward. It slammed into the wall of the wooden dome.
The dense wood exploded outward. The force of Red blew a massive hole through the dome. Light flooded back into the clearing. Splinters rained down on the dirt.
Ben charged through the falling wood.
Ryokugyu stood his ground. The Admiral grew a thick wooden shield on his forearm. He braced for the incoming attack.
Ben reached the Admiral. Instead of throwing a punch, Ben dropped his hands to the dirt. He swung his body upward. He performed a perfect handstand. Using the momentum of the swing, Ben launched a double heel kick at the wooden shield.
The heavy strike cracked the shield. The force pushed Ryokugyu back a few inches.
Before the Admiral could swing back, Ben dropped his feet to the ground. He spun his body in a tight circle. He brought his leg around in a low sweeping kick. He aimed for Ryokugyu's ankles.
Ryokugyu saw the sweep. The Admiral jumped straight up, clearing the low kick easily.
Ben expected the jump. This was the core strategy of Ssamsu Taekkyeon. The martial art chained attacks together to force the opponent into a trap.
As Ryokugyu hung in the air, Ben stopped his spin. He planted his sweeping leg hard into the dirt. He launched himself upward. He met the Admiral in mid-air.
Ben pulled his right fist back. He gathered his power. He synced his movement perfectly with his internal energy. He looked for the fraction of a second where the strike and the energy would become one. He searched for the perfect impact.
Ben threw the punch.
His knuckles hit Ryokugyu's chest. At that exact moment, the energy synced perfectly.
A distortion in space occurred. Dark, jagged sparks erupted from Ben's fist. The air around the fighters shattered. The sound mirrored breaking glass. The colors in the immediate area inverted for a brief, violent moment. The world flashed black and red.
This was the Black Flash.
The impact was devastating. The power behind the punch multiplied upon contact. The force ripped right through Ryokugyu's wooden armor. The blow caved in the Admiral's chest.
Ryokugyu was launched out of the air like a cannonball. The Admiral flew backward. He crashed through the broken wall of the wooden dome. He hit the dirt road outside. He bounced across the ground. He crashed through a dozen thick trees. The solid trunks snapped in half from the impact. Ryokugyu finally came to a stop in a deep crater of uprooted dirt and broken branches.
Ben landed lightly on his feet. He looked at his fist. The dark sparks slowly faded away. The feeling of landing the perfect strike settled in his bones. He felt in tune with his body.
Silence fell over the ruined forest. The dust settled around the long path of destruction.
For a long minute, there was no movement from the crater.
Then, a hand reached up. The hand grabbed the edge of the broken dirt.
Ryokugyu pulled his body out of the hole. The Admiral's floral shirt was torn to shreds. His sunglasses were broken. A large, dark bruise covered his chest. He coughed heavily and spit a mouthful of blood onto the grass.
The lazy smile was gone. Ryokugyu stared at Ben with cold, hard eyes.
"Okay," Ryokugyu said softly.
The Admiral reached down. He touched the grass beneath his boots. The moment his fingers grazed the blades of grass, a massive pulse of energy washed over the entire area.
The forest began to change. The normal green leaves turned a deep, unnatural shade of dark green. The tree trunks thickened massively. The wood twisted together to form massive towers. The roots pulsing under the dirt grew as large as houses. The ground tore apart as the roots shifted.
The deep wound on Ryokugyu's chest began to close. Bright green sap flowed over the bruise. The sap healed the damage in seconds. The Admiral stood up straight. He let his broken sunglasses fall to the dirt.
"I guess," Ryokugyu said, the trees swaying in time with his voice, "I cannot afford to be lazy with you."
The green Admiral took a step forward, and the entire forest moved with him. He had activated his awakening.