"Someone's coming? That's impossible! This is the Calm Belt!" Ryuuto thought, leaping into the air.
A whoosh of displaced air followed as his figure appeared in the sky.
"A pirate ship! Let's go see who they are." Looking down at the sea, Ryuuto spotted a massive pirate vessel steadily approaching Rusukaina Island.
A streak of golden lightning flashed through the air—Ryuuto, moving at incredible speed toward the ship.
"World, calm down!"
"We're in the Calm Belt now!" Binjack said calmly from his perch on World's shoulder.
"That Sea King... it seems like it intentionally lured us here!" Sebastian, having regained his composure, shared his suspicion.
"Wait! Is that an island up ahead?" Gyoja, peering through a pair of binoculars at Rusukaina Island, suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "I... I think I see a bolt of lightning heading right for us!"
"Out of the way!" With his notoriously short temper, Byrnndi World snatched the binoculars from Gyoja's hands the moment he heard about an island.
He slowly raised them to his eyes...
Just then, a brilliant golden light with a long tail arrived in an instant!
"What is that thing?!" The words had barely left World's mouth when the bolt of lightning slammed onto the deck with immense power.
CRACK!!
In an instant...
The deck shuddered violently. Countless sparks of golden lightning erupted, blinding World and his crew.
Finally, after two long breaths, the light subsided, and Ryuuto's figure slowly emerged from within the dissipating electricity.
"Who are you?" World was the first to spot Ryuuto. His expression turned grim as he roared the question.
"Hold on, let me think. You must be Byrnndi World, right? And your crew... you all just escaped from Impel Down, didn't you?" Ryuuto stroked his chin, studying the bizarre group before him. After a moment, he finally placed them.
"Who are you? How do you know so much?" Binjack pointed his cane at Ryuuto, his voice frail and ancient.
Naichin and Gairam also readied themselves for battle.
Naichin assumed a Tai Chi-like stance, clutching several explosive medicinal balls between her fingers. Gairam hefted a massive broadsword, prepared to strike at any moment.
The scientist made a series of hand signs, ready to trap Ryuuto in countless cubes at the slightest provocation.
"It seems you really have been left behind by the times."
Ryuuto shook his head slowly as he looked at the old-timers across from him, speaking softly.
"Bastard, I'll kill you!"
Unexpectedly, Ryuuto's simple words completely enraged World. "Die!" he bellowed, coating his fists in Armament Haki and charging forward.
As a Paramecia-type user of the More More Fruit, World could multiply the size and speed of himself or anything he touched by up to one hundred times.
"The weak have no right to exist! I will stand at the pinnacle of the world forever!"
"More More... 100x!"
With a tremendous roar, World's physical durability and speed instantly increased a hundredfold. He became a blur, appearing before Ryuuto in an instant.
"Rushing Thunder Fist!"
Ryuuto, eager to test the limits of the More More Fruit's enhancement, immediately raised his right fist. Countless tendrils of golden lightning plasma coalesced around it before he threw the punch.
BAM! BAM! BANG!
In an instant, a golden fist and an obsidian-black one clashed repeatedly in mid-air. Splatters of lightning plasma flew everywhere, burning deep pits into the deck wherever they landed.
'Interesting. With a hundredfold enhancement, World's punch is on par with Garp's. A pity that's nowhere near enough,' Ryuuto thought.
After trading a few more blows, Ryuuto stomped his foot.
"Chidori Sharp Spear!"
With a soft cry, the countless golden sparks covering Ryuuto's body converged, forming a crackling spear of lightning that he thrust forward.
World crossed his arms in front of his chest, instantly blocking Ryuuto's attack.
ZZZZZT...
The lightning spear and World's Haki-coated forearms collided violently. An explosion of golden lightning and the black lightning of clashing Armament Haki erupted, staining the sky between them in two distinct colors.
BOOM!!
A massive shockwave shattered the main mast, sending a powerful gust of wind blasting toward Naichin, Gairam, and the others.
"Cube Wall!"
Just then, the scientist shouted, and a perfectly formed wall of transparent cubes materialized before them, instantly blocking the shockwave from the collision.
This was his Devil Fruit ability.
User of the Paramecia-type Cube Cube Fruit, he could generate transparent cubes with the hardness of diamond out of thin air, allowing him to alter the terrain and restrain his enemies.
"This man is strong. He's actually holding his own against Captain World!" Gairam exclaimed in shock.
World was known as the "World Destroyer," a legendary pirate from the same era as Roger.
"Hold on, World!" As World's older brother, Binjack stood under the protection of the other crew members, muttering encouragement.
BANG!!
World's arms suddenly flew apart, unleashing a tremendous force that sent the golden lightning spear flying far out over the ocean.
"Hah... Hah..." The effort had cost World a great deal of stamina, and he was now panting heavily.
"Let's see, you must be about seventy by now, right? At your age, you should really learn to accept that you're old!" Ryuuto said with a light chuckle. He let the lightning around him dissipate, then sent a gust of wind toward the stern. The remaining sails billowed, and a powerful force propelled the pirate ship toward Rusukaina Island.
'What's happening? Did that man create the wind, too?' Sebastian's eyes narrowed at the sight.
CRUNCH!!
The Groseade slammed hard into the shore of Rusukaina Island. With a final, violent jolt, the ship came to a halt.
"Bastard, what did you do to the Groseade?" World roared at Ryuuto after catching his breath.
"I'm not targeting anyone in particular. I'm just saying that everyone here is trash. I've come to kill you all!" For some reason, that classic line popped into Ryuuto's head.
Just then, Hancock, Nami, Rayleigh, and Porche were standing on the shore. No, wait—with them was a large white tiger with wide, curious eyes.
It was one of the alpha predators of Rusukaina Island.
"Where did this pirate ship come from?" Nami asked, blinking.
"They're vicious pirates who just escaped from Impel Down. I'll leave them to you." A flash of lightning, and Ryuuto appeared beside Nami, explaining the situation.
"Huh? What's Impel Down?" Nami was instantly baffled, her little mind filled with big questions.
Hancock, however, merely glanced up at the newcomers.
Rayleigh, who had seen it all, wasn't the least bit surprised to hear that pirates had broken out of Impel Down.
THUD!!
Before Nami could figure anything out, a figure landed on the shore like a cannonball. The powerful impact shook the snow from the surrounding trees, sending it fluttering down.
"How outrageous! This man is so arrogant, he's acting like we're not even here!" Sebastian clenched his fists, his face a mask of fury.
"Today, you all die here!" World glared at Ryuuto and the others, spouting threats. A few more thuds followed as Binjack, Sebastian, and the rest of the crew jumped down from the ship.
The two groups faced off.
"You... You're Rayleigh, aren't you?" World suddenly rubbed his eyes, his voice filled with disbelief.
As a great pirate from Roger's era, World had suffered his fair share of defeats at Roger's hands. He remembered Rayleigh vividly.
"Byrnndi World? What a coincidence. You're still alive?" Rayleigh took a moment before recognizing the rugged old man before him.
"Fate has given me this chance!"
"This time, I will prove myself again!"
"Power is everything!"
Upon recognizing Rayleigh, World became even more excited. After being frozen for thirty years, he was desperate to prove that he was still the strongest.
"Still as crazy as ever, I see," Rayleigh muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Nami, what's with the tiger?" Ryuuto asked, noticing the new addition next to her.
"You mean Shiro?"
"He got tired of living on this island and wants to see the world."
"And after spending some time with me, he decided to follow me!" Nami's eyes lit up as she spoke about the white tiger, which stood a towering seven or eight meters tall. Her face was full of joy.
"Hmm? They actually make a good pair." Ryuuto looked from Nami to the majestic tiger and had to agree. They were a good match, both in terms of aesthetics and their future potential as partners.
"World, maybe we should retreat!" Binjack said, sizing up Ryuuto's group. Seeing their calm and confident demeanor, he immediately tried to persuade his brother.
"Fufufufufu, More More: 10x Cannon!" Lost in his frenzy, World was deaf to Binjack's advice. He scooped up a handful of pebbles from the ground and, with a great roar, hurled them forward.
A wave of blue light pulsed from his hand...
As they flew, the pebbles' speed and size multiplied, transforming them into a volley of powerful projectiles.
ROAR...
A tiger's roar echoed as Shiro leaped forward, positioning himself in front of the group.
PING! PING! PING!
The countless pebbles struck Shiro's thick fur, making sharp cracking sounds before falling harmlessly to the ground.
At the same time, Sebastian leaped forward, swinging his monstrously strong right fist toward Hancock.
"Sebastian, be careful! That's the Pirate Empress!" the scientist shouted a warning.
Of all the people in the opposing group, the scientist only recognized the famous Pirate Empress and knew her strength was not to be underestimated.
"Pirate Empress?" Sebastian didn't understand why the woman before him was called an empress. All he knew was that his fists could tear apart a warship.
"Die!" Sebastian roared excitedly, his expression contorting with savage glee.
"Slave Arrow!" Hancock tilted her head back with a disdainful laugh. She drew her hands back as if pulling a bowstring, and countless pink, heart-shaped arrows materialized in the air.
The moment she spoke, the volley of love arrows shot forward.
In an instant, World's crew was blanketed by the sky-filling barrage.
World, still charging forward, ignored the pink arrows thanks to the effects of his Devil Fruit. He drew two metal hammers from his waist...
"More More: 100x Giant War Hammer Impact!" A blue ring of light enveloped his right hand, enhancing the hammers. They instantly grew to a colossal size as he brought them crashing down on Rayleigh.
The scientist generated a wall of cubes in front of himself and Binjack, blocking Hancock's attack.
But Sebastian wasn't so lucky. Completely unaware of the nature of Hancock's ability, he was pierced by the heart arrows as he charged and was instantly turned into a stone statue.
"What a disgusting man." Having dealt with Sebastian in a single move, Hancock leaped onto a large tree branch behind her, apparently having no intention of fighting further.
"Sebastian!!" Binjack cried out in shock, seeing his crewmate defeated in an instant.
The scientist glanced at his cube wall. Where the arrows had struck, the cubes had also been petrified.
'So this is the power of the Pirate Empress!' he thought.
Nami, meanwhile, was engaged with Gairam.
She held her Sorcery Clima-Tact, which was coated in black Armament Haki. She swung the obsidian staff, clashing violently with Gairam's massive broadsword.
CRACK!!
Two streaks of black lightning sparked between them as a powerful shockwave erupted from the point of impact.
By this time, World's giant war hammers had descended.
BOOM!
But no matter how much force he applied, his hammers wouldn't budge an inch.
They were stopped cold by Rayleigh's leg.
As for Ryuuto, he now had his Kui Dragon Blade pressed against Naichin's neck. The razor-sharp edge radiated a coldness that kept her from making any sudden moves.
She had a feeling that if she so much as twitched, the blade at her throat would take her life.
Shiro, after blocking World's pebble attack, had pounced on Gyoja. The great tiger moved with incredible speed, weaving around Gyoja and swiping with its razor-sharp claws.
Gyoja, wielding a mechanically modified drill weapon, struggled to fend off the relentless assault.
"Cube Prison!" The scientist now turned his attention to Porche. With a shout, countless transparent cubes began to materialize around her...
He intended to trap her inside.
WHOOSH!!
But Porche was not about to let that happen. With a single movement, she transformed into a giant white elephant and slammed her massive feet down on the newly formed cubes.
...