At the same time, three other terrifying auras erupted.
Ronan gripped the ebony staff with both hands as the force within his body surged into it like a raging river.
He swung the staff in a single motion—no fancy technique, only pure speed and overwhelming strength.
The tip of the staff struck the air, producing a solid, transparent shockwave that blasted forward like an air cannon.
"One-Sword Style: Iai!"
Zoro's figure blurred instantly, his entire body seeming to transform into a blade capable of cutting through anything.
The moment Wado Ichimonji left its sheath, a hundred-meter-long emerald slash roared outward.
"Diable Jambe — Level One Mincing!"
Sanji leapt high from the deck, his body spinning violently in midair. With the terrifying friction generated by his Vajra body, his right leg burst into roaring flames.
But it wasn't an ordinary flame.
It burned so intensely that it glowed white-hot within the red.
Like a falling meteor, he delivered a kick carrying heat capable of melting steel.
The four terrifying attacks converged before the Going Merry, forming a storm of destruction.
"BOOOOOOM—!!!"
In that instant, it felt as if mountains collapsed and the earth shattered.
The giant goldfish's upper jaw and throat—thick as fortress walls—were as fragile as paper before that power.
Luffy's colossal fists shattered its teeth.
Ronan's staff force crushed its bones.
Zoro's slash tore open its muscles.
Sanji's flames burned straight through its flesh.
There was no stalemate—only overwhelming destruction.
"RIP—!!"
With a nauseating tearing sound, the enormous body of the goldfish was blasted through, leaving a massive hole punched straight through it.
The shockwave continued forward, bursting out of the creature's tail and sending a pillar of blood shooting into the sky, dyeing the sea behind them crimson.
"Splash—"
Blood rained down like a waterfall.
Carried by the reverse airflow from the explosion, the Going Merry was enveloped in a relatively calm eye of the storm.
Like a bullet, the ship shot straight through the freshly opened tunnel of flesh inside the giant fish.
Darkness lasted only a few seconds.
Then the light returned.
The Going Merry burst out from the goldfish's body and returned to the vast blue ocean.
Behind them, the island-sized monster let out a shrill, dying cry.
Then its massive body collapsed into the sea, raising enormous waves before slowly sinking into the depths.
Sunlight poured down onto the deck once more, washing away the gloom and blood.
"We… we survived…"
Nami released the helm weakly and collapsed to the deck, tears streaming uncontrollably from her eyes.
What had just happened was more insane than any nightmare—and more incredible than any legend.
"Unbelievable…"
Vivi covered her mouth as she stared at the four figures standing at the bow, their backs bathed in sunlight.
Though traces of blood stained their bodies, in Vivi's eyes those marks looked like shining medals.
"Waaah! I thought we were going to die! Luffy, you guys are amazing!!"
Usopp clung to the mast and cried loudly—this time out of pure relief.
At the bow of the ship—
Luffy's enormous body rapidly shrank like a deflating balloon, returning to his usual two-meter height as steam poured off his body.
He wiped his nose and grinned.
"Hehe! That was Gear Second! Pretty awesome, right?"
"Gear Second…"
Ronan placed the ebony staff aside and smiled faintly as he looked at Luffy's excited face.
In this timeline, Gear Second was no longer the life-draining blood-pumping technique.
Instead, it was a massive physical release built upon the Indestructible Vajra Body—developed through inner energy and the power of the Rubber Fruit.
A transformation far more fitting for a monster.
Zoro flicked the blood from his blade and sheathed it, his eyes clear and satisfied.
"Feels good. If I can cut through meat that thick, my swordsmanship has improved again."
Sanji extinguished the flames on his leg and gracefully brushed dust from his trousers.
"The heat was just right. Though next time, I'd prefer kicking something a little more refined."
The four of them exchanged smiles, standing shoulder to shoulder at the bow as the sea wind fluttered their clothes.
…
The first half of the Grand Line—a sea filled with unknown wonders—was showing its rare gentle side.
The sky was perfectly clear, without a single cloud. Sunlight scattered across the ocean's surface, sparkling like countless fragments of diamonds.
Carried by steady trade winds, the Going Merry sailed toward the unknown horizon.
In one corner of the deck, Usopp lay sprawled on the floor in the shape of a starfish, his chest rising and falling violently as sweat pooled beneath him.
"Ha… ha… I'm… alive again…"
Usopp raised his trembling arm and looked at his biceps.
No longer skin and bones, his arm now showed clear lines of muscle.
A look of disbelief and joy flashed in his eyes.
Although bruises from Sanji's "devil training" (which was basically one-sided beatings) still remained on his body, he could clearly feel a resilient strength surging beneath his skin.
It was the sign that the **second stage of the Thirteen Guardians Horizontal Training—Bronze Skin and Iron Bones—**had begun to take form.
The current Usopp was still far from monsters like Ronan and the others.
But he had completely left behind the frail, cowardly long-nosed man who used to tremble at the sight of enemies.
His skin had grown darker and tighter, and a warrior's confidence now shone faintly in his eyes.
"Elbaf…"
Usopp gazed toward the distant horizon where the sea met the sky, recalling the stories Luffy had told about the giants of Little Garden.
"If only I hadn't gotten that 'I-can't-set-foot-on-the-island disease' back then…"
He clenched his fists, his heart filled with regret and longing.
"True giant warriors… heroes who fought for honor for a hundred years… and I missed the chance to meet them."
"Someday, I'll definitely go to Elbaf—to the village of warriors!"
Meanwhile, an even more astonishing scene was unfolding in the center of the deck.
Ronan, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji.
The four of them sat cross-legged in a circle, like four statues in deep meditation.
"Huu—haa—"
Their breathing was deep and rhythmic, like four massive bellows pumping at the same time, causing the air around the deck to tremble faintly.
With every inhale and exhale, visible white streams of air flowed from their noses and mouths.
These streams did not disperse immediately.
Instead, they coiled around their bodies like small white serpents.
This was the advanced cultivation method of the Thirteen Guardians Horizontal Training—
Vajra Breathing.
After the near-death medicinal bath on Little Garden, the essence blood of ancient dinosaurs and the immense medicinal power of thousand-year herbs had surged through their bodies.
Under Ronan's guidance, that power forcibly opened the Ren and Du meridians within them.
Their inner energy now circulated through a complete Great Heavenly Cycle, endlessly flowing.
At this moment, they had stepped into the highest realm of horizontal body cultivation—
The Indestructible Vajra Body (Initial Stage).
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