"Clap!"
Ryūjin Uchiha brought his palms together, leaving behind a Wood Clone aboard the ship. With a single thought, his true body rose into the air.
Following Karas into the sky, he quickly disappeared beyond the horizon.
"Ryūjin can actually fly!"
Karas glanced back while leading the way and could not help feeling shocked.
He had assumed Ryūjin would follow by ship, but instead, the man simply took to the skies and followed him directly.
Ryūjin truly lived up to his reputation.
The two traveled at incredible speed.
Several hours later, they arrived at an unknown island and landed outside an ordinary-looking building.
Standing at the entrance was a man with a footprint-shaped mark on his face.
Without question, he was the reason for Ryūjin's visit.
The leader of the Revolutionary Army.
Dragon.
"Ryūjin, I've heard about you for a long time. Today, I finally get to meet you in person."
As soon as Ryūjin landed, Dragon stepped forward enthusiastically.
"Dragon, I've heard plenty about you too."
Ryūjin replied with a smile.
The two exchanged a few polite words, creating a surprisingly friendly atmosphere.
"Ryūjin, please come inside."
After the brief greeting, Dragon extended an invitation.
Ryūjin shrugged.
"No rush. Let's fight first. We can talk afterward."
Karas, standing nearby, immediately changed expression.
Dragon, however, remained composed.
Ever since Ryūjin had risen to fame, he had challenged powerful opponents everywhere. He had not even spared his own son, Luffy.
Clearly, this was someone who enjoyed fighting.
More importantly, Dragon sensed no hostility from him.
"I'd like to experience your strength as well, Ryūjin."
Dragon smiled.
"We're not fighting here. Let's find another place."
Ryūjin's Observation Haki instantly swept across the entire island.
Moments later, he found a deserted location.
Whoosh!
Ryūjin shot into the sky.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dragon's body transformed into a raging hurricane and followed immediately behind him.
Seeing this, Ryūjin's eyes brightened.
For a long time, he had only speculated about Dragon's ability.
Now he finally had confirmation.
Dragon truly possessed a Logia-type Wind attribute Devil Fruit.
It matched perfectly with Wind Release Chakra.
Karas transformed into a flock of crows and followed after them.
In the blink of an eye, the three arrived at an uninhabited beach.
"Let's begin, Dragon."
Ryūjin stood with his hands in his pockets, looking at Dragon with anticipation.
"Then I won't hold back."
Dragon wasted no time.
With a casual wave of his hand, a razor-sharp wind blade shot toward Ryūjin.
Unlike the hurricane Dragon had used in Loguetown, this attack was far more dangerous.
The previous wind had only blown people away.
This one carried countless invisible blades.
Everything in its path was shredded into dust.
Dragon truly deserved his reputation as the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
"Shinra Tensei."
The Rinnegan appeared in Ryūjin's eyes.
He raised a hand and released a powerful repulsive force.
Boom!
Dragon's wind blade shattered instantly.
"So it's not an energy attack."
Ryūjin narrowed his eyes.
"It's direct control over the air itself."
After this brief exchange, he understood Dragon's ability more clearly.
Unlike Kaido's Bad Wind, Dragon's attacks were not composed of energy.
Instead, he compressed the atmosphere into countless high-pressure air streams before combining them into devastating storms.
The result was equivalent to countless blades striking simultaneously.
Perhaps even stronger.
"If that's the case, then his elementalization is turning into air itself."
Ryūjin clicked his tongue inwardly.
That ability was absurd.
"Clap!"
Ryūjin brought his hands together.
"Magnet Release: Gold Dust Shigure!"
A massive amount of golden sand erupted from the ground.
Thousands of needle-like projectiles formed instantly and rained toward Dragon.
"What a beautiful attack."
Dragon praised sincerely.
Yet he barely moved.
The countless golden needles struck his body.
Then passed straight through him.
Not a single one caused damage.
They buried themselves in the ground behind him instead.
Through Observation Haki, Ryūjin clearly saw what happened.
Dragon had transformed the impacted portions of his body into air.
His elementalization truly was turning into air itself.
An ability that bordered on cheating.
Air existed everywhere.
Killing someone like Dragon would be extraordinarily difficult.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Dragon transformed into a hurricane and effortlessly escaped the remainder of the attack.
At the same time, he manipulated the atmosphere above Ryūjin.
Water vapor and charged particles rapidly gathered together.
Dark thunderclouds formed overhead.
As soon as Dragon left the attack range, he activated the charged particles.
Crack!
A massive bolt of lightning descended from the sky.
Ryūjin glanced upward.
Without any urgency, he raised a hand and activated the Deva Path's power.
The lightning disappeared completely.
Absorbed.
"He absorbed it all..."
Dragon's pupils contracted.
Lightning was among the most destructive powers in the world.
Even top-tier fighters treated it cautiously.
Yet Ryūjin had devoured it outright.
At that moment, Dragon felt fortunate.
Thankfully, Ryūjin was not the Revolutionary Army's enemy.
Otherwise, he would be a nightmare beyond imagination.
"If wind and lightning are all you've got, Dragon, then you're going to lose."
After absorbing the lightning, Ryūjin spoke casually.
"Don't underestimate me, Ryūjin."
Dragon smiled.
Then both hands swept forward.
Whoosh!
A terrifying hurricane erupted.
The force was so overwhelming that enormous tsunamis rose from the surrounding sea.
Towering waves hundreds of meters high surged upward.
The ground between the two men was ripped apart.
A gigantic crater dozens of meters deep appeared instantly.
Everything else was pulverized.
"Worthy of the Revolutionary Army's leader."
Ryūjin's eyes filled with admiration.
Dragon was genuinely powerful.
At minimum, he was no weaker than a Marine Admiral.
At that moment, Ryūjin's pupils changed once again.
Kamui Sharingan.
The raging hurricane passed directly through him.
It had no effect whatsoever.
Dragon frowned.
"His body became intangible?"
He could tell Ryūjin was not using elementalization.
But he could not understand what technique this was.
"Not good!"
Dragon's expression suddenly changed.
Crack!
The earth behind him exploded.
A second Ryūjin emerged from underground.
His fist was coated in Armament Haki as it smashed toward Dragon.
A Shadow Clone.
Dragon immediately abandoned any thought of relying on elementalization.
He attempted to dodge and counterattack.
Unfortunately, everything happened too quickly.
Bang!
The Shadow Clone's fist slammed into Dragon's chest.
Dragon's body shook violently before being blasted backward.
"The Leader was pushed back so quickly..."
Karas's pupils shrank.
As a senior Revolutionary Army officer, he knew Dragon's strength better than most.
Dragon was undoubtedly a powerhouse comparable to an Admiral.
Yet even he had been suppressed in such a short period.
The rumors about Ryūjin were clearly true.
"So this is the man who captured the Three Admirals and defeated the Fleet Admiral."
Karas silently marveled.
Whoosh!
As Dragon was sent flying, Ryūjin himself charged forward.
Against a Logia user like Dragon, complicated techniques were unnecessary.
Close-range Haki combat remained the most effective solution.
Dragon was far from weak.
Even while losing balance, he stretched out a hand.
A massive tornado swept toward Ryūjin.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Everything in its path was torn apart.
The surrounding terrain fractured endlessly.
Countless rocks and chunks of earth were ripped from the ground.
Its destructive power was terrifying.
Yet Ryūjin did not slow down.
Kamui remained active.
The tornado passed harmlessly through him.
Ignoring the attack completely, he rushed directly before Dragon.
Another punch shot forward.
Dragon's close combat skills were exceptional as well.
He adjusted instantly and launched a powerful kick.
Bang!
Fist and foot collided.
Normally, the person using their fist would be at a disadvantage.
But this battle was anything but normal.
Ryūjin remained where he stood.
Dragon was blasted backward once more.
"Enough, enough."
Dragon suddenly raised his hand.
"I'm not your opponent. There's no need to continue."
The brief exchange had already revealed the difference between them.
He was nowhere near Ryūjin's level.
At that exact moment, a familiar notification echoed inside Ryūjin's mind.
"Ding! Host has defeated Monkey D. Dragon."
"You may choose one of the following rewards."
"1. Monkey D. Dragon's Wind-Wind Fruit."
"2. Monkey D. Dragon's Conqueror's Haki."
"3. Monkey D. Dragon's Observation Haki."
"4. Monkey D. Dragon's Armament Haki."
There was nothing to think about.
"I choose Monkey D. Dragon's Wind-Wind Fruit."
Ryūjin answered immediately.
"Ding! Reward has been sent to the system space."
The Wind attribute Devil Fruit he had been waiting for had finally arrived.
His mood instantly improved.
If Dragon were not standing right there, he would have absorbed it on the spot.
After the sparring match ended, Dragon moved on to the true reason for the meeting.
He formally invited Ryūjin to join the Revolutionary Army.
"Sorry, Dragon."
Ryūjin shrugged.
"I've got no interest in joining the Revolutionary Army."
The refusal came without hesitation.
Dragon sighed in disappointment, though he was not surprised.
A figure like Ryūjin was never going to fit within the Revolutionary Army's structure.
Afterward, Dragon confirmed the authenticity of Ryūjin's plan to attack Marineford.
He also openly informed Ryūjin that the Revolutionary Army intended to take advantage of the situation and make their move.
Ryūjin could not have cared less.
"Do whatever you want."
That was essentially his attitude.
After chatting a little longer, Ryūjin took his leave.
The first thing he did afterward was enter the Kamui Dimension.
There, he immediately absorbed the newly acquired Wind-Wind Fruit.
The remaining Wind Release Chakra within him underwent complete transformation and sublimation.
Hum!
A terrifying aura erupted from his body.
Even if Ōtsutsuki Kaguya herself stood before him, she would feel pressure from this power.
At that moment, Ryūjin's Super Six Paths plan was finally complete.
He had surpassed the realm of gods.