Under the watchful eyes of the entire world, Ryūjin Uchiha and his crew continued their steady, unhurried journey toward the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The news that Demon Eye Ryūjin intended to attack the Holy Land had already circulated for several days. Despite that, Ryūjin Uchiha had offered no confirmation.
At this point, confirmation was unnecessary.
Everyone already believed it.
The atmosphere across the seas shifted.
Pirate activity plummeted to an unprecedented low. Conflicts ceased almost entirely. The world fell into a strange stillness.
All attention was fixed on one thing.
Ryūjin Uchiha.
Everyone understood that what was coming would reshape the balance of the entire world.
Whitebeard, Red Hair, Big Mom, the Supernovas, the Marines, and countless other forces gathered around the outskirts of Mary Geoise.
Yet no battles broke out.
Nothing else mattered now.
Whoosh!
A large bird, several meters in size, descended from the sky and landed on Ryūjin Uchiha's ship. It flapped its wings once before shrinking, transforming into a lively young woman.
It was Nami.
"Ryūjin-san, I can fly! It feels incredible!"
Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she relived the sensation.
During the journey, she had made her choice.
She consumed the Mythical Zoan Phoenix Fruit.
That bird had been her transformed state.
"As long as you're satisfied."
Ryūjin Uchiha gave a small nod.
The Phoenix Fruit had immense potential, but Nami had only just obtained it. She had barely scratched the surface of its power.
At her current level, she might not even defeat Nico Robin, let alone someone like Crocodile.
But given time, she would surpass them both.
As for Ryūjin Uchiha, after Nami made her choice, he absorbed every remaining Devil Fruit without hesitation.
The result matched his expectations.
Individually, most fruits offered little compatibility with his chakra.
But in sheer volume, they still provided a substantial boost.
Compared to when he first arrived in this world, his overall strength had increased fifteenfold.
The Marineford harvest had been more than worthwhile.
"Ryūjin-san, we should reach Mary Geoise in about seven days."
Nami studied the map before reporting.
Ryūjin Uchiha nodded, then stood.
"Crocodile, stop the ship."
Crocodile complied immediately.
"You all stay here."
Without waiting for a response, Ryūjin Uchiha opened a Yomi Hirasaka and stepped through.
His Observation Haki had long since located Mary Geoise. He had been monitoring it for days.
What surprised him was the lack of preparation.
No defenses. No visible response.
That only meant one thing.
Imu believed he could win.
He had something hidden, a trump card powerful enough to justify that confidence.
Ryūjin Uchiha was not concerned.
But he was not careless either.
Better to handle it alone.
A dark spatial gate opened above Mary Geoise.
Ryūjin Uchiha stepped out.
Inside Pangea Castle, Imu rose instantly.
His eyes flashed coldly as he vanished.
Moments later, he appeared atop a massive altar-like platform etched with intricate grooves forming a complex pattern.
At its center stood a dragon-shaped totem.
Imu removed his outer robe and knelt, his expression reverent.
"Supreme God who protects our race, hear your children. Awaken, our god, the Heavenly Dragon."
He sliced his wrist.
Blood flowed onto the totem, then spread through the grooves.
As they filled, a crimson pattern formed.
Once complete, the entire platform began to glow.
The dragon totem shone brightest.
A vast, oppressive aura spread across Mary Geoise.
The sky responded instantly.
Winds howled.
Lightning tore through the clouds.
Ryūjin Uchiha watched, mildly interested.
"So that's your move."
Lightning intensified, converging into streams of energy.
Then it took shape.
A massive dragon, over a thousand meters long, formed in the sky.
"This is Uranus."
There was no mistaking it.
Pluton was a ship. Poseidon was Shirahoshi.
This could only be the third Ancient Weapon.
A faint smile touched his lips.
"So the World Nobles have been sitting on this the whole time."
The Heavenly Dragon coiled through the sky, lightning crackling across its body.
Around Mary Geoise, spectators were left speechless.
"What… is that?"
"They were hiding something like this?"
"Even Ryūjin can't fight that, right?"
Fear spread instantly.
The sheer size and presence of the creature shattered any sense of confidence.
Whitebeard stared, stunned.
"So this is what they've been hiding…"
His reputation meant nothing in front of this.
Marco swallowed hard.
"Pops… he's going to fight that?"
Even the Revolutionary Army was shaken.
Sabo spoke with disbelief.
"Dragon… they had this all along?"
Dragon remained silent, cold sweat running down his back.
If they had ever acted recklessly, they would have been wiped out without knowing how.
"Ryūjin… don't die here."
A thunderous roar echoed across the skies, spreading for hundreds of kilometers.
The world trembled.
The Heavenly Dragon turned toward Ryūjin Uchiha.
Lightning rained down in dense torrents.
Compared to this, ordinary lightning techniques were meaningless.
Ryūjin Uchiha narrowed his eyes.
"Not bad."
A black substance emerged, forming a spherical shield above him.
Truth Seeking Orbs.
The lightning struck, but it was completely blocked.
Before, such power might have broken through.
Now, it did nothing.
Imu's expression twisted.
"Impossible!"
That was Uranus.
And Ryūjin Uchiha stopped it effortlessly.
The Heavenly Dragon roared again, diving toward him.
Ryūjin Uchiha raised his hand.
"Shinra Tensei."
A powerful force erupted.
The massive dragon was sent flying backward.
Imu froze in disbelief.
The surrounding observers were equally stunned.
A creature of that size, repelled like nothing.
Then Ryūjin Uchiha moved.
Several sharp black blades formed from Truth Seeking Orbs shot forward, piercing the dragon's body.
A moment later, they detonated.
Boom!
The explosion shook the heavens.
Even far beyond the battlefield, the tremors could be felt.
When the light faded, the thousand-meter Heavenly Dragon was gone.
Erased completely.