The intricacies of the Water Scroll unfolded within Ryuji's mind, the enlightennt from the Calm Belt's water manipulation techniques resonating vividly through his senses.
One was motionless, the other violent. The Calm Belt and Reverse Mountain were polar opposites—absolute stillness versus uncontrolled fury. Ryuji no longer tried to grasp the currents with conventional water control techniques or forcibly seize control of the ocean's will. Instead, he extended his senses outward, spreading his awareness through the surrounding torrents.
If he couldn't grip the water, then he would let the water reach for him.
In that mont, his Observation Haki sharpened to an unbelievable clarity. It felt as if the world itself was whispering in his ears. Every elent, every stream, every gust of wind and shift of tide... it all spoke to him, revealing secrets only the worthy could hear.
And in that mont—he succeeded.
He grasped the raging ocean current.
"Hold on tight!" Ryuji roared.
He guided the ship's moisture into the torrent, weaving it with the sea's fury. In an instant, a layer of ice ford beneath the hull—an anchor against chaos.
The ship groaned as the violent current slamd into the frozen sheet. But thanks to the perfect angle and his technique, it didn't shatter. Instead, the flow launched them upward—high into the sky, soaring above the imnse body of the killer whale below.
From the sky, Ryuji saw it all. The giant whale, the scars across its hide—it was a majestic, sorrowful sight. But he had no ti for sentint. He quickly splintered the icy shield, forming protective bubbles of water around every crew mber—including himself.
In the next mont, the ship crashed back into the Grand Line.
The landing was rough.
Thanks to Ryuji's water shields, no one was injured, but the ship's interior was a ss. Unsecured crates and barrels went flying, rolling across the deck.
"Haaah… I thought I was dead for sure," Nami gasped, soaked and trembling, already scrambling to check the ship for damage. Robin lay sprawled on the deck, too exhausted to even speak.
Nojiko was in better shape but still clutched her chest in shock.
"That was... sothing else," Ryuji exhaled, flexing his hand in disbelief.
He moved his fingers casually, and the water clinging to the girls' bodies lifted into the air, hovering in an orb before crystallizing into solid ice in his palm.
"I can manipulate ice now?"
He was stunned. Ice manipulation was just an extension of water control—just another state of water—but until now, it had been out of reach.
"Was it the insight from Observation Haki…? Did it catalyze my training?"
Ryuji clenched his fist.
In this world, Observation Haki wasn't just a tool for detecting enemies—it was a key to understanding everything.
That fleeting mont of clarity… that whisper he heard—
"There is no fate... everything is just a choice."
He didn't know who had spoken. But he was certain of what he'd heard.
"Could it be... my Observation Haki is evolving into the Voice of All Things?"
That rare ability—sothing only legends like Gol D. Roger and Luffy possessed—was awakening within him.
Ryuji turned toward the giant whale, the one they called Laboon.
Yes, the story was touching. A faithful creature waiting for its crew. But he didn't care about sentint right now.
They had nearly died.
"You're going to kill it?" Robin asked, softly.
Ryuji unsheathed his sword. "I ca this close to losing everything. You think I care how touching its backstory is?"
"Mmm… it's a Island Whale—still young, not fully grown," Robin offered, casually. "But if you really want to kill it, you probably could."
That confird it: Laboon wasn't so average sea creature. It was dangerous. Deadly.
Fire of the Dragonforce flared from Ryuji's body, wrapping around his sword.
The blade—already cracked and worn from past battles—began to fracture further as the heat intensified. But Ryuji didn't care. He had plenty of replacents. And during their voyage, he'd been forging more.
"This'll be one strike only, Laboon. If you survive—fine. If not…"
Boom— fla surged, mixing with Armant Haki to form dark, molten streaks along the blade's surface. The surrounding mist evaporated. The heat was so intense it scorched the deck beneath him.
Observation Haki locked onto the target.
The pressure in the air thickened. Water boiled. Ryuji's silhouette shimred in waves of rising heat.
Then—he swung.
CRACK— the blade shattered mid-strike, molten shards spraying forward in a blazing arc. The molten tal fused with the flying slash, hurtling toward the whale.
Laboon barely had ti to turn its head.
BANG—! A sound like steel being torn apart rang out, followed by a deafening, anguished cry.
"What the…?"
Ryuji froze.
He'd expected flesh and blood—but instead, his attack had revealed sothing else: tal.
And inside the wound, an old man reading a newspaper stared at him in shock.
"…Right. I forgot."
That guy turned the inside of the whale into a freaking fortress.
"…Not bad, old man."
Ryuji stared at the wound—only about ten ters deep—and felt his mood sour.
His flying slash, which could devastate weaklings, had only carved a shallow dent into a steel-reinforced whale. His direct attacks might've done more, but from this range?
Still, watching the dragonfire burn along the wound, he nodded with grim satisfaction.
"If nothing else… consider it payback."
Ryuji scoffed coldly. He wasn't Luffy. He didn't believe in laughing away grudges with a big goofy smile.
He rembered things very clearly.
"Wow… you've gotten that strong now?" Robin blinked in surprise as she looked at Ryuji. Even from dozens of ters away, to land a slash deep enough to scar Laboon—that was impressive.
"It's impressive, yes," Ryuji admitted, tossing the broken hilt of his sword into his backpack. "But we need to get moving. A wounded beast is far more dangerous than a healthy one."
He stomped down on the deck. The water beneath the ship surged to life, the currents obeying him. The ship accelerated rapidly.
Ryuji could handle danger. But Nami and Nojiko had next to no combat ability. Robin, while smart, wasn't exactly a swimr. If the ship went down, he'd survive—they might not.
Sure enough, just as he had predicted, Laboon let out a deafening, pained wail. Wounded and enraged, the enormous whale thrashed and began charging straight toward their ship, steam rising from the scorched flesh still burning with dragonfire.
Ryuji pulled another cheap sword from his pack, catching his breath and preparing to strike again when—
Two small figures approached rapidly, paddling toward them in a tiny boat.
And then, inside Laboon, an old man pressed sothing on a panel, and the furious creature… stopped.
It just stopped.
"Che. Not chasing?" Ryuji clicked his tongue, clearly disappointed. He knew exactly who that old man was—the ship doctor of Gol D. Roger. Whether he hadn't seen the news of Roger's resurrection or had already seen him was unclear.
But because of that connection, Ryuji would let him off. He'd grant that one favor.
Instead, he turned his attention to the approaching dinghy.
One man dressed like a discount prince, and a woman who looked like an over-energetic party girl. Ryuji imdiately recognized the type.
They were from Baroque Works.
One was a proper mber of the organization. The other—while she had a code na—was a princess in disguise.
Nefertari D. Vivi.
Image (Here)
She was the heir to the kingdom Crocodile had plans to seize. She was here undercover to investigate the unrest tearing her country apart.
As they climbed aboard, Ryuji didn't stop them. He was curious.
And right on cue, Discount Prince leaned forward and spoke.
"Would you be interested in working with us?"
He glanced at everyone, but his eyes were locked on Ryuji.
After all, he had seen Ryuji wound Laboon. That level of power demanded respect. Or fear.
"We can offer you a cut of the profit if you cooperate," he added.
Ryuji smirked and turned to the woman with the too-tight outfit and too-confident eyes.
"I'm not interested in Baroque Works," he said calmly. "You're just errand boys for one of the Seven Warlords. I only let you board because I wanted to see how far the famous Nefertari D. Vivi was willing to go for her country."
He leaned in slightly. "Because let's be honest—Crocodile must seem insurmountable from your perspective, doesn't he?"
The "prince" looked confused, but Vivi… she froze.
How did this man know that?
And her real na?
"Wh-what are you talking about?" she tried to recover.
"Crocodile?! What nonsense!" the fake prince shouted, clearly trying to steer the situation back into the absurd. "We're elite agents of Baroque Works! I'm one of the top mbers!"
He pulled out a shiny bat and struck a ridiculous pose.
"M—!"
WHAM!
Ryuji casually punched him in the face, sending him flying across the deck before he could even finish his code na.
"Yeah, yeah. We know you're an M. But your fetishes don't need to be broadcast, do they?"
Robin smirked. Nami giggled behind a hand. Vivi stared in horror.
Ryuji cracked his knuckles. "So, Princess Vivi. Want to talk now?"
But before he could finish the question—
Vivi jumped back. In a flash, she sprayed herself with perfu, twirled a hoop with thin wires, and began a rhythmic dance that accentuated her curves with calculated precision.
"Sll it! Sll my seductive fragrance—the charming perfu dance!"
A faintly sweet, intoxicating scent slipped into Ryuji's nostrils. His limbs grew numb. His head spun slightly. Her dance shimred with hypnotic patterns. But what caught his attention most…
Her chest.
Sohow, she was bigger than Robin and Nami now?!
No—could it be… the Will of D?!
His eyes widened.
But Ryuji wasn't one to fall into a trap so easily.
Dragonfire surged across his skin, burning the toxin away in a flash. Vivi, still swaying her hips confidently, smiled victoriously.
Until she saw his hand reach out.
And grab the source of the D.
Her eyes went wide in horror.
Ryuji's fingers froze.
His face shifted from teasing to astonishnt.
"No… this isn't just the Will of D…"
He gaped.
"It's already an E…"
Vivi's eyes twitched. "Y-you weren't hypnotized at all?!"
She screeched.
But Ryuji, dead serious, lifted his other hand and grabbed the other E.
Then, with deep conviction, he spoke:
"No way... I was hypnotized?"
Ryuji's expression was so sincere that Vivi hesitated. His eyes were fixated on her chest with such seriousness that she began to doubt herself—was her trick actually working?
"Wait… really?"
She blinked, confused. But Robin and Nami both let out exhausted sighs, while Nojiko leaned against the railing and muttered bluntly:
"You really are scum, Ryuji."
That comnt snapped Vivi back to her senses. With a startled yelp, she leapt backward, dodging Ryuji's hands, and grabbed her partner by the collar, ready to flee.
Sure, her partner had already figured out her real identity—but with his brain? He probably thought it was a joke. She could still salvage this.
But—
"Princess Nefertari D. Vivi," Ryuji called out, his tone turning serious, "aren't you even the slightest bit curious how Crocodile managed to plunge your country into chaos? Or are you still clinging to the idea that the World Governnt will co to save you?"
His words froze her mid-step.
At that mont, Robin closed the magazine in her hand and revealed her face fully to Vivi.
"All... All Sunday?!"
Vivi's entire body tensed. The mont she saw Robin, only one thought shot through her mind—
I've been exposed!
These people… they were here to kill !
"You're unbelievable," Robin sighed, shaking her head. "I figured you were trying sothing bold, but n really don't know how to be gentle with won. Crocodile—he knew her identity and still used her for his own ends. But you?" She glanced at Ryuji. "You were just trying to blackmail a princess."
Then she turned to Vivi and offered a wry smile.
"Relax, Princess Vivi. I've already resigned from Baroque Works. We're not here to kill you."
At this point, Vivi realized she could no longer keep up the charade. If even Baroque Works' vice president had casually outed her, then from the very beginning… her cover had never worked.
Which ant—Crocodile had been playing her all along.
Slowly, she inched toward the edge of the ship. Ryuji and Robin weren't making any threatening moves, but she remained on guard. Still, there was sothing she needed to know.
"Then… what do you want from ?" she asked, voice tight with suspicion.
Ryuji didn't waste a second.
"Give your virginity and be my lover for ten years, and I'll take down Crocodile for you. As for whether I'm one of his n? You can figure that out later... But I'll need a deposit upfront. If you want to deal with Crocodile, you have to give a blowjob. And if I do kill Crocodile, then you'll sleep with —because by then, you should understand it's bad to leave debts unpaid. So... what do you think of these terms?"
Ryuji flashed her a thumbs-up, grinning.
She is a princess, after all. Gotta cut her so slack.
"Ha...?"
Vivi's face went blank. For a mont, she wondered if she'd misheard.
This man—
He wants as paynt?!
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