The crisp sound of clapping suddenly came from the other side.
Both turned to look and saw Ryokugyu draped in the Cloak of Justice, chewing on a stalk of grass, lazily strolling out of the firelight:
"Spectacular, truly spectacular! As expected of Senior Sakazuki, his resolve is indeed incomparable to us latecomers."
"Aramaki."
Aokiji's expression tensed.
Ryokugyu didn't even glance at Aokiji, only looked at Akainu, grinning:
"Although appearing at a time like this might be seen as unsophisticated, I've already gathered all the Explosive Rock, mission accomplished, so we should approximately be leaving here now. Senior, why not let me lend a hand too, make it a quick battle?"
Akainu coldly looked at Aokiji and then surveyed the burning sea of fire surrounding them. After a brief silence, he nodded slightly:
"Let's act together, resolve this quickly."
He did wish to defeat Aokiji thoroughly on his own strength, to crush Aokiji and make him see clearly who was right and who was wrong.
But, as a soldier, he must prioritize the bigger picture!
To ensure the success rate of the mission, such personal disputes could be temporarily set aside.
"Understood~"
Ryokugyu grinned, his left hand suddenly pressing down onto the ground: "Deep Forest Emergence!"
Rumble!
Countless thick vines burst from the earth like bamboo shoots after a rain, instantly turning the land into a green hell.
Most of the vines entwined toward Aokiji like giant pythons, while another part split into sharp wooden spikes stabbing toward the heavily injured Zephyr.
"Despicable!"
Aokiji shouted angrily, his right arm instantly elementalizing, extending an ice blade to slice the incoming vines.
With the other hand, he swiftly flung several ice spikes, accurately intercepting all the wooden spikes aimed at Zephyr, nailing them hard onto the deck.
"Quick reaction, as expected from you, Kuzan, but... despicable? Hahaha, hearing those words from a self-destructive pirate, that's truly laughable!"
Ryokugyu burst into laughter, eyes filled with ridicule, "Hey, you only need to know one thing, today, this is the death of you rebellious scum..."
Swish!
A word "period" had yet to be spoken when suddenly a loud explosion boomed from the sky, and a glaring, dazzling golden light descended from above at unimaginable speed, crashing heavily onto his head.
Thud!
Accompanied by the sound of a watermelon bursting.
The expression on Ryokugyu's face remained arrogant for a brief moment, but the next second, his entire skull was smashed and deformed, brutally driven into his chest cavity.
Blood mixed with brain matter gushed out furiously from within his neck like a fountain!
"Ugh... Ugh?"
Ryokugyu's damaged body wobbled twice, his headless torso still extending his left hand, bewilderedly trying to touch the position of his head but couldn't find anything.
The next moment.
Thud!
Under the stunned gaze of everyone around, the headless corpse known as the Navy Headquarters Grand Admiral Ryokugyu fell to the ground with a thud, completely lifeless.
Dead silence.
The battlefield fell into utter silence.
Even Aokiji and Zephyr had their mouths agape, speechless for a long time.
And Akainu's eye twitched as he deathly stared at the figure suddenly descending from the sky.
This scene, so familiar...
The familiar black cloak, the black hair fluttering in the wind, and—those aloof eyes regarding the world from above, as if looking at garbage!!!
"Shano..."
Akainu almost squeezed these words from between his teeth, shouting with a mix of shock and anger, his expression twisted:
"How is it you! How is it you again... how could you possibly come so quickly!!!!"