Chapter 429: Ryuunosuke vs. Roy!
The two men who should have been locked in the fiercest clash sat cross-legged instead, sipping tea.
If anyone else saw this, they'd be dumbstruck. The Dragon Hunter Pirates and the World Government were sworn enemies, bound by contradictions that could never be resolved. Yet here, their leaders spoke in calm tones, as if old acquaintances sharing a quiet drink.
"Captain Ryuunosuke, that's the gist of it."
Roy's lips curved faintly. "What do you say? Interested in joining us? I've lived in this world for many years now. I don't cling to the same obsessions the others do. Perhaps I've even come to love this world in my own way." His voice carried a note of self-mockery.
Ryuunosuke studied him in silence, gaze sharp. A man like Roy could spin a lie as easily as drawing breath. His words might hold truth—or might be poison dressed as wisdom.
"You're implying that if I refuse, you'll see me as your enemy," Ryuunosuke said, smiling faintly.
Roy shook his head. "Not enemies, necessarily. After all, you've shown no intent to overthrow this world. The World Government's pawns? Idle men. I hardly care for them. We gathered today only to provide cover. But the tides on the sea are rising higher. Even pirate crews like yours… their emergence signals that greater beings are about to descend. We seek only to live. Those others… they intend to strip this world of life."
Ryuunosuke leaned forward. "The Infinity Stones. They're triggers you left behind, aren't they?"
Roy chuckled. "You could think of it that way. But I wasn't the one who left them. Not willingly, at least. They were abandoned—forced from us."
The words sank into Ryuunosuke like stone into deep water.
If Roy was telling the truth, then he too was a Guardian. And the Guardians' true aim wasn't to protect the world, but to erase it—leaving only a handful alive to keep it turning. Their real target was not the people of this world, but an ancient faction known as the Holy Clan.
Ryuunosuke's thoughts drifted to the divine aura within his own holy powers. Could their origin be tied to this clan? He recalled too the hypocrisy of gods in other worlds—the ones who turned blind eyes to human suffering so long as their rule remained unchallenged.
Perhaps, then, Roy's words weren't mere deceit.
Still…
Ryuunosuke rose to his feet, setting down his teacup. "It's not easy to take your word at a time like this. We've finished our tea. What comes next, Roy? Do we fight—or do you retreat?"
Roy sighed, shaking his head. "So you'll still choose to clash with me. Truthfully, if you stood with me, everything would be simpler."
"Since I'm here…" Ryuunosuke's eyes gleamed. "Let's fight."
Roy raised his hand. "Uranus!"
A roar split the heavens as a colossal creature descended, wings blotting out the sun. Its body was that of an ancient dragon, scales glinting with divine light. A crushing aura rolled from its maw.
Ryuunosuke pressed his palm to the frozen sea. "Kun!"
The deep rumbled. Ice shattered as the gargantuan leviathan surged upward, its shadow swallowing the battlefield. Then, one after another, other Sea Kings broke the surface, their monstrous eyes fixed on Roy.
Roy narrowed his gaze. "So you've already mastered the Sea Kings. No wonder. You've found the key. Then why fight for Pluton still? Greed without limit is no different than a snake trying to swallow an elephant."
Behind him, a staff materialized, ancient and carved with runes that pulsed like veins of light. As he gripped it, the same sigils crawled across his skin, his aura flaring violently and scouring away the mist.
The clash of power was so overwhelming that battles in the distance faltered, fighters on both sides pausing to watch.
"That's… the captain of the Dragon Hunters… and one of the World Government's highest powers."
"The aura of the Uranus!"
"And the aura of the Sea King!"
"If I so much as stepped near them, I'd die in an instant."
Murmurs rippled across the battlefield. Even hardened pirates felt their spines chill. The sheer pressure spoke louder than any attack.
Dragon Hunters watched with awe. Other pirate crews, even enemies, couldn't help but stare.
Ryuunosuke's voice cut through the rising storm. "Roy, I'll give you some news. From this day on, the World Government ceases to exist. Since you claim you don't care for that trash, I'll erase them entirely. And another thing—the Uranus… it's Lord Im, isn't it?"
Roy's eyes flickered, but Ryuunosuke's smile only widened. The aura of the Uranus (Heavenly King) was too familiar. Combined with what had happened to Nami and Nojiko, the truth was clear: Im could assume human form.
Roy let out a long breath. "If not for the gulf between our paths, I would've gladly called you a friend. But as an enemy… I can't allow you to live. This is your final chance. Join me, Ryuunosuke."
"I'll have to disappoint you." Ryuunosuke's wings spread wide, shimmering with holy light. "Kun—tear apart Uranus. Roy is mine."
His aura erupted. Telekinesis lanced outward. His Conqueror's Haki shook the air itself. His blade Slash shimmered in one hand, the Yellow Springs Pact blazing in the other.
He launched forward like a falling star.
Roy's eyes burned with equal fire. The patterns on his body ignited, his staff humming with divine force. A warlike smile stretched across his face.
Their clash began—sky splitting, ice quaking, seas roaring. Even before their weapons struck, the lines of fate bent and twisted, threads of possibility snapping under the pressure.
Ryuunosuke's armor fused with the Dragon Hunter legacy, his figure looming like a demon descended to earth. His first strike landed, energy cascading outward in a shockwave that made even distant titans shudder.
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