Even if a strike wasn't lethal, anyone taking a blow like that should at least be grimacing in sheer agony, yet the young samurai stood there as if nothing had happened.
Queen burst out laughing at the sight. "Pfft—haha! Jack, looks like your grand move completely flopped on this kid! Step aside and let a professional handle it!"
King took a slow, deep breath, shaking his head gently. "You two hold your horses... This isn't that simple. If I had to guess, this guy is a Devil Fruit user."
Jack frowned at King's deduction. "That doesn't make sense. The legendary Ryuma never ate a Devil Fruit in his life..."
"Don't be so naive," Queen scoffed coldly. "Whether he's actually Ryuma is still up for debate. Are you seriously taking his word for it?"
While the three spent a moment squabbling, Ryuma's lips curled into a subtle smirk. He raised a hand and gave them a casual wave. "Debate all you want... I'm out of here. Have fun bickering, boys!"
Before they could react, Ryuma's body burst into a swarm of shadowy bats, soaring off into the sky!
The three All-Stars stood frozen in place, initially failing to grasp the gravity of what was happening.
"What on earth?!" Jack's face fell in utter shock. "If I'm not mistaken, that's Gecko Moria's technique! How could this guy use Devil Fruit abilities?!"
"Did he... absorb Moria's ability?" Queen's brows knitted tight. "If he really managed to steal Moria's fruit power, this just became a whole lot more dangerous... We need to catch him alive and wring the secret of fruit absorption out of him!"
Locking their eyes on the trail of bats, all three transformed into their beastly forms and gave chase at full speed!
None of them had any idea what Ryuma was actually pulling off.
Glancing down at the trio pursuing him, Ryuma let out a cold chuckle in mid-air. These three idiots actually fell for it hook, line, and sinker!
After flying for a while, he noticed the trio behind him closing in fast, using their Devil Fruit powers to their full potential.
Uh oh, looks like they're actually getting serious...
Ryuma felt a slight tremor in his heart. Outmaneuvering a single officer was one thing, but dealing with all three Lead Performers at once was an insurmountable wall.
Intentionally guiding his flight path, Ryuma dropped down into a dead-end alleyway. The swarm of shadow bats reconverged, reforming into his physical shape.
"Well, well. You actually devoured Gecko Moria's power," King said, landing in the alley with a cold, unreadable glare. "Spill it—how did you take his ability for yourself? Tell me, and maybe I'll pitch a good word for you in front of Lord Kaidou..."
"Not interested," Ryuma replied casually. "I don't need you to say anything to Kaidou. You'd better spend that energy worrying about your own current situation instead."
King's lips curved upward into a mocking smile. "My situation? My situation is great. The only thing I see is a dead man standing right in front of us."
Jack drew his curved blades, glaring daggers at Ryuma. "You little parasite... Talk is cheap when you're cornered! Since you won't talk, we'll just slice you to pieces!"
Jack coated his scythes in a dense layer of Advanced Armament Haki, stepping forward alongside King to trap Ryuma.
However, Queen stood frozen a few steps behind, not moving an inch to attack. His mind seemed completely elsewhere.
"Hey, fat boy, what are you standing around for?" King snapped, annoyed by Queen's hesitation.
Suddenly, Queen's entire body shuddered. He looked up at the two with wide, horrified eyes. "Oh crap... Guys, did we just walk right into a trap?"
Jack blinked, looking completely lost. "What are you blabbering about? He's trapped in a dead end! How is this a trap?"
"I just realized a crime way worse than letting this brat escape..." Queen stammered out, his voice trembling with sheer dread.
The color drained from Queen's face so fast that King and Jack immediately stopped. They stared at him, confused for a second, before the terrible realization hit them like a lightning bolt!
Abandoning Ryuma entirely, all three reverted to their human forms and bolted back toward Udon Prison as fast as their legs could carry them!
Watching their frantic retreat, Ryuma chuckled softly, clapping his hands together in mock applause. "Man, you three really are slow. Realizing it only now... isn't it a bit too late?"
He casually sat down on a pile of hay, pulling out a small sake flask from his hip and taking a smooth sip.
"You brought this on yourselves... Once Kaidou finds out, there's no way he's letting you off the hook. I'd love to see where you end up running to!"
With a cold snort, Ryuma leaned back on the straw, kicking one leg over the other as he began lazily humming a traditional Wano tune into the afternoon breeze.
A full day later...
"Damn it! I'm gonna explode!" Queen was practically vibrating with terror, his knees buckling under him. "That little bastard freed EVERY SINGLE PRISONER in Udon!"
"Relax. We just report the truth to Lord Kaidou," King said, a faint, unbothered smirk on his face. He acted as though he had zero mental burden, confident in his deep understanding of Kaidou's mindset. "It's not like he's actually going to execute us."
Jack shook his head anxiously. "I wouldn't be so sure... The captain's been in a terrible mood lately. Maybe we should figure out another plan before facing him?"
"What other plan could there possibly be?" Queen groaned. "We don't have a choice. Let me get this over with..."
Trading anxious glances, the three All-Stars dragged their heavy feet toward Kaidou's main hall, their hearts hammering against their ribs.
Inside Onigashima...
Kaidou slumped heavily across his massive throne, staring down at the three Lead Performers kneeling before him. His expression was dangerously unreadable, a mocking smirk playing on his lips as he let out a low, terrifying scoff.
"So..." Kaidou chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "What you're telling me is that the entire operation was a complete disaster, right?"
Queen took a deep, shuddering breath, sweat pouring down his forehead. "Captain Kaidou... we are deeply sorry! The Wano prisoners... they were all..."
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