Jack stared intensely at the young man before him, an uneasy feeling gnawing at his gut. Something wasn't right.
Even if the strike wasn't fatal, it should've at least left him grimacing in pain. But this kid stood there like nothing had happened.
Quinn saw the scene unfold and burst out laughing.
"Haha! Jack, looks like your move doesn't work on this brat. Let me take a shot!"
King took a deep breath and slowly shook his head.
"Wait... both of you, hold on. This isn't that simple. If I'm not mistaken... this guy is a Devil Fruit user."
Jack furrowed his brow.
"That's unlikely. The ancient Ryuma never ate a fruit..."
Quinn responded coolly, "You're too naïve. Whether this guy is the real Ryuma or not is still up for debate. What makes you trust him so easily?"
As they argued, Ryuma curled a sly smile and lazily waved at them.
"Think whatever you like... I'm leaving. You three keep bickering—have fun."
With that, Ryuma's body suddenly transformed into a swarm of bats that scattered into the sky.
The three stood frozen in place, failing to realize the gravity of the situation.
"What... what the hell is going on?" Jack's expression darkened. "If I'm not mistaken, that's Moria's technique! How does this guy have his powers?!"
"Could it be... he absorbed Moria's fruit?" Quinn muttered, eyes narrowing. "If he really did take in Moria's Shadow-Shadow Fruit... this is bad. Very bad. We have to capture him! Maybe there's a secret behind how he's absorbing powers!"
With that, all three of them locked onto the direction the bats were flying and gave immediate chase. But they had no idea what Ryuma's real intentions were.
High above, Ryuma looked down and smirked coldly.
"Hook, line, and sinker... dumbasses," he thought.
He flew for a good while, watching as the three behind him activated their Devil Fruit powers in full.
"Damn... Looks like they're getting serious now," Ryuma muttered, nerves tightening.
Facing one of them was already a challenge. But all three? That was a gap he simply couldn't bridge.
And then—dead end.
Ryuma's swarm of bats reformed back into his human shape at the end of a narrow alleyway.
"Well, well," King said as he landed, eyes narrowing, "You actually devoured Moria's power? Why don't you tell me how you absorbed a Devil Fruit? Who knows... maybe I'll even put in a good word for you with Lord Kaido. Hmph."
Ryuma met King's cold stare without flinching.
"No need," he said coolly. "I'm not interested in your help. You should be more worried about your own situation."
King chuckled darkly. "Oh? I think I'm in a fine situation. You, however... are about to die."
Jack stepped forward, brandishing his curved blade.
"You're ridiculous," he growled. "Still spouting nonsense when you're already cornered. Might as well kill you now."
His blade gleamed as it became coated in Armament Haki.
The two slowly closed in on Ryuma—yet Quinn seemed oddly distracted, lost in thought.
"What are you spacing out for, you big oaf?" King snapped.
Suddenly, Quinn shuddered and looked at the two with alarm.
"Wait… we might've just walked right into a trap."
Jack frowned, confused. "What are you talking about? We've got him. Where's the trap?"
Quinn's voice dropped low and serious.
"I just realized... there's something worse than letting Ryuma escape."
His tone and expression sent a ripple of unease through the group.
After a moment's pause, all three of them suddenly understood. Their faces shifted—and in an instant, they reverted to human form and sprinted back toward the prison.
Watching them flee, Ryuma clapped slowly and mockingly.
"Took you long enough. Don't you think it's a bit late to be realizing that now?"
With that, he sat down in the grass, pulled out a sake flask from his waist, and took a slow, satisfied sip.
"Fools... even if you return to Kaido, he'll never forgive you. I wonder where you'll run to then…"
With a cold snort, Ryuma leaned back onto a haystack, one leg crossed over the other, humming an old Wano folk song.
One day later...
"Damn it! I'm gonna lose it! That bastard let every prisoner in Wano escape!!" Quinn roared, his entire body trembling. He looked like he might collapse at any moment.
King, by contrast, seemed strangely calm, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"Relax. We'll just report everything to Lord Kaido truthfully. I doubt he'll actually kill us."
Clearly, he believed no one understood Kaido better than he did.
Jack shook his head lightly and said, "I wouldn't be so sure. You probably don't know... the Captain's been in a pretty bad mood lately. Maybe we shouldn't go to him just yet. Let's think of another way."
"What other way is there?" Quinn retorted. "At this point, fixing the mess is the only option left. Enough talk—let's just go."
The three exchanged uncertain glances. Their faces were filled with dread, but there was no alternative. With heavy steps, they reluctantly turned toward Kaido's location.
Meanwhile…
Kaido lounged lazily in his massive chair, slouched as if he could barely be bothered to sit upright. His gaze bore straight into the three men standing before him, filled with mocking amusement.
He didn't even seem angry—just... entertained. Like he didn't take them seriously in the slightest.
With a cold snort, he chuckled and shook his head.
"So, what you're telling me... is that the whole operation fell apart. Is that it?"
Quinn took a deep breath, his face pale.
"We... we deeply apologize, Captain. The prisoners of Wano—they were all... lost because of us..."