The moment Souta Kiryuu burst out of the Ark Maxim, he shot straight toward the Grand General's army within the forces of the Land of Mulberry.
"Raaagh!!"
A massive crimson dragon, radiating a terrifying Conqueror's Haki, suddenly appeared. Both sides of pirates on the battlefield froze in terror as their eyes darted skyward.
From the clouds, the overwhelming figure dove down, its very presence so oppressive that even the swords in the pirates' hands quivered under the weight of its Haki.
Even those of mid-to-high strength could not withstand it—rolling their eyes back as they collapsed unconscious. The weaker, trash-level pirates had already long since fallen during the clash of Conqueror's Haki between Chinjao and the other elite users.
"Oh no! It's the Godslayer, Souta Kiryuu, with a bounty of 3 billion berries!!"
"Why is he here?!"
The crimson dragon, infamous across the seas, with enormous bony horns crowning its head, crashed straight into the Land of Mulberry's lines. With a deafening roar, an exaggerated torrent of fiery dragon's breath shot forth, sweeping into the formation of the Grand General's troops.
"Protect the General!!"
The clan leaders of the Mulberry forces drew their great katanas, unleashing slicing waves of sword energy in a desperate attempt to counter the terrifying flame.
"Damn it! How could this guy appear in the West Blue?!"
General Okubo Riki of the Land of Mulberry bellowed in fury. Just as his side had begun gaining the advantage over the Land of Hana, an unforeseen terror had descended.
His body shifted instantly, transforming into a green-skinned beast, while a surge of Conqueror's Haki erupted from him as well.
"Hurry! Call for the Navy!!"
"Tonri Style—Disc Slash!!"
Okubo roared to his men, gripping a massive katana and unleashing a deep green sword aura dozens of meters long against the fiery breath.
But it was pointless. The clan leaders and even Okubo himself had gravely overestimated their power. The sword auras melted like thin ice hurled into a blazing furnace—obliterated in an instant.
"BOOM!!"
A colossal explosion erupted within the Mulberry lines, a mushroom cloud of black smoke rising into the sky.
"General!!"
The soldiers of Mulberry shouted in horror. Could it be that their general was already dead?
"GRAAHH!!"
From within the thick smoke came a blood-curdling cry. Okubo staggered out, his left arm and right leg completely disintegrated, his eyes glowing red. Yet, before the stunned gazes of his men, the stumps of his limbs began rapidly regenerating until they were whole again.
"Yes!! It's General Okubo's River God ability!!"
The troops of Mulberry wept in relief—of course their general wouldn't fall so easily.
"Damn it! I thought it was some mythical zoan… turns out it's just a rotten kappa! What the hell!!"
Souta Kiryuu snarled, clearly unimpressed. Before him stood a grotesque figure with a green turtle shell, frog-like limbs, a beak-like mouth, and messy hair atop its head crowned by a shallow dish of water, giving the appearance of a balding, ugly kappa.
No wonder Zoro used the word "kappa" as an insult for Sanji. In this world, kappas were downright revolting.
"I am the Grand General of the Land of Mulberry, the River God Okubo Riki! Not some filthy kappa!!"
Outraged at Souta's insult, Okubo roared. His hands tightened around the great blade Tonri, now coated entirely in Armament Haki, and he charged directly at the massive dragon.
"Today, I will emulate the Dragon-Slaying Swordsman, Ryuma, and cut down this foul beast!!"
"One-Sword Style—Tonri Dragon Slash!!"
Fully transformed into his kappa beast form, Okubo gripped his blade in both hands and charged without hesitation toward the monstrous dragon.
"Hmph! 'Dragon-slaying'? Ryuma only cut down a flying lizard. Die, you rotten kappa!!"
Souta's slit pupils narrowed, his killing intent surging. Conqueror's Haki wreathed his dragon claws as he punched downward with overwhelming force.
"CLANG!!"
The great katana Tonri, coated in jet-black Armament Haki, snapped apart under Souta's crushing strike. Okubo's eyes widened in terror.
"Your Armament Haki is pathetic! Trash kappa!!"
With a devastating blow to the face, Souta sent Okubo flying thousands of meters, just as Whitebeard had once hammered Kozuki Oden. Blood and shattered teeth rained through the sky as the General's body was mangled, half his form torn apart by the explosive clash of Conqueror's Haki.
"Hm? He can still stand?"
Souta landed in half-dragon form, raising an eyebrow as he watched the mangled General rise again. It seemed this mythical zoan ability had some true merit after all.
"Haah… Haah…"
Okubo panted heavily, horror in his eyes as he faced Souta Kiryuu. So this was the power of a man worth 3 billion berries. Just his body and Haki alone had broken his great blade—what kind of monster was this?!
"I heard that as long as the water in a kappa's dish doesn't dry out, your body and limbs will always regenerate. Then I'll make sure you never get the chance again!"
Souta grinned ferociously, his aura flaring as he charged the staggering Okubo once more.
"Protect the General!!"
The Mulberry clan elites rushed forward again to shield their leader.
"Ants should learn their place!"
"One Hundred Million Volts—Tenfold Thunder Beasts!!"
A proud voice rang out, accompanied by the beating of drums. Ten massive beasts of living lightning surged forth, annihilating the Mulberry clan warriors in a flash.
"It's the Thunder God, Enel, with a bounty of 1 billion berries!!"
The Mulberry soldiers fell into despair. How had they provoked the nightmare known as Souta Kiryuu's crew?
"Eheheheh!! Samurai! So many samurai corpses—become my zombie army!!"
Gecko Moria unleashed a storm of shadow bats, descending like a black cloud to drown Mulberry's elite pirates.
"Men!! Kill them! Plunder everything!!"
Capone Bege's body transformed, spewing forth a wave of mafia soldiers and lunar mechanical troops who opened fire wildly, mowing down Mulberry's soldiers and seizing their weapons.
These weapons, crafted in the factories of Doflamingo and even Kaido's Beast Pirates, were of exceptional quality. It was one of the key reasons Mulberry had been able to suppress the Land of Hana.
"Charge!! Anyone with a bounty is mine!!"
Jewelry Bonney, clad in Vegapunk's memory-metal battle suit, recklessly charged into the ranks of the Happo Navy. There she collided with Holisa, daughter of the Happo Navy's leader—an enormous, burly blonde woman, even more muscular than Lao G himself.
"BOOM!!"
Even with her battle suit, Bonney was smashed back by a single haki-filled Happo Impact Fist, sent crashing into the earth and carving a massive crater.
"Where'd this little girl come from?!"
Holisa's voice boomed like a man's, her glare fierce as she stared down at the intruder.
"She's strong!!"
Bonney dragged herself out of the rubble, shaking off the pain in her fists, her face turning grim.
"Hohoho~ Bonney, don't underestimate that woman. She's a candidate pillar of the Happo Navy, stronger than Lao G with a bounty of 210 million. Hers is even higher—222 million!!"
The demon sheriff of the West Blue, Lafitte, chuckled knowingly. Even he, once a lawman, held deep caution toward these violent warriors of the Land of Hana, masters of Happo martial arts and both forms of Haki.