North Gate: Kuma and Jizō's Battle of Ryuo

On the ruins of West Gate, Huijin sat on the ground, watching Jhin's departing figure. Jhin's steps were swift; although his right arm was severed and his left arm was also covered in wounds, his steps were unwavering. Golden flames danced behind him, like a moving flag amidst the smoke.

Huijin lowered her head, looking at the bandage she had thrown away. The white strip of cloth lay on the gravel, stained with dust and blood. She suddenly felt a coolness on her face—not from the wind, but the first time in twenty years that she felt nothing covering her skin. There was a faint scar on her light brown cheek, left on the lab table, but which had been almost invisible thanks to regeneration.

She reached up and touched her face. Her fingertips touched smooth skin, not the rough texture of the bandage.

"I've hidden it for twenty years..." she whispered, "I'm tired."

North Gate. The square in front of the Animal Pens.

Kuma stood in the center of the plaza, his feet on a cracked stone slab. Opposite him stood Jizō — Giants and Wano Country samurai, over ten meters tall, his body bulging with muscles, his skin covered in a layer of dark red Armament Haki. That wasn't ordinary Armament Haki; it was "Ryuo," a high-level Armament Haki from Wano Country, capable of striking from a distance and penetrating defenses.

The Caimi lay on the edge of the square, three bloody claw marks on his chest, the flesh torn and raw. His men surrounded him, frantically bandaging him. The Caimi's eyes were half-open, staring at the Kuma's back, muttering, "Kuma... can he make it?"

No one answered.

Jizō looked down at the Kuma, hot breath billowing from his nostrils, his voice booming like thunder. "Little guy, you're no match for me. Get out of my way, I won't kill you."

Kuma didn't speak. He raised his right hand, the pad of the Paw-Paw Fruit aimed at Jizō's knee. The pad in his palm was slightly red—a sign that the fruit's power was being activated.

Jizō frowned. "Aren't you afraid of death?"

Kuma remained silent. He took a step forward, his entire body launching like a cannonball towards Jizō's knee. It wasn't running, it was Paw-Paw Repulsion —he used his launching ability on himself, instantly increasing his speed to a level that was difficult for the naked eye to perceive.

Jizō's pupils contracted. He didn't have time to dodge, but he didn't dodge either. He crossed his arms in front of his knees, and the Ryuo condensed into an invisible shield in his palms.

The Kuma slammed its paw into Jizō's palm. The Air Cannon exploded in his palm with a muffled thud. Jizō's body swayed, but he did not retreat. Ryuo deflected most of the shockwave from the Air Cannon, with only a small portion penetrating through, leaving a shallow dent in Jizō's palm.

"Your ability is to repel objects," Jizō said, "But my Ryuo can repel your repulsion."

The Kuma landed and took two steps back. He looked down at his palm—the fleshy pads of his palms were burning hot, with a thin layer of scorch marks on the surface. The recoil from the Ryuo had passed through the ball of Paw and acted directly on his hand.

"Your Armament Haki is very strong," said Kuma.

"Your fruit is also very strong." Jizō his neck, his joints making a "crack" sound, "But you can't beat me."

He took a step forward, and his giant hand slammed down towards the Kuma. The wind from his palm carried Ryuo, and the air was compressed into an invisible shockwave that arrived before his hand.

Kuma dodged to the side. The shockwave grazed his shoulder, tearing a hole in his clothes and leaving a bloody gash on his shoulder—not from a direct contact, but from being injured by Ryuo from a distance. Then Jizō's palm arrived. Kuma Bear raised both hands, and the Paw deflected Jizō's giant palm, but Ryuo's shockwave once again pierced through his defenses and struck his chest.

Kuma staggered back a few steps, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth. He looked down at the bloodstains on his chest, his expression unchanged. Did it hurt? Yes, it did. But he wouldn't show it.

Jizō looked at the blood at the corner of the Kuma's mouth and remained silent for a moment. "Your body is not that of an ordinary person."

"Um."

"Aren't you afraid of pain?"

"I'm afraid, but being afraid is useless."

Jizō remained silent. His gaze changed—not with disdain, but with seriousness. He pulled a massive iron pillar from behind him—not a weapon, but a load-bearing pillar salvaged from the city wall, thicker than his waist, its surface covered with dense, Ryuo.

"This is the weapon I used when I was cultivating in the deep mountains." Jizō raised the iron pillar above his head. "If you can withstand this blow, you've won."

The iron pillar crashed down. Not cleaved, but smashed—accelerated by the Gravity of Ryuo, carrying the power of the Giants, and the will of Jizō's ten years of arduous training.

Kuma didn't dodge. He raised his hands, palms facing the impact surface of the iron pillar. The fleshy pads of the Paw-Paw Fruit spread out in his palms, like two pink balloons, softly catching the iron pillar.

The iron pillar stopped a foot above the Kuma's head.

Kuma's feet sank into the ground, his knees trembling. The weight of the iron pillar, combined with Jizō's power, and the shockwave from Ryuo —a triple pressure acted on his body simultaneously. His arms trembled, the fleshy pads of his palms burned, and the edges began to char.

"How long can you hold out?" Jizō asked.

"Longer than you."

The Kuma took a deep breath, and with a sudden burst of strength, pushed the iron pillar back. Jizō jolted back by his own force, and the iron pillar flew out of his hand, smashing through the fence of the Animal Pens. Dust flew up, and bricks and stones flew everywhere.

Kuma didn't give chase. He stood there, his hands hanging at his sides, the pads of his palms steaming, blood dripping from his fingertips. The bloodstain on his chest had widened, and there was more blood at the corner of his mouth.

Jizō regained his footing and looked at the Kuma. His eyes held astonishment, confusion, and a hint of respect.

"Your fruit can deflect my power. But your body can't withstand it many more times," Jizō said. "Your internal organs are bleeding, your bones are cracking. You can still stand only by willpower."

"Willpower is enough," said Kuma.

Jizō was silent for a moment. Then he smiled—not a mocking smile, but the kind of smile that comes from "finally encountering a worthy opponent."

"Okay. Then I'll use all my strength."

He crouched down, pressing his hands to the ground. Ryuo surged from his palms, covering his entire body—not covering, but permeating. The Ryuo seeped into his muscles, bones, and blood, strengthening his entire body to its limit. His skin turned dark red, and his eyes turned gold, like a colossal beast that had walked out of ancient times.

"Giants - Ryuo Adamantine Body."

The Kuma's pupils contracted slightly. In this state, Jizō was no longer a "big guy"—he was a humanoid weapon, every part of him covered in Ryuo, and every inch of his skin capable of attacking from a distance.

Jizō moved. His speed increased three times compared to before, and his giant paw slammed towards the Kuma. The palm wind, carrying Ryuo, pressed down like a wall. The Kuma couldn't dodge—not because it wasn't fast enough, but because the range of the palm wind was too large, covering the entire plaza.

He deflected part of the shockwave with his Paw, but the rest struck him, sending him flying. The Kuma tumbled through the air, landing on the ground and sliding for over ten meters before coming to a stop. His clothes were torn in several places, and his exposed skin was covered in bloodstains from Ryuo's attacks.

"Your fruit cannot deflect the Ryuo." Jizō walked up to him. "Because Ryuo is not an object, it is Haki. Your Paw cannot deflect Haki."

The Kuma got up from the ground. His knees were trembling, his arms were trembling, but his eyes remained unchanged. He looked at Jizō and remained silent for a moment.

"You're right. My Paw can't bounce off Ryuo," Kuma said, "But I can bounce off myself."

Jizō was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

Kuma didn't answer. He used the Paw-Paw Fruit's projectile ability on himself—not towards Jizō, but towards the city wall at the edge of the plaza. He shot out like a cannonball, crashing into the wall and creating a large crater. Kuma bounced out of the crater and then towards another wall. He continued to bounce around the plaza, his speed increasing and his trajectory becoming more complex, like an unpredictable pinball.

Jizō's Observation Haki caught his trajectory, but couldn't keep up with his speed. It was too fast. The Kuma changed direction three times in mid-air, rushing from a tricky angle to Jizō's back—behind his knees, its Ryuo covering the most vulnerable spot.

He slapped Jizō's back of the knee with his palm.

The Air Cannon exploded behind his knee. Ryuo was shattered for a moment, and then the Kuma's second palm arrived. Three consecutive palms struck the same spot. Jizō one knee, the back of his knee a bloody mess, and Ryuo was completely shattered.

The Kuma didn't stop. He struck the back of Jizō's other knee, delivering the same three-hit combo. Jizō to his knees, unable to stand up again.

"Your Ryuo can't protect your joints." The Kuma landed in front of Jizō, palm slightly open, aimed at Jizō's face. "You surrender."

Jizō his head, panting heavily. His Adamantine Body had been dispelled, and the Ryuo had faded from his body, revealing his original skin. Two wounds behind his knees were bleeding, and he trembled with pain.

"You... are not an ordinary Devil Fruit user." Jizō raised his head, looking at Kuma. "Your Devil Fruit... Awakening?"

"No," Kuma said, "But soon."

Jizō remained silent for a long time. Then he put down the iron pillar in his hand, placed his hands on the ground, and bowed his head.

I surrender.

Kuma withdrew his hand. He turned and walked towards the Caimi. After a few steps, a mouthful of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but he did not stop.

The Caimi scrambled to his feet, staring at the blood-soaked Kuma, his mouth agape for a long time. "You... you won?"

"We won," Kuma said. "North Gate, taken."

Ginny's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, carrying a sense of relief that "it's finally all done": "The North Gate has fallen! Jizō has been captured, Caimi is injured. Kuma... are you still alive?"

"Alive."

Your internal organs are bleeding.

"Know."

"Aren't you going to deal with it?"

"Treat it after you've finished."

Ginny was silent for a moment. "... You're really courting death."

Kuma didn't answer. He walked over to the Caimi, squatted down, and used the Paw-Paw Fruit to suck out the toxins from the wound on the Caimi's chest—not pop it away, but suck it out. Another use of the Paw-Paw Fruit is to eject foreign objects from objects.

The blood flowing from the Caimi's wound turned from black to red. He let out a long breath. "Thanks."

Kuma stood up and looked towards the inner city of the Flower Capital. Purple poisonous mist was seeping out of the windows on the top floor of the Castle. Kaido's laughter could be heard hundreds of meters away.

"Where's Lin Yuan?" Kuma asked.

Ginny said, "In the plaza, we're facing off against the Iron Wall Guard. Kaido has already gone upstairs to fight Orochi."

Kuma was silent for a moment, then walked towards the square. His steps were slow, each step leaving a bloody footprint on the ground.

"Kuma, you can't hit him anymore!" Ginny's voice was strained.

"I won't fight," Kuma said. "I'll go watch."

(End of Chapter 82)