" Fujitora... don't worry about me..."
"Stop talking nonsense."
Without even turning his Fujitora, Fujitora tapped the ground with his cane again, creating another gravity barrier that blocked Jack's mammoth charge.
"I don't have the habit of letting myself die at the same time."
"But this can't go on."
Fujitora and Ryokugyu exchanged a glance, their eyes simultaneously flashing with the same judgment—
If they keep fighting like this, they'll both die here.
Ryokugyu gritted his teeth and used his last bit of strength to activate his Devil Fruit power.
The Woods-Woods Fruit inside him began to frantically absorb the surrounding nutrients, and his legs finally regained feeling.
He struggled to his feet and patted Fujitora on the shoulder.
"Hold on for a bit."
Fujitora frowned. "What are you going to do?"
"Recover from the injuries."
Ryokugyu's voice was hoarse, and a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes.
"Then—I'll settle the score with that bastard who attacked me."
Before he could finish speaking, Ryokugyu had already turned around and charged towards the Beasts Pirates's camp at the back of the plaza.
He wasn't fast; the wound on his chest from Shusui's stab was still affecting his movements, but his eyes burned with an almost insane ferocity.
Fujitora tried to stop him, but King's attack was already upon him.
He could only grit his teeth and reactivate the gravity field, using a gravity barrier to block Ember's attack.
When Ryokugyu charged in front of the henchmen, the Beasts Pirates hadn't even realized what was happening.
They saw a Marine Admiral charging towards them and instinctively wanted to retaliate—slashing with swords, firing bullets.
But Ryokugyu's body turned into tree bark the moment it came into contact with the attack, and all physical attacks passed right through it.
"A bunch of small fry dares to block my way?"
Ryokugyu grinned and pushed forward with both hands.
Woods-Woods Fruit, the Source of Life Absorption.
Countless sharp tree roots sprouted from his palm, spreading in all directions as if they were alive.
The tree roots pierced the bodies of every henchman with pinpoint accuracy, screams echoing across the square, and blood trickling down the roots, forming dark red streams on the ground.
But something even more terrifying was yet to come.
The tree roots began to draw life energy.
The henchmen's bodies shriveled at a visible rate, their skin lost its luster, their muscles atrophied, and their eye sockets sunken.
Meanwhile, Ryokugyu's injuries are healing at an astonishing rate.
The wound on his chest, inflicted by Shusui, healed in just a few breaths, with new skin covering the wound without leaving a single scar.
It has been restored to its original state.
Ryokugyu straightened up and stretched his shoulders.
I can no longer feel any pain from the wound in my chest, and my internal strength is even greater than before I was injured.
The life energy that was absorbed was transformed into the purest life force within his body, pushing him back to his peak condition.
"I'm fully charged again!"
Ryokugyu laughed loudly, his long, thin face filled with arrogance.
He turned to look at Roy, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Sengoku in the air, a hint of vengeful pleasure flashing in his eyes.
"How dare you ambush me—I'll show you what it's like to be ambushed!"
He pushed off with his feet, and his whole body shot towards Roy's back like a cannonball.
The power of the Woods-Woods Fruit condensed in his palm, his five fingers transforming into five sharp wooden spikes, each spike wreathed in the dark luster of Armament Haki.
He was seriously injured in a sneak attack by Roy on the battlefield, and now he's going to repay Roy in the same way—
They pierced his body from behind and then drained all his life force with their Life Absorption.
This thought made the smile on Ryokugyu's face even more sinister.
On the ground, Jin tried to intercept, but Fujitora's gravity field suddenly expanded, pressing him down firmly.
The other Beasts Pirates were also Gravity Field: Suppression and unable to take off to provide support.
Everyone saw the Ryokugyu's attack, but no one could stop it.
Roy's Observation Haki detected Ryokugyu's intentions before he even made a move.
"Act recklessly."
Roy didn't turn around.
With a swift slash, Black Blade Shusui, its blade wreathed in a dark mist reminiscent of the Dark-Dark Fruit.
The black mist gleamed eerily in the moonlight, like a black hole capable of swallowing everything.
When Sengoku saw the black mist, his expression changed drastically.
He instinctively sensed the danger of the black mist, but the Buddha's palm had already been struck out, and there was no time to retract it.
The Buddha's palm touched the black mist.
The moment they made contact, Sengoku felt that familiar power within him vanish abruptly.
The power of the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu completely lost its effect at this moment; his golden Buddha light extinguished completely.
The miniature Buddha figure melted away as quickly as a snowman in the sunlight.
Having suddenly lost the boost from the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Daibutsu, he could only rely on pure Armament Haki to withstand the attack.
The blade struck the Buddha's palm, creating a shockwave that sent Sengoku staggering backward, carving two deep furrows in the ground.
With a single Sengoku, Roy forced Sengoku back, then disappeared into the void without looking back.
The Ryokugyu's spikes missed their mark.
The sharp wooden spikes pierced through the spot where Roy had just been standing, striking only a dissipating wisp of black mist.
A look of astonishment flashed across Ryokugyu's eyes—he had clearly used his Observation Haki to pinpoint Roy's location, but just a moment ago, Roy's presence had completely vanished.
"Your Observation Haki is quite good."
A cold voice came from behind Ryokugyu.
Roy ambushed him from behind again.
Ryokugyu instinctively tried to turn around, but it was too late.
He saw a hand shrouded in black mist reaching out to grab him.
" Dark Water."
Roy's voice was like the whisper of death.
The black mist gripped Ryokugyu's shoulder.
The moment they made contact, Ryokugyu was horrified to discover that his Woods-Woods Fruit ability had lost connection and vanished completely.
No.
It didn't disappear.
He could feel the Devil Fruit power within him still existing, but that power felt like it was trapped in an airtight cage, completely unusable.
He tried to struggle.
But his physical skills and physique were utterly insignificant compared to Roy's.
Without the added advantage of the Woods-Woods Fruit, he was merely a martial arts expert with decent physical abilities.
Roy's strength, speed, and reaction time were all superior to his.
Roy grabbed Ryokugyu's shoulder with one hand and lifted him into the air.
Black mist surged from his palm, enveloping Ryokugyu entirely.
"You think you can make up for the difference in strength by taking a few dozen lives?"
Roy's voice wasn't loud, but every word pierced Ryokugyu's heart like a knife.
" The Woods-Woods Fruit can indeed help you recover continuously."
But the prerequisite for recovery is that you can access life energy.
The black fog grew thicker and thicker, completely engulfing the figure of the Ryokugyu.
"Compared to the Dark-Dark Fruit, your Woods-Woods Fruit is nothing more than a toy with its batteries removed."
Roy's eyes narrowed, and a massive amount of mental energy surged forth as if it were tangible, heading straight for Ryokugyu's brain.
The Ryokugyu was momentarily stunned by this mental force; his eyes became vacant, and his body went limp like a puppet with its strings cut.
Roy released his grip on Ryokugyu's shoulder and used his Telekinesis to immobilize him in mid-air.
Then he raised his right hand and placed it on the Ryokugyu's head.
The power of the Soul-Soul Fruit is activated.
"Or life?"