Jinbei barely managed to open his eyes, staring at the man cloaked in green.
He had believed that even against a true Admiral or Emperor-tier fighter, he could hold his own in the ocean, leveraging its advantage to stall for time.
Yet, this man called "Ryokugyu" hadn't even needed a second move to nail him to the wall.
Feeling his life force ebbing away from his chest, Jinbei's mind… was filled with nothing but resentment.
As the base commander of the "Sea God" branch and the military captain of the Ryugu Kingdom, his defeat would mean the last line of defense protecting the Ryugu Kingdom had been breached.
The prince and princess were still young and certainly couldn't escape from this man's grasp...
Just as Jinbei was about to ignore the piercing wound in his chest and break free from the thick vines, two voices rang out from atop the city walls.
"My, my, what a miserable sight, Jinbei-san."
"Vista, now's not the time for sarcasm toward our allies... If the Ryugu Kingdom falls, we share the blame too."
"Yeah, yeah, the ever-serious 'Diamond' Jozu is so strict these days."
Ryokugyu turned his gaze toward the source of the voices.
Two towering men stood atop the walls—none other than the Third Division Commander "Diamond" Jozu and the Fifth Division Commander "Flower Sword" Vista of the Whitebeard Pirates, currently on rotation at Fish-Man Island.
Seeing the two of them, Jinbei exhaled in relief, feeling slightly more at ease.
Though he didn't believe Jozu and Vista stood a chance against a "monster" like Ryokugyu, the combined efforts of two Whitebeard division commanders should at least buy some time.
After all, both of them were no weaker than him in combat.
"Hmm? I didn't expect the two of you to be so alert. I made sure to be extra careful not to tip anyone off this time..." Ryokugyu said lazily, eyeing Jozu and Vista.
"But it doesn't matter. Since you're here, I'll just take care of you both... The Whitebeard Kingdom—a nation built by pirates, another inferior country that refuses to join the World Government..."
"If you insult just the two of us, we might laugh it off," Vista said slowly, drawing the two rapiers at his waist.
"But if you speak ill of Oyaji and the Whitebeard Kingdom... then this won't end lightly."
"Vista, be careful. This is one of the Marine's infamous vice admirals—Aramaki, known as 'Ryokugyu,'" Jozu said with a frown. "He's not an easy opponent..."
"Ryokugyu? A color plus an animal codename..." Vista chuckled softly before leaping down without hesitation.
"Just because the enemy is strong, does that mean we shouldn't fight?"
"I meant don't be reckless!"
Despite his words, Jozu immediately followed.
As is well known, Oda is obsessed with symmetry—the Yonko crews all have corresponding structures, much like the "Three Disasters" and "Six Flying Officers."
For example, Charlotte Linlin's Three Sweet Commanders naturally correspond to the Three Disasters.
While the Whitebeard Pirates don't have such explicit titles—only numbered division commanders—their strength isn't inferior either.
In the original story, during the Marineford War, the only commanders who truly faced off against admirals and Hawkeye were the First Division Commander "Phoenix" Marco, followed by "Diamond" Jozu and "Flower Sword" Vista.
They fought against Aokiji and Hawkeye, respectively.
Though it was clear that Aokiji and Hawkeye were stronger than these two commanders, they still managed to hold their own for a short time.
Evidently, the "Three Disasters" equivalents in the Whitebeard Pirates were Marco, Jozu, and Vista.
Of course, now Weevil has to be added to that list.
Generally speaking, Jozu and Vista working together should have no match below the level of Yonko or Admiral.
Even against someone like Katakuri or Marco, who are slightly above the level of the Three Disasters as top commanders, a 2v1 situation would guarantee victory…
At most, it would just be a matter of time.
But unfortunately, the man they're facing—Ryokugyu—though currently only a Vice Admiral, is someone who has earned that title and was even able to instantly defeat Jinbei in the water…
He is undoubtedly an opponent of Admiral caliber.
So even though Vista might sound like he's looking down on this foe, he had already made up his mind…
This battle was only meant to buy time.
He hoped this fight could drag on long enough for the royal family of the Ryugu Kingdom—especially that crucial mermaid princess—to escape.
"Why is the Marine suddenly attacking the Ryugu Kingdom? Don't tell me that after declaring independence, you plan to replace the World Government yourselves?"
"The Marine? Just a bunch of soft-hearted fools." Ryokugyu turned around. "Though there are men like Admiral Sakazuki among them, he doesn't have the final say now… So, we've decided to follow our own convictions and let the World Government pass Judgement on you sinners!"
Ryokugyu deliberately avoided mentioning that they had already left the Marine.
His goal was to tarnish the Marine's reputation in the eyes of their supposed "allies."
"I have no interest in the ideological conflicts within your Marine." Vista flicked his two rapiers and charged forward.
"Instead of wasting time with nonsense, why don't you show me the power of a man who's earned both a color and an animal codename?"
Vista moved swiftly, the blades of his rapiers instantly coated in the black-purple hue of Armament Haki.
He held nothing back, immediately unleashing Ryuo in an attempt to maximize his advantage in the first clash.
Ryokugyu glanced up at Vista's direction, and his body began to transform instantly.
Among the Logia types, the Mori Mori no Mi had one of the more peculiar forms.
Though his elementalized body could still be struck by ordinary attacks, he possessed a terrifying vitality unmatched by normal humans.
As long as a single seed remained nearby, he could sprout, bloom, and revive.
In fact, the term "Mori" (Forest) was merely a reference to his form.
Given its nature, it would be more accurate to call it the "Nature Fruit" or the "Life Fruit."
The sharp blades and fierce Ryuo instantly severed two plant tendrils, but countless more surged toward Vista like a tidal wave.
Vista slashed relentlessly—two, four, eight…
After cutting through the seventeenth, the eighteenth tendril blocked his swords.
Feeling the unstoppable force beneath his blades, Vista's expression changed as he shouted at Jozu.
"Help me out, damn it!"
"I know!"
While Vista had charged ahead, Jozu had taken the time to rescue Jinbei from the castle wall and handed him off to his subordinates for emergency treatment, which delayed him slightly.
But…
It wasn't too late.
After a running start, Jozu leaped into the air, his body turning into diamond as he crashed toward Ryokugyu like a bomb.
"Shining Impact!"
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