"KABOOM!"
A deafening roar echoed through the sky, but the scorch marks left by the flames were quickly repaired by the tree's vitality—unable to ignite at all.
Just how terrifying was this regenerative power?!
The thought flashed through Akainu's mind, but he had no better solution.
Meanwhile, Spandam, standing before Roya, felt cold sweat drenching his forehead.
He had witnessed Akainu's attack—seen it even more clearly than anyone else.
The moment the strike landed, there wasn't even a tremor—not the slightest ripple. It was repaired in the blink of an eye!
Now, his eyes were filled with sheer terror.
Roya wasn't foolish at all—this was pure confidence in his own power!
With that realization, Spandam scrambled backward frantically before suddenly leaping to his feet and sprinting toward the shore.He had to run. This terrifying monster was absolutely not someone he could stop!
Watching Spandam flee in disarray, a flash of disdain flickered in Roya's eyes.
Escape? Where could he possibly escape to?
"Clang!"
Roya drew his Flowing Blade Like Raging Fire, the sword's hum resonating through the air. "All Things in the Universe, Turn to Ashes, Flowing Blade Like Fire!"
As Roya's words fell, Olvia and Robin felt their eyes dazzled by waves of fiery light.
The next moment, towering flames surged into the sky!
Within them was mixed a terrifying Spirit Pressure hundreds, even thousands of times more powerful than before!
To those sensing it, this Spirit Pressure had transformed into something as tangible as Conqueror's Haki!
Roya took a step forward, the ground cracking beneath him. His razor-sharp blade, condensed with terrifying Spirit Pressure, sliced through the air, friction creating explosive sounds as it carved a perfect arc from above.
"First Form of Flowing Blade Like Fire—Sweeping Slash!"
Blade light flashed, Spirit Pressure surged!
The towering flames roared forth!
An enormous slash appeared before Aokiji and Akainu's eyes.
Their pupils constricted sharply. Without hesitation, they unleashed their strongest techniques, attempting to block Roya's attack.
If they couldn't break through his defense, at the very least they had to stop this slash!
Otherwise, the ten warships behind them would surely be reduced to debris!
"Ice Age!"
"Meteor Volcano!"
Not just them—the remaining three vice admirals also gave their all at this moment, striving to aid Aokiji and Akainu.
"Boom!"
Yet even the combined full-power attacks of all the vice admirals were completely devoured upon contact with Roya's flaming slash, serving as fuel to make the flames swell even larger!
"Boom!"
Another deafening explosion as the slash passed through Spandam, who hadn't managed to flee far, and crashed heavily into Aokiji, Akainu, and the other three vice admirals.
Even Akainu, who had eaten the Magma-Magma Fruit, couldn't withstand the extreme heat carried by Roya's slash!
They were all sent flying by Roya's attack. With Roya's supreme control, the flaming slash then directly struck the warships beyond the island.
In an instant, the warships shattered. The flaming slash swept up tens of thousands of tons of seawater, lifting it into the sky before it fell back as torrential rain.
The seawater drenched the island, washing away the smoke and fire.
Now the island returned to its former tranquility and clarity.
Olvia's lips trembled. As one of the few from Ohara who had ventured beyond the island, she felt that Roya was stronger than anyone she had ever seen.
"So... so strong!"
Her eyes gleaming, Olvia felt that Roya at this moment was dazzling beyond measure.
——
On the sea.
Roya's earlier attack had stirred up powerful undercurrents.
Countless warship fragments floated on the water's surface.
Gritting his teeth against the pain, Spandam dragged Aokiji and Akainu onto a wooden plank, his appearance utterly wretched.
"Aokiji! Akainu! You two are nothing but deadweight! You couldn't even defeat one man, couldn't even break his defense—how can you call yourselves Admiral candidates? Utter trash!!!"Spandam was cursing under his breath, but he still desperately dragged the severely injured Aokiji and Akainu along!
Fortunately, Roya's slash earlier had been aimed at Aokiji and Akainu.
Thanks to his quick reflexes, the flames only grazed his back, causing extensive burns.
Unlike Aokiji and Akainu, who were critically injured and unconscious, their abilities and stamina seemed completely sealed in the ocean since they were Devil Fruit users.
If Spandam abandoned them and let them die, his own head would likely be on the line too!
After immense effort, Spandam finally reported the mission's outcome to the Five Elders.
As the head of a special intelligence unit, Spandam had the privilege of direct communication with the Five Elders.
To minimize his own responsibility, Spandam exaggerated Roya's strength to the heavens!
At the same time, he relentlessly shifted blame onto the Marines, filing petty complaints against them.
"Honorable Elders, the Buster Call has failed! My subordinates resisted valiantly but were all killed. The Tree of Omniscience on Ohara suddenly came to life, and the Buster Call was defeated in a single strike by a man wielding flames! Even Vice Admiral Akainu, who ate the Magu Magu no Mi, was injured by those flames!"
"And those Marines—utter incompetents! Cowards, every last one of them! They fought without discipline, collapsed in disarray, and fled like madmen. Their warships were shattered, countless men gravely wounded! Sending such a pathetic force shows how little they valued this Buster Call—this is outright disrespect toward you!"
The implication was clear: the enemy was overwhelmingly strong, but his men fought bravely, while the Marines dragged them down. He pleaded for leniency from the Five Elders.
Listening through the Den Den Mushi, the Five Elders frowned deeply.
They didn't fully believe Spandam's account.
If things were truly as he described, he wouldn't have survived either.
What unsettled them, however, was Spandam's mention of the Tree of Omniscience suddenly coming to life—and those towering flames!
About three days prior, on Hachinosu, similar towering flames had erupted, stealing the Op-Op Fruit.
Both incidents involved a single, overwhelming strike—one that left no room for resistance, only despair.
They were almost certain: the same person was behind both displays of fire.
"Who is this man?! What is his goal?!"
Faced with an unknown, immensely powerful enemy who kept opposing them at every turn, their fury burned fiercely.
But how could they strike when they didn't even know who they were up against?!
BAM!
With a deafening crash, one of the Five Elders—a bald man—smashed the table before him to splinters in his rage.
"I propose we deploy more forces to investigate this man. Our current intel is far too lacking. We don't even know his appearance, abilities, or true motives! As for Ohara, we must suppress all news of the Buster Call's failure!"
The failure of a Buster Call would undoubtedly embolden the lawlessness across the seas. It had to be contained—no word could leak out!One of the Five Elders, the bald one, declared, "Increase the bounty to three billion berries! Anyone providing information will be rewarded with one hundred million berries! Mobilize all intelligence agents across the seas to gather intel on this man while fulfilling their primary missions. I refuse to believe he can escape the World Government's inescapable net!"
"As for Ohara, leave it be for now. But any Oharan found outside the island—slaughter them without exception. Also, investigate thoroughly how the Tree of Omniscience suddenly came back to life! And as for the Marines, it's time for a reshuffle!"
After finalizing their strategy, the Five Elders immediately set their plans into motion.
Meanwhile, news of the failed Buster Call, the mysterious powerhouse's reappearance, and the revival of Ohara's Tree of Omniscience spread like wildfire across the seas...