"Captain Hina, you wouldn't want to let..."
"Don't even say it!"
"Captain Hina, surrender!" Ryuuto said calmly, holding the black blade Yubashiri as he faced the cool beauty before him.
Black lightning snaked across Yubashiri's blade, occasionally sparking with dark embers. The usual calm on Hina's face was replaced by a look of grave seriousness.
"Hina is very angry..." Hina clenched her fists, looking as if she were about to lunge forward. But sensing the dangerous aura emanating from Yubashiri, she finally relaxed her grip and slowly raised her hands.
Meanwhile, Tashigi, despite using all her strength, was unable to block Ryuuto's slash. With a cry of alarm, she was sent flying backward by the immense force. She didn't stop until she slammed into a city wall, where she finally fell unconscious.
"Captain Hina! No!"
"Sergeant Major Tashigi!"
The Marines cried out in despair, their rifles swiveling to aim squarely at Ryuuto.
"You bastard! Let Captain Hina go!"
"Let her go or I'll shoot!" Jango, in particular, shouted at Ryuuto, his face twisted with rage.
"See? I told you! These Marines are no match for our captain!" Nami said smugly to Vivi, her hands on her hips as she stood on the city wall.
"Mhm," Vivi agreed, nodding in relief.
"As expected of Captain Ryuuto!" Cobra and Igaram whispered to each other, peeking over the edge of the wall with comical, fawning expressions.
Crocus had already covered his face with a newspaper and was letting out soft snores, clearly having fallen asleep.
"Vice Admiral Garp, please hurry over!" a young Marine's voice called from a distance.
The young Marine was accompanying Garp, who wore his signature dog-head hood. The Vice Admiral was walking along while munching on a donut, a massive pile of them cradled in his other arm.
"Gahahahaha! No need to rush!" Garp said casually, his mouth full as he downed another donut in a single bite.
It turned out that Garp had been in the vicinity. Upon hearing the news from Marine Headquarters that Ryuuto had defeated Crocodile, he had personally requested to come to Alabasta. On the way, he ran into Smoker and Hina, and learning they were also headed for Alabasta, he boarded their ship and came along.
Garp ambled forward, his figure slowly coming into everyone's view.
"It's Vice Admiral Garp!" the Marines cheered, their eyes turning excitedly toward the approaching figure.
"Hina is relieved," Hina said with a smile upon seeing Garp arrive.
"So that's where this bad feeling was coming from," Ryuuto thought, his expression turning grim.
"A Vice Admiral?! You've got to be kidding!" Hearing the man's rank, Nami and Vivi began to panic, running around frantically on the rooftop.
"We're finished!" Cobra and Igaram exclaimed, their faces pale with fright.
"Garp the Hero! So this was your trump card?" Ryuuto glanced at Hina—the cool beauty who was always so composed—and brought the hilt of his sword down on the back of her neck. With a dull thud, Hina collapsed to the ground.
Ryuuto glanced up at the rooftop, then turned his severe gaze back to Garp, his hand tight on Yubashiri's hilt.
"Well now, what's all this? Where are Smoker and Hina?" Garp asked, his 'Justice' coat fluttering as he slowly approached Ryuuto, looking around.
"Are you blind, Vice Admiral Garp?!" the Marine thought, speechless. He wanted to retort but didn't dare offend the donut-loving old man. He could only say, "Captain Smoker and Captain Hina have already been defeated!" The Marine helpfully pointed to where Smoker and Hina lay.
"I see! What a vicious pirate!" Garp said, as if only just now grasping the situation. His expression turned serious, and he tossed the entire pile of donuts to the Marine beside him.
"Vice Admiral Garp is finally here!"
"Vice Admiral, arrest that pirate!" the Marines chattered excitedly.
Looking at this old Marine, a relic from the same era as the Pirate King, Ryuuto felt a surge of excitement. He moved in an instant.
"Garp, take this!"
Yubashiri became a streak of black light, the very air seeming to freeze around it, followed by the sound of something slicing through the air at incredible speed.
"Wind Rend!"
With a sharp cry, Ryuuto appeared directly in front of Garp.
"A fine attack!" Garp laughed, looking at the black blade sparking with dark energy. His coat billowed as he leaped into the air, his right fist hardening with Armament Haki as he threw a punch straight at Yubashiri.
BOOM!
The black blade and the black fist met mid-air with a tremendous crash. Where they clashed, black sparks erupted outward, seeming to warp the very space around them.
"Not bad, kid. No wonder Smoker and Hina lost to you." Garp said, sizing Ryuuto up with curiosity. Feeling the force behind the blade, he couldn't help but put a little more power into his fist.
"So this is the strength of Garp the Hero!" Ryuuto gritted his teeth. Under the pressure of Garp's iron fist, Yubashiri was creaking ominously, clearly nearing its limit.
"Get down!" Garp roared, unleashing a colossal wave of force.
The next thing Ryuuto knew, he was flying backward through the air. If he hadn't held onto Yubashiri for dear life, the sword would have been knocked from his grasp.
"Such powerful Armament Haki!" Ryuuto thought in awe. He plunged Yubashiri into the ground below, using the resistance to halt his momentum. He then flipped over and landed on his feet, facing Garp once more.
"You did well, Ryuuto boy. But as a Marine, I still have to arrest you," Garp stated plainly.
Garp was already aware of everything that had happened in Alabasta. But their allegiances were different. As a Marine, his duty was to capture Ryuuto.
Ryuuto's strength was roughly on par with a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral, but in Garp's eyes, that was still far too weak. He could teach him a lesson any minute with his iron fists.
"Is that so? I was just thinking I'd like to test the Hero's strength myself," Ryuuto said with a light laugh. He hadn't even used his trump card yet. It had been a long time since he'd faced such a powerful opponent, and this was the perfect chance to hone his sword skills.
Ryuuto pictured the Lightning Arts Trial Card in his inventory and silently commanded in his mind:
"Use!"
Instantly, a bolt of lightning materialized from thin air and shot into Ryuuto's body.
He was flooded with an immeasurable amount of insight regarding lightning. In the span of a single breath, Ryuuto felt as if he had become intimately familiar with the Lightning Arts.
A new skill appeared in his status:
[Lightning Arts: Novice]