Blinding Buddha light exploded across the sky, roaring like a collapsing firmament.
Even the surrounding vice admirals and commanders instinctively slowed their attacks, unable to stop themselves from glancing toward the center of the clash.
At that moment—
Sengoku, transformed into a towering golden Buddha, radiated even greater pressure than before.
Behind him, endless golden radiance condensed into layered halos, forming something like a massive gilded lotus blooming in the heavens.
"Buddha's Judgment!"
His voice thundered across the battlefield.
Fist-sized orbs of concentrated Buddha light began raining down toward Romu below.
Romu stood at the epicenter of the storm.
Instead of fear—
His blood boiled.
The corners of his lips lifted.
"Hah!"
Both Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki flared at once, wrapping around his body in dark-red lightning. His skin gleamed with a metallic sheen.
Below him, the wooden giant turned pitch-black as Armament Haki coated its entire form.
"Gotta thank you, Sengoku."
"Such a good sparring partner—and you don't even charge."
The wooden colossus bent its right leg—
Then leapt.
It shot skyward like a cannonball, splitting the air with thunder.
The wooden dragon coiled around its arm gave a sharp cry, spitting out bursts of orange energy that shattered dozens of Buddha-light orbs instantly.
The giant itself was even more ferocious.
It opened its abyss-like mouth and fired a blazing orange beam upward, carving a vacuum through the descending light.
Then its mountain-sized palms began sweeping back and forth.
Each swing scattered ten or more golden orbs.
Several times, the wooden giant and dragon were blown apart—
And several times, Romu reconstructed them almost instantly.
Meanwhile, Romu himself remained wrapped in crackling Haki, punching aside any Buddha light that slipped through.
Explosions rained across the battlefield.
The deflected golden orbs smashed into the ground, turning a radius of hundreds of meters into a hellscape. Marines and pirates alike abandoned their duels, scrambling to avoid annihilation.
Watching Romu tear through his ultimate attack, Sengoku's golden pupils trembled.
"Monster… a true monster."
Even in Buddha form, cold sweat formed on his forehead.
At the beginning of the battle, Sengoku had judged Romu strong—but not beyond his level.
Now?
The longer they fought, the more unsettled he became.
Because Romu's recovery was absurd.
From the start, neither of them had tested the waters. They had gone straight for maximum-output techniques.
Buddha Giant Fist.
Buddha Shockwave.
Now Buddha's Judgment.
Each one was extremely taxing.
Romu's techniques were no lighter.
The wooden giant and dragon had been destroyed and rebuilt countless times. His Armament and Conqueror's Haki had been maintained at full intensity.
And yet—
His breathing remained steady.
His aura unwavering.
Sengoku had seen powerful regeneration before—a Zoan user who had awakened his fruit.
But even that paled in comparison.
Could it be…
Is Romu's fruit some kind of Mythical Zoan with wood-element properties? And awakened?
His thoughts raced.
Then—
The last of the Buddha light shattered.
"Is that it, Sengoku?!"
Romu roared.
"Are you giving me a massage?!"
He launched from the wooden giant's shoulder and appeared above Sengoku in a flash.
His fist, coated in dual Haki, descended like a meteor.
Sengoku raised his golden palm to block—
BOOM!!!
The impact detonated the Buddha light around his body and drove straight into his true form.
His pupils contracted.
Impossible!
The power hasn't weakened—it's stronger?!
His massive golden body was blasted backward.
The golden radiance scattered like broken sunlight.
Romu didn't stop.
He accelerated again, appearing before the airborne Sengoku and driving another punch forward.
Crack!!!
Black-red lightning split the sky.
Sengoku's body shot downward like a fallen star, crashing through Split Mountain.
Rock shattered.
He tore straight through the mountain and slammed into the earth, carving a crater several meters deep before finally stopping.
For a brief moment—
Silence.
"Admiral Sengoku!!"
"How is that possible?!"
"What just happened?!"
Marines stared in disbelief.
The man who once one-shotted pirates worth over 100 million Berries…
The "Buddha Sengoku"…
Had just been blasted away head-on.
That wasn't supposed to happen.
Then—
A streak of golden light shot from the crater.
Sengoku rose again.
The Marines exhaled collectively.
"All units!"
"Prioritize destroying Romu's trees and vines!"
His Buddha-voice boomed across the island.
The order stunned them for a moment—
Then discipline kicked in.
Half the Marine forces broke off to cut down the spreading forest.
In the sky, Sengoku wiped blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Romu."
"I understand your secret now."
When he had been buried beneath the rock, he felt it—
Energy flowing through the roots.
Life-force.
He remembered the corpses drained dry by the forest.
The dead… were feeding him.
The thousands already fallen across God Valley—
All nourishment.
That's why his stamina seemed endless.
That's why his Haki never faltered.
"Finally figured it out?"
Romu smirked.
"Not bad, Strategist Sengoku."
He glanced downward at the rapidly-cleared sections of forest and frowned slightly.
No point expanding it further.
The remaining Marines were elites.
Harder to harvest.
The real gain had already been secured—the dead.
His gaze shifted.
"Kaido!"
His voice cut across the battlefield.
"Organize the squad. Stop the Marines from destroying the vines!"
From below, a thunderous voice answered immediately.
"Understood!"
Kaido's eyes shone with savage excitement.
Out of twenty squad members—
Romu had called his name.
Specifically.
He grinned viciously, wiping blood from his face.
"You heard the captain!"
"Stop those Marines!"
"For Captain Romu!!"
Romu's squad numbered only twenty-one.
But each was elite among elites within the Rocks Pirates.
Despite the chaos, none had fallen—only minor injuries.
At Kaido's roar, they surged forward like a pack of wolves.
They slammed into the nearest Marine unit attempting to clear the vines.
A Marine Vice Admiral swordsman stepped forward.
He didn't recognize Kaido yet.
To him, this was just another pirate brute.
He planted his blade into the ground.
"Kaido?"
"Never heard of you."
"Fool."
Kaido's expression twisted.
Veins bulged along his neck.
"You'll remember."
"My name is Kaido!"
"The man destined to become Captain Romu's right hand!"
Lightning crackled around his kanabo.
"Thunder Bagua!"
And he charged.
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