Suddenly, a massive explosion echoed through Water 7!
Hearing the sound, Kuina immediately drew Wado Ichimonji!
Then, everyone saw towering waves rise from the sea.
As the people ran in panic, the waves slowly settled, and the water near Water 7's shore returned to calm.
"What... what the hell just happened...?"
"What kind of weapon could cause an explosion that powerful...?"
"How did this happen...?"
The people of Water 7 were left in shock, trying to figure out the cause of the explosion.
Only the Dream Exploration Team had a rough idea of what was going on.
They knew that earlier this morning, Ryuen had received an invitation from old man Gaban, and the two had set sail on Blu together.
An explosion like that couldn't have been caused by any existing weapon.
There was only one explanation—Ryuen and Gaban were fighting!
Silhouettes moved swiftly across the rooftops.
Within seconds, the Dream Exploration Team had gathered on one of the rooftops.
"Should we head out to sea and check?" Nojiko asked first.
"I believe in Ryuen. He already said it—there aren't many people in this world who can match his strength." Kuina said calmly.
The others nodded in agreement.
Since they had met Ryuen, none of them had ever seen him go all out in a fight.
Even though Gaban was once the left hand of the Pirate King, none of them believed he could defeat Ryuen.
"If it's Ryuen, he won't let himself lose," Nami said confidently.
"Alright, let's wrap this up. I still have a few windows that need fixing."
"My roof isn't fully repaired yet either..."
With that, the Dream Crew stopped worrying about Ryuen. They all remembered what kind of person he was—someone who would do whatever it took to win!
Ever since that huge wave hit, the city of water had been echoing with loud clashes every now and then for most of the day.
By evening, Ryuen and Gaban returned to Water 7, each riding their own Bull.
After returning the Bulls, Ryuen headed straight for the villa-style inn. After a fight like that, he was starving.
"Gaban, why are you following me? We're not feeding you, you know!" Ryuen suddenly turned around and shouted.
"I'm here to find my student. That has nothing to do with you."
Gaban glanced at Ryuen and completely ignored him, walking past him toward the inn.
Ryuen clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking loudly.
"Old man, you really aren't afraid of anything, huh? Don't think I won't deal with you just because we're back here!" Ryuen threatened.
"Ryuen, why don't you try me again?" Gaban laughed loudly, not taking him seriously.
Ryuen glared at Gaban's back, then continued walking toward the inn as well.
It wasn't that he was scared. At their level of strength, normal attacks didn't do much. But now that they were back in Water 7, it wasn't a place where they could unleash their full power.
That said, Ryuen had never been one to follow the rules.
As they reached a narrow alley with a canal running alongside it, Ryuen didn't hesitate—he kicked Gaban straight into the water!
"Ryuen... *glub glub*... you bastard... you have no honor! *glub glub*"
Gaban's voice echoed from the canal, mixed with splashes of water and furious cursing.
Nearby, some civilians had watched the whole thing unfold. Their faces were filled with shock.
"Uh... young man, isn't it a bit too much to treat an elder like that?" an older man cautiously asked.
The others all nodded in agreement.
"Everyone, don't blame me for doing this. This old man has nothing to do with me. In fact, he's a pervy geezer who likes to spy on women while they bathe..."
The older man's face twitched.
"Uncle, I remember once, when I went looking for him, I found him crouched against the wall of your house. And from the sounds of it, your wife was taking a bath at the time..." Ryuen said with deep regret.
"He actually... That bastard...!"
The old man's face turned red with fury, and without another word, he jumped straight into the canal.
The other onlookers looked just as stunned. None of them had expected that this seemingly pitiful old man would do something like that...
"Don't just stand there. He's been in this city for decades. Who knows how many of your wives he's peeked at..."
"I'm gonna kill him!"
Before Ryuen even finished speaking, more people jumped into the canal, and soon enough, a full-blown brawl broke out in the water.
"Ryuen, you little brat... Ah... You son of a... Ah, you fight dirty!"
Hearing the screams coming from the canal, Ryuen felt great. He completely ignored Gaban and hummed a tune as he made his way back to the villa.
As he reached the villa's entrance, he could hear laughter coming from inside.
Ryuen was about to get mad, but as the captain, he figured he should be a bit more generous. So, he put on a big smile and pushed open the door.
"Everyone, I'm back!" Ryuen spread his arms wide and shouted.
For a moment, everyone in the courtyard turned to look at him.
The place fell silent.
Their faces showed nothing but shock and disbelief.
"What's with you guys...?" Ryuen asked, confused.
"This is too funny...!"
"Ryuen actually... actually got panda eyes...!"
Everyone in the courtyard couldn't hold back their laughter when they saw Ryuen's swollen, blackened eyes and his puffy, bruised face.
"Stop laughing! He got it worse than me, okay?!" Ryuen jumped onto the table and shouted.
Suddenly, something splashed out.
"Ryuen, you stepped on my yogurt..." Kuina said coldly.
"(⊙o⊙)... Sorry, I didn't mean to..."
"I didn't mean to either." Kuina calmly sheathed her sword, walked over to the fridge, and grabbed another yogurt.