The intense battle between Enel and Hashirama raged on, neither aware of the thoughts of the spectators watching from afar.
But Lin Xuan knew.
Through the steady rise in his system's reputation points, he could see the impact of their clash. Every time Enel and Hashirama exchanged devastating attacks, another wave of reputation surged. His goal for coming to Skypiea was being fulfilled right before his eyes.
Poor Kuzan, thinking he had gathered valuable intelligence, had no idea that Lin Xuan was exploiting this very battle to amass reputation—reputation he would later use to summon even stronger warriors into this world to oppose the Marines.
At the moment, Kuzan was still kicking himself over accidentally helping Hashirama awaken Conqueror's Haki earlier. The thought of potential repercussions from his superiors weighed heavily on his mind.
When Madara Uchiha asked him to explain Conqueror's Haki again, Kuzan flat-out refused. The last thing he needed was for another monstrous fighter like Madara to unlock that power. If Madara gained Conqueror's Haki on top of everything else, dealing with him would become nearly impossible.
Madara, however, didn't press the issue. Instead, he turned to Lin Xuan as soon as he arrived.
"You said I could awaken it too?" Madara asked, his voice low.
Lin Xuan smirked. "Easy. Just let Hashirama hit you with his Conqueror's Haki a few times. That should do the trick."
"That's all it takes?" Madara raised an eyebrow, skeptical. But remembering how effortlessly Hashirama had awakened it, he decided to trust Lin Xuan's word.
Meanwhile, Kuzan's eyes darted around, searching for any sign of the three Celestial Dragons Lin Xuan had taken hostage. When he didn't spot them, his tension spiked.
"Where are they?" Kuzan demanded, stepping forward. "You didn't kill them, did you?"
Lin Xuan gave him a sidelong glance. "Kuzan, since when do you care so much about Celestial Dragons? I thought you hated them as much as anyone."
Kuzan's expression darkened. How the hell does he know that?
But he kept his composure. "My personal feelings don't matter. As a Marine Vice Admiral, it's my duty to ensure their safety."
Lin Xuan shrugged. "Relax. They're alive. I just moved them somewhere safer. You really think I'd bring them into a warzone?"
Kuzan gritted his teeth. The fact that the Celestial Dragons were still in Lin Xuan's grasp meant he couldn't afford to act recklessly. Frustrated, he turned his attention back to the battle.
The Battlefield
Enel, after trading blows with Hashirama to no avail, finally decided to escalate.
BOOOOM—
The sky above Skypiea, once clear and blue, twisted into a storm of blackened thunderclouds. Lightning surged in violent arcs, crashing down upon the island like divine punishment. The very ground trembled as if the island itself would shatter.
Panic spread like wildfire among Skypiea's citizens, who fled toward the edges of the island.
But not everyone retreated.
The Shandians, seeing this as their chance to reclaim their homeland, pressed forward—only for several unlucky warriors to be obliterated by stray bolts of lightning.
Wiper, their leader, refused to back down.
"Now's our only chance!" he roared. "If we retreat now, we'll never get another opportunity!"
But his men weren't listening. Their eyes were locked onto something behind him, their faces pale with terror.
Wiper turned—and froze.
There, towering over the center of Skypiea, stood a colossal figure wreathed in crackling electricity, its radiance blinding.
Enel's ultimate technique—200,000,000 Volts: Raijin!
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T/N:
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