"It seems the two previous Third Hokage fighters might've been the weakest among the Hokage world's lineup."
"What a pity! Luffy and Kaido snatched the weakest ones! I wanted to bully the weaklings too!"
"Don't be so sure. Maybe there are more soft persimmons waiting to be squeezed?"
"Three consecutive victories with overwhelming strength... it's got me fired up! But I wonder, whose world has the stronger peak combatants?"
"Garp, what do you think? Got confidence?"
"Grandpa, can you take down those earlier ones? Especially that guy... Madara!"
"Hahaha! Of course!" Garp let out a booming laugh, full of bluster. "I am the Pirate King, Garp! How could I lose to someone like Madara?!"
Though his tone was bold and carefree, Garp wasn't as sure inside.
In the Pirate King chat group, his combat power rating was at the peak of Tier 3—undisputed number one on the power rankings.
But even so... could he really beat that Madara?
Garp couldn't give a definitive answer.
All he could say was: do your best.
He didn't believe he would lose. But winning would not be easy either.
That Madara… had given him a terrifying sense of danger. He was definitely not someone to be trifled with.
"Three wins in a row! Not bad. Looks like the Pirate World doesn't have anyone that impressive." Sakura said with a smile.
"No, no… Why do I feel like there are still some strong guys over there?" Naruto scratched his head, looking conflicted.
"Idiot! Are you trying to dampen our momentum?" Sakura shot him a glare, puffing her cheeks.
"Haha~ I was just joking, really! Maybe there aren't any strong ones left." Naruto quickly added with an awkward laugh.
Just then—
Two beams of golden light suddenly descended from the sky, enveloping two figures from each world.
[Match Nine: Pirate World - Second Pirate King, Blackbeard VS Hokage World - Sixth Hokage, Kakashi!]
Swish!Swish!
Two figures materialized in the arena.
Kakashi appeared, his white hair tousled, his expression indifferent and eyes gloomy.
To be honest, within the Hokage group chat, Kakashi's strength sat close to the bottom of the ranking.
If not for the fact that a couple of newcomers had joined recently and were slightly weaker, he'd still be holding that lowest position.
He glanced at the man opposite him—Blackbeard.
A sneer curled on Kakashi's lips.
This guy looks like a villain no matter how you look at him.
And with a name that sounded suspiciously similar to Whitebeard's, Kakashi figured this battle would be tough.
"I'm only invincible Kage-level..." He muttered as he stared up at the sky in resignation.
On the other side, Blackbeard scrutinized Kakashi intently.
White hair. Emptyz eyes. Overall lethargic aura.
Is this guy even taking me seriously?
Blackbeard narrowed his eyes, growing wary.
After all, his own strength rating in the Pirate chat group was just late-stage Tier 2—equivalent to a Super Kage-level at best.
In the grand scheme of things, he was still lingering at the lower rungs of power. He didn't dare bluff in the group.
Especially not with Whitebeard around.
He never expected to face a prime Whitebeard in this crossover—thank the heavens he hadn't stolen the Gura Gura no Mi from this version of him yet. Otherwise, he'd already be a dead man.
Garp could freely travel between the worlds due to his top ranking and had good ties with Whitebeard. If Whitebeard wanted revenge, Blackbeard would be screwed.
So over time, Blackbeard had developed a careful, cautious personality in the chat group. He knew not to run his mouth.
And yet… as he looked at Kakashi's deadpan expression, a chill ran down his spine.
Was this guy really weak?
Or was he just hiding his true strength?
Maybe… maybe he should consider surrendering early?
But then again, if he just gave up, he'd be the laughingstock of every Pirate King member watching.
After much hesitation, Blackbeard came to a decision.
He'd go through the motions. Pretend to fight. Maybe claim injury and bow out gracefully.
Yes, that was the plan.
Meanwhile, Kakashi observed his opponent.
"Huh? Why is this guy so quiet? Could it be… he thinks I'm strong?"
The two stared at each other in silence, unmoving.
Around the arena, both camps looked on, confused.
"What's with the staring contest?"
"Are they gonna fight or not?"
"Hey! You two! Start already!" Ace shouted from his perch atop a massive stone pillar.
Unfortunately, the distance was too far. Neither Blackbeard nor Kakashi heard him.
"I think… they both assume the other is strong." Ryosuke mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
Though from Kakashi's perspective, Blackbeard's strength was respectable. But for Blackbeard to think Kakashi was strong?
That was definitely pushing it.
This wasn't the Kamui Susanoo Kakashi.
Just the regular "invincible Kage-level" one.
Hardly terrifying.
In the Super Kage-tier, Kakashi was basically cannon fodder.
If not for Sakura and Shikamaru joining recently…
He'd still be scraping the bottom.
All because his "cheat" was temporarily disabled.
"Blackbeard! What are you doing? Get moving already!"
From afar, Buggy shouted, looking agitated.
But again, it fell on deaf ears.
Blackbeard, however, had reached a conclusion.
Maybe… this guy isn't as tough as I feared?
Maybe Kakashi was just bluffing.
"…Hey, you gonna make a move or what?" Kakashi finally asked, growing bored.
"Why don't you make the first move?" Blackbeard responded cautiously.
"Alright then."
Kakashi sighed, then calmly activated his Mangekyō Sharingan—an artificial version purchased after joining the chat group, which didn't strain the body and could be toggled at will.
"Lightning Release: Raikiri."
Swish!
An afterimage surged forward, bridging the hundreds of meters in an instant.
"???"
Blackbeard's eyes widened.
Was that… it?
Though fast, the attack wasn't unreactable.
He was about to move when—
Swish!
A second Kakashi appeared behind him, also cloaked in lightning, thrusting Raikiri toward his back.
"Damn! So insidious?!"
Blackbeard instantly reacted, but it was already too late. His Observation Haki could sense immediate danger, but not predict the future.
And even if he sensed it, dodging wasn't guaranteed. He was trapped.
"Damn this white-haired bastard!"
With a scowl, Blackbeard activated his Armament Haki, bracing for impact.
Zap!
Raikiri struck Blackbeard's back but instead of piercing through, it met what felt like an impenetrable wall.
Kakashi's expression shifted. He instantly retreated. But Blackbeard was faster.
"Die! Tremor Fist!"
Relying on Gura Gura no Mi, which was more effective than the Dark Fruit against non-Devil Fruit users, Blackbeard counterattacked.
BOOM!
Kakashi was obliterated by the tremor. Yet in the blink of an eye, his shredded body scattered into wooden splinters.
"A clone?! Again with this ninja trickery!"
Blackbeard gritted his teeth and whirled around—only to meet a massive blue fist.
BOOM!
The two exchanged blows and leapt apart.
Blackbeard narrowed his eyes, staring at the shimmering energy now cloaking Kakashi.
"Oh? It's that energy giant again?"
A half-body Susanoo shimmered around Kakashi.
But that was his limit.
This Mangekyō wasn't Eternal.
Just a regular version.
Low pupil power.
And limited time.