Uchiha Madara stood with his arms crossed, watching Mihawk swing his black blade.
"These swordsmen in this world... they're far stronger than I imagined."
Minato gave a faint nod. "Brace yourself. The storm is coming."
"Tch~!" Deidara growled, pressing his palms on the clay bird beneath his feet.
The giant bird abruptly changed direction mid-flight.
And in that very moment—
Everyone froze.
"It's here... I can feel it."
BZZZZZ——
The fusion of the Pirate World and the Shinobi World had completed.
A surge of chakra from the Shinobi World swept across the battlefield.
Uchiha Madara closed his eyes.
His chakra recovery accelerated.
The energy inside Hashirama Senju surged rapidly as well.
Sage Mode markings returned to Hashirama's face.
BOOM BOOM——!!!
As they sensed the chakra-rich atmosphere…
The massive meteorite in the sky was cleaved cleanly in half by Mihawk.
A wave of sword energy scattered the broken fragments like leaves in the wind.
CLANG——!!!
With the meteorite destroyed, Mihawk didn't pursue further combat.
He sheathed Yoru, his black blade, and turned to leave.
WHOOSH——
Just then, Senju Tobirama appeared in front of him.
"Warlord of the Sea, Dracule Mihawk. I know who you are."
"I acted beyond the bounds of our contract. I will not interfere again," Mihawk replied coolly, pausing to glance at the white-haired man. "You're different from the others."
"Let me be direct."
Tobirama drew a Flying Thunder God kunai and threw it at Mihawk.
SWOOSH—
The kunai flew swiftly—but Mihawk merely tilted his head, easily avoiding it.
Flying Thunder God: Slash.
WHOOSH——!!!
Mihawk's pupils contracted.
Tobirama had vanished from sight.
In the next instant, he was already behind him.
Even the World's Greatest Swordsman had to admit—that speed wasn't trivial.
Still, Tobirama didn't attack.
He simply demonstrated his skill—to show that his words held weight.
"We're from another world," Tobirama said plainly.
"I'm sure you've heard of our leader—Uzumaki Naruto."
Mihawk was silent for a beat, then turned around.
"Uzumaki Naruto. Bounty: 4 billion."
"Took down Admiral Kizaru in two moves. Killed a Celestial Dragon."
Tobirama gave a slight nod. "Not bad."
"But that's just a glimpse of his power."
"If you felt pressured by my speed just now… then you wouldn't even be able to touch a single hair on Naruto's head."
Mihawk narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting at?"
Tobirama glanced at the war-torn battlefield.
"We intend to overthrow the World Government… and build a new order atop its ruins."
"In two days, the entire first half of the Grand Line will be liberated."
Mihawk blinked, surprised.
"When did this start?"
"Three days ago," Tobirama said, a small smirk forming on his lips.
Mihawk's eyes widened slightly. Shock flickered on his usually unreadable face.
"Three days ago… from Sabaody Archipelago?!"
Tobirama nodded again.
Mihawk inhaled deeply. It sounded insane. Impossible.
But with this group's power?
He couldn't deny the possibility.
"You want me to join you?"
Tobirama shook his head. "No. It's fine if you just observe."
"I just thought you were one of the few decent ones—and deserved a warning."
"In the next battle, if you fight with us, you're welcome. But if you fight for the pirates, the Marines, or the World Government…"
Tobirama didn't finish the sentence—he only stared at Mihawk, gaze sharp and unwavering.
"I trust you'll make the right choice."
SWOOSH——
With that, Tobirama vanished using the Flying Thunder God.
Mihawk remained rooted in place, head lowered slightly, his mind spinning.
Meanwhile, Doflamingo and Gecko Moria—who had both attempted to attack earlier—exchanged a glance and quietly retreated from the battlefield.
"…I've mostly recovered," Minato muttered as he stood up. "Time to test that man again."
BUZZ——
The next moment, he scattered into countless beams of golden light and vanished above the clay bird.
Sasori also rose.
"My chakra's replenished. This time, I'll try a different—"
Before he could finish, Deidara gave him a swift kick in the rear.
"Shut up!"
"Explosions are the ultimate art!"
Sasori swung through the air mid-kick.
Deidara barely began to laugh before—
Sasori's body transformed.
Mechanical components sprang from his head, assembling rapidly into the ferocious visage of a beast.
Then more.
An entire mass of robotic limbs and gears emerged from within.
"AAAAHHH!!!"
BOOM BOOM——!!!
A monstrous mechanical humanoid emerged.
Its enormous tail—dozens of meters long—whipped through the battlefield.
Each swing sent Marines and pirates flying like ragdolls.
"If you want to reduce casualties," Akainu growled, standing tall again, magma flowing down his arms, "you'll need to strike the head."
But even as he prepared to act—
Minato had already appeared above Whitebeard.
A special three-pronged kunai glinted in his hand before he threw it.
He moved through hand seals at blinding speed.
"Shuriken Shadow Clone Technique!"
BUZZ——
Green chakra enveloped the kunai.
In a blink, thousands of shadow clones materialized mid-air.
Minato raised his arms and crossed them in front of his chest.
His thumbs and ring fingers met.
A brilliant golden radiance surged outward.
"Yasakani no Magatama!"
As the words left his lips, a barrage of golden orbs of light burst forward—each one fused with the green chakra-emitting tri-pronged kunai.
Their speed surged instantly.
Whitebeard squinted and looked up. "Oi... why's it so damn bright?!"
"Isn't that the same trick that brat Kizaru uses?"
Just then, a blur of blue shot past from behind Whitebeard.
A man soared upward with fiery blue wings erupting from his arms, cutting through the air to intercept Minato's incoming attack.
BOOM BOOM——!!!
Golden and blue light clashed mid-air.
One side radiated sacred gold, the other a blazing azure flame.
A massive glowing orb formed in the sky—pure pressure clashing.
People across the battlefield noticed the disturbance.
"Damn it!"
"Scatter!"
BOOM——!!!
The glowing sphere exploded and faded.
Inside, two figures were revealed.
"…The blue flames—it's him!"
A Marine gasped, just before he was taken down.
Minato hovered calmly in the air, eyes fixed on the figure below.
Wrapped in ethereal blue fire, the man slowly lifted his head.
"How dare you disturb our king the moment you arrive?"
It was Marco, the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates.
A Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit user—his Phoenix abilities even rarer than Logia powers.
Minato's eyes narrowed slightly.
Marco was covered in wounds—yet they were healing before his eyes, blue flames knitting flesh and bone at visible speed.
"RAAAHHH——!!!"
Marco roared, his body erupting in blue fire as he fully transformed.
Majestic wings spread out—the phoenix form had fully taken shape.
"So he transformed," Minato muttered.
The next instant—he vanished.
Reappeared next to a Flying Thunder God kunai.
Right above Marco's head.
One foot came crashing down—
BOOM BOOM——!!!
Marco didn't even have time to react before a golden flash-kick slammed him into the Marineford stronghold.
Minato blinked.
He stared at the giant dent in the Navy Headquarters wall.
Scratching the back of his head, he muttered, "Sorry... I've never seen a bird like that before. Didn't think that kick would land."
"Grrnn—!!!"
A muffled groan rose from below.
And then—
A huge glacier of ice surged toward Minato.
WHOOSH——
He instantly warped using the Flying Thunder God Technique—reappearing on the frozen sea surface.
"You really are still alive."
As Minato finished speaking, his body burst into countless golden lights, streaking toward a new target: Diamond Jozu, who had just launched the ice attack.
He kicked like a flash of golden light.
Jozu crossed his diamondized arms.
"Bring it on!"
Even while taunting, he remained confident—his defense truly top-tier among Devil Fruit users.
Minato's initial flash-kick collided, but didn't deal much visible damage.
Still, Jozu's insides churned slightly from the force.
"Flying Thunder God: Second Stage."
SWOOSH——!!!
The very next moment, Minato appeared above Jozu's diamond head.
This time, his foot wasn't glowing gold.
It shimmered with a faint, nearly invisible force—
Armament Haki.
At the same time, his chakra surged wildly.
He stomped down.
BOOM BOOM——!!!
Jozu's eyes widened in shock, disbelief flashing across his face as he felt the impact.
"…How do you know this power?"
The question barely escaped his lips before his body was hurled like a cannonball across the frozen sea.
Cracks spiderwebbed across the diamond armor on his chest.
Minato looked down, mildly surprised.
"It still needs more practice," he muttered.
"But it works."
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH——
Minato prepared to continue his assault—
—but then glanced upward.
And dissolved into photons once again.
"Art is an explosion!!!"
BOOM BOOM——!!!
Dozens of white clay bombs rained from the sky.
They exploded indiscriminately, engulfing Marines and pirates alike.
Screams echoed across the battlefield.
"Are you trying to blow me up too, bastard?!"
Mechagodzilla roared in rage.
"Explosions are art! If you don't appreciate that, then stop yelling like a talentless hack!"
Deidara shot back smugly.
"Seriously… are those guys just here to stir up chaos?!"
"Even the soldiers are running in a panic! If we all attacked together—"
Akainu clenched his fists mid-sentence.
Sizzle—!!
His hands began to bubble and glow red-hot as they transformed into molten magma, thick black smoke curling upward with every breath he took.
"And who will guard this place then?!"
He snarled through clenched teeth.
The next moment, his entire right arm ignited in blazing magma, flame roaring at his side like a wrathful inferno.
The smoke rising off him mirrored his fury.
"Great Eruption!!!"
BOOM BOOM——!!!
Akainu took a thunderous step forward and hurled a magma-coated punch skyward.
Lava surged outward from his arm—
A massive molten fist formed mid-air, surging forward with oppressive heat.
At the same time, smaller fragments of magma burst out like shrapnel, raining down in fiery arcs.
From below, the pirates looked up, wide-eyed.
"Scatter!! Move, now!!!"
But Akainu's target wasn't them.
No—the one he aimed for was the massive clay bomb bird soaring in the sky.
High above, Deidara glanced down at the attack and smirked.
"Old man, you're way too slow."
Meanwhile…
"Kaguya's abilities are insane… She really teleported straight here."
"Huh?!"
As soon as Kushina stepped out from Yomi no Hirasaka, she froze at the sight before her.
Her eyes widened at the unexpected scene.
"So many people?!"
She stepped forward quickly, scanning the unfamiliar faces—until her eyes landed on Shirahoshi.
The mermaid princess lowered her hands shyly, nervously twiddling her fingers. Her cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment.
"N-Naruto~!"
Right after Kushina's arrival came another surprise—Hancock, still dramatically 'ailing' from her self-diagnosed lovesickness.
Following Tsunade's arrival, yet another woman appeared—one who loved nothing more than wiping Naruto's face every chance she got.
"I missed you soooo much~!"
Naruto: "…"
...
TN:
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