Lin Xuan's suspicions grew stronger by the moment. The Five Elders must have mastered some method that allowed a single person to wield multiple Devil Fruit powers simultaneously! At first, he had assumed the fiery force in the Bald Monk's sword attacks was merely a variation of his swordsmanship or an enhancement from a Devil Fruit ability. But after blocking those strikes, he realized that wasn't the case.
The flames actually came from Mustache, the Fourth Elder! Mustache had layered his own fiery power onto the Bald Monk's swordsmanship, amplifying its destructive force. In other words, Mustache could not only command lightning but also harness the power of flames! And as for the Third Elder, Golden Beard, who hadn't even made a move yet, Lin Xuan had no idea what abilities he might possess.
That uncertainty prompted Lin Xuan to unleash his full Susanoo form without hesitation. The ensuing battle only confirmed that he hadn't overestimated these three old men. Their strength was far from ordinary.
The Bald Monk, whom Lin Xuan had faced before, combined his exceptional swordsmanship with an ability that made him intangible, like a wisp of nothingness. It was a deadly combination, nearly impossible to counter, and posed a significant threat even to someone like Lin Xuan. Mustache, the Fourth Elder, wielded not only the lightning and flames Lin Xuan had already encountered but also the power to summon storms—and who knew what else he was capable of?
As for Golden Beard, Lin Xuan had begun to piece together his abilities. The man could attack the mind itself, a power so potent that even the Rinnegan couldn't fully shield against it. Golden Beard's surprise attack had nearly caught Lin Xuan off guard. To make matters worse, Golden Beard also possessed an extraordinarily sharp Observation Haki, reading Lin Xuan's intentions as if they were written in the open. Lin Xuan had tried to take him out first, only to find his plans completely anticipated.
What made the trio truly formidable was their seamless coordination. Golden Beard had even turned Lin Xuan's attempt to attack him against him, working with the Bald Monk and Mustache to shatter Lin Xuan's Susanoo, briefly putting him in a perilous position.
Though Lin Xuan had trained in seclusion after the war in the Sabaody Archipelago, boosting his strength considerably, the time had been too short to fully restore his power to the level he'd wielded during his fight against the Celestial Dragons. Now, facing enemies stronger than ever—and three of them at once—he found himself at a disadvantage.
But Lin Xuan wasn't worried. Though he was temporarily on the back foot, these three old men wouldn't take him down so easily. He decided to forgo using combat cards or other aids for now. He also chose not to call on Kaguya Otsutsuki, Obito Uchiha, or Minato Namikaze, who were lurking on the battlefield. Instead, he would use these three elders as a whetstone to sharpen his own combat skills.
"This bastard is using us as sparring partners!" the Bald Monk growled, the trio quickly picking up on Lin Xuan's intentions. Their irritation was palpable, but to Lin Xuan's surprise, they didn't erupt in fury as he'd expected. Instead, they continued to engage him, dragging out the fight.
That puzzled him. Something felt off.
Then, he noticed a shift on the battlefield. Without warning, roughly fifty thousand World Government soldiers had appeared, flooding into the fray. The tide of battle turned dramatically.
At the top tier, whether it was the five members of Roger's crew, the higher-ups of Whitebeard's pirates, or Luffy and his companions fresh from Sabaody, they were all tied up by elite fighters from the Navy and other World Government forces. No clear victor had emerged yet. But the ordinary pirates were suffering devastating losses. If this continued, as more pirates fell and the World Government concentrated its forces on Roger, Whitebeard, and their allies, the situation would grow increasingly dire.
"We've been played," Lin Xuan muttered, his expression darkening.
He'd thought the Bald Monk's taunts meant they were out to kill him, but now he realized they were merely stalling him. The World Government's true goal was to win this war outright—or at the very least, cripple Whitebeard's crew.
Noticing the shift in Lin Xuan's demeanor, the Bald Monk sneered. "Figured it out, have you? Too late!"
Golden Beard joined in, his voice dripping with mockery. "Your biggest mistake was underestimating the World Government. You scattered your forces across the globe and came here alone to meddle in this war!"
Mustache let out a hearty laugh. "Red-Haired Shanks' crew is already pinned down by our forces out at sea. It won't be long before this war ends—with the World Government victorious! And you? Even if you regret it now, it's too late. Your Ninja Guild won't make it in time to save you!"
The three elders stood before him, brimming with confidence. But Lin Xuan's expression turned peculiar. He'd seen this kind of thing in stories before—villains who loved to gloat and monologue at the critical moment. He'd always thought it was cliché, but here they were, doing exactly that.
In response to their smug laughter, Lin Xuan's lips curled into a faint smirk. "You say I underestimated the World Government? No. The truth is, you've underestimated my Impure World Reincarnation."
The Bald Monk, Mustache, and Golden Beard froze, caught off guard by his words. A sudden, inexplicable sense of unease gripped them.
Seeing their wary expressions, Lin Xuan's smile widened. "What, even after I summoned the warriors of the Ninja World right in front of the Navy, you still don't get it? Fine. Let me show you one more time."
Before they could react, Lin Xuan's form flickered and vanished from their encirclement, reappearing instantly beside Kaguya Otsutsuki and Conis below.
The Flying Thunder God Technique!
The three elders' faces twisted in shock. They realized now that Lin Xuan hadn't been fighting at full strength. He could have escaped their trap at any moment.
But their immediate concern wasn't his escape. It was his cryptic promise to "show them one more time." What did he mean by that?
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T/N:
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