A short while later, Kuzan, who was still stationed with his troops outside Amazon Lily, received a response from the highest level of the World Government.
"Confirming the withdrawal? Okay, I understand."
He hung up the Den Den Mushi, took a deep breath, and looked at the several Vice Admirals who had already gathered on his ship.
"You all heard it. Make the arrangements." The men before him, however, exchanged glances and didn't immediately move to order the retreat.
Vice Admiral Onigumo spoke up. "Admiral Kuzan, are we really just withdrawing like this?"
Kuzan nodded, his expression grave. "Staying here won't accomplish anything. We might even cause meaningless sacrifices. It's better to go back and prepare properly."
He paused briefly before adding in a heavy tone, "A truly large-scale war is about to begin!"
The Vice Admirals immediately grew solemn and began arranging the withdrawal.
Soon, they had completely vanished from the sight of everyone on Amazon Lily.
Witnessing this, the people on the island collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, everyone's gaze converged on Lin Xuan, who had repelled the Marines with just a few words.
As for Empress Boa Hancock, her eyes had never left Lin Xuan from the start. She didn't seem to care at all whether the Marines retreated or not.
Because she knew that with Lin Xuan here, Amazon Lily would be fine.
After forcing the Marines to retreat, Lin Xuan had originally planned to leave directly, return to Sabaody Archipelago to give some instructions, and then go back to the Dragon Ball world. But Hancock enthusiastically insisted that he at least stay for a meal before leaving.
He checked the live broadcast of the World Martial Arts Tournament venue in the Dragon Ball world and saw no reason to refuse.
However, he had underestimated the enthusiasm of Hancock and Amazon Lily. The feast, prepared just for him and Ōtsutsuki Kaguya, actually consisted of over a hundred dishes, which gave him a bit of a headache.
But since the food was already prepared, he couldn't let it go to waste. He invited everyone to eat together, and while they ate, he communicated via the Trans-Dimensional Communicator with Hiruzen Sarutobi, informing him of the recent events and instructing him to discuss matters with Monkey D. Dragon.
When Monkey D. Dragon learned that Lin Xuan had outright declared to the World Government his intention to form a new World Government, he was greatly shocked!
Although the Revolutionary Army had always strived for this very goal, they would never dare to announce it so openly and brazenly.
But now that Lin Xuan had already declared it, there was no stopping it. He could only try to look on the bright side: perhaps this was an opportunity!
Ultimately, he gritted his teeth and had the news spread through the media outlets they often cooperated with.
Instantly, the world was thrown into another great upheaval!
Lin Xuan, naturally, reaped a substantial amount of reputation points as intended.
Meanwhile, in the Dragon Ball world, on Earth.
The battles at the World Martial Arts Tournament venue naturally continued after Lin Xuan's departure. The people Lin Xuan had brought to the Dragon Ball world were also steadily earning reputation points.
The second match: Piccolo vs. Uchiha Izuna.
Uchiha Izuna jumped onto the ring directly. Piccolo, who had been observing from the rooftop, also leaped down, landing on the ring with a thud.
Piccolo stood before Uchiha Izuna, glanced at him, and a cold smirk appeared on his face.
"Don't worry, I'll finish you off quickly. My target isn't you anyway," Piccolo said, his voice dripping with disdain. He then shifted his gaze to Son Goku down below. "It's Son Goku!"
He had come to this World Martial Arts Tournament for the sole purpose of taking revenge on Son Goku. Everyone else, in his eyes, was nothing more than an insignificant pest, unworthy of his attention.
Down below, Son Goku met Piccolo's gaze, his expression serious.
This was King Piccolo's offspring, and he could sense that Piccolo's power was far greater than his father's. Facing Piccolo, even Son Goku felt considerable pressure.
On the ring, Uchiha Izuna let out a cold snort. "Arrogant fool!"
He was, after all, a powerful shinobi from his world. Even though he died young, his strength was nothing to scoff at. This green-skinned creature dared to look down on him, and right in front of his old rival, Tobirama Senju no less? This was an intentional slap to his pride.
Uchiha Izuna felt a surge of anger.
Just then, the referee below shouted, "The second match... begin!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Uchiha Izuna's figure shot forward. He leaped into the air, his hands rapidly forming seals.
"Fire Style: Dragon Flame Singing Projectile Jutsu!"
Four dragon-shaped flames erupted from his mouth, shooting towards Piccolo on the ground. The fiery dragons attacked from four different directions—front, back, left, and right—simultaneously.
Although many had been amazed by the ninjutsu of the shinobi fighters during the preliminary rounds, seeing this again still drew gasps of surprise from the crowd.
A flicker of surprise also passed through Piccolo's eyes, but he showed no panic. As the dragon flames rushed towards him, his body moved with incredible speed.
BOOM!
The four dragon-shaped flames collided with each other, erupting in a violent explosion that tore a fissure in the stone ring.
However, at that moment, Piccolo's figure suddenly appeared behind Uchiha Izuna. His arm stretched out unnaturally, his hand shooting forward to grab Izuna by the neck.
THUD!
Piccolo's hand was fast, clamping down on Uchiha Izuna's body.
But in the next instant, Uchiha Izuna's form dissipated into the air. It had been a Shadow Clone.
Witnessing this, both the live audience and viewers watching the broadcast worldwide were stunned once more.
They had seen Tobirama Senju use a Water Clone earlier, which had already amazed many. Now, seeing a Shadow Clone, the crowd was once again astonished.
How was this even possible?
Piccolo's eyes narrowed, a look of astonishment on his face, though he still remained calm.
Suddenly, he swiftly raised his arms.
WHOOSH!
A giant fireball slammed into him from the side, crashing against his raised arms and forcing him back several steps. The sleeve of his garment was slightly singed.
Uchiha Izuna's real form materialized in front of him in an instant. His Sharingan eyes whirled to life, and he immediately cast a Genjutsu upon Piccolo!
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T/N:
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