In the past, Piccolo always believed that his own power was formidable. He thought that as long as he defeated Son Goku, he would be the strongest existence in the world.
Now, looking back, that thought seemed ridiculously laughable.
What he couldn't understand was this: since so many powerhouses existed in this world, why didn't any of them appear when his father, King Piccolo, was dominating the globe?
Was it because his father was so insignificant that he didn't even enter the eyes of these beings?
For a moment, Piccolo fell into a deep state of existential doubt.
In fact, Piccolo wasn't the only one questioning his life choices.
High above in the Lookout, Kami, the guardian of Earth who had been silently observing the events, was also completely dumbfounded.
He had sensed before that Lin Xuan was not someone to be trifled with, but after watching a few battles, he realized "not to be trifled with" was a massive understatement.
This group of people seemed to activate special transformations at the drop of a hat, causing their power to skyrocket. One wrong move, and anyone facing them would be utterly crushed.
Fortunately, he realized that the appearance of Lin Xuan and his group wasn't entirely without merit. At the very least, judging by Piccolo's current state of shock, the young Namekian probably wouldn't dare dream of conquering the world anymore.
While Piccolo and Kami were lost in their chaotic thoughts, the fierce battle in the ring continued unabated.
"Sage Art: Yin Release Lightning Dispatch!" "Lightning Surprise!" "Sage Art: Storm Release Light Fang!" "Armament Haki: Susanoo!"
Uchiha Madara and Lin Xuan exchanged blows with incredible intensity, causing the members of the Ninja Guild to click their tongues in amazement.
Kisame Hoshigaki nodded. "As expected of Uchiha Madara. To fight on par with the Guild President... truly impressive."
Kakuzu added, "In our guild, probably only Lord Madara and the First Hokage can reach this level of intensity."
Whitebeard laughed heartily. "Gu ra ra ra! What destructive power! Watching this makes my blood boil!"
Deidara chimed in enthusiastically, "Madara is Madara, un! A man who rivaled the God of Shinobi! Un!"
Nagato observed closely. "It's completely neck and neck right now. It is impossible to tell who will emerge victorious."
Whether they were members present at the scene or those watching the live stream via the Ninja World Chat Group, everyone was buzzing with excitement.
However, what they didn't know was that Uchiha Madara, currently fighting Lin Xuan, felt incredibly aggrieved.
Everyone else thought he and Lin Xuan were having a thrilling back-and-forth duel. But in reality, Madara was simply desperately parrying Lin Xuan's attacks.
Why?
Because he was reanimated by Lin Xuan using the Impure World Reincarnation. By the laws of the jutsu, he could not harm his summoner!
In other words, in this battle, if Madara failed to block an attack, he would get hit. But if he attacked Lin Xuan, even if he landed a hit, it would have no effect.
So, as the fight dragged on, Madara began to look strained, while Lin Xuan seemed increasingly relaxed and at ease.
To the onlookers, this only made Lin Xuan's image appear even more towering and invincible.
"The President is suppressing Uchiha Madara!"
"As expected of the President, his strength is truly immense!"
"I get the feeling the President hasn't even used his full power yet!"
"Yeah, he always gives off that unfathomable vibe!"
In the Ninja World Chat Group, members sent flurry after flurry of excited messages.
These messages naturally appeared in Uchiha Madara's mind as well, making him even more depressed.
Suddenly, he pulled back, landing in a corner of the ring and ceasing his attacks.
The audience, who had been dazzled by the display of skills, was momentarily stunned. Then, they watched as Madara looked helplessly at Lin Xuan and asked, "Do you find this amusing?"
Lin Xuan chuckled. "It's alright. I think it's pretty fun."
The corner of Madara's mouth twitched. He waved his hand dismissively. "Well, you can keep playing by yourself. I'm not keeping you company anymore!"
After speaking, under the gaze of the entire crowd, he leaped directly off the ring.
For a moment, both the live audience and those watching remotely were dumbstruck.
Even the host stood frozen for a long while before snapping back to reality. He shouted into the microphone, "Contestant Uchiha Madara has jumped out of the ring and is disqualified! The winner of this match is Lin Xuan!"
Hearing the announcement, the audience finally recovered their senses, though they were still confused as to why Madara had suddenly forfeited.
"Why did he suddenly give up?"
"He probably realized he had no hope of beating his opponent."
"That was decisive. He likely felt that losing would be inevitable if he continued."
"This Uchiha Madara seems to have quite the personality!"
Walking beneath the ring, Madara's expression stiffened slightly upon hearing the whispers from the stands. However, he quickly composed himself, crossed his arms, and walked toward Hashirama Senju and the others with a look of indifference.
Hashirama and the others were also confused about why he had quit so abruptly.
Seeing him approach, Hashirama asked directly, "Why did you stop fighting? Did you really feel you weren't a match for the President, so you gave up?"
Madara's lip twitched, but he simply snorted. "Hmph. You'll understand when you have to fight him yourself."
The others were puzzled, but seeing that he had no intention of explaining further, they didn't press the issue.
Meanwhile, Lin Xuan, having won the first match, strode back to the contestant area. The host quickly announced the start of the second match.
This round: Tobirama Senju vs. Whitebeard!
As soon as he stepped onto the stage, Whitebeard looked at the stern-faced Tobirama Senju opposite him and felt a headache coming on.
"To be honest," Whitebeard grumbled, "out of everyone in your Ninja Guild, you are the one I least want to run into!"
The surrounding audience didn't understand the context, but the members of the Ninja Guild smiled knowingly.
In fact, it wasn't just Whitebeard. Every Devil Fruit user in the One Piece world would likely want to avoid Tobirama Senju.
After all, the reputation of the "Sea Style" Ninja was far too intimidating for them.
Hearing Whitebeard's comment, Tobirama simply smiled faintly. "Excuse me, then."
Before his voice even faded, his hands were already moving in a blur of seals.
Seeing those hand signs, Whitebeard's heart clenched, and his nerves snapped tight.
The next moment, he heard the voice that had given countless Marines deep psychological trauma ring out from Tobirama's mouth:
"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!"
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T/N:
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