In the moment Kid was stunned.
On the battlefield, the last remaining member of the Kid Pirates was completely engulfed by the fire jutsu Ivan unleashed, wailing in despair.
Thus, the Kid Pirates were completely annihilated.
The coast fell into dead silence.
The sea wind howled, carrying a thick scent of blood as it brushed past Ivan's robes.
He slowly turned around, his Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan beneath the mask locking onto the bewildered and dazed Kid not far away.
The game was only truly beginning now.
...
On the silent coast, the sea wind, laden with the heavy scent of blood, slapped harshly against Kid's face.
He stood frozen in place, his vacant gaze slowly sweeping over the corpses and bloodstains littering the ground.
Just seconds ago, he had been chatting casually with Killer in the streets, planning how to find members of Shadow Garden and properly prove his strength.
Yet in just a short moment, the Kid Pirates he had poured his heart and soul into building were completely wiped out.
His gaze fixed on the figure wearing the spiral mask, the confusion in his eyes completely vanished, replaced by overwhelming fury erupting in his chest.
"You... what have you done?!"
Kid was never one to play nice; his hands were stained with blood, having taken countless lives.
But that was killing others. He had never experienced such a crushing defeat.
Not losing to an opponent of equal strength, not fleeing in disgrace, but having his entire crew wiped out in one fell swoop, not a single subordinate left alive, while he himself had been leisurely strolling elsewhere like a fool.
"My crew... my pirate crew..."
Kid's roar grew louder and louder, the metal fragments around him beginning to stir frantically.
Guided by an invisible force, these metals rapidly converged toward him:
"I'll kill you! I'll tear you to pieces, grind your bones to dust!"
Before his words even finished, Kid abruptly raised his hand, fully activating the power of the Magnet-Magnet Fruit.
A massive amount of metal instantly coalesced into countless sharp iron spikes, whistling through the air as they shot wildly toward Ivan.
Yet faced with this overwhelming metallic assault, Ivan stood still, unmoving.
Just as the metal attacks were about to reach him, he slowly opened his eyes, and a sapphire-blue skeleton formed beside him.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
A series of dense collisions rang out. The moment those frenzied metals touched the skeleton, they instantly halted mid-air, falling to the ground and scattering into piles of scrap.
Susanoo!
Witnessing this scene, the rage on Kid's face slightly froze. What kind of ability was this?
Immediately after, he stared intently at Ivan and demanded:
"Just who are you? How dare you attack my Kid Pirates?!"
Ivan slowly turned around, his tone tinged with mockery:
"Weren't you looking for me? What, now that you've seen me, you don't recognize me anymore?"
Kid was momentarily stunned, his eyes filled with confusion.
Looking for him?
When had he ever searched for a masked guy like this?
The only people he had wanted to find recently were members of Shadow Garden, to prove his strength.
But didn't members of Shadow Garden all wear animal masks?
The confusion lasted only a few seconds before his gaze once again fell on the spiral mask on Ivan's face, and a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
Both wore masks. Could it be...
He immediately demanded, "Are you from Shadow Garden?!"
He was confident that aside from Shadow Garden and a handful of exceptional powerhouses, no one on the seas could so effortlessly block his full-force attack.
Ivan chuckled softly:
"Not entirely foolish. I am Uchiha Madara, an executive of Shadow Garden. This time, I have come to meet you as you requested.
I was quite curious—just how capable is the so-called top Supernova, to dare speak so arrogantly and openly provoke Shadow Garden?
But now it seems, you are nothing more than this. The Kid Pirates, and these so-called crewmates of yours, are nothing but a bunch of fragile insects."
"Insects?!"
Those words completely ignited Kid's fury.
What he hated most in his life was being looked down upon.
He could accept defeat, but he could never tolerate being treated with such contempt.
Overwhelming rage shattered his reason. Kid's eyes turned blood-red, and the magnetic force around him grew increasingly violent.
Without any further hesitation, he poured all his strength into controlling every piece of metal he could muster, launching an even more frenzied assault toward Ivan.
Beside him, Killer had long lost his usual composure.
Though he wore a silencing mask, the tension in his body made it clear how enraged he was.
Unlike Kid, who saw his crew as tools for conquering the seas, Killer held deep affection for these comrades who had fought alongside him through life and death.
Seeing the bodies of his fallen companions scattered across the ground, Killer felt as if his heart were being sliced by a knife.
He no longer urged Kid to stay calm, for he himself had already been blinded by fury.
The debt for his comrades must be repaid!
Killer's figure blurred as he charged toward Ivan, gripping the twin blades at his waist.
His physical skills were exquisite, his speed astonishing. With each swing of his blades, every strike aimed for Ivan's vital points—each move lethal.
Kid's long-range metal attacks, combined with Killer's close-quarters assault, created a seamless coordination of ranged and melee combat.
They refused to believe that this masked man before them could truly withstand their combined full-force onslaught with ease.
Yet, facing their attacks, Ivan remained standing in place, showing no intention of dodging.
Seeing this, Kid mocked:
"What's wrong? Scared stiff by our attacks? Too terrified to even move?!
Go to hell!"
Amid his roar, he manipulated a massive metal axe, swinging it down viciously toward Ivan's head.
Meanwhile, Killer seized the opening, his figure flashing as his twin blades thrust straight toward Ivan's chest, aiming for a fatal strike.
But just as their attacks were mere meters away from Ivan, a sudden change occurred.
Around Ivan's body, several seemingly fragile blue skeletal structures materialized once more. Yet, it was these very bones that effortlessly blocked Kid and Killer's assaults.
The metal axe struck the skeletal frame with a deafening crash, but the structure remained unmoved, without even a single scratch.
Killer's twin blades stabbed into the bones, only to be instantly repelled, unable to inflict the slightest damage.
All attacks came to a halt before Ivan's skeletal defense, unable to advance any further.
Ivan slowly raised his head, his voice cold:
"Such feeble attacks. With strength like this, you dare provoke Shadow Garden?"
Before his words faded, a massive skeletal arm extended from the frame, sweeping violently toward Kid and Killer.
Kid and Killer's expressions changed drastically as they tried to dodge, but it was already too late.
The speed of the bone arm was too fast; the moment they reacted, it struck their chests with tremendous force.
In the next instant, both were sent flying.
However, a single arm of Susanoo was ultimately not enough to completely defeat Kid and Killer.
They struggled to their feet, wiping the blood from the corners of their mouths, their strength barely diminished.
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