Chapter 363: I'll Give You Five Minutes — Do Whatever You Want
Uchiha Dali's clone didn't raise his voice, yet, strangely, every single word carried across the entire battlefield.
Not only did every pirate and Marine hear him clearly, but his words were also broadcast to the entire world through the video transponder snails.
In that instant, the world was in an uproar.
"Who the hell is that guy? How dare he interfere in the battle between the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines?"
"What an arrogant tone! Is he saying he's going to take on both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines at once?"
"He doesn't seem to be with Whitebeard's crew… then why do this? Is he just trying to get famous?"
"I noticed them floating up there since earlier—they've been acting suspicious from the start!"
"Is this guy insane or just stupid? Who would provoke that many people at once…"
"..."
People all over the world watching the live broadcast from Marineford were all questioning the identity of Dali's clone, mocking him for being overconfident and reckless.
Of course, Uchiha Dali heard every single one of those voices clearly.
A playful smile curled at the corner of his lips as he gazed down at the scene below.
Even Sengoku and the others were momentarily at a loss.
Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned, raising her eyes to look at Dali's clone.
"My friend, I don't know what your name is," she said slowly, "but didn't you say earlier that you would remain neutral?"
"Then why are you interfering now?"
"Why are you even talking to him?"
Dali's real body floating in the sky looked down and countered coldly,
"Hmm?"
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to him.
"The one who explained things to you just now was me," he said calmly. "What does that guy have to do with me?"
"And I haven't attacked you yet. You should be grateful for that."
As soon as he finished, Ōtsutsuki Kyōshi grinned cruelly.
"Such ignorant lower beings… I hope you're right. We'd better gain something useful from this, otherwise we're just wasting time."
Once he said that, Dali's clone below spoke again.
"Four minutes left. You really aren't going to make a move?"
"If you wait too long, you won't get another chance!"
Those words sent a heavy wave of psychological pressure sweeping through the battlefield.
Both Marines and pirates turned their eyes toward Uchiha Dali's clone again.
He had made himself perfectly clear—whoever he was, once those five minutes were up, he would attack everyone indiscriminately.
At that moment, one Marine soldier made a decision and took action.
He raised his rifle and aimed it at Dali's clone.
"Oh? Finally, someone brave enough to make a move."
Dali gave him an amused glance.
No sooner had he spoken than there was a sharp bang.
The Marine soldier pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Of course, such an attack couldn't possibly harm him. Dali's clone didn't even bother to dodge; he just let the steel bullet strike his body harmlessly.
Once the first shot was fired, countless Marines followed suit, opening fire on Dali's clone all at once.
In an instant, gunfire erupted in a deafening storm.
The pirates nearby were still observing, and when they saw what was happening, they decided not to join the fight but instead began backing away.
"The Marines started it—has nothing to do with us! Let them fight him!"
"Our enemy is the Marines! Our goal is to save Ace! Don't act recklessly!"
"Focus on the Marines!"
"..."
Members of the Whitebeard Pirates quickly passed the word among themselves.
Meanwhile, on the Marines' side, they noticed that even after their gunfire, the man hadn't retaliated at all.
He stood there, arms slightly open, smiling faintly, waiting for more attacks to come.
"Is this guy even human? Bullets don't do anything to him!"
"Doesn't matter! We've already started—if we don't take him down, we're dead for sure!"
"Who is he? His body's too damn tough!"
"..."
The Marines exchanged nervous shouts, then began pulling out stronger weapons.
Explosions thundered as wave after wave of rockets were fired toward Dali's clone.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions roared without pause.
Thick clouds of smoke rose, covering the entire area.
Within moments, Dali's clone was completely engulfed by fire and smoke.
But the Marines didn't stop there.
They switched weapons again and again, firing rifles, cannons—even Marineford's coastal defense batteries—all at Dali's position.
Sengoku, Tsuru, Garp, and the others all looked grim, their eyes fixed on the explosion zone.
None of them wanted to become enemies with Uchiha Dali's clone.
With their strength, they understood better than anyone how terrifying this intruder truly was.
But they had no choice now.
All they could do was hope this massive bombardment would finish him off—because if it didn't, no one could predict what would happen next.
After three full minutes of continuous bombardment, the ice on the ground began to crack apart.
The air was thick with smoke as the frozen sea split open, and frigid seawater surged upward.
Seeing this, the Marines finally stopped firing.
"All our ammo's spent—he's got to be dead by now!"
"Looks like he fell into the sea…"
"Did we get him? That'd be great!"
"..."
Every Marine stared tensely at the fading smoke, anticipation and anxiety written on their faces.
"No… it's not that simple," muttered Vice Admiral Burning Mountain, his brows furrowing deeply as his Observation Haki caught a faint presence in the haze.
Sure enough—
When the smoke finally cleared, everyone could see their target again.
Hovering over the turbulent, frozen sea, Uchiha Dali's clone stood suspended in midair.
He hadn't fallen into the water—nor did he have a single scratch on him.
All the bullets and shells fired at him earlier hadn't left even the faintest mark.
Seeing this, every Marine's expression hardened in disbelief and dread.
"He really is a monster! He's completely unscathed!"
"How… how is that possible?! He took all that head-on!"
"Who the hell is he?! How can anyone be that strong?!"
"..."
As the Marines trembled in shock and confusion, Dali's clone slowly curved his lips into a faint smile.
"Five minutes," he said softly, "are up."